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yajvan
01 February 2007, 08:46 PM
Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste,
We have discussed Brahman before,
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=8839&postcount=1 and thought to add to this most delightful topic. THat is to better understand Brahman, is to discuss and probe a bit more in this Bhuma ( Fullness). Why so? The more I (we) discuss this, the closer the intitution and feeling comes to appreciate this Fullness. Many repeat the Mahavakya's of Brahman here on HDF, so no need to do that. Lets look a some attributes of Brahman. Again, trying to describe the indescribable is not my goal, but to perhaps give some dimension to Brahman is a joy...I do not wish to 'corner' the infinite into a set of qualities, but to just offer a few ideas... please add to this post as you see fit and as always please correct any blemish or misdirection I may have.

In the spirit of trivrtkarana ( three-fold division), I have been taught that Brahman is atman, akasha, ( my favorite I may add) and prana. This atman is the SELF, and the universal SELF is the Universal Purusha.
The SELF in all beings. The SELF of selves as it is described. THe SELF that sees and is not seen. The One-eternal, self-aware Purusha - some call pure consciousness, pure intelligence. If 'all this' idam sarvam is Brahman, the all this is Atman, and Pure consciousness made manifest.

This akaska ( space tattva) is all around us and in us, and is the most obvious extention of Brahman. All things reside in this akasha. Its written that this akasha is the support, pratishtha, it is the goal, gati, the ultimate resort of the world, parayanam. All beings rise and set in akasha and that IT manifests name and form. They say it is the very body of Brahman - akasha sariram brahma. In us its it's cidakasha , the consciousness within. So is there a distinction of inner and outter , cidaksaha and bhuta akasha? Then there is two? When both together, there resides the substance of Being.
We require boundries to understand the space between it. That is , an object. For us to perceive pure space without bounds (no edges) is not easy for the layman to do... for our phyical makeup is one of form, as we try to discuss the formless! This akasha holds the past, present and future - well that helps put form to the formless. It holds every dimension in X,Y,Z space coordinates... that helps too. It even connects every-thing to every-thing else. that is the correlation of the universe, all one-connection. This akasha holds each limb (anga) or pratika discussed and is infinite in itself. Even when there is total disolution, what remains is no-thing, yes? the only place no-thing can reside in is the absolute value of akasha. This then is the reason Brahman is associted with It. All things rise and set in akasha (in Brahman) and the physical nature of time, form, substance cannot limit the Fullness of Being, of Brahman. This is why this aksaha is such a delight. We can see the space behind the form, we can see parts of the whole, we have the opportunity to perceive with our (my) limited vision part of the Bhuma everywhere I look.

And this prana - how can this be considered Brahman? Some think vayu. The One chose to become the many...I shall enter into this creation and manifest name and form ( vyakaravani). This prana is not mere life-force, but conscious power (chit-akasha) of the Supreme. We breathe in this consciousness that is housed in akasha. That is 'ya vai prajna sa pranah yo vai pranah sa prajna' - what is consciousness is Life and what is Life is consciousness. Some call vayu the deity that never sets. Why so? on this planet, when is someone not breathing?

So we can see prana as more then life force, yet life force itself is quite important I would think... Yet in the Rig Veda it says That One breathed without air, by the power of Its own Being. Tad Ekam ( That One) breathes not by any means outside of It, by svadharma or self-nature or self law.

So its of interest to discuss these ideas... all helpful in nature to appreciate some of the dimensions of Brahman, yet these still cannot contain this Infinite.

pranams,