What is the difference between brahman and purusha

In this case, maya is not a second thing over and above brahman. Instead, it is a false, seeming or illusory reality that depends on brahman to exist. How so? Because when you try to determine what a pot actually is, all you find is clay. Yes, you see a pot.

This is undeniable. But where is the reality of the pot apart from clay? If a pot is made out of exactly one pound of clay, when the pot is weighed, does it weigh one pound for the clay plus a bit of extra weight to account for the addition of the pot? And the pot is but an appearance with no actual substance, no actual reality. Purusha is so-called because of His lying in the body, or because He is full in Himself, or because all that we see is pervaded by Him.

Atman or the Self is the ultimate Reality. It is the ultimate philosophical principle. It is the substratum for everything. It is the only living Truth. It is the Brahman of the Upanishads. It is the support of this world. It is the prop of this body and Prana. It is the Impersonal, Absolute. Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self is self-luminous. Brahman cannot be manifested anything else.

Brahman manifests everything. The doctrine of self-luminosity is one of the foundational tenets on which the entire edifice of Vedanta is constructed. Atman gives light to the sun, the moon, the stars, the lightning, the fire, the intellect and the senses.

By the light of Atman all these shine but they cannot illumine Atman. Atman alone exists. It appears as the objects which we cognise just as a rope appears as a serpent. Atman puts on the appearance of these phenomenal objects. It shines by itself. It is self-luminous. All the objects shine after them i. Brahman is the soul or Atman of man.

He is the soul of the Universe. Brahman alone is the Infinite. There cannot be two infinities. If there are two infinities, there will be fighting among the infinities themselves. One Infinite will be creating something, another Infinite will be destroying something. There can be only one Infinite. This Atman is the one Infinite Brahman.

Everything else is its manifestation or expression. The same is also supported in a conversation where Brahman in the form of Shri Hari explains:. Prakriti and Purusha are both my forms that are uncrossable. Entering both, I activate them with my will. Prakriti is of 3 gunas without beginning or end. At the beginning of creation, this entire world emerges from Prakriti and during Pralaya everything merges back into her.

From this what I understand is Brahman has two aspects, Prakriti and Purusha. When the Purusha aspect chetana combines with the Prakriti jada aspect, the entire world is created. This means that even rocks and wood would have an ounce of Purusha tattva or sentience as supported by this informal site. Usually, the Purusha aspect is personified as the male god for which I ask Q4 and Prakriti as the female goddess.

For example, the Devi Bhagavata says:. However very often, Purusha is also thought of as Brahman and the male god. Furthermore, the deity, Purusha, of the Purusha Suktam is to be thought of as Brahman. The same also maybe inferred from the following quote of the Ramcharitmanas, where Ramaji, the male god is Brahman and Purusha:. In front was Ramaji and behind was Lakshmana.

In the guise of ascetics they had lustre. Ayodhyakanda Doha Thus there are two contradictory views; one of considering Purusha as only sentient and the second considering Purusha as Brahman. I understand that God is above jada chetana both but there is a lot of confusion with often calling him only as Purusha. Hence I ask the below questions. Notes : I would prefer not to have an answer with something like Purusha is equal to Prakriti. Plese explain in baby language.

Would like to gain as much insight into the confusion between Purusha and Brahman. Vedantic explanation is preferable. Extremely related but not duplicate.

The best answer to your question is given by Sakta Agama. Prakriti Primordial nature or Adya Sakti is not jada or unconscious. First read through Sir John Woodruffe's explanation. After that I will make some comments that will further clarify the matter.

The ultimate or irreducible reality is 'Spirit' in the sense of Pure Consciousness Cit, Samvit from out of which as and by its power Sakti , Mind and Matter proceed.

Spirit is one. The Spirit which is in man is the one spirit which is in everything and which as the object of worship, is the Lord Ishvara or God. How can Brahman is unknowable, yet is it said that one should know it? Please enter your comment!

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