Atman's attributes

[Guest guest]

Dear everyone,

 

 

I need a list of the attributes

of Braman/Atman in Sanskrit

and have found some but

I am not sure they are correct.

 

Could you please complete and

correct the list and add if needed.

Many thanks in advance.

 

 

pure existence = sat

pure consciousness = chit

pure bliss = ananda

truth = satyam

knowledge = jnanam

goodness = shivam

beauty = sundaram

omnipotent =

infinite = anantam

unborn = ajo

uncreated =

uncompounded =

self-existent =

immanent in all things = sarva-sattva-dehantar-gata

immortal = nitya

eternal = shasvata

permanent = dhruva

 

 

Namaste,

 

 

KKT

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "phamdluan2000" <phamdluan@a...> wrote:

> I need a list of the attributes

> of Braman/Atman in Sanskrit

> and have found some but

> I am not sure they are correct.

>

> Could you please complete and

> correct the list and add if needed.

 

Pranaam,

 

Wonder if these could be applicable :

 

Tadejati =

Tannejati =

Taddure =

Tadvantike =

Tadantarasya Sarvasya =

Tadu Sarvasyat Bahyata =

 

(Ishavasya Uapanishad)

 

Check with Sri Ram or ProfVK

 

Regards and have a great new Samvat Year

 

kamal

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sri KKT:

 

In Advaitic point of view, Brahman/Atman represent Nirguna implying -

without attributes. It seems that you are trying to collect all terms

that are essential for clearer understanding of Advaita Philosophy.

If you are just looking for a Glossary of Sanskrit terms, then I

suggest that you access the Website:

 

http://www.alkhemy.com/sanskrit/dict/

 

The Online dictionary can provide you Sanskrit translation of any

English word. Our moderator, Sri Sunderji may be able to provide

additional insights.

 

Also, Saguna Brahman (Ishwara) has attributes and Gita's chapter 10

is a great resource (also the entire Gita) to get complete insights.

The VishnuSahasranamam contains over 1000 attributes covering all

aspects of the Saguna Brahman.

 

If you are Advaitic terms, I recommend the publication: "A Dictionary

of Advaita Vedanta,' by Swami Harshananda, published by Ramakrishna

Math, Bangalore, India.

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

advaitin, "phamdluan2000" <phamdluan@a...> wrote:

>

> Dear everyone,

>

>

> I need a list of the attributes

> of Braman/Atman in Sanskrit

> and have found some but

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

In post #15133, a list of Atman’s attributes was asked by Sri

KKT. Post #15139 of Sri Kamal Kothari rightly quotes the

following from Isopanishad in this connection:

tadejati tannaijati taddure tadvadantike /

tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyAsya bAhyataH // (5th sloka of

Isopanishad)

Meaning: It moves; it moves not. It is far, yet it is near. It

is within all this; and yet outside all this.

 

The context is an attempt to describe the Ultimate. The slokas

4, 5, 6, 7 of Isopanishad constitute one of the most beautiful

in the entire Upanishadic literature in the description of the

Ultimate. Following the lead of Kamalji who brought in the sloka

5, we shall just discuss it along with its previous sloka No.4.

This latter is the following:

anejadekaM manaso javIyo nainad-devA Apnuvan pUrva-marShat /

tad-dhAvato-nyAn-atyeti tiShTat-tasmin-napo mAtarishvA

dadhAti.//

Meaning: It never moves, yet it is too swift for the mind. The

senses cannot reach it; it is ever beyond their grasp. Remaining

still, it outstrips all activity. Yet in it rests the breath of

all that moves.

 

Now we shall elaborate on these two slokas, so that we answer in

part the original question of Sri KKT, to which there are not

enough words to answer. Cf. (TaittirIya Upanishad: ‘yato vaco

nivartante’ meaning, ‘from which words recoil’).

 

Not moving, but faster than the mind – this is just one of the

many paradoxical ways in which the Upanishads describe the

Ultimate. In the Svetasvatara-Upanishad, it says: ‘Without feet,

it runs; without eyes, it sees; without ears, it hears; he knows

everything that has to be known; but there is no one who knows

him; that One is called the great Purusha’. Unless the mind

coordinates with the eyes, the eyes cannot see. Similarly unless

the Atman supports it, the mind cannot function. This is why

even though the mind is faster than anything, before the mind

reaches another place, the Atman which is already there (and

everywhere) may be taken to have reached that place earlier.

Thus even though the Atman never moves (because it is beyond

time and space), it is too swift for the mind. Remaining still,

it beats the senses. The senses themselves cannot reach it,

because it is not material. The senses have been created to go

outside, the natural function of the senses is to be extrovert.

They cannot introvert. So they never perceive the inner self.

Cf. Kathopanishad II -1-1:

parAnci khAni vyatR^iNat svayambhUH

tasmAt paranG pashyati nAntarAtman /

kashcid-dhIraH pratyagAtmAnam-aikShat

AvR^itta-cakShur-amR^itatvam-icchan //

Meaning, The Self-Existent Lord made the senses turn outward;

accordingly man looks towards what is outside and sees not what

is within; it is the rare brave soul who, longing for

Immortality, shuts his eyes (to what is without) and beholds the

Self within.

Even the mind cannot reach it, because it is not the object of

contemplation. Any object thought of by the mind cannot be the

subject which makes the mind think. ‘How does the knower know

himself?’ is a familiar refrain in the Upanishads. The

perception of brahman in the many – as Isopanishad would want us

to practise – has to be practised in the light of the contrast

between the stable and the moving, the eternal and the changing,

the immutable and the relative, the far and the near.

