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Brahma
The famous poem "Brahma" by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
- GenresPoetry
1 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2012
2 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Ralph Waldo Emerson
3,480 books5,403 followersRalph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston in 1803. Educated at Harvard and the Cambridge Divinity School, he became a Unitarian minister in 1826 at the Second Church Unitarian. The congregation, with Christian overtones, issued communion, something Emerson refused to do. "Really, it is beyond my comprehension," Emerson once said, when asked by a seminary professor whether he believed in God. (Quoted in 2,000 Years of Freethought edited by Jim Haught.) By 1832, after the untimely death of his first wife, Emerson cut loose from Unitarianism. During a year-long trip to Europe, Emerson became acquainted with such intelligentsia as British writer Thomas Carlyle, and poets Wordsworth and Coleridge. He returned to the United States in 1833, to a life as poet, writer and lecturer. Emerson inspired Transcendentalism, although never adopting the label himself. He rejected traditional ideas of deity in favor of an "Over-Soul" or "Form of Good," ideas which were considered highly heretical. His books include Nature (1836), The American Scholar (1837), Divinity School Address (1838), Essays, 2 vol. (1841, 1844), Nature, Addresses and Lectures (1849), and three volumes of poetry. Margaret Fuller became one of his "disciples," as did Henry David Thoreau.
The best of Emerson's rather wordy writing survives as epigrams, such as the famous: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Other one- (and two-) liners include: "As men's prayers are a disease of the will, so are their creeds a disease of the intellect" (Self-Reliance, 1841). "The most tedious of all discourses are on the subject of the Supreme Being" (Journal, 1836). "The word miracle, as pronounced by Christian churches, gives a false impression; it is a monster. It is not one with the blowing clover and the falling rain" (Address to Harvard Divinity College, July 15, 1838). He demolished the right wing hypocrites of his era in his essay "Worship": ". . . the louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons" (Conduct of Life, 1860). "I hate this shallow Americanism which hopes to get rich by credit, to get knowledge by raps on midnight tables, to learn the economy of the mind by phrenology, or skill without study, or mastery without apprenticeship" (Self-Reliance). "The first and last lesson of religion is, 'The things that are seen are temporal; the things that are not seen are eternal.' It puts an affront upon nature" (English Traits , 1856). "The god of the cannibals will be a cannibal, of the crusaders a crusader, and of the merchants a merchant." (Civilization, 1862). He influenced generations of Americans, from his friend Henry David Thoreau to John Dewey, and in Europe, Friedrich Nietzsche, who takes up such Emersonian themes as power, fate, the uses of poetry and history, and the critique of Christianity. D. 1882.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was his son and Waldo Emerson Forbes, his grandson.
The best of Emerson's rather wordy writing survives as epigrams, such as the famous: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Other one- (and two-) liners include: "As men's prayers are a disease of the will, so are their creeds a disease of the intellect" (Self-Reliance, 1841). "The most tedious of all discourses are on the subject of the Supreme Being" (Journal, 1836). "The word miracle, as pronounced by Christian churches, gives a false impression; it is a monster. It is not one with the blowing clover and the falling rain" (Address to Harvard Divinity College, July 15, 1838). He demolished the right wing hypocrites of his era in his essay "Worship": ". . . the louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons" (Conduct of Life, 1860). "I hate this shallow Americanism which hopes to get rich by credit, to get knowledge by raps on midnight tables, to learn the economy of the mind by phrenology, or skill without study, or mastery without apprenticeship" (Self-Reliance). "The first and last lesson of religion is, 'The things that are seen are temporal; the things that are not seen are eternal.' It puts an affront upon nature" (English Traits , 1856). "The god of the cannibals will be a cannibal, of the crusaders a crusader, and of the merchants a merchant." (Civilization, 1862). He influenced generations of Americans, from his friend Henry David Thoreau to John Dewey, and in Europe, Friedrich Nietzsche, who takes up such Emersonian themes as power, fate, the uses of poetry and history, and the critique of Christianity. D. 1882.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was his son and Waldo Emerson Forbes, his grandson.
