The Vedas are explained by the Upanishads. The essence of the Upanishads is summarised in the Bhagavad Gita. The Vishnu Sahasranama summarises all the attributes of the Supreme Self explained in the Bhagavad Gita in a thousand handy names.
advaitins believe that jIvO brahmah na parah.
That means that advaitins hold that jIva’s Atma itself is the parama Atma.
So all the attributes of viSNu that you learn about are really the attributes of that unchanging, unaging bit of you that you call your Self!
Your Self is in fact your, param dhAma, the final abode.
Your Self – is your final destination, param gati.
You are vis’vam – that expansion you call the universe.
You are viSNuh, – that which is omni-present.
You are time – kAla.
You are s’rI – well-being.
You are the creator of all these beings and the one who supports them and their essence.
To assume that you are only this body with it’s mind and senses and not your unaging Self, is as narrow as identifying only with this face or these feet for example.
You do not pervade just this body. You pervade the whole universe.
satyA
