Dear devotees, as we know according to GV philosophy Brahman and Paramatma are features or aspects of Bhagavan. Brahman is depicted as being the light of God, or His aura, all-pervading, imperishable unmanifest. While Paramatma is the aspect of God which accompanies every soul as a witness.
Would you please tell more about these two aspects of God - Brahman and Paramatma and what differentiates them from each other and from the Bhagavan aspect.
Also what is Brahman realization and what is Paramatma realization? Is one higher than the other or are they just different or does one of them include the other - i.e. does Paramatma realization include Brahman realization?
Do the devotees have to pass through (achieve) Brahman and Paramatma realization in order to reach Bhagavan realization or they are just different? Can someone have Bhagavan realization without realizing Brahman and Paramatma aspects first?
Dear devotees, as we know according to GV philosophy Brahman and Paramatma are features or aspects of Bhagavan. Brahman is depicted as being the light of God, or His aura, all-pervading, imperishable unmanifest. While Paramatma is the aspect of God which accompanies every soul as a witness.
Would you please tell more about these two aspects of God - Brahman and Paramatma and what differentiates them from each other and from the Bhagavan aspect.
Also what is Brahman realization and what is Paramatma realization? Is one higher than the other or are they just different or does one of them include the other - i.e. does Paramatma realization include Brahman realization?
Do the devotees have to pass through (achieve) Brahman and Paramatma realization in order to reach Bhagavan realization or they are just different? Can someone have Bhagavan realization without realizing Brahman and Paramatma aspects first?
You might do well to try a search in the Sanga archive.
You might do well to try a search in the Sanga archive.
Thank you, I will.
I've searched in Sanga for Brahman and Paramatma realization and found this quote but without the exact reference which is this verse and what exactly does it mean:
"brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. So says Srimad-Bhagavatam"
Does somebody know which is this verse and the meaning?
I've searched in Sanga for Brahman and Paramatma realization and found this quote but without the exact reference which is this verse and what exactly does it mean:"brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. So says Srimad-Bhagavatam"
Does somebody know which is this verse and the meaning?
this vers is from srimad bhagavatam: 1.2.11
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan.
From my Gopala-tapani commentary
Gau∂îya Vedåntins experience ultimate reality as nondual consciousness,
which on account of its being joy itself is experienced in three realizations
through three paths to transcendence. These realizations of the
Absolute are experienced as Bhagavån, Paramåtmå, and Brahman to devotees,
yogîs, and jñånîs, respectively. The Absolute is joyful by nature. In order
to be so, it must also exist and be cognizant of its existence. While
there can be an existence that is not cognizant of itself, as well as a cognizant
existence that is not joyful, there cannot be a joyful reality that either
does not exist or is not cognizant of its existence. When existence becomes
cognizant of the extent to which it exists—of its purpose—it has reason for
celebration.
From the joyful Bhagavån, who is absorbed in divine play, an aura of
pure, undifferentiated consciousness emanates. This aura is Bhagavån appearing
as Brahman. Paramåtmå is Bhagavån manifesting in relation to
material existence, which consists of the individual souls and matter. Paramåtmå expands and oversees this existence. In this sense, Bhagavån represents the joy of the Absolute, Brahman consciousness or cognizance,
and Paramåtmå existence.
While the joyful Bhagavån exists and is cognizant of his existence, his
joy is so pronounced that in his most complete manifestation as Krsna he
appears unconscious of anything else, including his own supremacy. As
Brahman, Bhagavån is primarily only cognizant. The joy of Brahman is
that of peace, and there is little if anything that resembles existence with
all its variety and movement in this feature of Bhagavån. Paramåtmå is fully
involved with material existence. Although he is cognizant and joyful,
these two qualities are less apparent in him. In the Paramåtmå the play
that expresses joy is called sris†i (creation). As Paramåtmå plays and thus
manifests the material existence, he also enters into every aspect of this existence
as a witness. The stillness of Brahman lies in between the movement
in the spiritual world that Bhagavån is concerned with and the movement
of the material world that Paramåtmå is concerned with. Thus while
all three—joy, cognizance, and existence—are present in all three features
of Godhead, each feature is distinguished from the other by the prominence
of one of the three qualities.
According to this understanding, Bhagavån represents joy (ånanda),
Brahman cognizance (cit), and Paramåtmå existence (sat). However,
Paramåtmå can also be conceived of as existence characterized by cognizance
of itself, and Brahman as existence in general. When viewed in this
way, Paramåtmå represents cit rather than sat, and Brahman represents sat
rather than cit. Brahman is almost always described in scripture as pure
consciousness, so it would seem natural to associate it with cit. However,
since consciousness normally requires an object one can be cognizant of, it
would seem more logical to describe Brahman as simple existence.
Paramåtmå implies variety and therefore greater cognizance.
From this angle of vision, Paramåtmå is a more developed manifestation
of Godhead primarily representing cit and Brahman is the lowest of
the three manifestations primarily representing sat. As mentioned, Brahman,
Paramåtmå, and Bhagavån can be further understood in terms of
their being manifestations of Godhead corresponding with three approaches
to him. Again, the Godhead appears as Brahman to the jñånî, as
Paramåtmå to the yogî, and as Bhagavån to his devotee.