Understanding the Absolute

Vedanta says that God is the cause of all – sarva-karanam, and that God is the causeless cause, itself not caused by anything – paribhuh svayambhuh.[1]

Material and Efficient Cause

He is the material cause, as well as the efficient cause, and therefore all-pervading – sarvavyapaka. The material out of which a thing is made has to be present in every atom of that thing; hence it is all-pervading. In an ornament made of gold, gold is all-pervading.

Further, God is in all forms – sarva-rupa; a gold ornament, whether it is a necklace, bangle, ring or any other form, is gold alone. And yet it is beyond all the names and forms – sarvatita. Even if there are no ornaments, gold is still there. God is transcendental – beyond all names and forms, untouched. Transcendental means that even though it is present in all, it is untouched by their limitations. Gold is not limited by the form of a ring.

The transcendental nature of God cannot be defined in words; in fact, it defies all definition. The Mandukya Upanishad indicates it through negation and says ‘sa Atman’ – that is Atman. Brahman being the cause of all, it alone can be the support (adhishthana) of everything. It is the Atman – the essence of everything, without which nothing can exist. Therefore, to deny God’s existence is to deny our own existence.

The Absolute

God, as indicated or revealed in Vedanta, is absolute, one alone. Even the word ‘one’ is meaningless in this context. Going back to the example of gold, when none of the ornaments were made, there was only gold. When the world was not there, the word ‘sat’ (existence) was also not there. We call it ‘sat’ now, because nothing can be nonexistent.

Sadeva saumya idamagra asit – ‘sat’ alone was there before all else. And tat tvam asi – that you are. Paramatma is the very adhishthana, the support of all, and it is the very Self of all. This is called advaita. The cause, or the support, and the Self of all beings is one and the same. Here, there is no name, no form, no kriya (action), no jati (characteristics of any species), dravya (material) or sambandha (relation/connection). This is the Absolute. It is nirguna – without any attributes, nirvishesha – without any distinctions. These are, after all, names given by us. Sant Jnaneshwar Maharaj says that Brahman is so pure that the word ‘Brahman’ cannot touch it or affect it.

Paramatma alone is sarvakarana and is called Ishvara. Ishvara means great God, great Ruler. Creator, Sustainer, Dissolver – all these are also with reference to attributes, for our understanding. He is omniscient, omnipotent, the giver of fruits of action, one who presides over all actions, but has no form. He is nirakara – formless, but saguna. There are some religions which accept that there is a God who is formless, but has attributes – saguna nirakara.

Saguna Nirakara and Saguna Sakara

Then there is the saguna sakara also. The formless and attributeless God is worshipped with a form and attributes – saguna sakara. These are also aspects of God, who is all inclusive.

‘Sat’ alone is the absolute nature of God. In Shvetashvatara Upanishad, it is stressed: eko devah sarva bhuteshu gudhah[2] – one God hidden in all creatures. In Kathopanishad it is described: nityonityanam chetanashchetananam, eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman[3] – the eternal among the transient, the consciousness in the sentient, one who fulfills the desires of many.

That which is the Absolute, has to be universal – same to everyone. The moment it becomes particular to some, it is not the absolute, the universal. Even in the relative plane, space, air and fire are the same to all. Lord Krishna says: jivanam sarva bhuteshu – I am life in all beings. Life is the same in all. Pranasya pranah – the Life of life is the same for all.

Thus, one definition of God is that which is formless: nirvisheshe bhida kutah[4] – where can difference be in the One? This is from the absolute standpoint. From the relative standpoint, we say, “I exist and the world exists.” Though we cannot really take credit for anything, in the transactional world, we do take credit. For example, one may say, “I digested the food.” Can you take any credit for digesting the food and its conversion to blood, bone, marrow and so on? Without the presence of life, you cannot do anything. That is God. One great Mahatma has described God as ‘the doer of all those actions for which we cannot take any credit.’

Vedanta accepts all the aspects – saguna sakara, saguna nirakara, nirguna nirakara, nirvishesha; hence it is at peace with everybody. Vidvan na bhavate ativadi[5] – a wise man is not argumentative.