Brahman three features of the Divine

There are two different ideas within Hindu thinking about how and are connected.

Hindus are . They see the soul as in unity with God in every way. All the gods and goddesses are just appearances, representing aspects of Brahman, which is impersonal. Brahman is (without qualities).

Hindus are . They see a separation between atman and Brahman. These Hindus usually see different aspects of the in the various gods and goddesses. In this view, Brahman is (has qualities such as personality and form).

He who inhabits the mind, yet is within the mind, whom the mind does not know, whose body the mind is and who controls the mind from within, He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.7)

Brahman as antaryami

The term ‘antaryami’ refers to Brahman as the ‘inner witness’ - the presence of the divine in hearts and minds. ideas of god are about ‘god within’.

Brahman is also universal, above and beyond human experience. ideas of god are about ‘god beyond humanity’.

Brahman as bhagavan and ishavara

The term ‘Bhagavan’ often refers to Brahman as the Supreme Lord.
The term ‘Ishavara’ often refers to Brahman as seen through the personal of the devotee.

Both these words are complex, and have different shades of meaning for different Hindu groups.

Examples in Hindu scripture

Sources of wisdom and authority	What does it mean?
The Hindu scripture called the Chandogya Upanishad (4.10.4–5) says: “Thereupon the Fires said among themselves ‘This student, who is quite exhausted, has carefully tended us. Well, let us teach him.’ They said to him: ‘Breath is Brahman, pleasure is Brahman, ether is Brahman.’”	In these two verses, a student is tending a fire. The fire teaches the student that Brahman (the Ultimate Reality) includes the breath of living creatures, all the pleasures of life and the air we breathe. This is an example of how the scriptures teach that Brahman is everything.
The Hindu scripture called the Kena Upanishad (1.3–7) says this about Brahman: “Having detached the Self from the sense-organs and renounced the world, the Wise attain to Immortality. “The eye does not go to Brahman, nor speech, nor the mind. We do not know It; we do not understand how anyone can teach It. It is different from the known; It is above the unknown. Thus we have heard from the preceptors of old who taught It to us. “That which cannot be expressed by speech, but by which speech is expressed – That alone [you should] know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship. “That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended – That alone [you should] know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.”	These verses begin by telling the reader that our senses (sight, hearing, touch etc.) cannot lead us to the Ultimate Reality (Brahman). In fact, knowledge of Brahman is far above us. Ancient wisdom reminds us not to expect full understanding of Brahman, which is beyond even the objects of our worship here in this life. So, even when a Hindu worships one of the gods or goddesses, their vision of the Ultimate Reality is still partial and incomplete.

Sources of wisdom and authority	The Hindu scripture called the Chandogya Upanishad (4.10.4–5) says: “Thereupon the Fires said among themselves ‘This student, who is quite exhausted, has carefully tended us. Well, let us teach him.’ They said to him: ‘Breath is Brahman, pleasure is Brahman, ether is Brahman.’”
What does it mean?	In these two verses, a student is tending a fire. The fire teaches the student that Brahman (the Ultimate Reality) includes the breath of living creatures, all the pleasures of life and the air we breathe. This is an example of how the scriptures teach that Brahman is everything.

Sources of wisdom and authority	The Hindu scripture called the Kena Upanishad (1.3–7) says this about Brahman: “Having detached the Self from the sense-organs and renounced the world, the Wise attain to Immortality. “The eye does not go to Brahman, nor speech, nor the mind. We do not know It; we do not understand how anyone can teach It. It is different from the known; It is above the unknown. Thus we have heard from the preceptors of old who taught It to us. “That which cannot be expressed by speech, but by which speech is expressed – That alone [you should] know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship. “That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended – That alone [you should] know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.”
What does it mean?	These verses begin by telling the reader that our senses (sight, hearing, touch etc.) cannot lead us to the Ultimate Reality (Brahman). In fact, knowledge of Brahman is far above us. Ancient wisdom reminds us not to expect full understanding of Brahman, which is beyond even the objects of our worship here in this life. So, even when a Hindu worships one of the gods or goddesses, their vision of the Ultimate Reality is still partial and incomplete.

Sources of wisdom and authority

The Hindu scripture called the Kena Upanishad (1.3–7) says this about Brahman: “Having detached the Self from the sense-organs and renounced the world, the Wise attain to Immortality. “The eye does not go to Brahman, nor speech, nor the mind. We do not know It; we do not understand how anyone can teach It. It is different from the known; It is above the unknown. Thus we have heard from the preceptors of old who taught It to us. “That which cannot be expressed by speech, but by which speech is expressed – That alone [you should] know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship. “That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended – That alone [you should] know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.”

What does it mean?

These verses begin by telling the reader that our senses (sight, hearing, touch etc.) cannot lead us to the Ultimate Reality (Brahman). In fact, knowledge of Brahman is far above us. Ancient wisdom reminds us not to expect full understanding of Brahman, which is beyond even the objects of our worship here in this life. So, even when a Hindu worships one of the gods or goddesses, their vision of the Ultimate Reality is still partial and incomplete.

Question

Do Hindus think Brahman has a form and shape or not?

The cycle of life

Atman

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Nature of human life - OCRBrahman three features of the Divine