Q.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BRAHMAN,

PARAMATMA AND BHAGAVAN ?

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Ka and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are identical. Therefore Lord Ka is referred to as Bhagavn
throughout the Gt. Bhagavn is the ultimate in the Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of
understanding, namely Brahman, or the impersonal all-pervasive spirit; Paramtm, or the localized aspect of the
Supreme within the heart of all living entities; and Bhagavn, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Ka.
In the rmad-Bhgavatam (1.2.11) this conception of the Absolute Truth is explained thus:
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattva yaj jnam advayam
brahmeti paramtmeti
bhagavn iti abdyate
"The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding by the knower of the Absolute Truth, and all of them
are identical. Such phases of the Absolute Truth are expressed as Brahman, Paramtm, and Bhagavn."
These three divine aspects can be explained by the example of the sun, which also has three different aspects,
namely the sunshine, the sun's surface and the sun planet itself. One who studies the sunshine only is the
preliminary student. One who understands the sun's surface is further advanced. And one who can enter into the
sun planet is the highest. Ordinary students who are satisfied by simply understanding the sunshineits universal
pervasiveness and the glaring effulgence of its impersonal naturemay be compared to those who can realize only

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the Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth.

(BHAGAVAD-GITA-----2:2------PURPORT).
To say that one is in samdhi is to say that one has fully realized Ka consciousness; that is, one in full samdhi
has realized Brahman, Paramtm and Bhagavn. The highest perfection of self-realization is to understand that
one is eternally the servitor of Ka and that one's only business is to discharge one's duties in Ka
consciousness. A Ka conscious person, or unflinching devotee of the Lord, should not be disturbed by the flowery
language of the Vedas nor be engaged in fruitive activities for promotion to the heavenly kingdom. In Ka
consciousness, one comes directly into communion with Ka, and thus all directions from Ka may be
understood in that transcendental state. One is sure to achieve results by such activities and attain conclusive
knowledge. One has only to carry out the orders of Ka or His representative, the spiritual master.
(BHAGAVAD-GITA-----2:53------PURPORT).
The Supreme Transcendental Truth is Lord Ka. The whole Bhagavad-gt centers around the declaration that
Ka is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the version of all Vedic literature. Para-tattva means the
Supreme Reality, who is understood by the knowers of the Supreme as Brahman, Paramtm and Bhagavn.
Bhagavn, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the last word in the Absolute. There is nothing more than
that. The Lord says, matta paratara nnyat kicid asti dhanajaya. Impersonal Brahman is also supported by
Ka: brahmao hi pratihham. Therefore in all ways Ka is the Supreme Reality. One whose mind,
intelligence, faith and refuge are always in Ka, or, in other words, one who is fully in Ka consciousness, is
undoubtedly washed clean of all misgivings and is in perfect knowledge in everything concerning transcendence. A
Ka conscious person can thoroughly understand that there is duality (simultaneous identity and individuality) in
Ka, and, equipped with such transcendental knowledge, one can make steady progress on the path of liberation.
(BHAGAVAD-GITA-----5:17------PURPORT).
The symptoms of the self-realized person are given herein. The first symptom is that he is not illusioned by the false
identification of the body with his true self. He knows perfectly well that he is not this body, but is the fragmental
portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is therefore not joyful in achieving something, nor does he
lament in losing anything which is related to his body. This steadiness of mind is called sthira-buddhi, or selfintelligence. He is therefore never bewildered by mistaking the gross body for the soul, nor does he accept the body
as permanent and disregard the existence of the soul. This knowledge elevates him to the station of knowing the
complete science of the Absolute Truth, namely Brahman, Paramtm and Bhagavn. He thus knows his
constitutional position perfectly well, without falsely trying to become one with the Supreme in all respects. This is
called Brahman realization, or self-realization. Such steady consciousness is called Ka consciousness.
(BHAGAVAD-GITA-----5:20------PURPORT).
There are two ways to progress. Those who are materialists have no interest in transcendence; therefore they are
more interested in material advancement by economic development, or in promotion to the higher planets by
appropriate work. When one takes to the path of transcendence, one has to cease all material activities and sacrifice
all forms of so-called material happiness. If the aspiring transcendentalist fails, then he apparently loses both ways;
in other words, he can enjoy neither material happiness nor spiritual success. He has no position; he is like a riven
cloud. A cloud in the sky sometimes deviates from a small cloud and joins a big one. But if it cannot join a big one,
then it is blown away by the wind and becomes a nonentity in the vast sky. The brahmaa pathi is the path of
transcendental realization through knowing oneself to be spiritual in essence, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord,
who is manifested as Brahman, Paramtm and Bhagavn. Lord r Ka is the fullest manifestation of the
Supreme Absolute Truth, and therefore one who is surrendered to the Supreme Person is a successful
transcendentalist. To reach this goal of life through Brahman and Paramtm realization takes many, many births
(bahn janmanm ante (B.G.7:19). Therefore the supermost path of transcendental realization is bhakti-yoga, or

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Ka consciousness, the direct method.

