There are two words ‘I’ and ‘Mine’. ‘I’ is associated with the concept of oneness (Ekatvam); ‘Mine’ is a social concept. ‘I’ represents the individual. Who is this individual? It is not connected with the body, ‘Mine’ is a collective concept. You describe many things as ‘mine’. But ‘I’ stands alone. Being associated with the One, it stands for the Atma. Ekatma - the Atma is one. ‘Mine’ is associated with the things of the world.
Where does the ‘I’ (Nenu in Telugu and Aham in Sanskrit) exist? Where from did the ‘Aham’ originate? Vedic scholars and spiritually realised persons declared that the source of ‘Aham’ is ‘Hridaya’. What is the meaning of ‘Hridaya’? In the worldly sense it refers to the physical heart in the body. But this is not what the term ‘Hridaya’ signifies. ‘Hridaya’ and ‘I’ are one and the same, The Srutis gave the name ‘Hridaya’ to ‘I’. Where is this ‘Hridaya’? It is assumed that it is in the body. Where is the ‘I’ presumed to exist in the body? ‘I’ is not part of the body. You say ‘This is my body’ ‘My’ is separate from the body. ‘My’ therefore is not a part of the body. It follows that ‘I’ is not part of the body. If you understand the nature of ‘I’, you will understand the whole world. ‘I’ is in all beings. Everyone uses the ‘I’ to identify himself or herself. The ‘I’ is the Omnipresent indwelling entity. When the ‘Hridaya’ is identified with the ‘I’ it is equally all pervading.
Man to-day has a narrow conception of the ‘I’ and ‘Hridaya’ because he misconceives the relationship between the container (Upadhi) and what is contained (the indwelling Atma). How is this misconception to be removed?
At the outset, there should be an enquiry into the nature of ‘Hridaya’. All, you students are here (in the hall). If ‘Hridaya’ referred to the physical heart your ‘Hridaya’ should be here. But when you think about your parents, in one moment your thoughts run to Hyderabad. Another moment, you think about Madras. What is it that ‘goes’ to Hyderabad or Madras? What is it that experiences these feelings? You may think it is mind. The mind is inert (Jada). When you understand the mind properly, you will realise it is not the mind that is involved, it is the ‘Hridaya’ that is at work, and the mind merely follows it like a shadow. There can be a shadow only when there is a real object. The mind is only the shadow of ‘I’. Wherever the ‘I’ goes, the mind follows. When the ‘I’ is still, the mind will not move. Understanding this truth is real education for students. This is what in involved in the quest for truth (Satyanveshana). The quest for truth should embrace all things. (SS Apr 95 , pp. 96-97)