The infinite greatness of the Supreme Brahman is the subject of contemplation and discussion among the sages of yore as is revealed in the Upanishads. Two kinds of knowledge are explained — that pertaining to the empirical world of mutability known as Apara Vidya and that dealing with the eternal truth about the Supreme Brahman which is known as Para Vidya. A jivatma who tries to explore and understand for himself the truth of one’s self and of the Supreme Brahman is seeking the means to attain the highest human goal, pointed out Velukkudi Sri Krishnan in a discourse.
But the senses, mind and intellect, the means of knowing available to the jivatma, cannot reveal the Brahman who is subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest. Brahman can be experienced in the individual inner consciousness only when the Supreme Truth stands revealed. This is how sages have realised Brahman. So scriptures advise the jivatma to seek Him by probing the mystery behind creation for He is the cause and source of this creation in toto. The uniqueness is that Brahman brings forth the infinite variety in creation including the animate and the inanimate from Himself, giving each its individual form and name. And Brahman withdraws all within Himself as well. There are no two entities as the maker of the object and the source material used.
Though Brahman pervades everything and is responsible for the sustenance and dissolution of all beings that evolve through the process of birth, growth, death etc, He is above all this and remains unaffected. A familiar fact of a spider that emits threads from its own body and withdraws those threads within itself is used as an analogy to show how Brahman creates the phenomenal world.
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