TRANSLATION of "brahman" and "atman"

[Jono 0]

I have already read about the meaning. But would love a translation in sanskrit. I would be very greateful if some one could help me. Thank You!!!

[madanvrao 0]

I think Brahman is the absolute truth i.e., the supreme peak of all vedic philosophy, the end of knowledge or vedanta.

 

Where as Atman means the soul.

 

I hope I am not wrong

[Guest guest]

1)Brahman: b-r-h "to create", i.e. the original matter out of which everythings is derived and finally goes; in the Pentateuch it's "barah" which has the sames consonants; the "m" (=MATRA, matrix) meaning something came into a particular form in order to make it graspable for the enquiring mind (=manas, manatho in Greek) notice that the normal pronunciation is "braam" which sounds exaclily like "Abram", i.e. the original matter whence we all came and finally - this very moment re-join: NAMA-RUPA-NAMA, etc.

2) ATMAN, (atmos) = breath, i.e. the limited conscious of brahmanic matter while having a falsely separate existence but in reality ONE, i.e. commonly called incarnated SOUL (jivam in the sense of vivified living matter)

[Guest guest]

Hey your all discussing the atman so here's what i want to know. What happens when you die i understand most Hindu's believe that the Atman is indestructible but what do you believe happens to you when you die?

[Guest guest]

Namaskaram. As far as I know, and with the limitations of my knowledge taken into account, this is what I understand happens when you die:

 

The soul/spirit leaves the earthly body (you can think of this as being similar to when a person shifts houses), and then it (hopefully) takes the path to the pitru lokam (the place of the ancestors). From there your karma decides what should next happen to you. Some people will reside in the astral planes (or other places) for a long while before having to take form and come back again to burn up (or make more) karma.

 

In many places, when a person is about to die, they are told to chant slokas or mantras, or else someone else comes to the death bed to read from the Gita or other scriptures. This is said to help focus the mind (and soul) on God and the journey ahead rather than on the body and attachment to the body and this life. Added to this, the last thoughts you have before you pass on are said to dictate where you will end up when you leave the body.

 

If the correct procedures are performed upon death, the soul should go forth upon its journey. Sometimes, for many reasons or if rituals aren't followed, I understand that the soul hovers around the body or around the place of death, not knowing that "they" are dead. So when we have the funeral pyre, the slokas/mantras and offerings at the funeral, this is not just to burn the body, but also to open the gateway to the pitru lokam for the soul and to give offerings to the ancestors so that they show the way for the newly released soul.

 

Hope this makes sense! There are so many other things one could add about death and the after life, but this (above)basically is the answer to your question.

[Guest guest]

what is the sanskrit word for "faith" and how to pronounce, please

[Guest guest]

Hi , everyone has been very helpful in describing the meaning, thanx, I was really after an image or photo, some pictorial representation of how they are written....

If anyone could help me that would be great thanx

[Guest guest]

Hi thanks ever so much that really helped, i am writting a paper for college on the Hindu view of Life after death and am looking at the Atman and what happens and how the Bhagavad Gita deals with it and the Katha upanishad.Is there anymore you could tell me about the pitru lokam?

[Dravidian 0]

Brahman is beyond conception and atman is soul. But when Brahman is realized, Atman and Brahaman are identicle. They are one and the same both only understood in some kind of experience beyond convention.

[Guest guest]

I understand that the atman is indestrutcible i understand that you believe that when you die the atman lives on and you a reincarnated unless you acheieve moksha. So answer me this what is the pitru lokam. What can you tell me about this place.

[Vinayakan 0]

In the attachment you can see Brahman and Atman in Devanagari script.I put the so-called "." form, Nominative case singular. Between brackets I put the dictionary form.

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for the translation, I've been looking for it for ages. I have one other question, you gave me alternative ways in writing it. However which is the most traditional way of the ones you gave me, as i would be using it for a tattoo. hope this isn't too much to ask thanx. ps. what did you mean by the nominative case singular. please excuse my ignorance : )

[Vinayakan 0]

Sanskrit is written in different kinds of Indian scripts derived from the Brahmi script. Nowadays Sanskrit is mostly written in the Devanagari script, a Nothern script, also used for Hindi, Marathi and Nepali.

The Southern scripts are older than Devanagari and also used for Sanskrit and the own Dravidian languages.

Many old Sanskrit manuscripts are written in Grantha and Telugu script.

Grantha is the oldest and most traditional for writing Sanskrit in South-India. This is my favorite script, because it was excusively used for Sanskrit. The only script which is only used for Sanskrit. Modern Malayalam script is derived from Grantha and Tamil has some grantha characters to write some Sanskrit sounds which are not found in the Tamil language. The Tamil and Punjabi scripts are not fit for Sanskrit.

Unfortunately the Grantha script is not printed anymore and fonts for PC are not available.

In the attachment I give you a sample of Atma Brahma in Grantha script, written by myself.

 

If you want very traditional Devanagari script, I advise you to use the older form of a and aa. Next time I will give you an example.

 

For tattoo I advise you the whole phrase "Ayam aatmaa brahma." This is a quotation from the Mandukya upanishad and means "This Self is Brahma". This is called a "Mahaavaakyam", a great statement.

 

The original form of Aatmaa is Aatman (which I wrote between brackets). This is the form only used in dictionaries. Never used in sentences. A padam is a word ready for use. Aatmaa is a padam, aatman not. There is a grammatical rule which says "Apadam na prayunjiita", A word which is not a padam cann't be used. Sanskrit is an inflective language. Theie are many grammatical forms of the word aatmaa (aatmanaa, aatmani, aatmaanaH, aatmanoH, aatmaanau etc.).

For Brahman the same. Brahma / brahman is a neutral word. Brahmaa (long a), masculin has a differnt meaning.

 

In the attachment Atmaa brahma in handwritten Grantha. Next time I will send other attachments.

[Guest guest]

"Ayam atma brahma: Atman and brahman are the same.

 

Brahman is that absolute from which proceeds creation, maintenance and destruction. (Brahma Sutras)