Aham, a concept of

Kashmir Shaivism Kashmir Shaivism tradition is a 20th century umbrella-term for a body of Sanskrit learning, Sanskrit exegetical literature from several Nondualism, non-dualist Shaivism, Shaiva-Shaktism, Shakta Tantra, tantric and Monism, monistic religious t ...

, is defined as the supreme heart ',, Jaideva Singh, page 78 transcendent

Self In philosophy, the self is an individual's own being, knowledge, and values, and the relationship between these attributes. The first-person perspective distinguishes selfhood from personal identity. Whereas "identity" is (literally) same ...

, supreme I awareness or infinite consciousness. The space of ''Aham'' is where ''khecarī mudrā'' (free movement in the space of the heart) is realised. ''

Khecarī mudrā ' (Sanskrit, खेचरी मुद्रा) is a hatha yoga practice carried out by curling the tip of the tongue back into the mouth until it reaches above the soft palate and into the nasal cavity. The tongue is made long enough to do th ...

'' is considered the supreme state of spiritual evolution.

Substrate of creation

When

Śiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer ...

wants to create, the first step is said to be the creation of an interior space (the space of his heart) - a matrix of energies that will be the substrate of the new world. This place is called ''Aham'' which means "I" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

. Thus the absolute first creates the

divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

person, ''Aham'', and from this divine person will appear the manifestation itself. ''Aham'' is identical to ' (the wheel of phonematic energies), essential nature of all categories from '' '' (earth) to '' ''. ''Aham'' is the final resting place, dwelling place, abode of all beings, receptacle of the world.

Ultimate mantra

Another definition of ''Aham'' is that of primordial mantra, transcendental mantra, the so-called heart-bīja (mantra of the heart) - force and power of consciousness. As the supreme mantra, ''Aham'' is closely related to ''matravīrya'' (the potency of mantra). Thus the realization of ''Aham'' confers power over any mantra., Jaideva Singh, page 195

United form of Shiva and Shakti

In ''Aham'', the supreme (para) aspect of Śakti is realized. ''Aham'' is the ''Śakti'' of ''Śiva'' or in other words, the expansion of Śiva. Another way of describing ''Aham'' is as the union of ''Śiva'' and ''Śakti'', the emotive(''visarga'') aspect of the Supreme (''anuttara'').

Etymology

Aham is formed of A+HA+M, a triad of ''Śiva'' (A), ''Śakti'' (HA) and bindu (M). M is the final point, union of ''Śiva'' and ''Śakti'', where they dissolve into ''Paramaśiva''. The

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

of A+HA+M is the essence of the ''Trika'' system. A+HA+M form the ' (seed of emission), a mantra that is identical to the energy of expansion and creation., Jaideva Singh, page 13 ''Aham'' can also be defined as: A = ''abheda'' (non-differentiation), HA = ''bheda'' (differentiation) and M = ''bhedābheda'' (differentiation cum non-differentiation).

Maha, the mirror image of Aham

On the other hand, ''Maha'', mirror image of ''Aham'', is formed of Ma+Ha+A, and represents the ' (seed of reabsorption) - the mantra that is identical to the process of spiritual evolution, or in other words reabsorption of the manifestation back into the absolute. In ''Maha'', Śakti (Ha) enters bindu (M) (the limited being) and reunites it with the Supreme (A)., Jaideva Singh, page 182

References