Brahman/Bhagavan
Vandana talks about her life as a Hindu
In Hindu scriptures and tradition, there are thousands of gods and goddesses. These are all understood as aspects of the ‘Divine One’. In Hindu belief, the absolute reality that is the true essence of all existence, God. is this ‘Divine One’ or ‘God’ – also known as the Hindus believe that Brahman is the Ultimate Reality – the source of all life in the universe and the basis of all reality and existence. Brahman is uncreated, infinite and all-embracing.. Hindus believe that Brahman is eternal and everywhere at once. Hindus may say that everything is Brahman, and Brahman is everything.
Brahman is the one present everywhere and is the great one who is above all.
Hindus believe that Brahman is greater than any one human can understand. They believe in the idea that Brahman is beyond the material universe, or ‘above all’. Brahman is in every single particle of everything that lives but also beyond the universe: This whole universe is Brahman. In tranquillity, let one worship it, as that from which he came forth, as that into which he will be dissolved, as that in which he breathes. (Chandogya Upanishad 3.13.1)
Bhagavan – the personal God
Some Hindus also use the word A term used by some Hindus alongside the term Brahman to refer to God (or Ultimate Reality) as a personal God. This means a God or Ultimate Reality that can be experienced by human beings. to describe the Ultimate Reality. Bhagavan is the Ultimate Reality manifested or shown as a personal God. Brahman can be described as like the sun – millions of miles away, too bright to look at and impossible to approach. In contrast, Bhagavan is like the sunlight that is experienced on Earth.
Question
What is meant by the term Bhagavan?
Bhagavan is a term used by some Hindus to refer to God or Ultimate Reality as a personal God. Some Hindus believe that if Brahman is like the sun, Bhagavan is like the sunlight that is experienced on Earth.
