What Is The Difference Between Brahma And Parabrahma?

जन्माद्यस्य यतोऽन्वयादितरतश्चार्थेष्वभिज्ञः स्वराट् तेने ब्रह्म हृदा य आदिकवये मुह्यन्ति यत्सूरयः।
तेजोवारिमृदां यथा विनिमयो यत्र त्रिसर्गोऽमृषा धाम्ना स्वेन सदा निरस्तकुहकं सत्यं परं धीमहि॥

We are seeing the meaning of the very first shloka of Srimad Bhagavata.

In this, we have seen up to Swarat.

This shloka is about Parabrahma, Paramatama.

An attempt to describe Paramatma, which is a task that can never be accomplished.

We can only get an idea about what Parabrahma is not.

What Ishwara is not.

But to know what Ishwara, Parabrahma, Paramatma is; this can not be achieved even partially, even a little bit, because Parabrahma is beyond mind and words.

There is a fireworks show going on in the distance.

You are trying to hear it using binoculars.

Can a binocular catch sound from a distance?

No.

It can only make distant objects visible.

Everything has its own function and limitations.

Like that: with mind, intelligence, words, you can never understand Paramatma.

Now, the next.

तेने ब्रह्म हृदा य आदिकवये मुह्यन्ति यत्सूरयः

As we have seen many times, creator Brahma and Parabrahma are different in the sense, creator Brahma is one small aspect of Parabrahma.

Creator Brshms has been delegated with the function of creation.

This creator Brahma is Adi-Kavi.

Kavi means what?

सर्वं जानाति सर्वं वर्णयति सर्वतो गच्छति इति कविः।

Kavi is not just a poet, in Sanskrit.

Lord Ganesha is called Kaveenam Kavihi; Kavim Kaveenam.

Kavi knows everything.

Kavi can describe everything.

Kavi has no limitation in terms of space.

He is not restricted in terms of space.

Creator Brahma is Adi Kavi, the first Kavi.

We call Valmiki Maharshi Adi Kavi in another sense.

He was the first one to ever write a Kavya, something in the poem format.

But here, Adi Kavi has a much larger meaning.

How did Parabrahma enable creator Brahma with all these capabilities?

By transferring Veda to him.

Once Veda came into Brahma's heart, into his self, it got stored in him, it started acting through him.

Brahma developed all these capabilities.

What is the nature of this Veda?

मुह्यन्ति यत्सूरयः

Even the greatest of scholars, they don’t know the real nature, sometimes they end up getting false impressions about Veda.

Mostly they end up getting false ideas about Veda.

Like Parabrahma, Veda also can not be understood.

People who think that we have understood Veda, they are under false impression.

There are many systems of philosophy called Darshanas.

If any such philosopher is saying, yes I have understood what Veda is all about, then it is like how the blind men tried to explain what an elephant is like:

The first blind man touched the elephant's trunk and said, it is like a snake.

The second man touched its ear and said, it is like a fan.

The third man felt the leg of the elephant and said that the elephant is like a pillar.

The fourth man touched the elephant's side and said that the elephant is like a wall.

The fifth man touched the end of the elephant’s tail and said that the elephant is like a brush.

If anyone is conclusively saying that this is what Veda is about, then he belongs to this category.

Did Paramatma transfer the entire Veda to Brahma?

Not likely.

He transferred only that much that is required for the creation of the universe.

Scriptures say that there are infinite number of Brahmas.

There are infinite number of universes.

For each of these universes, there is a Brahma.

We don’t know whether all these universes are similar, they look alike.

We somewhat know what our universe looks like.

There may be other universes which look different from our universe.

To create those universes maybe different parts of Veda are given to each of these Brahmas.

Only Paramatma has the complete Veda with him.

He is giving out portions to all these Brahmas, relevant to them, and they create based on what they receive.

Veda is the knowledge with which Brahmaa creates.

Veda specifies this is what you have to create.

But then, what about the material resources?

That is also Veda only.

Veda is vibrations.

Energy.

That energy when condenses, its density increases and becomes matter.

This is Physics.

Simple, straightforward.

Dense energy is matter.

So, Parabrahma hands over Veda to creator Brahma which is both knowledge and the material required for creation.

We meditate upon this Parabrahma, Parmatma- dheemahi.

We will continue with this shloka.

Knowledge Bank

How was the universe created from nothing?

When the time for creating the universe came, Bhagavan handed over the Veda to Creator-Brahma. Veda contains knowledge of what to create and how to create. Vedic vibrations are energy. This energy was used to create both matter and energy present in the universe.