This description of the Supreme Reality brahman, is also the

description of the Microcosmic Reality, that is, the Atman. That

is why the contrary extremes appear in the wording:

‘moves’,‘moves not’; ‘far’, ‘near’; ‘within’, ‘without’.

Mundaka Upanishad (III – 1- 7) echoes this thought, almost in

the same words:

br^ihacca tad-divyam-ananta-rUpaM

sUkShmAc-ca tat sUkShmataraM vibhAti /

dUrAt-sudUre tad-ihAntike ca

pashyats-vihaiva nihitaM guhAyAM //

meaning, Vast, divine beyond all imaginations, shines the Truth

of brahman – subtler than the subtlest, farther than the

farthest. It is here within the body. The sages realize It,

verily in this life, as fixed in the heart.

The Gita also in its 13th chapter, (sloka 15) reverberates in

the same language:

bahir-antashca bhUtAnAM acaraM caram-eva ca /

sUkShmatvAt-tad-avijneyaM dUrasthaM cAntike ca tat //

meaning, He is within all beings and without; He is motionless,

yet moving. It cannot be cognized because of its subtlety. It is

close to all, yet measurelessly far.

The simultaneous qualities of these extremes tell us that it is

independent of Time, Space and Matter. This is the reason for

our being told that when we do self-inquiry, we should be

prepared to ignore Time, Space and Matter – that is the way we

may identify our vision with that of the Lord’s, because His

vision is not a function of any of these three and that is how

we may hope to transcend the three.

 

Note that I have not elaborated on ‘Yet in it rests the breath

of all that moves’ (which is the last quarter of the 4th sloka

of Isopanishad, quoted above). This needs a technical

explanation of the word ‘mAtarishvA’. It has to be postponed to

a future post, if at all!

 

praNAms to all advaitins

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now

http://hotjobs./

[Guest guest]

--- "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk wrote:

..........................

..........

>

> Note that I have not elaborated on ‘Yet in it rests the breath

> of all that moves’

......

.. It has to be postponed to

> a future post, if at all!

 

Profvk - Just beautiful post. My salutations.

 

If I may add - That which is Brahman - infiniteness - cannot have

attributes. Anything that is finite alone can have attributes

measurable by mind through the senses. Also all finites are within

the infinite since infinite cannot exclude anything, by definition.

The teacher of Vedanta is facing a peculiar problem of trying to

teach the student who is only familiar with the finites that his mind

can grasp. Words, which are finite, have to be used to communicate to

the student who can only understand the words. Hence a peculiar

language is used - to facilitate the use of the words to make the

student realize the truth that is beyond any attributive language.

Hence the contradictory words to designate that which is beyond any

designations.

 

Second, the contradictions are inherent in the very seeking that

which cannot be sought. Hence the teaching is only given to a student

who is prepared so that when the teacher says these apparent

contradictory words it is intended for the student not get lost in

these apparent contradictions but to see the infinite that pervades

all the finites - sarvam khali idam Brahma. One cannot point the

infinite but the teacher is faced with a problem of pointing that

which cannot be pointed. Hence attributeless Brahman is described

with contradictory attributes that can take the student beyond any

attributive object that he is familiar with. A unprepared teacher or

a student can get lost in the realm of contradictions. Hence Veda-s

insists qualifications for both the teacher and the student.

 

Just could not resist my self, out of excitement of reading the

beautiful post. Hats off to the advaitin list serve.

 

Hari OM!

sadananda

 

 

 

=====

What you have is His gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift

to Him - Swami Chinmayananda.

 

 

 

Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site

http://webhosting./

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sri Ram Chandran,

 

 

advaitin, "Ram Chandran" <rchandran@c...> wrote:

 

 

 

Namaste Sri KKT:

 

In Advaitic point of view, Brahman/Atman represent Nirguna implying -

without attributes.

 

 

 

KKT: Agree.

It's my error of talking about

<< attributes >> of Brahman/Atman.

-------------

 

It seems that you are trying to collect all terms

that are essential for clearer understanding of Advaita Philosophy.

 

 

 

KKT: Exactly, and for some

discussions on another list.

------------

 

If you are just looking for a Glossary of Sanskrit terms, then I

suggest that you access the Website:

 

http://www.alkhemy.com/sanskrit/dict/

 

The Online dictionary can provide you Sanskrit translation of any

English word. Our moderator, Sri Sunderji may be able to provide

additional insights.

 

 

 

KKT: Thank you for this site.

--------------

 

Also, Saguna Brahman (Ishwara) has attributes and Gita's chapter 10

is a great resource (also the entire Gita) to get complete insights.

The VishnuSahasranamam contains over 1000 attributes covering all

aspects of the Saguna Brahman.

 

If you are Advaitic terms, I recommend the publication: "A Dictionary

of Advaita Vedanta,' by Swami Harshananda, published by Ramakrishna

Math, Bangalore, India.

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

 

 

KKT: Thanks to everybody

for replying to my request.

I've learnt alot from you.

Thanks.

 

 

Best regards,

 

 

KKT

 

 

==========

 

advaitin, "phamdluan2000" <phamdluan@a...> wrote:

>

> Dear everyone,

>

>

> I need a list of the attributes

> of Braman/Atman in Sanskrit

> and have found some but