Concept Based on Puranas

All Puranas mention that the trinity Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva are Swayambhu (self-existing by its own accord) & have the same soul(root consciousness). Their own individual soul is not different from supreme soul Brahman. The Gods in Trinity are in unification (complete absorption of mind and intellect into one infinite consciousness) with Supreme formless Brahman so they are one. One should have the idea about Atman/soul, Brahman/super soul, and divine bodies within which Atman/Brahman is residing as reality in order to understand all the scriptures and basic concepts. Brahman and Atman are same from the absolute perspective but when Brahman is referred individually it is called Atman.

[Imp Note:- In Western religions, absolute reality is known as Holy spirit/Supersoul and when it is applied individually it is known as soul while in Vedic culture Absolute reality is called as Brahman/Paramatma/Parabrahma and when it is applied individually it is called as Atman. In Western religions personification of absolute reality is called God in heaven and in Vedic religion it is called Ishwar or Bhagavan.]

In the case of Trimurti & Avatars their Atman/soul and Brahman/Supreme Soul is same, they are Jivanmukta (free from cycle of death & birth) & are in unification with Brahman (Brahma Bhava/Non duality/Turiya state– state of being in identification with Brahman, Oneness of mind with Brahman). In case of all normal living beings as their Atman/Soul is covered in Pancha Koshas/Five sheaths of ignorance (namely Annamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manamaya kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha, Anandamaya Kosha) which keeps them in ignorance/illusion so they have false ego (mind, thoughts, and intellect is attached to perishable body and impermanent material nature) of physical body as individual self which makes them feel differentiated from the Atman/Soul/root consciousness & thus they are trapped in Samsara/cycle of death and birth. A spiritually ignorant person identifies himself with gross physical body & mental elements like intellect & thoughts while Personal Gods are in self-realization state and their mind is completely absorbed in their infinite soul/infinite consciousness (soul is infinite B.G.- 2.24,2.17) which is supreme Brahman.

When Shree Krishna was using “I” or “Me” while revealing Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna he was referring everything w.r.t. his own Atman/Brahman (soul) by destroying false ego of a body as himself and getting his mind completely absorbed in infinite consciousness of Brahman. Shri Krishna cannot be called as the physical perishable body as he is supposed to be his Atman/Brahman (soul) and soul is an infinite, spiritual, space-like, formless transcendental body (When Shri Krishna was narrating Bhagavad Gita he had become one with Brahman. His mind had got detached from his physical body. His mind had become fully absorbed in infinite Brahman making him omnipresent Consciousness) Shri Krishna is not his physical body or any illusionary body created by his energy (magic) but he has space like infinite transcendental body, that formless body is his soul. There is no difference between his infinite formless body and his soul because both are one Brahman/soul. The concept of God in Hinduism can be understood by Advaita philosophy, three types of Realities and concept of Five Koshaswhich covers individual Atman, & Turiya State of Oneness/Non-duality.

Reference: - Turiya state is state of Oneness of mind/non-duality with Brahman. (Complete absorption of mind and intellect with Brahman.

(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.14.3, Chandogya Upanishad 8.7 - 8.12 )

Panch Koshas:- Five sheaths of ignorance that covers individual Atman & create ignorance & illusion among normal living entities that their individual self/Soul is different from Supreme Soul even when in reality Soul and supreme soul are one(Taittiriya Upanishad 2:1 – 2:10)