Who Am I? When Knowledge Becomes Conduct If Kabir burns identity to ash, Yogi Vemana asks a quieter but sharper question: How does a person who knows the Self actually live? Vemana does not dwell in metaphysical abstractions or mystical silence. His arena is the village square, the household, the marketplace. His language is earthy, sometimes abrasive, often humorous—but always precise. Where others describe realization, Vemana tests it. For Vemana, the question "Who am I?" is meaningless if it does not transform: • how one speaks, • how one treats others, • how one relates to power, wealth, caste, and desire. Atma Jnana, in Vemana's vision, is not an experience—it is clarity expressed as conduct. Vemana's Context: A Radical Voice Without Institutions Yogi Vemana (17th century, Andhra region) stands apart in Indian philosophical history. He wrote not in Sanskrit but in simple Telugu, addressing farmers, traders, householders—ordinary people trapped in extraordinary delusion. Like Kabir, Vemana rejected: • ritualism • caste hierarchy • priestly authority • performative spirituality But unlike Kabir's mystic fire, Vemana's weapon is ethical exposure. He reveals ignorance not by metaphysics but by everyday hypocrisy. The Core Mistake: Mistaking Roles for the Self According to Vemana, most people never truly ask "Who am I?" Instead, they answer reflexively: • I am rich • I am learned • I am powerful • I am religious • I am superior Vemana insists these are costumes, not the Self. Verse 1: Wealth Is Not the Self Original (Telugu) పుత్తడిగలవాని కాలి పుండియు వసుధలోన వార్త కెక్కును; పేదవాని ఇంట పెండ్లైన ఎరుగరు. విశ్వదాభిరామ వినుర వేమా! Transliteration Puttadi-galavāni kāli puṇḍiyu Vasudhalōna vārta kekkunū; Pēdavāni iṇṭa peṇḍlainā erugaru. Viśvadābhirāma vinura Vēmā! Word-by-Word Meaning • పుత్తడి (puttadi) – gold • గలవాని (galavāni) – one who possesses • కాలి (kāli) – foot • పుండియు (puṇḍiyu) – wound • వసుధలోన (vasudhalōna) – in the world • వార్త (vārta) – news • కెక్కును (kekkunū) – spreads • పేదవాని (pēdavāni) – poor man's • ఇంట (iṇṭa) – house • పెండ్లైన (peṇḍlainā) – wedding • ఎరుగరు (erugaru) – no one knows Commentary Vemana exposes social identity with surgical clarity. A rich man's minor injury becomes public news; a poor man's wedding goes unnoticed. Society assigns value not based on truth but on possession. Vemana's implication is devastating: if identity rises and falls with wealth, then it was never real. Self-inquiry here becomes ethical awareness—seeing how value is falsely projected. Knowledge That Does Not Change Behavior Is Ignorance For Vemana, Atma Jnana must show itself in humility. Verse 2: Learning Without Wisdom Original (Telugu) చదువులన్నియు చదివి చావకుండినను, మదము విడిచిన మేలే మానవునకు; మదమున మనుజుఁడు మృగమై పోవును. విశ్వదాభిరామ వినుర వేమా! Commentary Education that strengthens ego dehumanizes. Vemana equates arrogance with animality. True self-knowledge expresses itself as ego-thinning, not intellectual display. Caste, Power, and False Identity Vemana relentlessly attacks caste pride. Verse 3: Birth Does Not Define the Self Original (Telugu) బ్రాహ్మణత్వంబు జన్మంబున రాదు; కర్మంబున బ్రాహ్మణత్వము కలుగును; కర్మహీనుడు బ్రాహ్మణుడగునా? విశ్వదాభిరామ వినుర వేమా! Commentary The Self is not inherited. Identity based on birth collapses under inquiry. Conduct—not lineage—reveals inner clarity. Atma Jnana as Inner Freedom Vemana defines liberation not as mystical absorption but as inner independence. Verse 4: Desire as Bondage Original (Telugu) ఆశయే బంధము, ఆశయే ముక్తి; ఆశ విడిచిన నాడే ఆత్మానుభూతి. Commentary Desire binds only when it defines identity. Freedom arises when actions continue but attachment dissolves. Vemana's Place in the Series • Shankaracharya reveals the Self • Bhaja Govindam urges immediate awakening • Kabir destroys false identity • Vemana verifies realization through life Vemana answers the final form of the question: If I truly know who I am—does my life prove it? Conclusion: When the Self Walks the World Vemana's Atma Jnana is not withdrawal but clarity amidst action. The enlightened person does not announce realization—it is visible in simplicity, humility, and freedom from pretence. Thus, the question "Who am I?" completes its journey: • from philosophy, • through urgency, • through ego-death, • into lived truth. That is Vemana's final teaching.