Brahman Saguna

[Fidel Genereux]

Andalso, by opposition; and thinking of advaita; as 'not duality'; or rather 'beyond/before duality' (and by correspondance to Hegels opening on his Logic); I'd speculate that saguna means with all qualities; and this in the phrase

Bhakti traditions are classified into two broad categories -saguna(with attributes) and nirguna(without attributes). The former included traditions that focused on the worship of specific deities such as Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars(incarnations)and forms of the goddess or devi, all often conceptualised in anthropomorphic forms. Nirguna bhakti on the other hand was worship of an abstract form of god.

Saguna-brahman means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

Vedanta (वेदन्त, vedānta) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. There are a number of sub-schools of Vedanta, however all of them expound on the basic teaching of the ultimate reality (brahman) and liberation (moksha) of the individual soul (atman).

Saguna Brahman (lit. "The Absolute with qualities") came from the Sanskrit saguṇa (सगुण) "with qualities" and Brahman (ब्रह्मन्) "The Absolute", close to the concept of immanence, the manifested divine presence.

According to Advaita as taught by Sankara, saguna brahman refers to the lord identical with his own infinite jnanam. Sankara refers to him by names such as Shiva, Vishnu as specified in the vedas and upanishads. This saguna brahman is Paramartha, eternal, undecaying and non-differentiated from nirguna brahman. He is not affected even when he appears in this world as he controls the effects of his own maya shakti.

Search found 26 books and stories containing Saguna-brahman, Saguṇabrahman, Sagunabrahman, Saguṇa-brahman; (plurals include: brahmans, Saguṇabrahmans, Sagunabrahmans). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

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Saguna Brahman is the personal aspect of Brahman appearing as an incarnation for worship by believers. Saguna Brahman is also known by both male and female aspects: Ishvara, Parameshvara, Maheshvara, Shiva, Durga, Kali and Divine Mother, among others.

A common tool in saguna meditation is the saguna mantra, which is designed to invoke the ishta devata. Some believe that repeating saguna mantras can lead to the actual manifestation of the deity who is the focus of the mantra. Two common saguna mantras are:

Believing is not substantiated by evidence; whereas, knowing IS. It doesn't take any intelligence, wisdom, seeking, or even rationale for believing. Believers can believe anything - Anandmurti Gurumaa.

When one is starving, the search for food begins. When one's body is sick, medical help is sought. In short, only when one is distressed by an ailment or a dilemma does one look for a solution. In a similar vein, one only seeks the ultimate truth when he or she is troubled by dark and engulfing clouds of ignorance. Those who are comfortable in their worldly pursuits and are perfectly content in their families, professions, names, and positions; such folk are not even mindful of their ignorance, let alone be pained by it.

Having said that, it is also imperative to bring forth the fact that every person on this planet has the potential to accomplish the highest wisdom. Yet, it is not necessary that every human being will ignite the dormant powers within the allotted lifespan and unlock the highest possibility that this human life has to offer. It's a grace that may befall this very moment or thousands of lifetimes may come and go, without one getting to know anything beyond the bodily entity.

There is a famous adage that goes by: When a student is ready, the teacher appears. Your being here is a testimony enough of your desire, a desire to know 'who you truly are' sans all the accumulated labels and fathom what lies beyond the trinity of mind-body-intellect. So know that the journey has already begun.

A realized master's company, the relentless practice of the means taught, and purity of mind-body-intellect are the fundamental requirements that can make one reach their real Swaroopa.

Pārbrahman is both Nirguna (without Gunās) and Saguna (with all Gunās). It might sound perplexing, yet the divine, which is endless, incomprehensible, and beyond human sensory perception, is not separate from you.

Being in ocean, picture yourself as a drop of water who is latched on to its limited entity, i.e., being a tiny drop; In such a state, how it can fathom its oneness with the ocean? But as soon as the veil of ignorance falls, the drop loses its individuality and the merge culminates. All that is left is vast, boundless ocean. It was all that there was; It is all that there is, and it is all that there will be!

