ویدوں میں آتمان و براہمان اور مابعد ویدک ادب میں ان تصورات کا ارتقا

The Doctrinal Evolution of Ātman and Brahman within the Vedic and Post-Vedic Traditions

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of the concepts of Ātman and Brahman from the early Vedic texts to the later Upanishadic and Vedantic traditions. In the Vedas, the terms appear in diverse lexical and symbolic meanings—Ātman as breath, life, or experiential self, and Brahman as prayer, priestly power, or an impersonal cosmic force—without the later metaphysical connotations of a supreme Self or an absolute reality. Through the philosophical reflections of the Brāhmaṇas, Āraṇyakas, and especially the Upanishads, these notions gradually develop into profound metaphysical principles: Ātman as the inner self identical with ultimate reality, and Brahman as the all-pervading cosmic ground. The article further explores how Vedantic thinkers such as Śaṅkara and Rāmānuja systematized these ideas, producing distinct interpretations of the Self–Absolute relationship. Finally, the study argues that despite superficial resemblances, the Vedic and post-Vedic notions of Ātman and Brahman do not correspond to the Qur’anic concepts of rūḥ or the Islamic understanding of divine unity. Any resemblance appears only through later philosophical reinterpretations rather than original textual intent.