Encyclopedia of hinduism

BRAHMAN

brahman: translation

(brahma)
Brahman is one of the most important terms in the Vedic tradition, with a rich variety of meanings. It derives from the root brih, which means to “swell” or “grow,” and evidently first referred to the swell-ing or growing power of the sacrifice and its MAN-TRAS that expand out and create efficacy.The most common early meaning of brahman was simply “prayer.” It is from this term that the word BRAHMIN, “one who prays,” or “priest,” is derived. Certain Vedic text collections are called BRAHMANAS; they are said to contain the secret of prayer.
Eventually, the term brahman was developed in the Upanishads to mean “the All” or “Ultimate Reality.” An understanding developed that the individual self, or AT M A N, was identical to the brahman. These understandings developed in later VEDANTA into both theistic views, in which the brahman was tantamount to a god or goddess, and nontheistic views, in which the brahman was seen as an uncharacterized reality that constituted or underlay everything.
Often brahman is spelled as brahma, in part depending on grammatical context. Both forms are commonly used in transliterating Sanskrit. In the latter spelling the word must be carefully dis-tinguished from BRAHMA, the creator god, whose name is pronounced with a long final a.
Further reading:Jan Gonda, Notes on Brahman (Utre-cht: J. L. Beyers, 1950); Stephen H. Phillips, Aurobindo’s Philosophy of Brahman (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1986.) G. Sundara Ramaiah, Brahman: A Comparative Study of the Philosophies of Sankara and Ramanuja (Waltair: Andhra University 1974).

  1. brahman—Brahman translation noun Brahmanstrong is used before these nouns priest...Collocations dictionary
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  3. brahman—brahman translationIn the Upanishads the ground of all being that in virtue of which everything else exists the ultimate reality which makes possible time space and the n...Philosophy dictionary
  4. brahman—[brmn]брахман брамин...Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь
  5. brahman—n брамин брахман...Англо-русский словарь Лингвистика-98
  6. brahman—brahman noun see brahmin...Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
  7. brahman—сущ. мн. Brahmans из санскр. brahman Brahmin brahmin брахман брамин представитель одного из высших сословий жреческого в Древней Индии...Англо-русский словарь общей лексики
  8. brahman—сущ.а фил. категория индийской идеалистической философии главным образом веданты обозначающая безличный абсолют лежащий в основе всех вещей б ист. член высшей индийской к...Англо-русский экономический словарь
  9. brahmán—m...Большой испанско-русский словарь
  10. brahman—vall. браминский брахманский...Венгерско-русский словарь
  11. brahman—[\brahmant \brahmanja \brahmanok] vall. hindu pap браман брамин брахман...Венгерско-русский словарь
  12. brahman—[brmn] n инд.брахман брамин...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  13. brahman—Brahman [brmn] n инд.i брахман брамин...Новый большой англо-русский словарь II
  14. brahman—brmn n инд. брахман брамин...Новый большой англо-русский словарь под общим руководством акад. Ю.Д. Апресяна
  15. brahman—брахман браман брамин...Норвежско-русский словарь
  16. brahman—nis.m. брахман т. брамин т....Румынско-русский словарь
  17. bráhman—браман...Чешско-русский словарь