Science Meets Vedanta
The scientific rigor, logic, and reasoning of the teachings of Vedanta, applied to some key concepts in science, will lead to the realization that they share common ground—in fact, that they are looking at the same Reality. The ancient Indian rishis had already discovered this Reality and expounded their findings in the various Upanishads and scriptures. We can learn much from Vedanta about science. For example, it helps us interpret Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and quantum physics correctly. The interconnection of science with Vedanta can bring about a dramatic change in the way we perceive and understand the universe.
The focus of the podcast is to highlight these changes, which encourage us to question the conventional understanding of the universe. So, be prepared!
Science Meets Vedanta
Understanding the difference between Brahman and Ishvara
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In this episode we will discuss the difference between Brahman and Ishvara. Brahman and Ishvara are often used interchangeably, but are they truly the same? While their fundamental essence is identical—both rooted in Awareness, the underlying reality of everything—their functions and modes of operation differ.
This discussion explores the relationship between Brahman and Ishvara, focusing on how Awareness forms their shared core nature. We will examine how Brahman, devoid of attributes, transforms into Ishvara, who possesses distinct qualities and attributes. Additionally, we aim to understand what those qualities and attributes of Ishvara are, and how they shape its role in the universe.
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In this episode we will discuss the difference between Brahman and Ishvara. Brahman and Ishvara are often used interchangeably, but are they truly the same? While their fundamental essence is identical—both rooted in Awareness, the underlying reality of everything—their functions and modes of operation differ. Vedanta explains this distinction in the following way:
1. Nirguna Brahman: Brahman without any qualities or attributes.
2. Saguna Brahman or Ishvara: Brahman endowed with qualities and attributes is Ishvara.
This discussion explores the relationship between Nirguna Brahman or Brahman and Saguna Brahman or Ishvara, focusing on how Awareness forms their shared core nature. We will examine how Brahman, devoid of attributes, transforms into Ishvara, who possesses distinct qualities and attributes. Additionally, we aim to understand what those qualities and attributes of Ishvara are, and how they shape its role in the universe.
1. Nirguna Brahman – The Non-Dual Self Awareness
The first question to start the discussion is – what is Awareness? What is Self-Awareness? Awareness is the innermost core of any living being. It is like an Awareness bulb shining within our inner core. If any object, it could be an image, sound, touch or feeling, comes in the presence of this bulb of Awareness, you will be aware of that experience. Here are some examples of awareness that we experience daily.
How do we know the tree is green? Because we are aware of it.
How do we know sugar is sweet? Because we are aware of it.
How do we know the smooth touch of silk? Because we are aware of it.
How do we know we are listening to music? Because we are aware of it.
The common thread to all these questions is Awareness. It would seem Awareness is a prerequisite to observe any kind of object. Without awareness, we would not know any objects which are perceived by the 5 senses organs – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. These objects from the sensory organs must encounter Awareness, and then only we can observe the object. For an analogy, let us think of the sun. If there is no light emanating from the sun, the entire world will be dark; anything and everything become visible only when there is light. In the same way, when any form encounters the light of Awareness, we become aware of the object. If there is no light of Awareness, you will perceive nothing, not even the sun.
At its core, awareness consists of three essential components: the Subject, the Object, and Intelligence. Each of these aspects holds a distinct power:
1. Subject holds the Power of the Knower, representing the aspect of awareness that is the witness or observer.
2. Object contains the Power of the Known. This power manipulates awareness to become any object.
3. Intelligence embodies the Power of Knowing, the capacity that enables the interaction and recognition between the knower and the known.
Together, these three powers work in harmony, forming the basis of our experiences. For a more in-depth exploration of these ideas, consider listening to the episode "Understanding Self-Awareness," which delves further into nature and mechanics of awareness.
It’s essential to understand that the Subject, Object, Intelligence, and the three powers are not separate, external entities existing out in the world. Instead, they all exist within Awareness itself and together make up what Awareness is. Wherever there is awareness, you will find the Subject, Object, and Intelligence, as well as all three powers. For instance, as you listen to this episode right now, you are experiencing awareness. The part of you is a listener which serves as the subject; the words you hear are the objects; and Intelligence is what allows you to comprehend what you’re listening. All these elements arise within your own awareness.
