Guru Stotram – 14

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त्वमेव माता च पिता त्वमेव । त्वमेव बन्धुश्च सखा त्वमेव
त्वमेव विद्या द्रविणं त्वमेव । त्वमेव सर्वं मम देवदेव ॥ १४॥

tvameva mātā ca pitā tvameva
tvameva bandhuśca sakhā tvameva
tvameva vidyā draviṇaṃ tvameva
tvameva sarvaṃ mama devadeva 

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Once jñāna (Self-knowledge) dawns, the veil of duality lifts, revealing that all distinctions were only apparent. The one reality—Brahman—was never divided; it only seemed so due to ignorance. In this realization, everything we once perceived as separate—our parents, relatives, friends, knowledge, wealth, even the natural world—resolves into a singular truth. What appeared as fragmented relationships now shine as diverse expressions of that Ekam (the One), like waves rising and falling in the same ocean.

The Guru Stotram verse tvameva mātā ca pitā tvameva is not merely a poetic surrender but a direct assertion of non-duality (Advaita). It does not imply that the divine takes on these roles externally but rather that these roles were never separate from the truth. The nurturing love of a mother, the guidance of a father, the bond of friendship—all emerge from the same substratum, just as gold takes the shape of ornaments but remains gold.

To truly internalize this verse, one might contemplate: If all these aspects—nurturing, guiding, supporting, educating—are already present in one’s life, what is their underlying essence? It is the presence of the Self, constantly manifesting in every experience. By recognising Brahman in all, the seeker shifts from seeing relative dependence to realising absolute completeness.