Meaning of Brahman, Ishvara and Atman

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

[Shri Phani asked:- In our latest spiritual debate we entered into discussion about the use of meanings of words like Brahman, Eshvara etc., in the spiritual knowledge. Can you please enlighten us on this topic?]

Swami replied:- Every word has different meanings. Based on the context, you have to select the proper meaning. The word president can mean the president of entire country as well as the president of a tiny village in the country. Both are addressed as presidents by public. When you quote the rule that president is out of legal jurisdiction, in such context, the word president means president of the whole country and not the president of a tiny village. You can’t apply this rule to the president of the village stating that all the people in the village are addressing him as president. Mere meaning of this word is not important since the context that decides a specific meaning is really important.

The word Brahman means any greatest item (Bruhi-vruddhau) within the boundaries of a specific category in the world. Among Hindu scriptures, the Veda is the greatest and hence, Brahman in this context means a book called the Veda. Awareness is a very precious form of inert energy and is the greatest among all the created items (hence, called Paraaprakruti) and hence, in this context, Brahman means awareness. But, the unimaginable God is greater than the greatest awareness and hence, is the absolute greatest. Awareness is relative greatest confined to all items of imaginable world. The unimaginable God is beyond this imaginable world and hence, the word Para (means beyond) is prefixed to the word Brahman. Hence, if you want to specify only the unimaginable God, it is better to use the word Parabrahman instead of using the word Brahman.

However, the word Brahman is also used to mean the unimaginable God because He is the greatest in real sense. Hence, the word Brahman has several meanings indicating several greatest items specified to several categories and the word Brahman also means the absolute unimaginable God. When the word Brahman is used, you have to decide the actual meaning based on the context. For example, in the Gita, it is said that Brahman is generated from Akshara (eternal). Here Brahman is not eternal because Brahman is generated and anything having birth must perish. Here, in this context, Brahman means the non-eternal holy book called the Veda and Akshara means the eternal unimaginable God. Like this, based on the context, here, Brahman means a holy book only and not the unimaginable God.

Similarly, in the Gita, it is told that Krishna is the base of Brahman (Brahmanopi pratishthaaham...). Here, Brahman can’t be taken as the unimaginable God, who is the basis for everything and has no basis for Himself. Here, the word Krishna (represented by the word Aham) means the unimaginable God. The unimaginable God merged with the first energetic form to become first energetic incarnation called Eshvara (or Datta). Eshvara (called Narayana also) merged with a human being called Vaasudeva or Krishna so that Krishna is Eshvara and also the unimaginable God because Eshvara is the unimaginable God mediated with the first energetic form. Hence, Brahman, here means the first energetic incarnation (Eshvara) and Krishna (indicated by the word Aham) means the unimaginable God or Parabrahman. This means that the unimaginable God (Aham) is the basis for Eshvara (Brahman).

In the Brahma Suutras, the first suutra says that enquiry about Brahman is to be done. Here, in this context, the word Brahman means the unimaginable God because in the Second Suutra no direct characteristic (Svaruupa Lakshanam) of Brahman is given. Only indirect characteristic (Tatastha Lakshanam) is given, which says that Brahman is the creator, ruler and destroyer of this world. For unimaginable item, no direct characteristic can be given and hence, the word Brahman referred in the first Suutra is only the unimaginable God.

In the Gita, it is told that Eshvara is the central controller of the entire world (Eshvarah sarvabhuutaanaam...) and here the word Eshvara means the unimaginable God only because Eshvara became unimaginable God due to perfect merge of unimaginable God with the first energetic being. In literature, the word Eshvara is used in a different context to mean just a ruler as we see the word Nareshvara meaning the ruler of public in a kingdom. In such usage, the word Eshvara does not mean the first energetic incarnation of unimaginable God.

Similarly, the word Atman means the self or inert energy present as awareness in an alive body. As the body grows the awareness also grows and hence, occupies more space by expansion (Atati iti Aatmaa). This word is used in the sense of unimaginable God also because as the self makes the body alive and exist, the unimaginable God also makes the world alive and exist. In the Veda, the word Atman is used to mean unimaginable God while saying that space is generated by Atman or unimaginable God (Aatmana aakaashah...). The same word Atman is used elsewhere in the Veda to mean the self situated in the limited body (Aatmaanam rathinam viddhi...).

Like this, several words having worldly meanings indicating worldly items like life (Praana), space (Aakasha) etc., are used to mean the unimaginable God as discussed in the Brahma Suutras (Praanaadhikarana, Aakaashaadhikarana etc.,). The name of any important worldly item can be used to mean the unimaginable God in the sense of figure of speech. Anywhere, even in the case of worldly subjects also, the meaning of a word shall be taken as per the context existing there.

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