In Advaita Vedanta, the relationship between Atman (the individual self) and Brahman (the ultimate reality) isn't one of similarity or connection. It's one of absolute identity. This profound truth is captured in a few powerful statements from the Upanishads known as the Mahavakyas or "Great Sayings."

The most famous of these is 'Tat Tvam Asi' (तत् त्वम् असि), which translates to 'That Thou Art.' This isn't a poetic metaphor. It's a direct statement of fact, an equation pointing to a reality hidden by our everyday perceptions.

When the sage Uddalaka tells his son Shvetaketu, 'Tat Tvam Asi,' he is not saying, "You are like God" or "A part of God is in you." He is saying, "The very essence of what you call 'I' is, in its entirety, that ultimate, boundless reality." The statement works by stripping away the non-essential. 'That' (Tat) refers to Brahman, the source of all existence. 'Thou' (Tvam) refers to the innermost consciousness of the individual, the Atman. The verb 'Art' (Asi) asserts their indivisible oneness.

If Atman and Brahman are one, why do we feel like separate, limited individuals? The answer lies in the concept of upadhis—limiting adjuncts or superimpositions. These are the layers of conditioning that obscure our true nature.

Think of the upadhis as a set of colored glasses. The world you see is tinted by the color of the lenses. The glasses are not you, but they determine your experience. In the same way, the body, mind, senses, and intellect are upadhis. They are tools for navigating the world, but we mistakenly identify with them. This mistaken identity creates the Jiva, the empirical, individual self who experiences pleasure, pain, and limitation.

The Jiva is the self that feels hunger, thinks thoughts, and believes it is the author of its actions. But behind the Jiva is the Sakshi, the witness consciousness. The Sakshi is the pure, unaffected awareness that observes the activities of the mind and body without getting entangled. It is the silent, unchanging light of consciousness that illuminates all our experiences. The Sakshi is the true Atman, which is identical to Brahman.

This witness consciousness shares the same nature as Brahman, described as Sat-Chit-Ananda.

• Sat: Pure, unchanging existence.
• Chit: Pure, self-luminous consciousness.
• Ananda: Pure, unbound bliss, free from the duality of pleasure and pain.

This isn't a list of qualities possessed by Brahman; it is the very substance of Brahman. Because Atman is Brahman, this is also our fundamental nature.

How exactly do these upadhis create the Jiva from Brahman? Advaita Vedanta offers two main analogies or theories to explain this subtle process. They are not contradictory but offer different ways to conceptualize the same mystery.

Imagine one sun in the sky (Brahman). Now imagine thousands of pots filled with water on the ground. Each pot reflects an image of the sun. The reflections (the Jivas) are many, they may seem distorted if the water is murky or agitated (due to the quality of the mind), and they appear contained within the pots (the upadhis). But there is only one original sun. The Jiva is a reflection of Brahman's consciousness in the upadhi of the mind-intellect.

Imagine the vast, infinite space that is everywhere (Brahman). Now, place a clay pot in that space. The space inside the pot seems separate from the space outside the pot. We can talk about "pot-space" (the Jiva) as if it's a distinct entity, limited by the walls of the pot (the upadhis). But is the space inside truly different from the space outside? No. If you break the pot, the space simply merges. The limitation was only an appearance. The Jiva is Brahman appearing to be limited by the upadhis.

Whether viewed as a reflection or a seemingly contained portion of the whole, the conclusion is the same. The individuality of the Jiva is an illusion caused by the limiting upadhis. The true self, the Sakshi, was never born and will never die. It is, and always has been, the one, undivided Brahman.

The goal of spiritual inquiry in Advaita Vedanta is to methodically dismantle this false identification. By realizing that we are not the body, mind, or intellect, we cease to identify with the reflection or the pot-space, and instead recognize ourselves as the sun or the universal space itself—as Sat-Chit-Ananda.