There is Only Brahman

Nidagha prostrated before his master and said: "O Ribhu, I have contemplated your words. I understand that the seeker and the sought are one. But now I wish to know: What exactly is Brahman? Describe its nature to me so that I may meditate upon it."

Ribhu regarded his student with infinite patience. "You ask me to describe Brahman. Very well. Listen carefully, for I shall describe it by negation."

"Brahman is not the body—not this gross form of flesh, blood, and bone that decays and dies. Brahman is not the senses—not these instruments that perceive a world of apparent multiplicity. Brahman is not the mind—not this stream of thoughts, memories, and imaginings. Brahman is not the intellect—not this faculty that discriminates and judges."

Nidagha nodded. "Then Brahman is beyond all these?"

"Listen further," Ribhu continued. "Brahman is not space—for space is perceived and has limits. Brahman is not time—for time arises within Brahman and dissolves within it. Brahman is not the void—for the void is merely the absence of objects, and Brahman is not defined by the presence or absence of anything."

"Master, you tell me what Brahman is not. But what IS Brahman?"

Ribhu's eyes blazed with intensity. "Brahman is pure Existence. Not existence as opposed to non-existence, but Existence itself—the very fact that anything IS. Brahman is pure Consciousness. Not consciousness as opposed to unconsciousness, but the Awareness in which all knowing and not-knowing appear. Brahman is pure Bliss. Not happiness as opposed to sorrow, but the fullness that remains when all seeking ceases."

"Sat-Chit-Ananda," Nidagha whispered. "Existence-Consciousness-Bliss."

"But even these are only pointers!" Ribhu exclaimed. "Do not make them into concepts to be grasped. Brahman is not a thing with qualities. When we say Brahman is Existence, we mean there is nothing outside Brahman that could exist or not exist. When we say Brahman is Consciousness, we mean there is no awareness apart from Brahman that could be conscious of it. When we say Brahman is Bliss, we mean the end of all seeking, the peace of recognizing there was never anything lacking."

Nidagha pressed further: "But Master, if there is only Brahman, what of this world I perceive? The trees, the mountains, the rivers, other beings—are they illusions?"

"Illusion is also too strong a word," Ribhu replied. "The world is not nothing—it appears. But what appears? Look at a pot of clay. Is the pot something other than clay? The pot has form, name, function—but its substance is only clay. Similarly, this entire universe of names and forms has appeared—but its substance is only Brahman."

"So the world is real as Brahman but unreal as a separate entity?"

"Now you begin to see," Ribhu said approvingly. "The snake seen in the rope is neither fully real nor fully unreal. It appeared—that appearance cannot be denied. But upon investigation, only the rope is found. The snake was never there as a snake. Similarly, investigate this world and you will find only Brahman. The world was never there as a world—only as Brahman appearing as world."

"Then there is only Brahman," Nidagha said slowly, the truth beginning to dawn.

"There is only Brahman," Ribhu confirmed. "Not 'Brahman and the world.' Not 'Brahman behind the world.' Not 'Brahman pervading the world.' Simply: Brahman. One without a second. Without inside or outside. Without before or after. The fullness that cannot be added to or diminished. You are That. I am That. This conversation is That. The space between us is That. The silence within the words is That. All is Brahman, and Brahman alone is."