Thing, Word and Idea

They are distinct and not same.

A "thing" is a real entity which exists.
A "word" is a name represents an entity.
An "idea" is generated in the mind (memory) about a thing and its association to a word.

An example:
A COW as a thing is a cow. It is a specific entity which exists.

The word "cow" is a general name representing the thing cow for the people who speak English. The same thing is represented by multiple words, some call it a "gau", some others "aavu" etc., even in the same language there are multiple words representing the same thing....

The idea "cow" is the impression of the thing cow and its association with the word cow in the mind. One remembers a cow when the word "cow" is heard or read.

The Confusion:
Generally people disagree due to the difference in ideas. There is absolutely no possibility of difference or confusion within the essential nature of the "thing" itself.

People can't discriminate between these three and get into arguments. The agreement or disagreement is between two ideas and only between the ideas. The "thing-in-itself" is never impacted by ideas.

The Application:
Now apply this to the magic word "AHAM" or "I"

AHAM - "I" as a thing need to be understood completely. It is not the "I" as an idea in the Mind. The thing "AHAM" is absolute reality whereas the word "I" and the idea of "ego" are relative to the actual thing "AHAM" - "the self".

This confusion between the THING and IDEA is called "AVIDYA" - Ignorance; The root cause of {all misery in} the world.

Realizing the AHAM - "self" as a thing devoid of words and ideas is knowing one's own self; It is the highest goal of human form of life with its capability of discrimination.

Things can't be completely explained by the words or ideas. One should perceive the thing to realize it.

AHAM BRAHMASMI - I am THAT absolute reality.

ॐ तत् सत्

Why? What? Who?

I have seen this question "Why?" many times in many contexts. But when we discuss about the subject of "Know yourself" the very first question generally asked is "Why?"

People say "I know myself, I am so and so, I am happy with this knowledge, I am what I am, I know everything about myself, WHY should I try to KNOW which is obvious? WHY?"

When I ask my seven year old daughter, "who are you?"
she will reply "I am your daughter"
then I ask her "From when?"
she would reply "From dd-mm-yyyy (her birthday)"
then I ask her "what were you before that?"
she thinks for a while and asks me
"who were you before you were born?" and asserts me that she was same as I was before we both were born.

See the implication here.
I was not who I am now, my daughter was not who she is now but we are same before we were born.....

then

WHO AM "I"? (that I before we were born)

If someone thinks birth is the beginning and death is the ending and there is nothing before the birth and nothing after the death then:
what are you for your great grandfather?
Is there a relation or not?

That is why one should know the real "I" (the self)

In Brihadaranyaka Upanisad sage Yajnavalkya says to his wife Maitrayi:

Ātmᾱ vᾱ are draṣṭavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyᾱsitavyaḥ: "O, Maitreyī, it is the Ātman that is to be beheld; it is the Ātman that is to be known; it is the Ātman that is to be searched for; it is the Ātman which is to be heard about; it is the Ātman which is to be thought in the mind; it is the Ātman which is to be meditated upon. There is nothing else worthwhile thinking, nothing else worthwhile possessing, because nothing worthwhile exists, other than This."

Om Tat Sat.

Yajnavalkya Jayanti - 05-November-2008