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April 1, 2023
॥ ॐ ऐं ह्रीं श्रीं क्लीं सौह सतचिद एकं ब्रह्माे ॥
॥ ॐ ब्रह्मणे नम:॥
If the red slayer think he slays,
Or if the slain think he is slain,
They know not well the subtle ways
I keep, and pass, and turn again.
Far or forgot to me is near;
Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished gods to me appear;
And one to me are shame and fame.
They reckon ill who leave me out;
When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt,
I am the hymn the Brahmin sings.
The strong gods pine for my abode,
And pine in vain the sacred Seven;
But thou, meek lover of the good!
Find me, and turn thy back on heaven…..
"Brahma" is a sixteen-line poem separated into four quatrains. The poem's semantic and phraseology is candid and flawless. At the same time, there is a great deal of delicacy and profundity of thought hidden behind this linguistic minimalism.
The poem's command lies in its capability to deliver the most insightful conjectural and sublime ideas in the humblest and effervescent language and style possible. Each line contains eight syllables and the dominant meter is iambic tetrameter.
This poem of Emerson is a brilliant replication and depiction of Emerson's work at large. Emerson's poem is a transcendentalist investigation of the nature of life and death, over and above the superlative reach of the divine.
Emerson pursues to develop an allegory for explaining transcendentalist thought by appropriating the Hindu deity Brahma.
The first stanza contributes to redefining conventional life and death, with a sense of steadiness and intricacy within such notions. Emerson insists in this stanza that there is an emotional understanding of the nature of 'slain' and that which 'slays.'
The poem continues to the second stanza, emphasising the dichotomy in both, suggesting that dualistic antagonism is essentially in partnership with one another.
"Shadow and sunlight" are no longer unequivocally divergent, nor are "vanished gods" who may appear."
The contrasting polarities of "shame" and "fame" are also cast in a proportioned light.
The insinuation of this stanza is that there is some type of energy that brings together that which is entirely contrasting, and orthodox notions of demonising one force over another may not be attuned with this energy.
This is most likely where Emerson's Transcendentalist thought, a movement that sought to integrate emotions into the reconfiguration of what had formerly been stressed as normative and communally suitable, is most visible.
The fact that the final line incorporates socially deemed values of "shame" and "fame" demonstrates this. This theme is carried over into the concluding stanzas.
The two closing lines add Emerson's own twist to the perception of divinity, implying that a cosmic and energetic force does not have to be essentially found in heaven. The repercussion is that, this belief is in held the person who can find and locate this spirit of ‘accord’ and ‘symmetry’ in their own sense of identity and self.
This poem is inspired by ideas found in both the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Take the Chandogya Upanishad, which says:
सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत (All this is Brahman)
Or the Aitareya Upanishad, which says प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म (Knowledge is Brahma)
Brahma embodies the very essence of the universe. This kernel is the nature of everything that exists – humans, animals, trees, clouds, grains of sand, emotions, and ideas.
Brahma is the lone speaker throughout the poem, ensuring the work's continuity. The fact that the ‘spirit’ is the solitary speaker signifies not only its absolute nature, but also its sustaining power, upon which the poem is metaphorically based.
Brahman (the Ultimate Reality; the Universe; the Absolute) is Pure Consciousness and cannot be known by man because it is not an entity.
Brahman is the essence of the eye (' the Eye of the eye', 'the Ear of the ear') the mind etc. Brahman — Eternal, Infinite, Unconditioned — cannot be made an object of material, restricted and determinate senses.
The speech cannot describe Brahman. Fire, which burns and lights other objects, cannot burn or light itself.
The poet stresses the significance of refuge in God. The ultimate reality is Brahma. He is the eventual endpoint, the culmination of all things.
All souls find shelter and rest in His bosom. All souls a travelling through space, through the human world, or above it, all the way to his habitat, seeking shelter and permanent harbour in his bosom.
When the soul merges with the Over-Soul of Brahma, it reaches the acme of spiritual expansion. This is every soul's highest aspiration.
The highest of Gods seek Brahma's abode.
Even the holy Seven Stars are on his tail. The noble man whose thoughts are pure and whose deeds are good and noble can easily find his way into the bosom of Brahma. Even heaven is no substitute for Brahma’s bosom.
