Category:Becoming Brahman
Theme Analysis
This analysis addresses a fundamental philosophical misconception regarding the soul's nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the living entity does not need to engage in a process to "become" Brahman in the sense of transforming its substance. Ontologically, the soul is already Brahman (spirit). Just as a gold ring covered in mud is still gold, the soul covered by illusion is still Brahman. The process of self-realization is simply to remove the covering of ignorance. The analysis warns against the "last snare of māyā"—the desire to become the Supreme Brahman (God) or to merge into a void. True Brahman realization means becoming active in the superior engagement of devotional service, rather than becoming inactive or void.
- Ontological Truth: We are already Brahman. We have simply forgotten our identity due to the covering of māyā.
- The Gold Analogy: Just as gold covered in dirt remains gold, the soul retains its spiritual quality even in the conditioned state.
- The Last Snare: After failing to become a material "god" (minister, president), the conditioned soul tries to become the Supreme God. This is the final trap of illusion.
- Active vs. Void: Becoming Brahman does not mean becoming zero. Spirit is active; therefore, Brahman realization culminates in superior activity—service to Kṛṣṇa.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: We Are Already Brahman – The Illusion of Becoming Brahman.
Pages in category "Becoming Brahman"
The following 17 pages are in this category, out of 17 total.
O
- One can attain the Supreme Brahman by becoming Brahman. This means that one must qualitatively become one with Brahman. By attainment of Brahman, one does not lose his eternal Brahman identity as individual soul. BG 1972 purports
- One who is fully conversant with the Krsna science becomes eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom, the abode of Krsna. Becoming Brahman does not mean that one loses his identity. BG 1972 purports
S
- Sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate: one who is engaged in devotional service has already been freed from the reactions of his material karma, and thus he immediately becomes brahma-bhuta (SB 4.30.20), or transcendental
- Self-realization is realizing that one is the eternal servant of Krsna and that one's duty is to serve Him. Self-realization is not thinking aham brahmasmi, - I have become Brahman, Bhagavan
- So long one wants to become Brahman, he is ignorant
- So we are all Brahman; simply we have to understand it. It is not that we are abrahman; by some practice we become Brahman. No. Just like gold is gold, but if it is covered with some dirt, the dirt can be removed and the gold is gold
T
- That is called maya. That is the last snare of maya. Maya dictates that, "Now we have failed to become minister, to (become) president, and so many other big, big posts. Now you become Brahman." You are already Brahman. Simply you have to realize
- The qualification is to become Brahman, or freed from all material contamination. It is said in the Vedic literature: brahmaiva san brahmapyeti. BG 1972 purports
- There is no question of becoming Brahman. We have now forgotten. We have forgotten that we are Brahman. We are misidentifying with this body. This is maya
- To become Brahman does not mean to become void but to establish ourselves in the superior nature, which means superior energy and superior activities
- To become Brahman does not mean to become void. No. To become Brahman means superior energy. With superior energy, we have to work with superior endeavor and superior energy and superior position
- To become Brahman means to be completely engaged in rendering devotional service to the Lord. Thus the mahatma understands that if service is to be rendered, it is to be to Krsna & no one else. We have so long served our senses; now we should serve Krsna