Brahman

==Etymology and related terms==
[[Sanskrit]] (ब्रह्मन्) ''Brahman'' (an ''n''-stem, nominative ''{{IAST|bráhma}}'', from a [[root (linguistics)|root]] ''{{IAST|bṛh}}-'' "to swell, expand, grow, enlarge")  is a neuter noun to be distinguished from the masculine ''{{IAST|[[brahmán]]}}''—denoting a person associated with ''Brahman'', and from [[Brahmā]], the creator God in the Hindu Trinity, the [[Trimurti]]. ''Brahman'' is thus a gender-neutral concept that implies greater impersonality than masculine or feminine conceptions of the deity. ''Brahman'' is referred to as the supreme self. Puligandla states it as "the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world",{{sfn|Puligandla|1997|p=222}} while Sinar states ''Brahman'' is a concept that "cannot be exactly defined".{{sfn|Sinari|2000|p=384}}

In [[Vedic Sanskrit]]:
* ''Br<u>a</u>hm<u>a</u>'' (ब्रह्म) (nominative singular), ''br<u>a</u>hm<u>a</u>n'' (ब्रह्मन्) (stem) (neuter<ref name="neuter">Not Masculine or Feminine  (see [[Grammatical gender]]).</ref> [[gender]]) from root ''bṛh-'', means "to be or make firm, strong, solid, expand, promote".<ref name=jangondaetymo>[[Jan Gonda]] (1962), Some Notes on the Study of Ancient-Indian Religious Terminology, ''History of Religions'', Vol. 1, No. 2 (Winter, 1962), pages 268–269</ref>
* ''Br<u>a</u>hm<u>a</u>n<u>a</u>'' (ब्रह्मन) (nominative singular, never plural), from stems ''brh<u>a</u>'' (to make firm, strong, expand) + Sanskrit ''-man-'' which denotes some manifest form of "definite power, inherent firmness, supporting or fundamental principle".<ref name=jangondaetymo/>

In later Sanskrit usage:
* ''Br<u>a</u>hm<u>a</u>'' (ब्रह्म) (nominative singular), ''brahman (''ब्रह्मन्'')'' (stem) (neuter<ref name="neuter" /> [[gender]]) means the concept of the transcendent and immanent ultimate reality, Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hinduism. The concept is central to Hindu philosophy, especially Vedanta; this is discussed below.
* ''Br<u>a</u>hmā'' (ब्रह्मा) (nominative singular), ''Brahman'' (ब्रह्मन्) (stem) ([[masculine]] [[gender]]), means the deity or [[Deva (Hinduism)|deva]] [[Brahma (god)|Prajāpati Brahmā]]. He is one of the members of the [[Trimurti|Hindu trinity]] and associated with creation, but does not have a cult in present-day India. This is because Brahmā, the creator-god, is long-lived but not eternal i.e. Brahmā gets absorbed back into [[Purusha]] at the end of an aeon, and is born again at the beginning of a new [[Kalpa (aeon)|kalpa]].

These are distinct from:
* A ''brāhm<u>a</u>ṇ<u>a</u>'' (ब्राह्मण) (masculine, pronounced {{IPA-sa|ˈbɽaːɦmɐɳɐ|}}), (which literally means "pertaining to prayer") is a prose commentary on the [[Veda|Vedic mantras]]—an integral part of the Vedic literature.
* A ''brāhm<u>a</u>ṇ<u>a</u>'' (ब्राह्मण) (masculine, same pronunciation as above), means priest; in this usage the word is usually rendered in English as "[[Brahmin]]". This usage is also found in the [[Atharva Veda]]. In neuter plural form, ''Brahmāṇi''. See [[Vedic priest]].
* ''[[Ishvara]]'', (lit., Supreme Lord), in Advaita, is identified as a partial worldly manifestation (with limited attributes) of the ultimate reality, the attributeless ''Brahman''. In [[Visishtadvaita]] and [[Dvaita]], however, Ishvara (the Supreme Controller) has infinite attributes and the source of the impersonal ''Brahman''.
* ''[[Deva (Hinduism)|Devas]]'', the expansions of ''Brahman''/God into various forms, each with a certain quality. In the Vedic religion, there were 33 devas, which later became exaggerated to 330 million devas. In fact, devas are themselves regarded as more mundane manifestations of the One and the Supreme ''Brahman'' (See ''[[Para Brahman]]''). The Sanskrit word for "ten million" also means group, and 330 million devas originally meant 33 types of divine manifestations.