That –Tat
Thou -Tvam
Art – Asi
Tattvamasi
December 8 —
The blessed day when the Tattvamasi board was installed at the mukha-padma (sanctum façade) of the Sabarimala Temple.
Once, Poojya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji was travelling to Trivandrum. He had already checked in for the flight, and by divine coincidence, I too was travelling on the same flight, on my way to Sabarimala. The flight was delayed. I went to the departure lounge and found Gurudev seated there. With His characteristic warmth, He beckoned me to sit next to Him.
Gurudev asked, “How many times have you been to Sabarimala?”
I replied, “Seven times, Swamiji.”
Then came His gentle but probing question:
“After going there so many times, what have you seen in Sabarimala?”
I answered with sincerity, “Ayyappa.”
“Describe the idol,” He said.
I narrated the best I could — the form, the posture, the ornaments, the yogic chinmudra of Bhagavan Ayyappa. Gurudev listened keenly. Then He smiled and said, “Good. You seem to know everything. But tell me—what exactly is this chinmudra?”
I knew instantly that the Master was preparing to unveil a profound truth. I remained silent.
Gurudev then held up His thumb. “Show Me the size of your heart,” He said.
I made a fist with the thumb tucked inside.
With His thumb raised, He asked gently, “And what do you call this finger in your mother tongue?”
I said, “Thallaviral — the mother of all fingers.”
Gurudev’s eyes sparkled.
“Yes. The thumb (aṅguṣṭha) stands for Tat — That, the Ultimate Reality.
Though it is the Indweller, the Hridayeswara seated closest to us, we still think of it as something far away.”
Then He asked, “How do you point out faults in others?”
I demonstrated with the index finger forward: “By pointing the finger and saying, ‘You, you, you.’”
“Exactly,” He said. “The index finger represents Tvam — Thou, the individual.”
And then came the luminous revelation:
“When the index finger (Tvam) bends, surrenders, and unites with the thumb (Tat), that union (Asi) becomes the Great Mahavakya:
Tat–Tvam–Asi — That Thou Art.”
Bhagavan Nityananda – Chinmudra
He paused, allowing the truth to sink in.
“This,” Gurudev said with great emphasis, “is the Ideal behind that Idol.”
Then came His instruction — simple, direct, powerful:
“Go to Sabarimala. Tell the temple authorities. A signboard with ‘Tattvamasi’ in Malayalam and Sanskrit must be installed at a place where the pilgrim, standing on the 18th holy step, will naturally see it. Let every devotee know the real essence of Ayyappa’s darshan.”
The flight took off. After reaching Trivandrum, I travelled straight to Sabarimala and conveyed Gurudev’s wish to the authorities. The Devaswom Board accepted the proposal with reverence. The Thantri himself stood on the 18th step and pointed out the exact spot where the board should be installed.
And so, on 8 December 1982, as ordained by Gurudev, the Tattwamasi board was installed on the mukha-padmam of the sacred temple.
The Melsanthi, Poonthottam Narayanan Namboothiri, performed the switching-on ceremony.
When I returned to Trivandrum, I found Gurudev reading the local daily. The front page headline read:
“Tattwamasi at Sabarimala.”
He looked up and said playfully,
“Oh! It has already appeared in the newspaper.”
Then, joining His palms, He chanted softly,
“Swamiye… Sharanam Ayyappa.”
In my heart, I bowed:
“Om Mahāvākyopadeśakāya Namaha”
and offered a deep prostration at His Lotus Feet.
— Sri Kalidas
