Thoughts on verse 7 of Dakshinamurthy Slokam

बाल्यादिष्वपि जाग्रदादिषु तथा सर्वास्ववस्थास्वपि

व्यावृत्तास्वनुवर्तमानमहमित्यन्तः स्फुरन्तं सदा ।

स्वात्मानं प्रकटीकरोति भजतां यो मुद्रयाभद्रया

तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥७॥

Baalya-Adissv(u)-Api Jaagrad-Aadissu Tathaa Sarvaasv[u]-Avasthaasv[u]-Api

Vyaavrttaasv[u]-Anu-Vartamaanam-Aham-Iti-Antah Sphurantam Sadaa |

Sva-[A]atmaanam Prakattii-Karoti Bhajataam Yo Mudrayaa-Bhadrayaa

Tasmai Shrii-Guru-Muurtaye Nama Idam Shrii-Dakssinnaamuurtaye ||7||

Free Rendering :The self manifest within as the ever present sense of “I” (Anu-Vartamaanam-Aham-Ity-Antah Sphurantam Sadaa) that remains in every state of life and experience. He who reveals this "Atman" (Eternal-Changless Reality) to his devotees by his auspicious gesture of wisdom – Salutations unto Him, Sri Dakshinamurti (Ishwara) in the form of my own teacher

Contemplation

All the stages of life such as childhood etc., and states of daily experience such as waking state, etc., come in time and disappear in time. But, in and through all those changes, the sense of "I" or "Aham" is changeless and always shining as the innermost essence, in each and every one of us. This "Aham" padartham which is dear to each and every one (PRIYAM, ANANDAM), is Eternal and Changeless (Real - SAT) and consciousness itself (CHIT). 

Salutations to the Guru who reveals our essential nature (as SAT, CHIT, ANANDAM) to our mind, and destroys all sense of Bhedam (sense of difference born out of ignorance which takes all duality as real, instead of seeing everything as the ONE changeless infinite - ATMAN - indicated by "Aham" or "I"). This Guru is verily Sri Dakshinamurthy (Ishwara).

My Consciousness is self-established (svatah siddham ). It is self-revealing (svappraksha). That I exist is self-evident. That you are conscious is self-evident (to you). It is not arrived at by indirect means – scripture, logical inference, etc. It’s aparokshanubhuti or immediate experience. 

This Chaithanyam or Prajnanam or Consciousness/Awareness principle reveals itself – all the time – Prakateekarothi (प्रकटीकरोति). The aspect which is not self-evident to most of us – is that this Prajnanam or consciousness which is the content of the I-experience (Aham Padaartham), which underlies the Aham Spurti (I’ness), is verily the infinite Brahman. This lack of knowledge regarding the infinite nature of the “Aham Padartham” of consciousness within, is fundamental Ignorance – Avidya. This Avidya has to be dispelled with Brahma Vidya – i.e. knowledge pertaining to one’s essential nature as Brahman (infinite non dual consciousness).

This Brahma Vidya is revealed to those who are devoted to the “Guru”

As Sruti says : -

यस्य देवे पराभक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ।
तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः।
प्रकाशन्ते महात्मन इति।।6.23।।

yasya dēvē parābhaktiḥ yathā dēvē tathā gurau.
tasyaitē kathitā hyarthāḥ prakāśantē mahātmanaḥ.
prakāśantē mahātmana iti  ৷৷6.23৷৷(Svetasvatara Upanisad)

These truths, when taught, shine forth only in that high-souled one who has supreme devotion to God, and an equal degree of devotion to the spiritual teacher. They shine forth in that high-souled one only

As regards the changeless amidst the changeful & this changeless being the supreme - Few Gita Slokas come to our mind ...

 Ahamaatmaa gudaakesha sarvabhootaashayasthitah; 

Ahamaadishcha madhyam cha bhootaanaamanta eva cha. – 10.20

I am the Self, O Gudakesha, seated in the hearts of all beings! I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings.

Eeshwarah sarvabhootaanaam hriddeshe’rjuna tishthati; 

Bhraamayan sarvabhootaani yantraaroodhaani maayayaa – 18.61

The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, causing all beings, by His illusive power, to revolve as if mounted on a machine!

Kshetrajnam chaapi maam viddhi sarvakshetreshu bhaarata; 

Kshetrakshetrajnayor jnaanam yattat jnaanam matam mama – 13.3

Do thou also know Me as the Knower of the Field in all fields, O Arjuna! Knowledge of both the Field and the Knower of the Field is considered by Me to be the knowledge.

Adhyaatma jnaana nityatwam tattwa jnaanaartha darshanam; 

Etajjnaanamiti proktam ajnaanam yadato’nyathaa – 13.12

Steadfastness in Self-knowledge, contemplation/cognizance of the goal of knowledge of Reality - this is declared to be knowledge, and what is opposed to it is ignorance.

Swami in his Bhasyam on 13.12 says : -

_sarvatraiva ca yadviṣayaṅ jñānaṅ tadēva tasya jñēyasya paricchēdakaṅ dṛśyatē_

_na hi anyaviṣayēṇa jñānēna anyat upalabhyatē_

_yathā ghaṭaviṣayēṇa jñānēna agniḥ. naiṣa dōṣaḥ_ ? 

Everywhere it is observed that whatever knowledge reveals its own object, that itself ascertains the nature of that object of knowledge (the knowable). Indeed, nothing else is known through a knowledge concerning some other object. As for instance, fire is not known through the knowledge of a pot.

Notes (Self Reflection)

Purport here being Knowledge of Self’s infinite nature is Brahma Vidya – by obtaining Brahma Vidya – we realize I’m Brahman

If by receiving Brahma Vidya we realize “that is Brahman” or “this is Brahman” but not “I am Brahman” - that is not likely to be complete.

Why?

Since there is the sense of separateness, which renders the knowledge not-immediate. So gap in knowledge exists.

CONCLUSION

This Atma bhAvam we all experience – “I exist” “I’m conscious” – is eternally available to us, all we have to do is to enquire into its Adhishtaanam, with Sraddha in Sastram and Guru Vaakyam and RECOGNIZE the basis of this “I thought” (Aham Vritti) as the abiding nature of consciousness – which is present in DeepSleep (& other states). In DeepSleep, this “I thought” is, at it were absent – but the presence of awareness is uninterrupted – hence we recollect our blissful DeepSleep experience upon waking. So, we conclude this “I thought” like a wave arises from THE ocean of consciousness (in Waking and Dream) and abides in it (in DeepSleep). Hence, at the back of all thoughts in Waking & Dream, is the “I thought” and at the back of the “I thought” is the Consciousness – Prajnanam (inferred from DeepSleep Experience).

After having regularly practiced this -  RECOGNIZING the PRESENCE of the Uninterrupted AWARENESS (Prajnanam),  which has independent existence across – (1) all thoughts (while thinking) (2) states of experience (waking, dream etc.) and (3) stages of experience (youth, old age etc.). Thus, after having received (Sravanam) this Brahma Vidya (from a Strotriya, Brahma Nista) – we must REGULARLY dwell upon the TRUTH (Mananam)– about the INFINITE nature of this CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS which is the substratum of our EXISTENCE. When with the conviction arising from the Mananam, we dive deeper into our essential nature (Nididhyasanam) to ABIDE as It – we will by Guru’s grace.

The mind – inner instrument of knowing – ceases to retain its distinctness and DOUBTLESSLY ACCEPTS and ABIDES as the NON-DUAL ATMAN.

This entire process can be enshrined in our Sandhya Vandhanam – especially while chanting Gayatri Mantram and thereafter.