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Para Brahman (Template:Lang-sa) in Hindu philosophy is the "Supreme Brahman" that which is beyond all descriptions and conceptualisations. It is described as the formless (in the sense that it is devoid of Maya) that eternally pervades everything, everywhere in the universe and whatever is beyond.

Para Brahman is conceptualised in diverse ways. In the Advaita Vedanta tradition, the Para Brahman is a synonym of nirguna brahman, i.e., the attribute-less Absolute. Conversely, in Dvaita Vedanta and Vishistadvaita Vedanta traditions, the Para Brahman is defined as saguna brahman, i.e., the Absolute with attributes. In Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism, Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti respectively are Para Brahman. Mahaganapati is considered as Para Brahman by the Ganapatya sect. Kartikeya is considered as Para Brahman by the Kartikeya sect.

Etymology

Para is a Sanskrit word that means "higher" in some contexts, and "highest or supreme" in others.

Brahman in Hinduism connotes the Absolute, the Ultimate Reality in the universe. In major schools of Hindu philosophy it is the material, efficient, formal and final cause of all that exists. Brahman is a key concept found in the Vedas and is extensively discussed in the early Upanishads and in Advaita Vedanta literature.

Advaita Vedanta

In Advaita Vedanta, the Para Brahman is defined as nirguna brahman, or Brahman without form or qualities. It is a state of complete knowledge of self as being identical with the transcendental Brahman, a state of mental-spiritual enlightenment (Jnana yoga). It contrasts with Saguna Brahman which is a state of loving awareness (Bhakti yoga). Advaita Vedanta non-dualistically holds that Brahman is divine, the Divine is Brahman, and this is identical to that which is Atman (one's soul, innermost self) and nirguna (attribute-less), infinite, love, truth, knowledge, "being-consciousness-bliss".

According to Eliot Deutsch, Nirguna Brahman is a "state of being" in which all dualistic distinctions between one's own soul and Brahman are obliterated and are overcome. In contrast, Saguna Brahman is where the distinctions are harmonized after duality between one's own soul and Brahman has been accepted.

Advaita describes the features of a nondualistic experience, in which a subjective experience also becomes an "object" of knowledge and a phenomenal reality. The Absolute Truth is both subject and object, so there is no qualitative difference:

• "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān." (Bhagavata Purana 1.2.11)
• "Whoever realizes the Supreme Brahma attains to supreme felicity. That Supreme Brahma is Eternal Truth (satyam), Omniscient (jnanam), Infinite (anantam)." (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1.1)

The Upanishads state that the Supreme Brahma is Eternal, Conscious, and Blissful sat-chit-ânanda. The realisation of this truth is the same as being this truth:

• "The One is Bliss. Whoever perceives the Blissful One, the reservoir of pleasure, becomes blissful forever." (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.7.1-2)
• "Verily know the Supreme One to be Bliss." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.9.28)

Vaishnavism

In Vaishnavism, Vishnu is considered as Para Brahman, Adinarayana. Vishnu in his Vishvarupa is considered to be the supreme.His abode is called Vaikuntam and the name there is Para Vasudeva.

Shaivism

In Shaivism, Shiva is Para Brahman. Parashiva, the supreme form of Lord Shiva, is considered as Para Brahman. According to mythology, Parashiva is the single incarnation of all souls and deities. He is also depicted as the only Adipurusha or Mahadeva.

Kashmir Shaivism

In Kashmir Shaivism, Svachhanda Bhairava is considered as the supreme form of Shiva. Kashmir Shaivism consider Svachhanda Bhairava as Para Brahman. Kashmir Shaivism holds turiya, or the fourth state of consciousness, as the state of Brahman. It is neither wakefulness, dreaming, nor deep sleep. It exists in the junction between any of these three states, i.e. between waking and dreaming, between dreaming and deep sleep, and between deep sleep and waking. In Kashmir Shaivism there exists a fifth state of consciousness called Turiyatita - the state beyond Turiya which represents Parabrahman. Turiyatita, also called the void or shunya is the state where one attains liberation otherwise known as jivanmukti or moksha.

