Concept of 'brahmn'- Om tat sat |

     Om tat sat iti nirdesho brahmanastrividhah smrutah |

Meaning, “- Om, tat, and sat are the three attributes used to define ‘brahmn’, used here to eulogize the unqualified, attributeless, absolute brahmn. The first term ‘Om’ is by itself the beginning and the end! The sound ‘Om’ is the primordial sound that emanated from the vibration of ‘sat’ (existence) as ‘chit’ (consciousness). ‘Om’ consists within itself everything that later manifests as the phenomenal objective world. These are: pancha mahabhuta- akasha, vayu, agni, jal and pruthvi which emanate from the five tanmatras- the sparsha, Shabda, rupa, rasa and gandha; and, pancha indriya (five senses) are provided to the living beings (jivarashi) to experience these qualities. All the elements like Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen, carbon, emanate from the radiant ‘Energy’ of the Sound!

   Hence, ‘Om’ is the first sound, a symbol, an insignia of ‘brahmn’. ‘Om’ is in fact not a word. It is the sound of a big bang, explosion- shukra sphota! This is the ‘pranava’, brahmn.

   The universe begins from the sound (Shabda), the vibration (nada).So we have Shabda brahmn and nada brahmn. From ‘Om’ emanates the ‘sat’ (existence) and from it comes the ‘chit’- the pure Consciousness (Shuddha Vidya).The entire universe is pervaded by these three attributes of ‘brahmn’.

   It is mandatory to use ‘Om’ before and after uttering a mantra. It binds the power of the mantra intact and makes it very effective. Finally, the term ’iti’ is used to indicate the end of the discussion. Om | tat sat iti || “That’s it!”

   ‘That’s It’ is the English transcription of a verse in the Bhagavad-Gita [Ch.17. verse 23]. ‘That’ is the word used for brahmn since there is no suitable word to express that which has no attributes, the brahmn. We cannot define brahmn When brahmn only exists and nothing else, what can be said of ‘It’ or ‘That’? If brahmn is the noun, both ‘It’ and ‘That’ stand for it as pronouns. So, “That’s It.”. Ultimately, brahmn is what is called the ‘Self’, the Atman, of all. So also the word ‘It’; It sums up the doctrine of brahmn enunciated in all the ancient scriptures such as the Agamas, the Veda, Upanishads, brahmasutras, the Bhagavad-Gita and the like. The verse reads:

  As already stated in the previous blogs, we use the terms ‘Om’ and ‘That’ (‘tat’) as an insignia, a sound and a word for want of any other suitable sound, syllable, word, or a sentence to define ‘brahmn’ The term ‘brahmn’ is by itself a term that stands for ‘nothing’. This state of nothingness is not vacuum, shunya, or absolute silence, but a ‘gap’ (sandhi),  a sort of dynamic silence, just like we take a breath every time before we start speaking. This is well defined as the state of ‘brahmn, a state of nothingness, at the time of ‘beginningless beginning’! Only ‘That’ (‘tat’) that we do not know and that which we can never ever know existed at a time when not even ‘Time’, ‘Space’, and ‘Causality’ had not yet begum! So the learned sages defined ‘brahmn’, the primordial Supreme Being- ‘tat sat’ as:

      tat brahmaa, tad Vishnu, tat sarvam, tat param padam ||

Also, they said sarvam khaluvidam brahmaa ||

The Universe as manifest brahmn 

   Everything is ‘brahmn’. sarvam khaluvidam brahmaa |  There is no separate existence for the universe- the stars, the planets, the satellites and the living creatures. Everything manifests from ‘the One’ only, ‘that brahmn’ There was no time when brahmn did not exist! The universe that manifests from brahmn to exists at all times. There will be interludes between successive appearances and disappearances of the universe. This is elaborated here.

    One fundamental principle is that ‘the universe exists at all times’; however, it is in suspended animation between two successive appearances and disappearances. These are credited to the sleeping state of brahmn after a day’s work. One day of brahmn is supposed to last 14 manvantaras, each one of 4.32 million years! The first one started with Vivasvan (Sun), as stated in the Bhagavad-Gita and the present one is the seventh, called the Vaivasvata manvantara. Each manvantara starts with a Sun (Star), seven Rishis, devi-devatas as elemental gods (air, fire, water, etc) and the elders (manes/pitrus). We are now living in the first quarter of the fourth Yuga called the Kali yuga that lasts for about 432 000 years. Three earlier ones- ‘dva para’ (the second earlier), ‘treta’ (the third) and the ‘kruta’ (satya) yugas are over. There will be a disastrous end to this ‘kali’ yuga, only to be heralded by the new ‘satya’ yuga where people will be highly knowledgeable, divine, and peace and prosperity spreads everywhere.  
   The Moon was born from his Purusha* mind; the Sun came into being from his eye; from his mouth came Indra and Agni, while from his breath the Wind was born. From his navel issued the Air; from his head unfurled the Sky, the Earth from his feet, from his ear the four directions. Thus have the worlds been organized. Seven were the sticks of the enclosure, thrice seven the fuel sticks were made, when the Gods, performing the sacrifice, bound the Man as the victim. [Rk Veda X, 90, 13-15]

The soul is born and unfolds in a body, with dreams and desires and the food of life. And then it is reborn in new bodies, in accordance with its former works. The quality of the soul determines its future body; earthy or airy, heavy or light.[Krishna Yajur Veda, Svetasvatara Upanishad, 5.11-12. upm, p. 94].