In the Vedic perspective, the description of the vision of God is characterized by the notion of a single reality, where the manifestations of the world are considered illusory, and the supreme principle itself (Brahman) is the only true reality.

Divine Perceptions: Vedic Unity vs. Biblical Personhood

In the Vedic perspective, the description of the vision of God is characterized by the notion of a single reality, where the manifestations of the world are considered illusory, and the supreme principle itself (Brahman) is the only true reality. This system of thought, as asserted, for example, in the concept of Advaita Vedanta, denies the independent reality of the diversity of forms: “However, a more careful observation convinces one that … every multiplicity is illusory” (source: link txt). Thus, the vision of God in the Vedic context is associated with the idea that the entire material world is merely a manifestation of the one, undivided Brahman, while the multiplicity of forms is illusive.

On the other hand, the biblical approach is characterized by the idea that God appears as a personal, absolute being who is revealed through various aspects while remaining one. For example, in the description of the mystery of the Trinity it is stated: “Although the divine essence is indivisible, the image of His being is divinely proclaimed in 3 distinct Persons … One light, for the Trinitarian God in the Persons abides in one nature and origin, indivisible and unmixed” (source: link txt). This emphasizes that God is seen in different Persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), underscoring His personal unity rather than an indistinguishable merging of all manifestations.

Furthermore, the biblical approach to the vision of God includes an understanding of the limitations of human capacity to perceive the Divine. The human soul, lacking “spiritual vision”, can only faintly distinguish God, as explained in the reflection: “If the soul does not see God, then it is blind … and most people … say: ‘Yes, there is something’” (source: link txt). Additional confirmation of this idea comes from the figurative description that in earthly life “what is visible is merely a sketch and an outline of the invisible” (source: link txt), emphasizing the gradual and partial nature of knowing God in the biblical sense.

Thus, the differences are as follows:
• The Vedic concept emphasizes non-duality and the illusory nature of the world’s diversity, where only the unity – Brahman – is truly real, and the manifested reality is considered maya.
• The biblical approach, on the other hand, asserts that God is a personal unity revealed in various Persons (as in the doctrine of the Trinity) and that the vision of God is constrained by human perception, requiring gradual spiritual enlightenment.

Supporting citation(s):
"However, a closer scrutiny convinces one that 'there is no silver, nor snake before us; in the same way, by attaining the proper view of things, one is convinced that the world, in essence, does not exist: there is one Brahman, appearing in various forms. He is their substrate, real, while the forms themselves are not. In the world there is nothing except the One; all multiplicity is illusory. Therefore, such a system of views is called Advaita Vedanta, i.e. the teaching of the non-duality of all that exists." (source: link txt)

"Although the divine essence is indivisible, yet the image of His being is divinely proclaimed in 3 Persons and 3 distinct attributes of the Divine Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit or the God who is begotten, the God who begets, and the God of the Spirit, proceeding from the Father. The Father is unbegotten and unborn. From Him, as the root of the unbegotten, has grown a double Branch of the eternal Divine primacy: the Son and the Spirit. They are co-eternal lights to the Father, to be the Three Lights of Divinity. From the eternal Divine light of the Father, as light from light, shone forth through begetting the Co-eternal Light the Son, His own paternal radiance, and unspeakably emanated correspondingly and conjoined light – the Spirit. We glorify the Son as begotten from the Light of the Sun; and the Spirit as proceeding from the beam of the Sun. Hence – the Light the Father, the Light the Son, the Light the Holy Spirit – Three and yet one light, for the Trinitarian God in the Persons abides in one nature and origin, indivisible and unmixed." (source: link txt)