Burst Forty Five (For Youth):
Soham – The Description:
Who are we? Are we bad or good? Are we for ever chained to varieties of limitations, or do we have an infinite potential for achievement and fulfillment? Any thinking man wonders on these lines at some time or the other. All other knowledge becomes meaningless if we do not know ourselves. To put it in other words, to have a poor self-esteem and lose hope on ourselves renders any other good side of ours worthless.
To feel, “I am good, nice and worthy of love and respect,” is such a necessary ingredient of happy, productive living that, without it, we might turn towards harmful ways of behavior. The Vedanta declares, “You are ever complete, full and free of inadequacies.” The student understands this and says, “I am That” – so’ham (sah = That, aham = I am). So this __expression so’ham is a pithy description of the beauty and majesty of our existence. It is the ultimate positive assertion of human goodness. The uplifting and reassuring words of many poets and writers are like an echo of this seminal statement – so’ham. For example, H W Longfellow writes in his A Psalm of Life, “Life is real, life is earnest, and the grave is not its goal.” The job of all motivational speakers is to kindle the flame of so’ham in the hearts of their listeners. Parents and teachers are fulfilled when their children or students experience a greater worthiness within themselves and that in essence is so’ham.
So’ham is a mantra, a string of sounds with a mystic power. Chanting it, we fill ourselves with self-confidence. Repeating it, we assert our hidden divinity. Contemplating upon its meaning, we remind ourselves of all the spiritual potential that is waiting in us to be tapped. We may take a deep breath, and say so’ham while holding the breath inside. When we hold air inside our chest after inhaling, the state is called antah-kumbhaka. When we hold the chest empty after exhaling, the state is called bahih-kumbhaka. We may practice the “so’ham during antah-kumbhaka” and receive many benefits of sound physical and mental health.
As we think, so we become – is an old piece of wisdom. We must receive good thoughts from every corner and look at life in their light. Tagore prays in his Nobel Prize-winning Gitanjali, “Give me the strength to raise my mind high above daily trifles.” Such thoughts can help us gear up to daily life’s challenges better.
So’ham is the gist of a vast amount of good literature. It is the cream of all works that equip us to meet life with courage, cheerfulness, compassion and true love.
Swami Chidananda
Monday, July 31, 2006