Brahman is the heart of Vedanta - the Hindu philosophy of life and one of the core values of Brahma Sutra. This post is an exposition of what Brahman is, how it is different from Atman. I tried to learn it by repeatedly reading through the passages of the book: Adi Sankaracharya: Hinduism's Greatest Thinker. Mind you, it's an extremely well-written book and it really is a brave effort by Pavan K. Varma. I felt one particular passage came close to defining Brahman which helped me improve the understanding of it.
Satyam jnanam, anantam Brahma: Knowledge is truth and Brahman is eternal, was what he proclaimed, and the Upanishads were the source of his jnana. The Upanishads are metaphysical poems. They resonate with a wisdom that is a product of the deepest meditative insight, unhindered by structured presentation but robust, with a certitude of vision that is borne of unquestioned personal experience or anubhav. There is a self, Atman, beyond definition and name and form or attribute because any attribute would only circumscribe its limitlessness. This self is the highest reality. It encompasses all of creation: we are both part of it and its manifestation—Tat tvam asi—That thou art. The self is the same as Brahman—Ayam atma brahma—the self is Brahman. These utterances are two of the four mahavakyas or great sentences of the Upanishads. The Upanishads use self and Brahman interchangeably. The apparent multiplicity of the world is an illusion. Once the ego and the senses are stilled through deep meditation, we realise our true self, beyond all sorrow and pain, and realise that our true reality is ‘that’. All human differentiation then becomes false, a product of the illusion or maya. In that non-dual, or Advaita identification with Brahman, we partake of a bliss that is beyond mortal comprehension.
When I first read the above passage, it was difficult to understand what it meant. Because it says: The self (Atman) is the same as Brahman and The Upanishads use self and Brahman interchangeably. I understand what non-duality means literally. But I wanted to understand why Upanishads call it non-duality? I mean, when they say non-duality, there should be two terms that mean differently, which are considered to be one and the same. If both are the same, then why have two terms: Atman and Brahman? The answer to this question is explained in simple terms by the eminent speaker, Jay Lakhani, and I quote:
The ultimate reality manifesting the Universe - the whole of this creation, is called Brahman; the ultimate reality manifesting as an individual through the five senses is called Atman. But there cannot be two ultimate realities - Advaita. Thus, Atman equals Brahman.
Here is another video that defines Atman and Brahman: Atman is the spirit of the individual, while Brahman is the spirit of the Universe. So the universe consists of all individuals, so to say, Atman is part of Brahman: Atman is Brahman. It is like two or more rivers joining the ocean. The ocean is Brahman and Atman is the river.
But again, if Brahman is the Supreme One - the ultimate reality, why does Atman exist? We know that Brahman is the pure spirit without form or any characteristics, both omniscient and omnipresent. That is not the case with Atman. It is characterized by ego, desire, affection, hatred, pain, sorrow, expectations and all sorts of human bonds which makes it trapped in the body by an illusion - Maya. It is this that makes Atman finite - immanent. Atman becomes one with Brahman once it breaks free from all the bonds and the veil of illusion under which it is hidden. Then it becomes pure - transcendent. Therefore, Atman is always Brahman, once we realize it.
Having explained the idea of Brahman in simple English terms, there are slokas in all the Upanishads: Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, Chandogya Upanishad, Shvetashvatara Upanishad, Isha Upanishad to name a few, essentially define the same thing in different ways. But I like the definition of Brahman as told in the Chandogya Upanishad, in terms of Tat-tvam-asi:
In the beginning was only Being,
One without a second.
Out of himself, he brought forth the cosmos
And entered into everything in it.
There is nothing that does not come from him.
Of everything he is the inmost Self.
He is the truth; he is the Self Supreme.
You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that.
Now the next obvious question is how, we - the ordinary mortals, attain the state of Brahman. The Katha answers and I quote from the book:
When the five senses are stilled, when the Mind is stilled, when the intellect is stilled, That is called the highest state by the wise. They say yoga is this complete stillness in which one enters the unitive state, never to become separate again. When all desires that surge in the heart are renounced, the mortal becomes immortal. When all the knots that strangle at the heart are loosened, the mortal becomes immortal.Further Reading:
Complete Works Of Swami Vivekananda - Swami Vivekananda's famous works are Karma Yoga and Jyana Yoga. Before jumping into those, in Vol 1, please read how he introduces Hinduism to the world in The World's Parliament Of Religions, Chicago on Sept 11, 1893. Also, don't forget to read his Paper On Hinduism. These two are as wise as the philosophy of the Vedanta itself.
Sri Adi Shankara, wandering in search of a Guru, a True Master who has embodied the truth and reached Self-realization. He met Sri Govindapada, who asked him: “Who are you?”.
In response, Shankara, who was eight years old at that time, spontaneously composed six verses in reply. This is known as Nirvana Shatakam. Its six stanzas summarize the basic teachings of Advaita Vedanta, or the timeless eastern teachings of non-dualism. The word Shivoham means, I the very nature of You, My Lord.
Mano Buddhi Ahankara Chitta Ninaham
Nacha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghrana Netre
Nacha Vyoma Bhoomir Na Tejo Na Vayu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I am not the mind, the intellect, or the ego,
Not even the reflections of inner self.
I am not the five senses, but I am beyond that.
I am not the five elements:
Neither ether, nor earth, wind, or fire.
I am indeed That eternal knowing and bliss,
eternal love, pure consciousness.
Na Cha Prana Samjno Na Vai Pancha Vayu
Na Va Saptadhatur Na Va Pancha Koshah
Na Vak Pani Padau Na Chopastha Payu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
Neither can I be named as energy alone,
Nor the five types of breath,
nor the seven material essences,
nor the five coverings.
Neither am I the five instruments of elimination,
procreation, motion, grasping or speaking.
I am indeed That eternal knowing and bliss
unchanging love, one consciousness.
Na Me Dvesha Ragau Na Me Lobha Mohau
Mado Naiva Me Naiva Matsarya Bhavah
Na Dharmo Na Chartho Na Kamo Na Mokshah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I have no hatred or aversion,
Nor affiliation or liking,
Neither greed nor delusion,
Neither pride nor haughtiness,
No feelings of envy or jealousy.
I have no care, nor any wealth,
nor any desire I am,
nor even liberation.
I am indeed That eternal knowing and bliss,
boundless love, pure awareness.
Na Punyam Na Papam Na Saukhyam Na Dukham
Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Vedo Na Yajnaha
Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I have neither merit, nor demerit
I am not bound by sins or good deeds,
nor by happiness or sorrow,
not pain or pleasure.
I am free from mantras, holy places,
scriptures, rituals or sacrifices.
I am none of the triads of
observer, the act of observing or the object itself.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
pure love, flawless consciousness.
Na Me Mrityu Shanka Na Me Jati Bhedah
Pita Naiva Me Naiva Mata Na Janma
Na Bandhur Na Mitram Gurur Naiva Shishyah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
No fear of death have I,
I have no separation from my true self,
no doubt about my existence,
nor have I the discrimination on the basis of birth.
I have no father or mother, nor did I have a birth.
I am not the relative, nor the friend,
nor the guru, nor the disciple.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss,
immaculate love, fully awake.
Aham Nirvikalpo Nirakara Roopaha
Vibhur Vyapya Sarvatra Sarvendriyanam
Sada Me Samatvam Na Muktir Na Bandhah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham
I am all-embracing,
without any attributes, without any form.
I have neither attachment to the world,
nor to liberation.
I have no wishes for anything
because I am everything,
everywhere, every time,
always in equilibrium.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss,
That unfathomable grace.
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