I’d like to end this discussion, dear reader with the ‘Neti-Neti’ doctrine of Yajnavalkya, one of our finest Upanishadic philosophers. Yajnavalkya discusses ‘Neti-neti’ with his wife, Maitreyi, which is featured in the Muni Kanda or Yajnavalkya Kanda.
Simply stated, ‘Neti-neti’ suggests the view that truth can be found only through the negation of all thoughts about it.
The Brihadaranyaka says:
तस्य हैतस्य पुरुषस्य रूपम्।यथा माहारजनं वासः,
यथा पाण्ड्वाविकम्, यथेन्द्रगोपः,
यथाग्न्यर्चिः, यथापुण्डरीकम्, यथा सकृद्विद्युत्तम्;
सकृद्विद्युत्तेव ह वा अस्य श्रीर्भवति य एवं वेद;
अथात आदेशः—नेति नेति, न ह्येतस्मादिति नेत्यन्यत्परमस्ति;
अथ नामधेयम्—सत्यस्य सत्यमिति; प्राणा वै सत्यम्, तेषामेष सत्यम्॥
Simply stated the core of the shloka advocates that ‘Atman’ is “neither this, nor this” (“Neti, neti”).
The Self can never be labeled in any way. “Na-iti” – that is “Neti”. It is through this procedure of “Neti, neti” that you relinquish all – the ether, the form, the awareness and the whole kit and caboodle – to comprehend the Self.
After knowing the Atman in this way, you will cultivate the outlook that the discernable ecosphere and all its creatures are made up of the equivalent quintessence of harmony.
Brahman is immeasurable, nebulous, monochrome, insipid and the unrecognizable Universal Spirit which is ubiquitous and invincible, and like interstellar vitality, it is persistent, unobserved and inexpressible.
One of the finest creations of Emerson….
॥ ॐ ब्रह्मणे नम:॥
If the red slayer think he slays,
Or if the slain think he is slain,
They know not well the subtle ways
I keep, and pass, and turn again.
Far or forgot to me is near;
Shadow and sunlight are the same;
The vanished gods to me appear;
And one to me are shame and fame.
They reckon ill who leave me out;
When me they fly, I am the wings;
I am the doubter and the doubt,
I am the hymn the Brahmin sings.
The strong gods pine for my abode,
And pine in vain the sacred Seven;
But thou, meek lover of the good!
Find me, and turn thy back on heaven…..
"Brahma" is a sixteen-line poem separated into four quatrains. The poem's semantic and phraseology is candid and flawless. At the same time, there is a great deal of delicacy and profundity of thought hidden behind this linguistic minimalism.
The poem's command lies in its capability to deliver the most insightful conjectural and sublime ideas in the humblest and effervescent language and style possible. Each line contains eight syllables and the dominant meter is iambic tetrameter.
This poem of Emerson is a brilliant replication and depiction of Emerson's work at large. Emerson's poem is a transcendentalist investigation of the nature of life and death, over and above the superlative reach of the divine.
Emerson pursues to develop an allegory for explaining transcendentalist thought by appropriating the Hindu deity Brahma.
The first stanza contributes to redefining conventional life and death, with a sense of steadiness and intricacy within such notions. Emerson insists in this stanza that there is an emotional understanding of the nature of 'slain' and that which 'slays.'
The poem continues to the second stanza, emphasising the dichotomy in both, suggesting that dualistic antagonism is essentially in partnership with one another.
"Shadow and sunlight" are no longer unequivocally divergent, nor are "vanished gods" who may appear."
The contrasting polarities of "shame" and "fame" are also cast in a proportioned light.
The insinuation of this stanza is that there is some type of energy that brings together that which is entirely contrasting, and orthodox notions of demonising one force over another may not be attuned with this energy.
This is most likely where Emerson's Transcendentalist thought, a movement that sought to integrate emotions into the reconfiguration of what had formerly been stressed as normative and communally suitable, is most visible.
The fact that the final line incorporates socially deemed values of "shame" and "fame" demonstrates this. This theme is carried over into the concluding stanzas.