What is Self-Awareness?
Our inner core is full, complete, and it stands alone. For Awareness to be full and complete, it must be Self-Aware. Self-Awareness means that “Self is aware of the Self.” Self is aware of itself. This has a feeling of completeness.
Here you will notice - Self is the Subject or observer, Self is the Object, and Self is the Intelligence. This is not easy to grasp, but you can imagine an entity where both Subject and Object are the same. There is no separation between the subject and object. Even the Power of the Knower is the same as Power of the Known. Since Subject with the power of knower and Objects with the power of Known is one homogenous entity, it must have no attributes, and it has no qualities. There is only one entity, which is non-dual. This complete, self-standing Self-Awareness is our inner core.
It is not dependent on anything else, and it generates its own light of Awareness. Nothing affects Self-Awareness; it is independent of everything. It is always at peace. Peace is its inherent nature. Because Self-Awareness does not do anything, all the powers of Awareness are lying dormant within Self-Awareness.
Brahman is the name given to this inner core of Self-Awareness.
2. Ishvara – The Reflected Awareness
If our essential nature is Self-Awareness, why aren’t we conscious of it—why don’t we feel it directly? The reason is simple: we are unaware of our innermost core because ignorance acts as a veil, obscuring Self-Awareness. When we lose sight of who we truly are, ignorance arises and hides our inner core, much like a curtain covering Awareness.
By now, it’s clear that Self-Awareness itself doesn’t “do” anything; it simply shines Awareness continuously. When ignorance covers Self-Awareness, that shining Awareness is reflected in the ignorance. Think of ignorance as a mirror—when light of Awareness is mirrored in it, we get what’s called Reflected Awareness. Just as the sun reflected in a mirror gives us both the original sun and the Reflected Sun, we have Brahman, the non-dual Self-Awareness, and Reflected Awareness. This Reflected Awareness is known as Ishvara.
1. It’s unusual but true: our ignorance is the root cause of Ishvara, or Reflected Awareness. Without ignorance, there would be no reflection, and therefore no Ishvara. The only thing left would be Brahman, the self-luminous Self-Awareness. In effect, Ishvara arises solely because of our ignorance.
2. Even if Reflected Awareness exists, Brahman—the non-dual Self-Awareness—remains untouched. It continues to shine Awareness regardless of whether ignorance is present or absent, much like the sun shines whether it’s cloudy or nighttime. Nothing can diminish the light of the sun, just as nothing can the light of Awareness.
3. It’s important to understand that ignorance does not affect Reflected Awareness itself. Reflected Awareness remains pure and unchanged, even though this might seem counterintuitive. One might expect ignorance to taint Reflected Awareness, but Ishvara is inherently pure and limitless. To clarify, imagine pouring water into a red bottle—the water appears red, but in reality, its color remains unchanged. Similarly, ignorance cannot affect the purity of Reflected Awareness; Ishvara remains untouched.
We’ve established that Self-Awareness is non-dual, meaning ‘Self’ is both subject and object. Unfortunately, due to ignorance, we forget this unity and experience a separation: the subject appears ‘in here’ and the object ‘out there.’ This simple act of forgetting gives Ignorance the power to transform non-duality into duality, creating this split. When duality happens the Power of the Knower, the Power of the Known and the Power of Knowing split and become active within Ishvara.
According to Vedanta, Maya Shakti is the force behind creation and the intelligence governing the universe. The powers of Knower, Knowing, and Known are present in Reflected Awareness; together, they constitute Maya Shakti:
Maya Shakti is the Power of Knower plus Power of Knowing and the Power of Known
This Maya Shakti is embedded within Reflected Awareness, and Ishvara uses it to manage and control the universe. Maya Shakti is the defining quality and attributes of Ishvara.
Let us discuss each of the 3 powers of Ishvara to understand their attributes and qualities.
