[Advaita-l] Difference between Brahman and Brahma

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Tue, 1 Apr 2008, Suresh wrote:

> Friends,
>
> What's the difference between Brahma and Brahman? They
> say Brahma is nominative masculine, but what is
> Brahman? If it's neuter, then why is it there, and is
> there a feminine form? I am not sure how there can be
> masculine form of Brahman, which is beyond gender....
>

Brahma (m) is the four-faced creator God born from a lotus.

Brahman (n) is the consciousness that pervades all.

If you conjugate brahman in Sanskrit, in the first (nominative) vibhakti 
it will be the same as brahma.

Brahmi or Brahmani is a name of Sarasvati mataji.

> Second, I need some help with Gita 5.7: In the first
> three lines (up bhuutaatmaa) are all the words nouns?

Yes.

yogayukto -- "immersed" in yoga (literaly "yoked" to yoga)

vishuddhatma -- whose soul is pure

vijitatma -- who has conquered the self (i.e. ego)

jitendriya -- who has firm control of the senses

> Second, what does sarvabhuutaatmabhuutaatmaa mean?

One who sees the self of all beings (Shankaracharya says "from Brahma down 
to a a pillar") as his own self.

Such a person is a jnani.




-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>