brahman n. (lit. `" growth "' , `" expansion "' , `" evolution "' ,
`" development "' `" swelling of the spirit or soul "' , fr. 2.
%{bRh}) pious effusion or utterance , outpouring of the heart in
worshipping the gods , prayer RV. AV. VS. TS. ; the sacred word (as
opp. to %{vAc} , the word of man) , the Veda , a sacred text , a text
or Mantra used as a spell (forming a distinct class from the %{Rcas} ,
%{sAmAni} and %{yajUMSi} ; cf. %{brahma-veda}) RV. AV. Br. Mn. Pur. ;
the Bra1hman2a portion of the Veda Mn. iv , 100 ; the sacred syllable
Om Prab. , Sch , (cf. Mn. ii , 83) ; religious or spiritual knowledge
(opp. to religious observances and bodily mortification such as
%{tapas} &c.) AV. Br. Mn. R. ; holy life (esp. continence , chastity ;
cf. %{brahma-carya}) S3ak.i , 24/25 S3am2k. Sarvad. ; (exceptionally
treated as m.) the Brahma8 or one selfexistent impersonal Spirit , the
one universal Soul (or one divine essence and source from which all
created things emanate or with which they are identified and to which
they return) , the Self-existent , the Absolute , the Eternal (not
generally an object of worship but rather of meditation and-knowledge
[738,1] ; also with %{jye4STha} , %{prathama-ja4} , %{svayo4m-bhu} ,
%{a-mUrta} , %{para} , %{paratara} , %{parama} , %{mahat} ,
%{sanAtana} , %{zAzvata} ; and = %{paramA7tman} , %{Atman} ,
%{adhyAtma} , %{pradhAna} , %{kSetra-jJa} , %{tattva}) AV. S3Br. Mn.
MBh. &c. (IW. 9 , 83 &c ,) ; n. the class of men who are the
repositories and communicators of sacred knowledge , the Bra1hmanical
caste as a body (rarely an individual Bra1hman) AV. TS. VS. S3Br. Mn.
BhP. ; food Naigh. ii , 7 ; wealth ib. 10 ; final emancipation L. ; m.
(%{brahma4n}) , one who Prays , a devot or religious man , a Bra1hman
who is a knower of Vedic texts or spells , one versed in sacred
knowledge RV. &c. &c. [cf. Lat. , {fla1men}] ; N. of Br2ihas-pati (as
the priest of the gods) RV. x , 141 , 3 ; one of the 4 principal
priests or R2itvijas (the other three being the Hotr2i , Adhvaryu and
Udga1tr2i ; the Brahman was the most learned of them and was required
to know the 3 Vedas , to supervise the , sacrifice and to set right
mistakes ; at a later period his functions were based especially on
the Atharva-veda) RV. &c. &c. ; Brahma1 or the one impersonal
universal Spirit manifested as a personal Creator and as the first of
the triad of personal gods (= %{prajA-pati} q.v. ; he never appears to
have become an object of general worship , though he has two temples
in India see RTL. 555 &c. ; his wife is Sarasvati1 ib. 48) TBr. &c. &c
, ; = [EMAIL PROTECTED] , a lifetime of Brahma1 Pan5car. ; an
inhabitant of Brahma1's heaven Ja1takam. ; the sun L. ; N. of S3iva
Prab. Sch. ; the Veda (?) Pa1rGr2. ; the intellect (= %{buddhi})
Tattvas. ; N. of a star , $ Aurigae , Su1ryat. ; a partic. astron.
Yoga L. ; N. of the 9th Muhu1rta L. ; (with Jainas) a partic. Kalpa
Dharmas3. ; N. of the servant of the 10th Arhat of the present
Avasarpin2i L. ; of a magician Ra1jat.
