Brahma consciousness (Hinduism)
- Brahma-caitanya
- Brahman-nirvana
Description
Mystical realization of the god Brahma is said to be a state of awareness of the cosmic creative consciousness (the logos or demiurge of other systems). The name is from the root meaning to grow or expand; therefore Brahma the creator, Vishnu the "pervader" (and hence the universal sustainer) and Shiva the dancing god of disruption (who dances in order to produce change and development), taken together are the Trimurti, the triple aspect of reality, and individually embody the three gunas: rajas, sattva and tamas.
According to the Vedantic view, beyond this awareness is another, deeper awareness of Brahman as absolute consciousness, when the meaning of "neti, neti; tat tvam asi" is fully realized. Having truly experienced "not this, not this" there arises the profound awareness that all is Brahman as the unknowable "that", the subject of every object, of which it can never be said "this is Brahman"; and to know the self as Brahman. This is the experience of "Sarvam khalvidam Brahma" – all this, in fact everything, is Brahman. It is referred to in the Bhagavad Gita as brahman-nirvana.
Context
This state is sometimes equated with turiya.