Self-proclaimed Godman

One of the primary reasons for the media’s visceral hatred for Asaram is his self-representation as a godman. 

However, on close reflection one is constrained to recollect the Upanishadic concept of ‘Aham Brahmāsmi’ – I am Brahman (Who I really am, is that absolute reality – Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of Yajur Veda). This small aphorism is one of the four cardinal core beliefs (Mahavakyas – ref. Wikipedia) of Hinduism according to the Vedanta tradition, which indicates the ultimate unity of the individual (Atman) with the Supreme Being (Brahman).

These four Mahavakyas are:

1. prajñānam brahma - " Brahman is the supreme knowledge " (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)
2. ayam ātmā brahma - " Atman and brahman are the same" (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)
3. tat tvam asi - " That is what you are" (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda)
4. aham brahmāsmi - "I am Brahman", or "I am Divine" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda)

People who are initiated into sannyasa in Advaita Vedanta are taught these four [principal] Mahavakyas as four mantras, "To attain this highest of states in which the individual self dissolves inseparably in Brahman". At a more mundane level, it used to be an Upanishadic inspiration to relentlessly strive for a union with the divine.

This core belief may sound anachronistic to a modern-day, supposedly well-read, affluent, but spiritually adrift Hindu, but it actually happens to be a part of the inner being and pervasive world-view of the vast majority of the ill-fed, ill-treated and almost illiterate population of this ancient country. 

Moreover, this fundamental Advaita Vedantic core belief served as the bedrock for a host of prominent later day saints in India ranging from Buddha and Mahavira to Guru Nanak, Raidas, Kabir and Vivekananda, enabling them to develop their own independent philosophies, which have continued to enlighten humanity down the ages.

The other major Mahavakyas are –

1. Brahma satyam jagan mithya – “Brahman is real; the world is unreal”
2. Ekam evadvitiyam brahma – “Brahman is one, without a second”
3. Sarvam khalvidam brahma – “All of this is Brahman”

Once, we have the realization that we are one with Brahman (the ultimate reality), we can love each other and love all living and non-living beings, without any reservation or prejudice. If I realize that you and I are part of Brahman, how can we hate or destroy each other? I am destroying myself when I attack the others.

It is also exceedingly important to note that these core beliefs are actually the stuff which have helped Hinduism overcome all travails and tribulations in its long chequered history, by enabling it to incessantly revive and reinvent itself at every step, as compared to all the major world religions.