"We Are Him"

     Virtually, all living beings are divine.  Divinity is inherent in the jiva. The Supreme Lord Bhagavan Shree Krishna has made this amply clear in more than one verse in the Gita. He says, "I am the Self of all"! He says, "I only Exist, and all existence is mere manifest forms of my yogic powers!" The problem is that of identifying this 'Self'! This Self is adhyatma and 'It is Him'! He clarifies that the living beings, whether it is plants, birds, animals or humans, the inner self (antar-atman) is covered by sheaths, envelopes, of ignorance such as soil (food/annamaya kosha), Air (pranamaya kosha), mind in the form of fire (manomaya kosha), sensuous and worldly knowledge, Lower Intellect (jnyanamaya kosha,)and lastly, (the tapomaya kosha). One has to remove these sheaths or covering layers of ignorance to discover the underlying pure and pristine 'Atman'. The first four are cleansed of and cleared by spiritual practices under an attained yogi (yogabhyasa), but the last one is difficult to reach. It is deeply hidden in the cave of the heart! So, once a yogin reaches there, he gets enlightened and says, "I Am That"! This is the meaning and purport of the Vedic doctrine- aham brahmasmi! 

   Now, one may ask, what is the use of all this? What is the benefit one gains out of this 'higher knowledge' here? The answer is simple. When one realizes this, experiences this oneself, that realized person becomes so divine that anybody who sees such a realized soul suddenly bows head and falls at his feet. This is what is the effect of 'divine'! Moreover such attained persons get yogic powers and will bestow grace on all! People will get relief, solace, happiness by just remembering them! We do have such great souls amidst us, but rarely we ever recognize them. Once we recognize them we worship them as living Gods. We can see these miracles happening around us!