Parabrahman
Parabrahman, simply known as Parabrahman, Sanskrit: परब्रह्मन्, Telugu: పరబ్రహ్మం, Hindi: परब्रह्म.
Parabrahman means “the supreme Brahman”: the highest, unlimited and eternal Reality that lies beneath all creation and also goes beyond it. The Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa describes it as paraṃ jyotis, the supreme light that remains when all the worlds dissolve at pralaya (the great dissolution at the end of a cycle of creation).
The Brahma Khaṇḍa, the first book of this Purāṇa, identifies this final ground of all being with Śrī Kṛshṇa. From his one being came Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Śiva, Prakṛti, Sarasvatī, Mahālakshmī and Sāvitrī at the beginning of sṛshṭi (creation).
The Nature of Parabrahman
The Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa begins by saying that at the time of pralaya only an intensely brilliant jyotis (light) remained. It was as bright as millions of suns, eternal, and made of countless teja-puñjas (masses of light). This was the svarūpa (true form) of Parabrahman, who is svecchāmaya, acting only by his own free will. Within this light were the three worlds, and above them the imperishable realm of Goloka.
Parabrahman is described as:
- Triguṇātīta: beyond the three guṇas, the qualities of nature (sattva, rajas and tamas)
- Nirvikāra: unchanging
- Nishkāma: without desire
- Svecchāmaya: perfectly free
- Advaita: non-dual, with no second
- Akshara: imperishable
- Sarvapūrṇa: completely full in every way
- Anādi: without beginning
- Parātpara: beyond even what is beyond
Parabrahman as Śrī Kṛshṇa
The central teaching of the Brahma Khaṇḍa is that this formless, limitless Parabrahman is none other than Śrī Kṛshṇa. The text explains that although Kṛshṇa is beyond every form, he takes the most beautiful dark form for the sake of his bhaktas (devotees) who wish to meditate on him. He appears as the kiśora (youth) of Goloka, blue like a fresh rain cloud, holding a muralī (flute) and wearing a peacock feather. Choosing this form is itself an act of grace.
In Chapter 30, the teaching of Nārāyaṇa Muni goes further. Each pore of Kṛshṇa’s skin holds whole universes, and even the first Ādikūrma, the great tortoise who holds up the earth, is only the tiniest aṃśa (part) of Kṛshṇa. All the stotras (hymns of praise) to Śrī Kṛshṇa sung by Nārāyaṇa, Śiva, Brahmā, Dharma, Sarasvatī, Mahālakshmī and Prakṛti start from this understanding: Kṛshṇa is the one single source.
How Everything Comes from Parabrahman
In Chapter 28, Śiva teaches Nārada the following order:
- Parabrahman is the all-present jyotis, the final reality, identified with Kṛshṇa.
- Vishṇu is prāṇa-svarūpa, the form of breath or life-force of Parabrahman.
- Brahmā is mano-rūpa, the form of mind.
- Śiva is jñāna-svarūpa, the form of knowledge.
- Śakti / Durgā is prakṛti-svarūpa, the form of nature.
- Jīva (the individual soul) is the pratibimba (reflection) of the Paramātmā (the Supreme Self).
This teaching does not lower the dignity of any deva. It shows where each one comes from: all arise from one single source, and all are expressions of Kṛshṇa’s own being.
Parabrahman and Prakṛti
This text understands the relationship of Prakṛti and Purusha as the relationship between Kṛshṇa’s śakti (divine power) and Kṛshṇa himself. Prakṛti is to Kṛshṇa as heat is to fire: never separate, yet something we can speak of on its own to help our understanding. Rādhā is the highest Prakṛti, Kṛshṇa’s priyatamā (most beloved). Lakshmī is the lawful wife of Nārāyaṇa, Sāvitrī is the lawful wife of Brahmā, and Durgā is the lawful wife of Śiva and the mother of Gaṇeśa.
Meditation on Parabrahman
The Brahma Khaṇḍa teaches that dhyāna (meditation) on Parabrahman as Śrī Kṛshṇa is the highest practice. For most yogīs, even ages of meditation bring only a svapna-darśana, a vision of Kṛshṇa in a dream. But for ananya Vishṇu-bhaktas, devotees who turn to no one else, Goloka can be clearly seen. In Chapter 30, Nārāyaṇa Muni teaches Nārada the Kṛshṇa-pada-dhyāna, meditation on Kṛshṇa’s lotus feet, as the starting point of all sādhana (spiritual practice).
Sources
- Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa (including Chapters 28 and 30)