brahman n. [ bfMh-manin nakArasyAkAre fto ratvaM ; cf. Uṇ. 4. 145 ] 1 The Supreme Being, regarded as impersonal and divested of all quality and action; (according to the Vedāntins, Brahman is both the efficient and the material cause of the visible universe, the all-pervading soul and spirit of the universe, the essence from which all created things are produced and into which they are absorbed; asti tAvannityaSadDabudDamuktasvaBAvaM sarvajYaM sarvaSaktisamanvitaM brahma Ś. B. ); samIBUtA dfzwistriBuvanamapi brahma manute Bh. ; Bh. 3. 84 ; Ku. 3. 15. 2 A hymn of praise. 3 A sacred text. 4 The Vedas; Ku. 6. 16 ; U. 1. 15. 5 The sacred and mystic syllable om ; ekAkzaraM paraM brahma Ms. 2. 83. 6 The priestly or Brāhmaṇical class (collectively); Ms. 9. 320. 7 The power or energy of a Brāhmaṇa; R. 8. 4. 8 Religious penance or austerities. 9 Celibacy, chastity; SASvate brahmaRi vartate Ś. 1. 10 Final emancipation or beatitude. 11 Theology, sacred learning, religious knowledge. 12 The Brāhmaṇa portion of the Veda. 13 Wealth. 14 Food. 15 A Brāhmaṇa. 16 Truth. — m. 1 The Supreme Being, the Creator, the first deity of the sacred Hindu Trinity, to whom is entrusted the work of creating the world [The accounts of the creation of the world differ in many respects; but, according to Manu Smṛti, the universe was enveloped in darkness, and the selfexistent Lord manifested himself dispelling the gloom. He first created the waters and deposited in them a seed. This seed became a golden egg, in which he himself was born as Brahmā-the progenitor of all the worlds. Then the Lord divided the egg into two parts, with which he constructed heaven and earth. He then created the ten Prajāpatis or mind-born sons who completed the work of creation. According to another account (Rāmāyaṇa) Brahmā sprang from ether; from him was descended Marīci, and his son was Kaśyapa. From Kaśyapa sprang Vivasvat, and Manu sprang from him. Thus Manu was the procreator of all human beings. According to a third account, the Supreme deity, after dividing the golden egg, separated himself into two parts, male and female, from which sprang Virāj and from him Manu; cf. ( pb ) Ku. 2. 7 and Ms. 1. 32 et seq. . Mythologically Brahman is represented as being born in a lotus which sprang from the navel of Viṣṇu, and as creating the world by an illicit connection with his own daughter Sarasvatī. Brahman had originally five heads, but one of them was cut down by Śiva with the ring finger or burnt down by the fire from his third eye. His vehicle is a swan. He has numerous epithets, most of which have reference to his birth in a lotus]. 2 A Brāhmaṇa; Ś. 4. 3. 3 A devout man. 4 One of the four R itvijas or priests employed at a Soma sacrifice. 5 One conversant with sacred knowledge. 6 The sun. 7 Intellect. 8 An epithet of the seven Prajāpatis: — marIci, atri , aMgiras, pulasya, pulaha, kratu and vasizWa . 9 An epithet of Bṛhaspati. 10 Of Śiva. Comp. — akzaraM the sacred syllable om . — aMgaBUH 1 a horse. 2 one who has touched the several parts of his body by the repetition of Mantras; Ku. 3. 15 (see Malli. thereon). — aMjaliH 1 respectful salutation with folded hands while repeating the Veda. 2 obeisance to a preceptor (at the beginning and conclusion of the repetition of the Veda). — aMqaM ‘the egg of Brahman’, the primordial egg from which the universe sprang, the world, universe; brahmAMqacCatradaMqaH Dk. 1. °purARaM N. of one of the eighteen Purāṇas. — adi ( dri ) jAtA an epithet of the river Godāvarī. — aDigamaH, -aDigamanaM study of the Vedas. — aMBas n. the urine of a cow. — aByAsaH the study of the Vedas. — ayaRaH, -naH an epithet of Nārāyaṇa. — araRyaM 1 a place of religious study. 2 N. of a forest. — arpaRaM 1 the offering of sacred knowledge. 2 devoting oneself to the Supreme Spirit. 3 N. of a spell. 4 a mode of performing the Śrāddha in which no Piṇḍas or rice-balls are offered. — astraM a missile presided over by Brahman. — AtmaBUH a horse. — AnaMdaMH bliss or rapture of absorption into Brahma; brahmAnaMdasAkzAtkriyA Mv. 7. 31. — AraMBaH beginning to repeat the Vedas; Ms. 2. 71. — AvartaH N. of the tract between the rivers Sarasvatī and Dṛṣadvatī (north-west of Hastināpura); sarasvatIdfzadvatyordevanadyoryadaMtaraM . taM devanirmitaM deSaM brahmAvartaM pracakzate Ms. 2. 17 , 19 ; Me. 48. — AsanaM a particular position for profound ( pb ) meditation. — AhutiH f. 1 the offering of prayers; see brahmayajYa . 2 the study of the Vedas. — ujJatA forgetting or neglecting the Vedas; Ms. 11. 57 ( aDItavedasyAnaByAsena vismaraRaM Kull. ). — uttara a. 1 treating principally of Brahman. 2 consisting chiefly of Brāhmaṇas. — udyaM explaining the Veda, treatment or discussion of theological problems. — upadeSaH instruction in the Vedas or sacred knowledge. °netf m. the Palāśa tree. — fziH ( brahmarziH or brahmafziH ) a Brāhmaṇical sage. °deSaH N. of a district; ( kurukzetraM ca matsyASca paMcAlAH SUrasenakAH . eza brahmarzideSo vE brahmAvartAdanaMtaraH Ms. 2. 19 ). — o...