Metaphysical concept, unchanging Ultimate Reality in Hinduism
Not to be confused with Brahma (the Hindu god), Brahmin (varna), Brahmana (a layer of text in the Vedas), Parabrahman (the "Supreme Brahman"), Brahmanism (the religion), or American Brahman (cow raised for meat).
For other uses, see Brahman (disambiguation).
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In Hinduism, Brahman (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मन्; IAST: Brahman) connotes the highest universal principle, the Ultimate Reality of the universe.[1][2][3] In major schools of Hindu philosophy, it is the non-physical, efficient, formal and final cause of all that exists.[2][4][5] It is the pervasive, infinite, eternal truth, consciousness and bliss which does not change, yet is the cause of all changes.[1][3][6]Brahman as a metaphysical concept refers to the single binding unity behind diversity in all that exists.
The metaphysical concept of Brahman in the Vedas was God Vishnu, stated as : "Brahmaśabdaśca Viṣṇaveva", that Brahman can only refer to Vishnu. Scriptures which say different are declared as non-authoritative by him.
[7][8]
Brahman is a Vedic Sanskrit word, and it is conceptualized in Hinduism, states Paul Deussen, as the "creative principle which lies realized in the whole world".[9]Brahman is a key concept found in the Vedas, and it is extensively discussed in the early Upanishads.[10] The Vedas conceptualize Brahman as the Cosmic Principle.[11] In the Upanishads, it has been variously described as Sat-cit-ānanda (truth-consciousness-bliss)[12][13] and as the unchanging, permanent, Highest Reality.[14][15][note 1][note 2]
Brahman is discussed in Hindu texts with the concept of Atman (Sanskrit: आत्मन्, 'Self'),[10][18] personal,[note 3] impersonal[note 4] or Para Brahman,[note 5] or in various combinations of these qualities depending on the philosophical school.[19] In dualistic schools of Hinduism such as the theistic Dvaita Vedanta, Brahman is different from Atman (Self) in each being.[5][20][21] In non-dual schools such as the Advaita Vedanta, the substance of Brahman is identical to the substance of Atman, is everywhere and inside each living being, and there is connected spiritual oneness in all existence.[6][22][23]
^ abLochtefeld, James G. (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Vol. 1. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 122. ISBN 978-0823931798.
^ abP. T. Raju (2006), Idealistic Thought of India, Routledge, ISBN 978-1406732627, page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII
^ abFowler 2002, pp. 49–55 (in Upanishads), 318–319 (in Vishistadvaita), 246–248 and 252–255 (in Advaita), 342–343 (in Dvaita), 175–176 (in Samkhya-Yoga).
^Mariasusai Dhavamony (2002), Hindu-Christian Dialogue: Theological Soundings and Perspectives, Rodopi Press, ISBN 978-9042015104, pages 43–44
^ abFor dualism school of Hinduism, see: Francis X. Clooney (2010), Hindu God, Christian God: How Reason Helps Break Down the Boundaries between Religions, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199738724, pages 51–58, 111–115; For monist school of Hinduism, see: B. Martinez-Bedard (2006), Types of Causes in Aristotle and Sankara, Thesis – Department of Religious Studies (Advisors: Kathryn McClymond and Sandra Dwyer), Georgia State University, pages 18–35
^ abBrodd, Jeffrey (2009). World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery (3rd ed.). Saint Mary's Press. pp. 43–47. ISBN 978-0884899976.
^"Brahman and Atman: That Art Thou". The Pluralism Project. Harvard University. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
^Stevenson, Jay (2000). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eastern Philosophy. Indianapolis: Alpha Books. pp. 9, 47–51, 85–87. ISBN 9780028638201.
^Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120814684, page 91
^ abStephen Philips (1998), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Brahman to Derrida (Editor; Edward Craig), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415187077, pages 1–4
^Goodman, Hananya (1994). Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative Studies in Judaism and Hinduism. State University of New York Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0791417164.
^Raju 1992, p. 228.
^Eliot Deutsch (1980), Advaita Vedanta : A Philosophical Reconstruction, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 978-0824802714, Chapter 1
^Fowler 2002, pp. 53–55.
^ abPotter 2008, pp. 6–7.
^Brodd, Jeffrey (2003). World Religions. Winona, Minnesota: Saint Mary's Press. ISBN 978-0-88489-725-5.
^John Bowker (ed.)(2012), The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, Oxford University Press.[1]
^Fowler 2002, pp. 49–53.