Saguna-brahman has names and forms, characteristics and attributes for the worshiper. Due to the presence of names and qualities, it is easier for most people to honor the Supreme Reality and meditate on it.

Shankaracharya's teaching reflects the main trend of the classical Upanishads. Written by different authors at different times, they do not have a consistent worldview, but Shankara insisted on interpreting them in a single way. He believed that the knowledge of Brahman obtained from the Upanishads should be consistent in all respects, and sought to reconcile different views on the Supreme Reality.

द्वे वव ब्रह्मण रूपे मूर्तं चैवमूर्तं च, मर्त्यं चमृतं च, स्थतं च यच्च, सच्च, त्यच्च

"From two different points of view, Brahman can be considered both conditioned and unconditioned at the same time. From the point of view of the liberated soul, He is not conditioned; from the point of view of the dependent soul, Brahman must apparently be the cause of the Universe, endowed with omniscience and other attributes."

"The desire to create arises in Shiva, who remains in an unmanifested form during pralaya (dissolution). This desire is revealed through Shakti. In this state, Shiva is called saguna ("possessor of attributes"). Shiva and Shakti are respectively designated as Akula and Kula and their difference is incomprehensible."

"The above-mentioned Shakti is conscious, unlike the unconscious Maya of Vedanta; Shakti of conscious Shiva herself becomes conscious. So, this phenomenal world is a manifestation of conscious Shakti. When He [Shiva] is deprived of action, He is nirguna. When He acts, He is saguna. The fusion of the basis of saguna and nirguna constitutes the nature of Natha. Natha is beyond saguna and nirguna, beyond dvaita (duality) and advaita (non-duality)."

[ userinfo livejournal userinfo ] [ archive journal archive ] On Hinduism - from "Life of Pi"[Aug. 14th, 200809:24 pm]Hindus hindus

[pmax3][mood pensive]

I am currently reading "Life of Pi", a novel by Yann Martel. While reading it I came across a passage which captures beautifully the essence of Hinduism and what it means to be a Hindu. I could relate to it so well that I couldn't resist reproducing it here. So here it goes:"But religion is more than rite and ritual. There is what the rite and ritual stand for. Here too I am a Hindu. The universe makes sense to me through Hindu eyes. There is Brahman, the world soul, the sustaining frame upon which is woven warp and weft, the cloth of being, with all its decorative elements of space and time. There is Brahman nirguna, without qualities, which lies beyond understanding, beyond approach; with our poor words we sew a suit for it - One, Truth, Unity, Absolute, Ultimate Reality, Ground of Being - and try to make it fit, but Brahman nirguna always bursts the seams. We are left speechless. But there is also the Brahman saguna, with qualities, where the suit fits. Now we call it Shiva, Krishna, Shakti, Ganesha we can approach it with some understanding; we can discern certain attributes - loving, merciful, frightening - and we feel the gentle pull of relationship. Brahman saguna is Brahman made manifest to our limited senses, Brahman expressed not only in gods but in humans, animals, trees, and in a handful of earth, for everything has a trace of the divine in it. The truth of life is that Brahman is no different from atman, the spiritual force within us, what you might call the soul. The individual soul touches upon the world soul like a well reaches for the water table. That which sustains the universe beyond thought and language, and that which is at the core of us and struggles for expression, is the same thing. The finite within the infinite, the infinite within the finite. If you ask me how Brahman and atman relate, I would say in the same way the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit relate: mysteriously. But one thing is clear: atman seeks to realize Brahman, to be united with the Absolute, and it travels in this life on a pilgrimage where it is born and dies, and is born and dies again, and again, and again, until it manages to shed the sheaths that imprison it here below. The paths to liberation are numerous, but the bank along the way is always the same, the Bank of Karma, where the liberation account of each one of us is credited or debited depending on our actions.

Yes, philosophically, there is a goal to achieve an absolute truth. However, there is essentially no such thing as who we are is ever-evolving and our perspective can change, and thus the truth we recognize.

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