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Saguna Brahman (lit. "The Absolute with qualities") came from the Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
  "with qualities" and Brahman
Brahman

Brahman is a concept of Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, Immanence, and transcendence reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe....
  "The Absolute".

Advaita
According to Advaitic as taught by Sankara, saguna brahman refers to the lord identical with his own infinite jnanam. Sankara refers to him by names such as Narayana, Vishnu and Vasudeva as specified in the vedas and upanishads.






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Saguna Brahman (lit. "The Absolute with qualities") came from the Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
  "with qualities" and Brahman
Brahman

Brahman is a concept of Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, Immanence, and transcendence reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe....
  "The Absolute".

Advaita


According to Advaitic as taught by Sankara, saguna brahman refers to the lord identical with his own infinite jnanam. Sankara refers to him by names such as Narayana, Vishnu and Vasudeva as specified in the vedas and upanishads. This saguna brahman is paramartika, eternal, undecaying and non-different from nirguna brahman. He is not affected even when he appears in this world as he controls the effects of his own maya shakti. Hiranyagarbha, the collection of deities in the hindu pantheon of gods, is not saguna brahman as popularly miscontrued. Sankara clearly says that hiranyagarbha is called brahman only because of nearness to brahman. After many millions of years, the devotees who reach the worlds of gods (hiranyagarbha), will reach the state of vishnu. This is called advaita siddhi and this state can be reached here and now by one who is free from all desires and blessed by the lord.

Vaishnavism


Saguna Brahman of the various schools of Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or his associated avatars, principally as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
 means Brahman
Brahman

Brahman is a concept of Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, Immanence, and transcendence reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe....
 with infinite attributes, including form. Saguna Brahman is immortal, imperishable, eternal, and thus the basis of the impersonal Nirguna Brahman
Nirguna Brahman

Nirguna Brahman, refers to Supreme Reality which pervades through the Universe. Brahman is considered without any form in Advaita and without material form in Dvaita schools of philosophy....
, as clearly stated in the Bhagavad Gita. The personal form indicated is generally Narayana
Narayana

Narayana or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha....
, or Krishna
Krishna

Krishna is a deity worshiped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of different perspectives. While many Vaishnava groups recognize him as an avatar of Vishnu, other traditions within Krishnaism consider Krishna to be svayam bhagavan, or the supreme being....
, or Vishnu
Vishnu

Vishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of panchadeva, and his supreme status is declared in the Hindu sacred texts like Yajurveda, the Rigveda and the Bhagavad Gita....
. Practically all schools of Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or his associated avatars, principally as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
 adhere to this viewpoint.

The Hindu saint Surdas
Surdas

Surdas was a blind Hindu devotional poet, singer, and a saint , who followed the Shuddhadvaita school of Brahmavada. He was a disciple of Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhacharya....
 was born blind, but through intense devotion (Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga

Bhakti Yoga is a term within Hinduism which denotes the spiritual practice of fostering loving devotion to God, called bhakti. Traditionally there are nine forms of bhakti-yoga....
), could see the Lord all the time.

Other


Goddess Shakti
Shakti

Shakti, from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that move through the entire universe....
 (or Durga
Durga

In Hinduism, the goddess Durga or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress". Durga is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having ten arms, riding a lion or a tiger, carrying weapons , maintaining a meditative smile, and practicing mudras, or symbolic hand gestures....
, Kali
KALI

KALI may refer to:* KALI , a radio station licensed to West Covina, California, United States* KALI-FM, a radio station licensed to Santa Ana, California, United States...
, Gayatri
Gayatri

Gayatri is the feminine form of , a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn.Originally the personification of the Gayatri mantra, revered by both Buddhists and Hindus worldwide, the goddess Gayatri is considered the veda mata, the mother of all Vedas and also the personification of the all-pervading Brahman, the ultimate unchangin...
 etc.) is seen as the Saguna Brahman in Shaktism
Shaktism

Shaktism is a Hindu denominations of Hinduism that focuses worship upon Shakti or Devi ? the Hindu Divine Mother ? as the absolute, ultimate Godhead....
. Shiva
Shiva

Shiva: is a major Hinduism god, and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the supreme God. In the Smarta tradition, he is one of panchadeva....
 is the Saguna Brahman of Shaivism
Shaivism

Shaivism,names the oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. Followers of Shaivism, called "Shaivas," and also "Saivas" or "Saivites," revere Shiva as the Supreme Being....
. It is also understood that worshipers of a particular personal form of God or Goddess as supreme may see other personal forms as plenary portions or expansions or aspects of Brahman
Brahman

Brahman is a concept of Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, Immanence, and transcendence reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe....
.

See also

  • Para Brahman
    Para Brahman

    Para Brahman - is a term often used by Vedantic philosophers as to the "attainment of the ultimate goal". It is believed that all Vaishnava and other schools attribute Personhood to this concept, as in Svayam bhagavan....
  • Nirguna Brahman
    Nirguna Brahman

    Nirguna Brahman, refers to Supreme Reality which pervades through the Universe. Brahman is considered without any form in Advaita and without material form in Dvaita schools of philosophy....
  • Brahman
    Brahman

    Brahman is a concept of Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, Immanence, and transcendence reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe....
  • Mahavishnu
    Mahavishnu

    For the album by Mahavishnu Orchestra see Mahavishnu In Hinduism, Mahavishnu is an aspect of Vishnu, the Absolute which is beyond human comprehension and is beyond all attributes....
  • Parasiva
    Parasiva

    In Hinduism, Parasiva is the aspect of Siva, the Absolute which is beyond human comprehension and is beyond all attributes. In Saivite theology, the term is similar to Nirguna Brahman....
  • Turiya
    Turiya

    In Hindu philosophy, turiya is a state of pure consciousness, or the experience of ultimate reality and truth. It is a fourth state of consciousness that underlies and transcends the three common states of consciousness: the state of waking consciousness , the state of dreaming , and dreamless sleep ....
  • Harihara
    Harihara

    Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu and Shiva from the Hinduism tradition. Also known as Shankaranarayana , Harihara is thus worshipped by both Vaishnavism and Shaivism as a form of the Supreme God, as well as being a figure of worship for other Hindu traditions in general....