Nirguna Brahma upasan

Nirguna  Brahma upasana means  worship  or  contemplation  on  ‘Brahman without
attributes’. In fact nirguna Brahma and saguna Brahma indicate as though there are two
Brahmans and  we are contemplating on  them.  There are  no  two  Brahmans. What  is
there  is  only  one  Brahman,  which  is  Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute,  the 17
consciousness or awareness. When there is  no creation what is there is only Brahman
without any objects. Like for example in deep sleep nothing is experienced, there are no
seer, seen or the act of seeing. It is called triputi (three things). In deep sleep there is no
triputi. But no one can deny that he or she is non-existent during deep sleep. Though the
experience of triputi is missing the individual in the form of pure consciousness exists.
This is known only when triputi starts. This can be explained by an example.
When there is only light all around higher in the sky then light cannot be appreciated.
To appreciate  pure light an  object is  needed. So even to appreciate  pure awareness  or
consciousness  objects  of waking  or  dream are  needed. These  objects are  non-separate
from the basis form, which they are manifesting.
Take the example  of  dream.  In  dream the  dreamer,  dream  objects  and the  process  of
dreaming are all the same and are not different  from the dreamer. All the animate and
inanimate objects are non-separate  from the dreamer who is pure consciousness. Same
is the case with waker, waking objects and the process of waking experience. The Self
is the same  in  both  waking  and dream  and deep  sleep.  Because  it  is  “Me”  who
experiences all these three states of experiences. In fact “I” experience many more states
of experiences like intermediary states of experiences, which cannot be called waking,
or  dream.  “I”  experience the unconscious  state called  coma,  “I”  experience
superconscious  states  called  “samadhi” and  so on.  “I”  is  the  same  in  all  these
experiences though this “I-sense” is missing in  states where triputi is  not there like in
deep sleep, coma, thoughtless state or samadhi. I-Sense is not appearing in those states
but “I” am  not missing. Thus this One Consciousness, which is in and through all our
experiences,  is  Atma,  which  is  non-separate  from  Brahman.  This  is supported by  the
new world view as given by the modern quantum physicists. The Quantum Space is the
womb  of  every  thing.  It  appears  like  Void  or  Emptiness  or  Nothing.  The  Quantum
Physics says that this quantum space contains everything and everything manifests from
it. The Buddhist view of Emptiness or Void is also the same. But this quantum space is
not really Empty or Void because Void or Emptiness cannot be the cause of Everything.
Nothing  can  come  out  of  Nothing.  Mandukya  Upanishad clearly  talks  about  all  this.
Mantra  six  and  seven  clearly  talk  about the  nature  of  this  pure awareness.  Nântha
Prgnam  Na  Bhi  Pragynam….  clearly  states  that this  pure  Consciousness  is  not
associated  with the  external  objects  nor  is it associated  with  internal  objects  nor is it
associated with intermediary objects nor is it a mass of consciousness nor is it a mass of
unconsciousness. Mantra seven says: … adrushtam avyavaharyam agrahyam …, it can
not  be  perceived  by  the  five  senses  of  knowledge,  it  can not  be  handled  by  the  five
senses  of  action,  it  can not  be  transacted  with,  it  can not  be  inferred,  it  can not  be
thought  of,  it  can  not  be  defined.  Naturally  one  may think then  it  must  be  Empty  or
Nothing  or  Void  but then  the  Mantra  says  that  it  is  the  Essence  of  the  I-sense:
ekatmapratyaya  sâram.  Then  it  says  it  is  prapanchopashamam meaning  that which
makes the cessation of the world, shântam it is Peace itself, shivam it is auspiciousness
itself, advaitam meaning non-dual, nothing else exists, chathurtham manyante meaning
it is considered by the wise as the Fourth State  (Turiyam). These words starting  from
ekatmapratyaysaram … indicate that it is not void or empty  but it is full, complete.  It
appears as nothing because there is no triputi at that time. In fact there are no Space and
Time.  Space  and  Time  manifest in  Atma.  All  of  them  are  non-separate  from  Atma or
Brahman but Brahman or Atma is not any one of them. This is nirgunam. There are no
attributes in this Atma or Brahman but all attributes appear in that attributeless Brahman
like  even  all  the creation  appears  in  and  from  the  quantum  space,  which  looks  like
empty space. 18
This  nirguna  Atma  or nirguna  Brahman cannot  be  thought  of. Then how  can one
worship or doing upasana on this nirguna Brahman? It is not possible. But it is possible
through contemplation, understanding and assimilation of this understanding.