"Bannada Vesha" to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: A Journey of self discovery

"Bannada Vesha" is a film by Girish Kasaravalli about a Yakshagana actor, who starting from humble roles, rises to the pinnacle of fame by playing the (South Karnataka) God called Junjutti. But he is dismayed to learn that he is not venerated as an actor but as Junjutti. This crisis of self & identity makes him a chastened man, contemplating on the insignificance of life & the vanity of all human wishes.

A similar situation arises in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, when Sage Yagnavalkya asks his wife Maitreyi about bequest of his property.  She asks whether if she had all the wealth in the world, would she be happy? He says No, you will only be rich.

The Self (in-dwelling God) is the dearest of all things & only through the Self is anything dear. The Self is the origin of all happiness. He adds "It is not for the sake of the wife, my beloved, that the wife is dear, but for the sake of the Self."

So the question raised in "Bannada Vesha" about self & identity, is given a spiritual perspective in this Upanishad.