Shaktism

In Shaktism, Adi Parashakti, is considered to be the Para Brahman or energy of the Brahman, ultimate reality, inseparably. According to Devi Suktam and Sri Suktam in Rigveda she is the womb of all creation. Thus Mahakali is epithets is Brahmamayi, meaning "She Whose Essence is Brahman". Tripura Sundari is the supreme form of Adi Parashakti. Her eternal abode is called Manidvipa.

Sikhism

In Sikhism, param brahman is reffered as “akal” and “nirankar”, “akal” meaning the “timeless divine” and “Nirankar” meaning the “formless divine” and is said to be infinitely beyond possible imagination and description. It states that the infinite beauty, infinite greatness and infinite divinity of the akal or param brahman can never be described. In Sikhism, akal or param brahman is the soul of infinite universes or the life force or the divine power or the source of the infinite universes. The Ten Divine Sikh Gurus are regarded as the embodiments of the param brahman or the travelling light of akal or param brahman. The concept of Guru in Sikhism states that the divine guru called “Satgur” in Sikhism is the guiding aspect of the akal or param brahman, and the guru is param brahman and param brahman is Guru, and the Satgur/the divine guru is the aspect of the divine that has been there for ever. The Ten Sikh Gurus are regarded as the embodiments of the Satgur, the param brahman in its guiding aspect. The most important term in Sikhism is “ੴ”, pronounced “ek omkar” from which the whole Gurbani begins. ੴ translates to the “one universal divine oneness” (which is concious) and it’s the root defination and the mathematical representation of the param brahman/supreme divine in Sikhism. “Ek” in “ek omkar” represents the oneness of param brahman, since 1 is complete in itself and is the only prime number which can’t be divided into other complete or whole parts. And thus “ek” or 1 opposes duality and this is how Sikhism accepts oneness and rejects duality. “ek omkar” as a whole means that the param brahman is the universal divine oneness which is concious and which pervades the whole universe, and that oneness (or life force) is present in every living being and infact every living being is a part of that oneness, and every living being is the manifestation of the “cosmic order” referred to as “hukum” in Sikhism. “Hukum” or “Divine will” or “cosmic order” is a term to describe the way the param brahman or akal drives the universe, and from its will everything, infact a universe comes into being/existance, but as per Gurbani, the hukum can’t be described. Sikhism teaches that while the param brahman or akal is one with the universe, at the same time param brahman or akal is ditached from the universe as well, but the oneness of the param brahman or akal is never questioned. Gurbani mentiones the endless process of beginning and ending of universes. Gurbani states, that it’s the same akal or param brahman from which the universe emerges and in its end, the whole universe merges back into the akal or param brahman and this goes on forever. It also mentiones multiple universes, teaches that multiple universes are born from the akal or param brahman and merge into akal or param brahman (the universal divine oneness) like “the bubbles of a soap”. Gurbani states that all the materialistic universe and the universe of our thoughts and feelings isn’t permanent, it is here now and will go away at some point of time and something which comes and then goes and isn’t permanent is actually just a dream, and thus Gurbani says, even the universe isn’t permanent and thus the universe creation is a lie (lie as in Maya), Gurbani says universe is Maya, universe is an illusion, Gurbani says universe is actually a dream. And then Gurbani states that liberation is waking up from this dream and the leaving of the “I am”, and when the “I am” goes all that is left of param brahman/akal. And with liberation, one becomes the very embodiment of the param brahman/akal, tone becomes the very avatar of akal/param brahman. It’s like a drop of water falling into the ocean , the drop wakes up from the dream of Maya and becomes one with the ocean, the drop becomes the ocean and the ocean becomes the drop, the drop and the ocean are one. Gurbani also teaches about the “sargun” or the “form” aspect of the divine. It states, that the akal or param brahman has infinite forms and is still formless. It states that with the beginning of “kal” or time till infinity, it’s the same akal who takes form as Brahma to expand the universe, it’s the same akal who takes form as Vishnu and rests on the Sheshnag, and preserves and protects the universe, it’s the same akal who takes form as Shiva and Shakti and sits in “samadhi” and destroys the evil forces and if needed, the universe. It is the same akal who takes form as the supreme Guru, Satgur and the Buddha guiding the universe in every possible aspect and then enlightens, protects and liberates the living. And there are countless forms of the akal or param brahman as Satgur,Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Brahma and etc or in other words there are countless Satgurus, Shivas, Vishnus, Brahmas, Buddhas and etc. And thus Sikhism states that akal or param brahman can’t be associated with one identity or with any one form, it states that all the forms of the akal are one, since it’s the same akal in different forms. Sikhism focuses on connecting with the primary form of the akal or param brahman which is formless instead of falling in the illusions of forms, for its forms are infinite. Sikhism states,that even if one one worships any form of the param brahman or akal, or any form of the akal or param brahman is their divine parent, the one formless, non dual akal is to never be forgotten. The Akal/Param Brahman is the eternal bliss. The Akal/Param Brahman is the supreme divine, the supreme lord.

