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| SmartSurat # Hinduism | |
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| SmartSurat # Hinduism | |
| Brahman |
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From what has been said about the Vedic period it can be seen that there is a trend towards the acceptance of an indescribable Absolute. In many ways the concept of rta, the cosmic norm, was a precursor of this. Rta was conceived of as the rhythmic energy of the cosmos, an indescribable force beyond even the gods themselves. Additionally, the Vedic raise not only came to accept the fusion of all deities into one, but looked beyond them to the Source of all existence in a very non-theistic sense. Although the Upanisads are inconsistent in their teachings there is a common focus on Brahman as the Ground of all Being. Mostly this Brahman is depicted as an impersonal neuter, not something which can be given masculinity or femininity or, indeed, any attributes at all. It is neti-neti, ' not this, not this ' which is to say that the moment you wish to say it is this or that you have not understood it at all. Two other terms are sometimes used to refer to Brahman -Atman and Purusa ; the three terms can be used interchangeably. Brahman cannot be known empirically so intuitive knowledge alone brings one to the understanding that Brahman exists, but what Brahman is defies understanding for Brahman is beyond the conceptions of the human mind. The term Brahman comes from the Sanskrit root burst meaning ' to burst forth ', and this suggests well the concept of Brahman as the Ground of all Being from which everything emanates. The root may also suggest the idea ' to grow, increase ', reflecting the unlimited nature of Brahman or ' to be strong '. The ideas of bursting forth and of growth and increase suggest the concept of an Unmanifest Source which becomes manifest in order for existence to come into being and therefore the idea that what is manifest is ultimately the same as its unmanifest source - monism. It is important to realize that Brahman is not a negative nothingness but a no-thingness and therefore cannot be subject to the kinds of statements which can be made about things in the cosmos. The Brhadaranyaka Upanisad says that Brahman is not this and not that, is incomprehensible, indestructible, unattached, unfettered, cannot suffer, cannot be injured - in short, is beyond the causes and effects of phenomenal existence. These terms from Brhadaranyaka, as well as neti neti, are all negative terms and this is really the only way in which we can speak of Brahman without confining it to the levels of human thought. But each negative statement is charged with positive suggestion so that Brahman is really conceived of very positively as free from attachment, free from destruction, and so on. Yet in relation to this Reality of Brahman everything else is negative unreality simply because it is destructible, attached, fettered and so on. The Chandogya Upanisad depicts this as the asat ' non-being ' of the world in comparison to the sat `Being' which is Brahman. |
