Mahavakyas, literally -great sayings- or -profound sentences-, are equations found in the Upanisads of the four Vedas. They reveal that the truth of the individual (atma) and the total (Ishvara or Brahman) is essentially one and the same reality.

Being conscious of himself/herself, a human being experiences self doubt, a sense of inadequacy and insecurity. In the absence of self-approval, a human being constantly seeks approval from others. Mahavakyas address the human problem fundamentally as they reveal that you are the most significant person. The experiencer/knower (atma) is revealed to be essentially identical with Brahman, the cause of the world, self-revealing, self-existent consciousness.

In this Vedanta retreat conducted in his ashram in Rishikesh from 9-15 April 2013, Pujya Swamiji makes us see the meaning of the Mahavakya which is found in the Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter 6) of the Sama Veda.