4.3. Forms of Akṣarabrahman (Introduction)

Akṣarabrahman is one entity, described as ‘one without second’. Though it serves or works in four different ways.

We highlight these four forms here:

1. As Cidākāśa. The all-pervading conscious space: supporting countless millions of brahmāndas.

2. As Akṣaradhāma. The abode of Parabrahman: the divine, luminous Akṣaradhāma, a place. Parabrahman, sevaka Akṣarabrahman, and akṣara-muktas live there foreever.

3. Sevaka Akṣarabrahman. Human-like divine form in Akṣaradhāma: the ideal and staunch devotee of Parabrahman.

4. Brahmasvarūpa Guru on earth. Parabrahman manifests in him as a human, the jīvas and īśvaras get liberation through his association.

These all four forms are mentioned explicitly in one mantra of the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad:

“āviḥ saṃnihitaṃ guhācaraṃ nāma mahatpadamatraitat samarpitam | ejatprāṇannimiṣacca yadetajjānatha sadasadvareṇyaṃ paraṃ vijñānādyadvariṣṭhaṃ prajānām ||” (Mundaka-upaniṣad 2/1/1)

Bhadreśadāsa explains this mantra in his commentary:

“āviḥ āvirbhūtam abhivyaktasvarūpamitiyāvat (sākṛtikākṣaradhāma, dhāmasthasevakarūpeṇa, prakaṭagururūpeṇa), saṃnihitaṃ sarvapadārthasaṃbaddham | cidākāśarūpeṇa sarvavyāptatvāt... mahatpadaṃ gantavyasthanbhūtamakṣarādhipateḥ nityanivāsabhūtaṃdivyadeśa-viṣeśātmakamakṣaradhāmākhyaṃ padam... atraitat samarpitaṃ divyākṣaradhāmākhyapade etad etadevākṣaraṃ brahma svarūpāntareṇa samarpitaṃ puruṣottamasevāyāṃ samarpitaṃ... ejat calad naikajīveśvarod didhīrṣayā tattada brahmāṇḍeṣu manuṣyākṛtinā'vatīrya gururūpeṇa bhaktahitāya vicaradityarthaḥ |” (Mundaka-upaniṣad 2/1/2, p. 268)

Let us understand it word by word:

“Āviḥ, meaning ‘manifest, is Akṣarabrahman as the abode, sevaka, and Guru, all of which have definite form; whereas ‘sannihitam’, or ‘concomitant’, is Akṣarabrahman all-pervading form, i.e., cidākāśa. Mahatpadam means that Akṣarabrahman is a specific paramount place. Not only that but ‘atra’ in that Akṣaradhāma ‘etat’ that very Akṣarabrahman is ‘samarpitam’ devoted to the service of Puruṣottama Nārāyaṇa.”

The verse concludes with the instruction:

“Know that Akṣara, which is both gross and subtle, the most desirable, the because of its extraordinary knowledge, and what people most desire.” (Mundaka-upaniṣad 2/2/1)

These four are then individually referred to in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad verse, as shown in the table below.

Akṣarabrahman Form	Term/Phrase	Meaning
Cidākāśa	guhācaram	dwelling within the cave (of the heart)
Abode	mahat padam	great place
Sevaka in Abode	atraitat samarpitam	dedicated here (in the great place)
Guru	ejat prāṇan nimiṣat	moving, breathing, blinking

Now to understand each of these four forms of Akṣarabrahman in more detail, we proceed further.

One Without Second:

Svāminārāyaṇa explains, that “Parabrahman is like this, and these are the rewards of engaging in the worship of Parabrahman and listening to religious discourses. Akṣara is like this, and the bliss associated with him is like this.” (Vacanamrut Loyā 17, p.343) In the Vedarasa^[1] and Svāmīnī Vāto^[2], too, the same singular personal pronoun in Gujarati (evo) is used when discussing Akṣarabrahman. The Bhagavad-Gītā also mentions this singularity in 15/16, this is also noted in for example, where ‘kūṭasthah’ used to define Akṣara is in the singular case whereas ‘all (other) beings’ (sarvāṇi bhūtāni) is in the plural.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vedarasa 213-4

[2]:

Svāmīnī Vāto 5.177