Spirituality: Objects differ only in name and form
Objects differ only in name and form. If we enquire into this flower in my hand, we say that it has three aspects. One is that the flower is. We can say that the flower is because it is an object of knowledge; the flower shines, meaning that it appears in our consciousness, and therefore we can say that it is. It can appear only if it is, and we can say that it is only if it appears or shines. It is, and it shines. The flower’s third aspect is attractiveness; it is useful and contributes something to the scheme of creation. It contributes to us, and therefore it is dear to us. Thus, the flower is asti; the flower shines, bhāti; and the flower is dear, priyam.
Similarly, the pot is, the pot shines, and the pot is dear. Like that, we can say that the table is, the table shines, and the table is dear. Therefore, is, shines, dear, or asti, bhāti, priyam is common to all objects. What distinguishes one object from another is that this object has one name and form, while this other object has another name and form. From the standpoint of name and form, these two objects are different. But from the standpoint of what they are made up of—asti, bhāti, priyam— they are one.
From the standpoint of name and form, these large and small pots are different. But from the standpoint of clay, this pot and that pot and even this tiny pot are all one. What distinguishes these two objects from one another is the name and form, but the substance from which they are made is one clay. Similarly, what distinguishes any object, such as a flower, from any other object, such as a pot, are the names and forms; but they are both asti, bhāti, priyam.
One asti, bhāti, priyam has become the flower, has become this pot, and has become this table. Therefore, what is, is asti, bhāti, priyam, which is the same as sat, cit, ānanda. This sat, cit, ānanda is called uttama-puruṣa, consciousness, paramātmā, brahman, because sat or cit or ānanda has no form.
The difference that appears between the jīva and īśvara, between the individual and the total, is from the standpoint of the upādhi, a conditioning adjunct projected by māyā, the creative power of Brahman. By the projecting power of māyā, the same brahman appearing in the guise of the upādhi of totality is called īśvara, and appearing in the guise of the upādhi of the individual body-mind complex is called jīva. From the standpoint of the upādhi ,they are different, but in reality, they are one asti, bhāti, priyam, one brahman.
One formless self manifests as all forms
That which pervades all the forms is, itself, formless. Only the formless can pervade all the forms, and only the attributeless can pervade all the attributes.
For example, only the colourless can pervade all colours. The crystal is colourless; therefore, it can assume any colour. If there is a yellow flower near it, the crystal appears yellow. If there is an orange cloth nearby, the crystal appears orange. Colour, such as orange or yellow, is only an appearance of the crystal and not an attribute of the crystal. We can say “yellow crystal” because it appears yellow or “orange crystal” because it appears orange. What is the relationship between the crystal and yellow? Do they enjoy the same degree of reality? No, yellowness is superimposed upon the crystal. The yellow flower is the upādhi, conditioning adjunct, that creates the appearance of yellowness in the colourless crystal. The crystal does not change its inherent nature of being transparent, colourless, even though it appears to be yellow. Even though the two things—crystal and colour— appear together as one, only one is real and the other is unreal. This is how the creation is.
Vedanta explains that the creation of names and forms is nothing but asti, bhāti, priyam, manifesting as this universe. That asti, bhāti, priyam is called uttama-puruṣa, consciousness. What is looks like is many names and forms, but what is is only one asti, bhāti, priyam.
Pūrṇamadaḥ, that which is the cause or the fundamental principle, is pūrṇam, complete, asti, bhāti, priyam. Pūrṇamidam, all these names and forms that manifest from the pūrṇam, fullness, are none other than that pūrṇam, which is full and complete. Limitless can give rise only to limitless, because there is nothing other than limitless. To be pūrṇam, complete, it cannot be restricted to any name or form or attribute.
That which is complete has to be formless, shapeless, and attributeless. We call it nirguṇa, devoid of attributes, and nirākāra, devoid of forms. The ultimate reality is nirguṇa and nirākāra, attributeless and formless. That is the only reality. This ultimate reality, which is without forms and attributes, transcends the attributes and manifests as this universe, having all forms and attributes. Just as colour is superimposed on a crystal, which itself is colourless, similarly, all the names and forms and attributes are all superimposed upon one conscious self, which is attributeless.
Therefore, there is one self, one paramātmā, that puts on all the costumes of names and forms in the creation. The costume is not real, but without a costume, the puruṣa can’t become an object of experience. Ātmā appears in a variety of costumes to become an object of experience. Costumes do not make many.
The names and forms of pots and cups do not make many clays. The names and forms do not make many asti, bhāti, priyams.
What is, is one asti, bhāti, priyam, or pūrṇam, or puruṣa. Just as the costume of the beggar does not make the actor any less wealthy, similarly, the costumes of the limited names and forms do not make the asti, bhāti, priyam limited. Just as the actor is reality and the costume is a projection, similarly, the limitless is reality, and all limitations are projections. The limitless reality is nirguṇa-brahma, the one self, the attributeless “I” of the jīva and īśvara. Mokṣa, liberation, is knowing the identity of brahman and the self, and abiding as brahman, the one undivided truth.
*Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati has been teaching Vedānta Prasthānatrayī and Prakaraṇagranthas for the last 40 years in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Throughout the year, he conducts daily Vedānta discourses, accompanied by retreats and Jñāna Yajñas on Vedānta in different cities in India and foreign countries.
Very nicely described and put forward the difficult philosophy in a very simple way . Atma remain unchanged in every object, object may have different identity but inner soul is eternal