The two closing lines add Emerson's own twist to the perception of divinity, implying that a cosmic and energetic force does not have to be essentially found in heaven. The repercussion is that, this belief is in held the person who can find and locate this spirit of ‘accord’ and ‘symmetry’ in their own sense of identity and self.
This poem is inspired by ideas found in both the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Take the Chandogya Upanishad, which says:
सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत (All this is Brahman)
Or the Aitareya Upanishad, which says प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म (Knowledge is Brahma)
Brahma embodies the very essence of the universe. This kernel is the nature of everything that exists – humans, animals, trees, clouds, grains of sand, emotions, and ideas.
Brahma is the lone speaker throughout the poem, ensuring the work's continuity. The fact that the ‘spirit’ is the solitary speaker signifies not only its absolute nature, but also its sustaining power, upon which the poem is metaphorically based.
Brahman (the Ultimate Reality; the Universe; the Absolute) is Pure Consciousness and cannot be known by man because it is not an entity.
Brahman is the essence of the eye (' the Eye of the eye', 'the Ear of the ear') the mind etc. Brahman — Eternal, Infinite, Unconditioned — cannot be made an object of material, restricted and determinate senses.
The speech cannot describe Brahman. Fire, which burns and lights other objects, cannot burn or light itself.
The poet stresses the significance of refuge in God. The ultimate reality is Brahma. He is the eventual endpoint, the culmination of all things.
All souls find shelter and rest in His bosom. All souls a travelling through space, through the human world, or above it, all the way to his habitat, seeking shelter and permanent harbour in his bosom.
When the soul merges with the Over-Soul of Brahma, it reaches the acme of spiritual expansion. This is every soul's highest aspiration.
The highest of Gods seek Brahma's abode.
Even the holy Seven Stars are on his tail. The noble man whose thoughts are pure and whose deeds are good and noble can easily find his way into the bosom of Brahma. Even heaven is no substitute for Brahma’s bosom.
I’d like to end this discussion, dear reader with the ‘Neti-Neti’ doctrine of Yajnavalkya, one of our finest Upanishadic philosophers. Yajnavalkya discusses ‘Neti-neti’ with his wife, Maitreyi, which is featured in the Muni Kanda or Yajnavalkya Kanda.
Simply stated, ‘Neti-neti’ suggests the view that truth can be found only through the negation of all thoughts about it.
The Brihadaranyaka says:
तस्य हैतस्य पुरुषस्य रूपम्।यथा माहारजनं वासः,
यथा पाण्ड्वाविकम्, यथेन्द्रगोपः,
यथाग्न्यर्चिः, यथापुण्डरीकम्, यथा सकृद्विद्युत्तम्;
सकृद्विद्युत्तेव ह वा अस्य श्रीर्भवति य एवं वेद;
अथात आदेशः—नेति नेति, न ह्येतस्मादिति नेत्यन्यत्परमस्ति;
अथ नामधेयम्—सत्यस्य सत्यमिति; प्राणा वै सत्यम्, तेषामेष सत्यम्॥
Simply stated the core of the shloka advocates that ‘Atman’ is “neither this, nor this” (“Neti, neti”).
The Self can never be labeled in any way. “Na-iti” – that is “Neti”. It is through this procedure of “Neti, neti” that you relinquish all – the ether, the form, the awareness and the whole kit and caboodle – to comprehend the Self.
After knowing the Atman in this way, you will cultivate the outlook that the discernable ecosphere and all its creatures are made up of the equivalent quintessence of harmony.
Brahman is immeasurable, nebulous, monochrome, insipid and the unrecognizable Universal Spirit which is ubiquitous and invincible, and like interstellar vitality, it is persistent, unobserved and inexpressible.
One of the finest creations of Emerson….
March 20, 2018
I am not a fan of this particular poem. I am not a fan of either the rhyming scheme nor the content.
February 10, 2019
Excellent.
Excellent. Emerson seems to be one person who truly understands the concept of Brahma and the oneness of humans and nature.
Excellent. Emerson seems to be one person who truly understands the concept of Brahma and the oneness of humans and nature.
August 18, 2022
Brahma, Ralph W. Emerson
Bull-fighting? ***
Bull-fighting? ***
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews