I ME MYSELF
This is my view of the divisions in any person. There are three divisions in the person’s entire self, including the physical parts of that person. This is what I propose out of the meagre knowledge I have. This I propose because I wanted to understand why I as a person have so many conflicting thoughts inside myself. When I use the words “I” or “ME” or “MYSELF” when I am speaking in a general sense, I do not refer to the PROPOSITION made by me.
THE “I”
The “I” signifies the divine particle in a person. It is the explicit symbol of the soul. The “I” or AHAM is the “Paramaatma” in a person. It is the “BRAHMAN” that prevails upon all material and immaterial things in the entire cosmos. This face of the “I” is generally dormant but peeps out occasionally as what can be termed as the “CONSCIENCE”. But the second form of the “I” is the hyperactive “EGO”. It is present in every lame person and this mask over the “AHAM”, when shed, paves way for realizing the “BRAHMAN”. It takes just one sentence to say about self-realization but one entire birth may not be enough to achieve it. Like a new shiny snake emerges after shedding its skin, an entirely new person is seen after he wins over his ego. Like the shed skin, the “EGO” is very unclean and hence man should try to shed it. The lame way to do it is by “ATMASAMARPANA BHAVA” as proposed by many great people. Whatever one does for his/her pleasures must be offered as worship to the divine. Thereby it is possible to shed the “EGO” and realize the true self. Sri Shankaracharya has described this in a verse in his work “SOUNDARYALAHARI”. The goes like this-
Japo jalpaha shilpam sakalamapi mudraa virachana,
Gatihi praadakshinyakramanam ashanaadyaahuti vidihi.
Pranaamaha samveshaha sukhamakhimaatmaarpanadrushaa,
Saparyaaparyaayastava bhavatu yanme vilasitam.
{All this has already been said as a part of other theories. So nothing new can be said as every high thought has been explained before. This is a combination of various thoughts that I am able to interpret in a certain different sense.}
The relationship between the three parts can be understood properly only after understanding the “MYSELF”.
THE “ME”
The “ME” is the symbol of what actually the person is, as seen by the outside world. It is the beast natured feature present in every one of us but suppressed in different proportions in different people. In this, there is both good and evil. The “ME” signifies what others see in that person. In a society, his attitude, physical appearance, behaviour and his character are all seen by people, which is nothing but what he is in the society, that is, “ME”. What am I in the society? is what the “ME” in a person all about. This part is predominantly active and has a close bearing on the “EGO”. This is why people react so spontaneously when they are spoken to or something is spoken about them. This part cannot be shed but it can be made to be dormant by a conscious effort to regulate the senses and their reactivity. The “ME” is a part of the mind and so by controlling mental fickleness the “ME” can be brought to the stage of dormancy. This is the wherein the thoughts are diverted towards the “I” or “AHAMKARAA”. The best example for this stage is a person who was known to have been in this stage, Sri SADASHIVA BRAHMENDRA. This is also, as far as I can comprehend, the Samaadhi, as illustrated by PATANJALI in his “ASHTAANGA YOGA”. But this is only the stage of Savikalpa Samaadhi, which is directing the flow of thoughts in only one direction. Further from this stage, the “NIRVIKALPA SAMAADHI” can be achieved by the eradication of the “VRITTI”, that is the mental functions or simply thoughts. To achieve this there has to be a regular disciplined and striving effort by the “JIGNAASU”. After the ultimate is achieved, there is a congregation of the three parts, namely, “I”, “ME” and “MYSELF”.
THE “MYSELF”
The “MYSELF” includes the mind, the think-tank of the human and all his physical parts. The brain and the mind are the parts that are most prominent. The “MYSELF” is that part of a person that thinks, through which only a person expresses his feelings and communicates with fellow beings and accomplishes many tasks. It is the medium of exchange between the “I” and the “ME”. Thus it is interactive. The “MYSELF” is a dependent factor. Unless the other two parts unite, the “MYSELF” continues to prevail. The “MYSELF” is what a person thinks about himself, knows about himself and interacts within himself, i.e. all the conflicting thoughts that arise, the confusions that take place etc and also through which he learns about the outside world. Thus the “MYSELF” is an important part the person. It is through the “MYSELF” that a person can achieve the union of the “I” and the “ME”. The MYSELF has a great influence on the “ME”. This because the “ME” is what others perceive in a person and the “MYSELF”, being the medium of exchange, highlights only the good qualities to outsiders and helps in nursing the selfish and harmful ambitions within the person, not revealing it to others. This is why people tend to say one thing and do something else. Thus the “MYSELF” helps others to feel the “ME” to be good. Hence there is great power in the “MYSELF” to help a person to either progress or even to bring his own or others’ downfall. Thus is the result that people pose to be good, hide their bad intentions and also act unlike what their own real instincts provoke them to be.
The “I” is purely divine and spiritual. It does become powerful unless it is realized. It has its own individuality and is existent in a person by birth. The second “I” is downtrodden and filthy. It is powerful in all selfish and self-centered people. It takes form from the moment a person starts to become selfish and concerned about himself. The “ME” is normal and worldly in its existence. It is neither strong nor weak. This starts to exist from the moment the person becomes a part of the society and recognized as an individual. The “MYSELF” is powerful, both interactive and dormant depending on the situation and state of the person (sleep etc). It is the only part that has tangible coalitions (the body) and takes help from these to function. The “MYSELF” comes into existence as early as in babyhood when the baby starts reacting to the outside world.
The “I” is absolute and powerful when realized. The “I” is the only particle that exists in total independence. The “ME” is neither independent nor powerful. It is a highly intangible but real factor. The “MYSELF” is consciously powerful. It is the one that causes the gap between the “I” and the “ME”, i.e. makes a person to appear unlike his true self and at the same time helps to realize the true self when prompted by the “I”. the mind is the major cause for this kind of functioning of the “MYSELF” due to its power of thinking. The “MYSELF” is highly intangible to the person as he does not differentiate between the three particles in him. In terms of power, the “MYSELF” comes second. The “MYSELF” is a highly dependent factor and its existence is dependent upon the existence of the “I”, (mainly) the second “I” and the “ME”. It cannot exist by itself. Hence clarity in thoughts leads to accuracy in actions.
NOW, what is making me write all this is the “Myself”. The “ME” in me is Nanda Kalyan G.S. and for the “I”, I wish I could realize it.
“I”--- Aham or Brahman
“ME”---- The person as seen by others (Who is he /she?)
“MYSELF”---- What am I to others?
And if you didnt understand any of wat I said above, feel free to ask. Dont feel bad, a lot of people have no knowledge.
