---
type: Concept
title: "Brahman"
description: "The absolute, non-dual reality — infinite existence-consciousness-bliss that is the ground of all that exists. Not God, not The Absolute."
tags:
  - metaphysics
  - Vedanta
  - Upanishads
  - non-translatable
  - ultimate-reality
darshana:
  - Advaita Vedānta
  - Bhāgavata
not:
  - term: "God"
    why: "The Abrahamic God is a personal creator separate from and judging creation; Brahman is not separate from creation but the reality that appears as it."
    instead: "Keep Brahman untranslated; gloss as non-dual Sat-Chit-Ānanda, the ground of all."
  - term: "The Absolute (philosophical)"
    why: "A bloodless abstraction; Brahman is the most concrete reality there is (sarvam khalv idam brahma)."
  - term: "Universal consciousness"
    why: "Implies a cosmic mind among other things; Brahman is the non-dual ground, not one entity within the universe."
  - term: "The Divine"
    why: "Vaguely theistic; collapses the precise Sat-Chit-Ānanda definition into sentiment."
  - term: "Monotheism"
    why: "A theological category positing one God separate from creation; Brahman is non-dual (advaya), not a single separate deity."
  - term: "Pantheism"
    why: "Exhausts the divine in immanence; Brahman remains fully transcendent even as it is immanent."
related:
  - /concepts/atman.md
  - /concepts/maya.md
  - /concepts/moksha.md
  - /concepts/om.md
  - /concepts/prakriti.md
timestamp: "2026-06-18"
okf_version: "0.2"
---

# Brahman

**Not:** God, The Absolute, Universal consciousness, The Divine, Monotheism, Pantheism

## What It Actually Means

Brahman is *Sat-Chit-Ānanda* — infinite existence (*sat*), infinite consciousness (*chit*), infinite bliss (*ānanda*). It is not a being who created the world; it is the reality of which the world is an appearance. Brahman is both the material cause and the efficient cause of the universe — the spider that spins the web out of its own substance.

There is only one ultimate reality (*tattva*), but it manifests in three ways depending on the depth of the devotee's inquiry:

| Manifestation | Nature | Attained By |
|---|---|---|
| **Bhagavān** | Fully determinate — personal, relational, with transcendental attributes | Bhakti Yogi |
| **Paramātmā** | Partially determinate — the inner witness, the cosmic self within all beings | Ashtānga Yogi |
| **Brahman** | Indeterminate — pure consciousness, beyond all attributes | Jñāna Yogi |

These are not three different beings. They are three ways the same reality reveals itself.

## Saguṇa and Nirguṇa — Not "With Qualities" and "Without Qualities"

This is one of the most commonly mistranslated distinctions in Vedānta.

- **Nirguṇa** does not mean Brahman has *no* qualities. It means Brahman has no *material* qualities — no finite, conditioned, dualistic attributes. Brahman is free from material limitations.
- **Saguṇa** means Brahman possesses *transcendental* spiritual qualities (satyam, jñānam, ānantam) that are beyond material categories.

They are not opposites — they describe the same infinite reality from different angles of approach.

## Satkāryavāda — The Cosmos Is Eternal

The universe was not created *ex nihilo* (from nothing). The Vedāntic principle of **satkāryavāda** holds: the effect pre-exists in its cause in nascent form. A tree is potentially present in a seed. This means the cosmos is **eternal** — it undergoes cyclic manifestation and concealment, not creation and destruction. Being cannot arise from non-being. This is the exact opposite of Abrahamic creation doctrine.

## Why the Substitutes Fail

**"God"** in Abrahamic theology is a personal creator separate from creation, who judges, rewards, and punishes. Brahman is not separate from creation — Brahman IS the reality that appears as creation. There is no judgment, no separation between creator and created.

**"The Absolute"** is a philosophical abstraction. Brahman is not abstract — it is the most concrete reality there is. *Sarvam khalv idam brahma* — "All this is indeed Brahman."

**"Monotheism/Pantheism/Polytheism"** are all Western theological categories that cannot contain Brahman. Monotheism posits one God separate from creation. Pantheism exhausts God in immanence (Brahman's transcendence remains complete). Polytheism posits independent, unrelated gods. The correct framework is **advaya jñāna** — non-dual knowledge: one reality whose oneness does not negate multiplicity within it.

## Audience Metaphor

Brahman is the ocean. Every wave (individual being) rises from it, appears separate for a moment, and returns. The wave was never NOT the ocean — it just temporarily appeared to have a separate identity. [Mokṣa](/concepts/moksha.md) is the wave recognizing it was always the ocean.

## Citations

1. [Chāndogya Upaniṣad](/references/chandogya-upanishad.md), [Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad](/references/brihadaranyaka-upanishad.md), [Taittirīya Upaniṣad](/references/taittiriya-upanishad.md)
2. [Brahma Sūtras](/references/brahma-sutras.md) of Bādarāyaṇa
3. [Vivekacūḍāmaṇi](/references/vivekachudamani.md) of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
4. Rajiv Malhotra, *Sanskrit Non
