Brahman, atman, vidya (knowledge), avidya (ignorance), maya, karma and moksha.

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Brahman, atman, vidya (knowledge), avidya (ignorance), maya, karma

and moksha.

 

(1) Brahman is the Ultimate, Supreme Reality. Brahman is

eternal. Brahman is beyond words. It is beyond names and forms.

Brahman can not be perceived nor could it be described by words. It

is beyond senses and intellect. It is indefinable. However, if at

all it has to be described; Brahman can be considered as Pure

Consciousness.

 

In Vedanta philosophy, the svaroop of Brahman is referred to as

Sachchidananda. Brahman is Sachchidananda i.e. Sat-Chitta-Ananda

(Pure Existence-Pure Consciousness-Pure Bliss). Brahman is eternal,

immutable, inexpressible and unthinkable pure-existence, but it is

not the cause or the creator of the universe.

 

(2) Atman is the inmost Self or Spirit of man but different

from the `empirical ego'. Atman is the fundamental, ultimate,

eternal, immutable pure consciousness. Thus, it appears that Brahman

is the ultimate reality behind all world-objects and Atman is pure

spirit in all beings. Truly speaking, both Brahman and Atman are not

different realities. They are identical. For practical purposes,

they are referred to separately, which they are not. They are the

eternal, all-pervading realities underlying all existence. They are

two different `labels' for one and the same reality behind all the

objects, all matter, all beings of the universe.

 

(3) Maya is the unique power (shakti) of Brahman. Maya is

trigunatmika; it has three gunas or attributes. But Shuddha Brahman

is nirguna and is free from attributes. Shuddha Nirguna Brahman

alone is the Supreme Reality. When Nirguna Brahman comes to

acquiesce Maya and acknowledges the gunas of maya, it is known as

Saguna Brahman. Saguna Brahman is God, the creator, sustainer and

destroyer of the world. Saguna Brahman is Ishvara or a `personal

god.' Man worships gods in different forms and names.

 

 

(4) Brahman manifests itself in the world with the help of

Maya. The world and the world objects come into existence due to the

power of maya. Maya and its creation is termed illusory. It does

not mean that the world is not real. Unreality and illusion are

different. An illusion may not be an unreality for an illusion is

grounded in reality. Reality is that which exists on its own. Maya

is dependent on Brahman. Maya has created the world of appearances.

So the world is illusion. But this does not mean at all that the

world is non-existent. The AdvaitaVedanta, with the help of the

famous " rope–snake " illustration, maintains that `it is neither

ultimately real, nor wholly unreal, illusory and non existent.'

 

(5) Avidya (ignorance) has its seat in the human intellect.

Avidya means not only absence of knowledge, but also erroneous

knowledge. A man trapped in Avidya does not know what is real and

thinks that the appearances are real. An individual identifies

himself with empirical self. He equates his existence with the

physical body. Under the influence of Maya and Avidya, he

dissociates himself from the Ultimate Reality. When the man acquires

knowledge, the duality of the self and Brahman disappears. He

realizes that the self is really one with Brahman. This realization

of the self puts an end to the ignorance (avidya).

 

(6) Moksha is freedom from bondage of ignorance. Man suffers

in the grip of incessant desires and ignorance. Upon realization of

the self, one becomes free from the shackles of desires,

aspirations, passions, karma and avidya. This is Moksha (kaivalya)

or liberation. Moksha is to be attained here and now during this

life-span only.

 

(7) Knowledge and truth are of two kinds: the lower one and

the higher one. The lower, conventional knowledge and truth is

referred to as vyavavahrika satya. It is a product of the senses and

the intellect. The higher one is referred to the paramarthika satya.

It is absolute. It is beyond words, thoughts, perception or

conception. It is in no way, related to the senses and the

intellect. It is non-perceptual and non-conceptual. It is a product

of sublime intuition and " divine vision " . The higher knowledge and

truth brings about radical transformation in an individual so it is

soteriological.

 

Brahman, atman, vidya, avidya, maya, karma and moksha.

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