Yad bhavam tad bhavati (as you think, so you become) is a famous verse from the Upanisads. It is so simple, yet so profound. Can we actually become whatever we think and believe, or is it about thinking right, so we become what we actually are? This could be true both ways, because we naturally want to think the best about ourselves, and in truth, we are indeed the best of the best.
‘Aham brahmasmi’ (I am Divine) is the declaration of Indian spirituality. Can there be a better affirmation than this to indicate how glorious, pure and powerful our existence is? Sri Adi Shankaracharya says in the Nirvana Shatkam—cidananda rupah sivoham sivoham, which means, ‘I am the Blissful Consciousness, I am Divine.’
By staying in this awareness of divinity constantly, we would become divine. This is the only worthy manifestation that we must aspire for.
The Cub and the Sheep Blooper
There is this famous blooper of the cub and the sheep, which is a tale of truth with a funny twist. A small cub got lost in a herd of sheep and grew up believing that it was also a sheep. It would eat grass and bleat like a sheep, and thus it became one among the herd of sheep. One day, a lion came into their territory, and all the sheep bleated in fear. They started running hither and thither out of fear for their lives. This was when the lion noticed that a cub was living with the sheep. He was shocked, and so he caught the cub and asked him, “What are you doing in this herd of sheep?” The lion cub replied with confidence, “I am a sheep; I have been leading my life with my fellow sheep. I can bleat and I can eat grass.” The lion roared, “No, you are not a sheep, you are a lion.” But the cub couldn’t believe this.
Nevertheless, intuitively, the cub admired the lion’s majesty and courage. It was enamoured and mesmerised by looking at the lion, and wondered if it could ever be a lion. This was when the lion dragged the cub to a nearby lake and said, “Just peep into this lake and see for yourself.” The moment the cub peeped into the lake, it saw its reflection, which matched the looks of a lion and not a sheep.
What a revelation! It did not recognise or realise its true strength for so many days. At that very instant, the cub felt relieved from all its fears and delusions. It felt liberated from all its anxieties and limitations.
This is the universal tale of truth which applies to us all. We are the lions of eternal ethereality and therefore, we are meant to be the pageants of peace and bliss, and definitely, not the sheep of shrunken limitedness, fear and death.
Energy Never Dies, but Disseminates
There is magic in manifesting our beliefs because our words and thoughts are energy. A positive atmosphere can be created when we say good words, and think and speak in a good way. We are made of atoms; atoms are nothing but energy. A positive aura is created when energies interact in a positive way. Thus, the constant contemplation of ‘I am Divine’ can refurbish the chemistry of our body, mind, and also travel to the space around, creating an unseen yet a lasting change in the universal energy. When we identify ourselves with the limited body and mind, we are belittling our own potential. But when we identify ourselves with the vast, supreme Divine, we are that ultimate happiness which we are seeking. This thought, which is pure, can elevate our energy and that of the existence around us.
This is the modern manifestation which needs to find its ground on the ancient wisdom of ‘tatvam asi’ (I am That).