^Klaus K. Klostermaier (2007), A Survey of Hinduism, Third Edition, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791470824, Chapter 12: Atman and Brahman – Self and All
^Michael Myers (2000), Brahman: A Comparative Theology, Routledge, ISBN 978-0700712571, pages 124–127
^Thomas Padiyath (2014), The Metaphysics of Becoming, De Gruyter, ISBN 978-3110342550, pages 155–157
^Arvind Sharma (2007), Advaita Vedānta: An Introduction, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120820272, pages 19–40, 53–58, 79–86
^John E. Welshons (2009), One Self, One Love, One Heart, New World Library, ISBN 978-1577315889, pages 17–18
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
In Hinduism, Brahman (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मन्; IAST: Brahman) connotes the highest universal principle, the Ultimate Reality of the universe. In major schools...
Para Brahman or Param Brahman (Sanskrit: परब्रह्म, romanized: parabrahma) in Hindu philosophy is the "Supreme Brahman" that which is beyond all descriptions...
The Brahman is an American breed of zebuine-taurine hybrid beef cattle. It was bred in the United States from 1885 from cattle originating in India, imported...
The 1st Brahmans was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised at Oudh by Captain T Naylor in 1776 for service in the army of Nawab...
nirviśeṣa Brahman, or nirguṇa Brahman and is the Absolute of metaphysics. Aparā or Lower Brahman: The Brahman with qualities defined as aparā Brahman or saguṇa...
unreal manifestation (vivarta) of Brahman," as proposed by the 13th century scholar Prakasatman. In this view, Brahman alone is ultimately real, while the...
culture of the Indus Valley. During the late Vedic period (1100–500 BCE) Brahmanism developed out of the Vedic religion, as an ideology of the Kuru-Panchala...
Brahman Naman is a 2016 English-language Indian sex comedy film directed by Qaushiq Mukherjee. It was shown in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section...
Indic text. Saguna Brahman (lit. "The Absolute with qualities") came from the Sanskrit saguṇa (सगुण) "with qualities, gunas" and Brahman (ब्रह्मन्) "the...
Shabda Brahman or Sabda-brahman or Nada brahman means transcendental sound (Shatapatha Brahmana III.12.48) or sound vibration (Shatpatha Brahmana Vi.16...
Brahman as saguna Brahman—the Brahman with attributes, and nirguna Brahman—the Brahman without attributes. The nirguna Brahman is the Brahman as it really...
tradition is Mahano. Patrick Olivelle states that both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature repeatedly define "Brahmin" not in terms of family of birth...
and Devi, arguing that all deities were but different forms of the one Brahman, the invisible Supreme Being. The historical influence of his works on...
and Brahman as the "summit of the hierarchically arranged and interconnected universe," but various ideas about the relation between Atman and Brahman can...
existence: Brahman, Self, and matter. Self and matter are different from Brahman in that they have attributes and capacities different from Brahman. Brahman exists...
attaining knowledge of Brahman. Assuming that the Upanishads are unfallible revelations describing the same metaphysical Reality, Brahman, which cannot be different...
Hinduism. It is the essence of the supreme Absolute, consciousness, Ātman, Brahman, or the cosmic world. In Indic traditions, Om serves as a sonic representation...
belonged to a Brahman family, and chose "Brahman" as his pen name. His father Dharam Das was a government official in the Mughal service. Brahman served as...
16 October 2013. "Yuvan And Sasikumar For The First Time – Sasikumar – Brahman – Yuvan Shankar Raja – Tamil Movie News". Behindwoods.com. 4 September...
The Brahman languages, Biyom and Tauya, form a subbranch of the Rai Coast branch of the Madang languages of Papua New Guinea. The family is named after...
philosophy, it is the union of or the realization of the identity of Atman with Brahman, depending on the Hindu tradition. In Jainism, nirvana is also the soteriological...
"non-duality with distinctions", is a non-dualistic philosophy that recognizes Brahman as the supreme reality while also acknowledging its multiplicity. This...
Knowledge of Brahman consists in liberation, for Rāmānuja, mainly because of the character of Brahman. He writes: "Entities other than Brahman can be objects...
literature, such as Brahman for the 'Ultimate Reality' and Brāhmaṇa for 'priest'. A distinction between the spiritual concept of brahman and the deity Brahmā...
the Atman (individual Self) and Brahman (supreme Self); Advaita Vedanta affirms on the non-dualism of Atman and Brahman, Vishishtadvaita asserts qualified...
is more than just matter and energy; it is also constituted by Atman or Brahman (Self, Consciousness, Invisible Principles, and Reality) as well as Knowledge...
The Brahmin dynasty of Sindh (c. 632– 712), also known as the Chacha dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of the Sindh, succeeding the Rai dynasty. Most of...