ABSTRACT
The ultimate truth with regard to man and his true nature has been declared in the Upanishads by such definite statements as ‘That art thou,’ ‘I am Brahman,’ ‘The Atman is Brahman,’ ‘That pure Consciousness which exists everywhere and in man is Brahman.’ The ultimate truth with regard to the universe and its true nature has also been clearly defined in the Upanishads, and expressed in two different ways: cosmic and acosmic. The acosmic statement declares that ‘Brahman alone is; nothing else exists’; while the cosmic statement declares that ‘All this is indeed Brahman.’ The aspirant should be warned not to confuse theological belief and revelation. Theology is man-made, and frequently creates barriers between one religion and another; whereas revelations are universal truths, and verifiable by all men of God. Sri Ramakrishna used to tell the story of Sukadeva, the narrator of the Bhagavatam, who went to King Janaka to learn of the truth of Brahman.