(BHAGAVAD-GITA-----6:38------PURPORT).
rmad-Bhgavatam is the one unrivaled commentary on Vednta-stra. rpda akarcrya intentionally did not
touch it because he knew that the natural commentary would be difficult for him to surpass. He wrote his rrakabhya, and his so-called followers deprecated the Bhgavatam as some "new" presentation. One should not be
misled by such propaganda directed against the Bhgavatam by the Myvda school. From this introductory loka,
the beginning student should know that rmad-Bhgavatam is the only transcendental literature meant for those
who are paramahasas and completely freed from the material disease called malice. The Myvds are envious
of the Personality of Godhead despite rpda akarcrya's admission that Nryaa, the Personality of
Godhead, is above the material creation. The envious Myvd cannot have access to the Bhgavatam, but those
who are really anxious to get out of this material existence may take shelter of this Bhgavatam because it is uttered
by the liberated rla ukadeva Gosvm. It is the transcendental torchlight by which one can see perfectly the
transcendental Absolute Truth realized as Brahman, Paramtm and Bhagavn.
(SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM-------1:2:3-----PURPORT).
The Absolute Truth is both subject and object, and there is no qualitative difference there. Therefore, Brahman,
Paramtm and Bhagavn are qualitatively one and the same. The same substance is realized as impersonal
Brahman by the students of the Upaniads, as localized Paramtm by the Hirayagarbhas or the yogs, and as
Bhagavn by the devotees. In other words, Bhagavn, or the Personality of Godhead, is the last word of the
Absolute Truth. Paramtm is the partial representation of the Personality of Godhead, and impersonal Brahman is
the glowing effulgence of the Personality of Godhead, as the sun rays are to the sun-god. Less intelligent students of
either of the above schools sometimes argue in favor of their own respective realization, but those who are perfect
seers of the Absolute Truth know well that the above three features of the one Absolute Truth are different
perspective views seen from different angles of vision.
(SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM-------1:2:11-----PURPORT).
In the Vedas it is said that persons who are attached to demigods to the exclusion of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead are like the animals who follow the herdsman even though they are taken to the slaughterhouse. The
materialists, like animals, also do not know how they are being misdirected by neglecting the transcendental thought
of the Supreme person. No one can remain vacant of thought. It is said that an idle brain is a devil's workshop
because a person who cannot think in the right way must think of something which may bring about disaster. The
materialists are always worshiping some minor demigods, although this is condemned in the Bhagavad-gt (7.20).
As long as a person is illusioned by material gains, he petitions the respective demigods to draw some particular
benefit which is, after all, illusory and nonpermanent. The enlightened transcendentalist is not captivated by such
illusory things; therefore he is always absorbed in the transcendental thought of the Supreme in different stages of
realization, namely Brahman, Paramtm and Bhagavn. In the previous verse it is suggested that one should think
of the Supersoul, which is one step higher than the impersonal thought of Brahman, as it was suggested in the case
of contemplating the vir-rpa of the Personality of Godhead.
(SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM-------2:2:7-----PURPORT).
The Absolute Truth can be understood in three featuresimpersonal Brahman, localized Paramtm, and
Bhagavn, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here it is admitted that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the
last word in understanding the Absolute Truth. Even though the four Kumras were instructed by their great learned
father, Brahm, they could not actually understand the Absolute Truth. They could only understand the Supreme
Absolute Truth when they personally saw the Personality of Godhead with their own eyes. In other words, if one
sees or understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the other two features of the Absolute Truthnamely
impersonal Brahman and localized Paramtmare also automatically understood. Therefore the Kumras confirm:

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"You are the ultimate Absolute Truth." The impersonalist may argue that since the Supreme Personality of Godhead
was so nicely decorated, He was therefore not the Absolute Truth. But here it is confirmed that all the
variegatedness of the absolute platform is constituted of uddha-sattva, pure goodness. In the material world, any
qualitygoodness, passion or ignoranceis contaminated. Even the quality of goodness here in the material world
is not free from tinges of passion and ignorance. But in the transcendental world, only pure goodness, without any
tinge of passion or ignorance, exists; therefore the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His variegated
pastimes and paraphernalia are all pure sattva-gua.
(SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM-------3:15:47-----PURPORT).
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