Atman and Brahman: Ramblings on the Self

Ramblings on the Self

Note: I do not have the physical text for the Concealed Art of the Soul (yet), and therefore my page numbers are a little off. Sorry in advance for that!

How does the atman evolve within the Hindu concept of space and time? Once free from the cycle of samsara, how does the self assimilate with brahman-- does it retain its awareness and individuality, or does it dissolve silently into the power that permeates throughout the universe?

While the answer to these questions lies partially in the definition of atman and brahman, how are these definitions formed as legitimate and valid?

These are the definitions, as I have come to understand them. The self (atman) is referred to in the Concealed Art of the Soul as “not an object of consciousness,” but rather as a being that “stands still, observing itself as it watches,” a being that is aware of its own earthly and unearthly desires (Ganeri 37?). Brahman, defined by Laurie L. Patton in The Hindu World, is a realm of truth, one that is set apart from beings yet dwells within us simultaneously. An “object rooted in austerity and the knowledge of the self” (Patton 48). The true nature and relationship between the atman and brahman still appear to be a mystery, and are often defined by negation. The pervading mystery of Hindu concepts as well as our limited ability to comprehend the fullness of Sanskrit words, meaning that is perhaps lost in translation, also muddles and tampers with my idea of the self and the universe.

Because of all this mystery and paradox, within the rhetoric of the Upanishad and within the definition of the words themselves, here is my final line of questioning: How is the mystery of atman and brahman translated into ritual and practice (besides that of debates between Brahmins)? How are these concepts, especially that of the self, interwoven with varna, the idea of caste, and dharma, the “upholding of the universe and all its parts” (Holdrege 223). Is atman and brahman ultimately the same principle, in relation to both time before and after exaltation from samsara?