If all three aspects (SAT CIT ANANDA) are present within brahman, why can’t we perceive all of them just within the brahman itself?
From: Gopalacarya Das
Transcript
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors. Question from Kopalacharya Prabhu. If all three aspects, Sat, Chit, Ananda, are present in Brahman, then why can’t we perceive them all in Brahman? Answer… Because our capacity of perception is not developed. Just as a gulab jamun may have a beautiful, attractive circular shape, a delicious taste, soft, pleasing touch, captivating aroma, but to perceive these, one has to have the appropriate senses. If a person is blind, that person cannot see the shape of the gulab jamun. Although the shape is present, one cannot perceive it. Similarly, Brahman is Sat, Chit, Ananda, but those who have realized Brahman by following the process of Jnana, they have realized only the Sat aspect of the Absolute Truth. So, in that sense, they have developed only one of their senses. One of their, we could say, spiritual faculties. So, they are able to only perceive the eternality of spirituality. They are not yet able to perceive the sentient aspect, in the sense that there is a conscious person who is… So, there is a conscious person who is observing and overseeing Upadrishtana Mantra, that they are not able to perceive. And beyond that, there is the Bhagawan aspect who is joyful and gets joy through the reciprocation of love. So, for perceiving these, one needs a development of the appropriate spiritual faculties. Now, these faculties are not gross things, but they are more like sensibilities. Just like when we say that a person who is untrained in art cannot understand what is the the difference between a novice artistic drawing and a great master’s artistic drawing. Why? Because the artistic sensibility is not there. So, similarly, the spiritual sensibility may not be there in some people. And in fact, the spiritual sensibility has to be developed gradually. And that development of spiritual sensibility happens through the practice of Bhakti Yoga or whichever sadhana one is practicing. So, as I explained in the Isopanishad classes, in the Bhakti Shastri course that by the process of Jnana, one can realize Brahman without any faculties, without any energies. Then with the process of Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Dhyana, one can realize Brahman or the absolute truth, not specifically Brahman. Absolute, without truth, without any energies, that is Brahman. And absolute truth with material energies, that is, Parmatma. Absolute truth with spiritual energies is Bhagwan. So, with material and spiritual energies is Bhagwan. So, that realization happens only through Bhakti. So, absolute truth with material energies means that the absolute truth is the controller of the material world, is the overseer of the material world, that understanding. So, this progressive understanding comes by the practice of Dhyana. It will, of course, come by the practice of Bhakti also. So, the point is, certain spiritual sensibilities have to be developed. And only when they are developed, will the features of the absolute truth be perceived. So, we shouldn’t think that Brahman and Bhagwan are different things. Tattvam Advayam, as the famous Bhagavatam verse says that, vadanti tat tattvam yad gyanam advayam. So, Advaya, they are non-different, they are. Brahmeti, Parmatmeti, Bhagwaneti shabdyate. So, they are one. So, Brahman, Bhagwan and Parmatman are not different. They are one, but the level of perception is different. And that level of perception is different because the corresponding sensibility, the corresponding capacity of perception is not yet developed. Thank you. Hare Krishna.