RG ST 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Saguna Brahman, Aranyaka, Para Brahman
Document Summary
There is a subtle, eternal reality behind the world experienced by the senses. This reality is also identical with the essence of human beings. Upanishads call this imperishable world-soul brahman or atman. Brahman refers to absolute reality and atman refers to the corresponding divine self at the deepest levels of a person. Each of us have an atman, a soul that is identical to the brahman, the world. External factors like hair color and skin tone are extraneous and irrelevant to who you really are. Theistic upanishads teach that brahman and atman are a single deiry deep within one"s being. Known as a generic god ishvara (lord) or specific god such as shiva, vishnu, etc. Deep within themselves, people are actually gods. Only discerned through disciplined practice of yoga & meditation. This releases one from the cycle of birth and death (samsara)