See also

• Achintya Bheda Abheda
• Adi Parashakti
• Ātman (Hinduism)
• Bhakti
• Brahma
• Jiva
• Jnana
• Parbrahm Ashram
• Mahaganapati
• Oachira Temple
• Mahavishnu
• Narayana
• Om
• Padanilam Parabrahma Temple
• Paramatma
• Parashiva
• Svayam Bhagavan
• Vedanta
• Yoga

Notes

1. vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam, yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti, bhagavan iti sabdyate
2. brahma-vid apnoti param, tad eshabhyukta, satyam jnanam anantam brahma
3. raso vai sa, rasam hy evayam labdhvanandi bhavati

References

1. Pratapaditya Pal; Stephen P. Huyler; John E. Cort; et al. (2016). Puja and Piety: Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist Art from the Indian Subcontinent. University of California Press. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0-520-28847-8.
2. White 1970, p. 156.
3. Monier Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: Etymologically and Philologically Arranged with Special Reference to Cognate Indo-European languages, Oxford University Press, Article on Para
4. James Lochtefeld, Brahman, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing. ISBN 978-0823931798, page 122
5. ^ PT Raju (2006), Idealistic Thought of India, Routledge, ISBN 978-1406732627, page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII
6. For dualism school of Hinduism, see: Francis X. Clooney (2010), Hindu God, Christian God: How Reason Helps Break Down the Boundaries between Religions, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199738724, pages 51-58, 111-115;
   For monist school of Hinduism, see: B Martinez-Bedard (2006), Types of Causes in Aristotle and Sankara, Thesis - Department of Religious Studies (Advisors: Kathryn McClymond and Sandra Dwyer), Georgia State University, pages 18-35
7. Stephen Philips (1998), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Brahman to Derrida (Editor; Edward Craig), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415187077, pages 1-4
8. Michael Comans (2002), The Method of Early Advaita Vedānta, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120817227, pages 129-130, 216-231
9. Sullivan 2001, p. 148.
10. Fisher 2012, p. 116.
11. Malkovsky 1997, p. 541.
12. ^ Deutsch 1973, p. 13.
13. Deutsch 1973, pp. 9–14.
14. Deutsch 1973, p. 12.
15. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. "Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.2.11".
16. "Dancing with Śiva". www.himalayanacademy.com. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
17. Turya
18. Jivanmukta Geeta by Swami Shivananda
19. Vivekachudamani
20. Klostermaier, Klaus K. (10 March 2010). Survey of Hinduism, A: Third Edition. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-8011-3.

Sources

• Deutsch, Eliot (1973), Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction, University of Hawaii Press
• Fisher, Mary Pat (2012), Living Religions: A Brief Introduction
• Malkovsky, B. (1997), "The Personhood of Samkara's" Para Brahma"", The Journal of Religion, 77 (4): 541, doi:10.1086/490065, JSTOR 1206747
• Sullivan, B.M. (2001), The A to Z of Hinduism, Rowman & Littlefield, ISBN 8170945216
• White, C.S.J. (1970), "Krsna as Divine Child", History of Religions, 10 (2): 156, doi:10.1086/462625, JSTOR 1061907

External links

• "VEDA - Vedas and Vedic Knowledge Online - Vedic Encyclopedia". www.veda.harekrsna.cz.

• Hindu philosophical concepts
• Names of God in Hinduism