Power of the Knower:
If we pose the question—who is it that sees the tree, hears the music, or tastes the sweetness of chocolate, and how do we do so—it becomes clear that the answer is not straightforward. Most of us take these experiences for granted and rarely reflect on their deeper significance. It is the force of Maya Shakti, particularly the Power of the Knower, that enables us to perceive the tree, listen to music, or savor the taste of chocolate.
The Power of the Knower shapes Awareness, allowing it to act as the Subject or Observer. Through this power, the Observer can assume a variety of roles. Within each person, this single Observer is constantly changing—sometimes it is the seer of the tree, other times it’s the listener to music, or the taster of the chocolate. With every new experience, the Subject adapts quickly and seamlessly, taking on new roles. The extraordinary flexibility of the Subject is made possible by the Power of the Knower, which manipulates Awareness to shift between different perspectives. This power is one of the great attributes of Maya Shakti within Ishvara and we use this power with every experience we have.
Power of Known
How do you know an object exists? The straightforward answer is that you are aware of it. Your awareness assures you of the object’s existence. If there is no awareness, the object effectively doesn't exist for you; you simply wouldn’t know it’s there. Awareness is the foundation of everything you perceive. For you to experience an object, your awareness must “fill” it—taking on its shape so you can recognize and be aware of it. The “Power of the Known” is what enables this process—it shapes your awareness so that it conforms to whatever object you perceive, similar to how Play-Doh can be molded into different forms like a car, a tree, or a house. Just as Play-Doh can become anything, the Power of the Known can mold awareness to fit any object.
For example, if you notice a car parked outside, it’s the Power of the Known that shapes your awareness to take the form of that car. When you hear music from your device, your awareness fills the music, making it a conscious experience. If you savor the taste of chocolate, it's because the Power of the Known impresses the flavor onto your awareness. In each case, awareness is the essential “ingredient” present in all objects.
While objects may appear different, their underlying content is always awareness. Since awareness is identified with Ishvara, it follows that all objects in the universe are composed of Ishvara. This realization is profound and invites deeper reflection, encouraging you to see the world around you in a new light—understanding that everything is fundamentally Ishvara in various forms. Maya shakti is the force which allows Ishvara to become all the objects in the universe.
The Power of Knowing
Awareness serves as the source for all possible knowledge and intelligence—a vast, internal digital library. Nothing that can be known or understood is missing from Awareness.
1. If you are aware that 2+2=4, it's because this understanding exists within Awareness. If you know calculus, it's because the entire body of calculus knowledge resides in Awareness. If you speak Sanskrit, that knowledge is also stored within Awareness. Every lesson learned since birth draws from this immense storehouse. Initially, ignorance conceals this knowledge. When you remove that ignorance, the Power of Knowing reveals what has always been present in Awareness. This is how you learn, comprehend, and become aware of new information. In truth, the knowledge we access is just a tiny fraction of what's possible; the rest remains veiled by our individual ignorance. Through dedicated effort, the Power of Knowing can help lift this veil, granting us access to whatever knowledge we seek. It's remarkable—all knowledge resides within Awareness, waiting to be discovered.
2. Likewise, all intelligence is present within Awareness. Logical reasoning, inference, creative insight, the ability to connect ideas across different fields, and memory—all these faculties and more are available within Awareness. Yet, our minds tap into only a small portion of this vast intelligence.
In essence, Awareness is not only the repository of every conceivable piece of knowledge but also the wellspring of all intelligence. It follows, then, that Ishvara can be understood as this very Awareness itself.
We hope this discussion has clearly shown the difference between Brahman and Ishvara. Brahman is the self-shinning non dual Self-Awareness. It is without attributes and qualities. It simply radiates and shines Awareness. Because of our ignorance, Brahman gets reflected in ignorance as Reflected Awareness. This Reflected Awareness is Ishvara. Maya Shakti is lying dormant in Brahman and because of our ignorance, this Maya Shakti is activated and this shakti is wielded by Ishvara to create, manage and control the universe.
If you’re interested in delving deeper into topics like this, we invite you to discover more in my book, Science Meets Vedanta, available on Amazon. Additionally, we offer a growing library of podcasts covering many different topics —feel free to browse through them at your convenience.
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