Guest guest Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters, One of our members has mailed me pointing out his confusion with various terms used in the earlier postings on this very same topic. He wants a detailed explanation of the expression Brahman and other terms such as Self,Consciouness, Absolute, Awareness, soul and spirit. This gives this humble self a feeling that there are still a few members who read the postings of the humble self and want to understand all about Atma. Everybody knows what the majority of the group does. Majority of human beings always chose the easier of two options. To open and read any mail or to delete any mail without reading are the two options. Members can argue it is their fundamental right not to read a mail. I concede their right in this regard. Let us take up the expression 'Brahman' first. The word Brahman is derived from the root 'Brh' in Samskrit which means " to grow " . From this root the noun Brahman is derived and it is said to be neuter in gender. Barahman is neither male nor female in gender. Thus Brahman means biggness in itself and it therefore indicates the biggest or the infinite. It is also beyond the relative concepts of space and time(which are the products of the mind and is the cause for the universe. However, the objective world( jagat) is in the domain of time and space because it is changeable with reference to both time and space. Then how did this " finite' world come about from Brahman which is infinite or limitless? The infinite can not change into finite, nor can portion of the changeless become changeable. So the changeable 'jagat' has to be different from Brahman and this poses a riddle. Since Brahman can not change or be modified to create this changing world, the " creation " of the world must be apparent only and not real. Brahman, though changeless, seems to be the source for the changing world on account of Maya which is a kind of ignorance. The whole universe is truly Brahman. There exists nothing other than Brahman just as pots do not exist apart from clay. Only a realized soul or an enlightened one sees everything as his own Self. Brahman is in all beings. It is also outside all beings. All beings are therefore Brahman only. Those who are deluded and ignorant see only the pluralistic world. The world that we all experience is nothing other than Brahman(Atma) which alone exists and nothing else exists. (to be continued) With Loving SAI RAms, G.Balasubramanian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.