Sloka 7 and 8

SLOKA 7:

shiShya uvaacha
ko jiivaH kaH parashchaatmaa taadaatmyaM vaa kathaM tayoH .tattvamasyaadivaakyaM vaa kathaM tatpratipaadayet.h .. 7..

Pada artha:
Shishya uvacha: The disciple says
Ko: who
Jeevaha: is the individual Self ?
Kaha cha : and who
Paraha Aatmaa is the universal Self?
Vaa katham: and how can there be
Tadaatmamyam: an identity
Tayoho: between them?
Vaa katham: and How can
Tat tvam Asyaadi vaakyam: the sentences such as ‘Thou art that’
Pratipaadayet: demonstrate
Tat: that

The deciple says “Who is the individual Self? Who is the universal Self? How can they be identical? And how can the sentences like “Thou Art THAt” prove their identity?”

After learning from the Guru that the knowledge of identity of Self and Brahman from the sentences such as Tat Tavm Asi is the means of liberation, the student then asks who the ‘TAT’ and ‘TVAM’ are in the sentences. The student here requests the teacher to clarify the meaning of the Mahavakya by explaining who the individual Self and the Brahman are and how they can be identical.

Let us see in the next sloka what the teacher answers to this.

SLOKA 8:

gururuvaacha

atra bruumaH samaadhaanaM ko.anyo jiivastvameva hi .yastvaM pR^ichchhasi maaM ko.ahaM brahmaivaasi na saMshayaH .. 8..

Pada artha:Guruuvacha: teacher saidBruma: I shall give youSamaadhanam: the solutionAtra: in this matterKaha: whoAnyaha: elseJeevaha: is the individual SelfTvam eva hi: it is certainly you and no one elseTvam: youYaha: whoPruchhasi: sayMaam: to meKaha aham : who am IAsi: you areBrahma eva:” surely BrahmanNa samshayaha: there is no doubt The teacher says in reply: I shall give you the solution. No one else is the individual Self but yourself that put to me the question “who am I” you are no doubt Brahman itself. In the previous sloka the student asks about the jeeva and the Brahman as explained by the Guru for the Tat and Tvam words in the Mahavakya. The guru here replies that the jeeva mentioned in the previous sloka is none but the questioner itself. The jeeva referred as ‘Tvam’ is but the student who is asking the question. Hence by asking ‘who is the Jeeva?’ the student is asking the question as ‘Who am I?’. The Guru explains that it is this very jeeva who is also the Brahman as expounded by the Mahavakya. Let us learn this much clearly in the next slokas as the student further asks the Guru about this ultimate truth.

Till now we have learnt that the Guru explains to the disciple that the knowledge of the identity of the Self and Brahman arising from the great sentences as ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ etc. are the surest means of liberation from all the miseries of the world. The student then asks the teacher how it is so and to explain who the ‘THOU’ and ‘THAT’ are in these sentences.
In the last sloka we learnt from the guru explaining to the disciple in simple terms that the ‘THOU’ in these statements is none but the questioner itself and this Jeeva is but the Brahman as indicated by the Mahavakya “Aham Brahmasmi”.
Here, the disciple is still not sure of the meaning of these great statements and hence seeks further clarification thus:

Hari OM

With regards,
Mallika R
What you have is God's gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift to God