Celebrating Shravan with Shiva -29

 

Shiva Day Twenty-nine

Brahman and Hinduism.

In this millennium the principal deities of Hinduism can be summarised in finding two who stood the test of time as supreme beings, Shiva and Krishna. Shiva initiated time and was worshiped by the people as the supreme mystical entity. This legend is thousands of years old. There is no literature to trace this legend but its flexibility to adapt to the surviving reality, has made the ideology of a supreme being's existence possible. The only mantra passed on in all the Yugas is ‘Om Namo Shivaya’ and the truth was revealed to the worshippers idealizing Shiva to be infinite, the only mantra that stood the test of time. Truth has many roots yet one trunk with many branches and that truth is Shiva. Shiva had no avatars and no incarnations but each devotee developed his own image-making Shivalinga the most popular. (Note OM is the universal sound that takes the prime position in the mantra OM NAMO SHIVAYA)

In the present cycle, starting with Satya Yuga to Dwapara Yuga there were many ideologies, philosophies, and thoughts which investigated the concept of god, creator, or supreme being within the boundaries of human existence and limitations. In Dwapara Yuga the Vedas were compiled in an orderly manner and the Upanishads were created with the foundation of Vedas. The two epics of Hinduism Mahabharata and Ramayana; incited the people with human boundaries and accommodated the supreme being with logical and critical thinking which gave the people a foundation for lateral thinking to spread knowledge on the theory of truth. This accommodated the concept of God

Dwapara Yuga is nearest to our present millennium and Krishna came into our existence as a perfect depiction of God. Entering Kali Yuga, the way of life of the common man had changed so much so that the concept of god and the ancient knowledge did not inspire the confused minds.

·       The Bhagavad Gita in the Mahabharata became the scripture of knowledge that described all in one.

·       It is sad that in Kali Yuga, only Bhakti Yog, the Yog of Devotion can inspire a self-realized Yogi to acknowledge god and will be rewarded with Mukti or Moksha.

Bhakti is mentioned in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad where it simply means participation, devotion, and love for any endeavor. Bhakti yoga as one of three spiritual paths for salvation is discussed in depth by the Bhagavad Gita. The personal god varies with the devotee. 

You have a choice to make with Shiva as a mystical concept of god or Krishna as the perfect representation of God, being the eighth Vishnu avatar with the boundaries of human existence. Both are that one and one entity called Brahman, with different names which make Hinduism a Monistic Religion. Sanatan Hindu Vedic Dharma is united with the greatest manta OM. Shiva and Krishna are identifiable as AUM or Brahman. Meditating with the mantra OM you will identify the supreme as one entity.

Sanatan Hindu Vedic Dharma explains with many selections which allow you to follow Dharma inspired by the knowledge of the soul. The Upanishads is the foundation that educates a devotee with many adoptions for the realization of the existence of a supreme entity that has no beginning or an end. Bhagavad Gita is a follow-up of the Vedic knowledge with Upanishads as a reference making Bhagavad Gita the most comprehensive scripture for our millennium.

Brahman, the Highest God of Hinduism.

While Brahman lies behind the sum total of the objective universe, some human minds boggle at any attempt to explain it with only the tools provided by reason. Brahman is beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond intelligence, beyond imagination. Indeed, the highest ideal is that Brahman is beyond both existence and non-existence, transcending and including time, causation, and space, and thus can never be known in the same material sense as one traditionally 'understands' a given concept or object.

The word Brahman is derived from the root word "brah" meaning to expand. It is a reference to his infinite power, infinite dimensions, and endless manifestations. Note Brahman (not to be confused with the deity Brahmā) is seen as a Cosmic Spirit.

The non-dualistic schools of Hinduism consider him to be the only reality and everything else a mere appearance. However Brahman is a key concept found in the Vedas, and it is extensively discussed in the early Upanishads. The Vedas conceptualize Brahman as the Cosmic Principle. Or the Vedas depicts Brahman as the Ultimate Reality, the Absolute or Paramātman (Universal Self). Brahman is the indescribable, inexhaustible, incorporeal, omniscient, omnipresent, original, first, eternal, both transcendent and immanent, absolute infinite existence, and the ultimate principle who is without a beginning, without an end,  who is hidden in all and who is the cause, source, material and effect of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire universe.

The Upanishads worship Him as the highest, eternal, self-existent, indestructible, indefinable, indivisible, infinite, all-pervading, omniscient, omnipotent, supreme, pure, Self, who has hands, feet, faces, eyes, ears, noses everywhere, and who shines with the brilliance of thousands of suns.

The Bhagavadgita states that the entire creation and all manifest universes are upheld by a tiny aspect (amsa) of Brahman. The rest remains hidden, mysterious, and unknown. Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, Bhagavad Gita 14.27)

Brahman manifests as Hiranyagarbha, the "cosmic soul", which also can take many forms or manifestations of the thousands of gods. It was deemed a singular substrate from which all that is arises, and debuts with this verse:

It can be at best described as infinite Being, infinite Consciousness, and infinite Bliss. Brahman is regarded as the source and essence of the material universe. The Hindu scriptures declare that Brahman (the impersonal God) is beyond description, and can be understood only through direct spiritual experience.

Hindus view Brahman as having two aspects: impersonal and personal. The impersonal aspect is called Nirguna Brahman in Hindu scriptures. Nirguna Brahman has no attributes and, as such, is not an object of prayer, but of meditation and knowledge. This aspect of Brahman is beyond conception, beyond reasoning, and beyond thought. The personal aspect of Brahman is known as Saguna Brahman, which is Brahman with attributes.