The ''Brahma Samhita'' () is a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
''
Pancharatra'' text, composed of verses of prayer believed to have been spoken by
Brahma
Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
glorifying
Krishna.
It is revered within
Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose 16th-century founder,
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534), rediscovered a part of the work, the 62 verses of chapter five, which had previously been lost for a few centuries, at the
Adikesava Perumal Temple, Kanyakumari, in
South India. Mitsunori Matsubara, in his ''Pañcarātra Saṁhitās and Early Vaisṇava Theology'' dates the text at c.1300 CE. The text contains a highly esoteric description of Krishna in his abode,
Goloka.
In 1970,
George Harrison produced a modern recording of these prayers performed by devotees of the
Radha Krishna Temple in London. Titled "
Govinda", the song took its title from the main chorus line of the prayer ''"govindam ādi-puruṣam tam ahaṁ bhajāmi"'', meaning "I worship
Govinda, the primeval Lord". This prayer was sung by Yamunā Devi, a disciple of
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya (; ; 1199–1278 CE or 1238–1317 CE), also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) school of Vedanta. Madhva called his philosophy ...
of
Brahma Sampradaya in his Brahmasutra commentary has quoted the ''Brahma Samhita'' multiple times.
Recovered text
The recovered fragment of the ''Brahma Samhita'' commences at the fifth chapter, whose first verse states:
''īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ''
''anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva kāraṇa kāraṇam''
This translates to:
Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.[{{Cite web, url=http://www.vedabase.com/en/bs/5/1, title=Śrī brahma-saṁhitā 5.1]
The text was first translated from Sanskrit into English by
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati in 1932 and is often sung or recited as both a
devotional and philosophical text.
See also
*
Valmiki Samhita
*
Satchitananda
*
Lord's Prayer
*
Achintya Bheda Abheda
*
Brahma Sampradaya
*
Jiva Goswami
Jiva Goswami (; ) was an Indian philosopher and saint from the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Vedanta tradition, producing a great number of philosophical works on the theology and practice of Bhakti yoga, Vaishnava Vedanta and associated discip ...
*
Garga Samhita
References
Further reading
* Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Goswami, (trans.), ''Sri Brahma-Samhita, with commentary by Srila Jiva Goswami'', Sri Gaudiya Math 1932, reprint The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Los Angeles, 1985.
* Matsubara, Mitsunori, ''Pancaratra Samhitas and Early Vaisnava Theology'', Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi, 1994.
* Narayana, Bhaktivedanta, Swami, (trans.), ''Sri Brahma Samhita, Fifth Chapter, with the full commentary by Srila Jiva Goswami'', Gaudiya Vedanta Publications, Vrindavana UP, 2003.
* Otto Schrader, F., ''Introduction to the Pañcarātra and the Ahirbudhnya Saṁhitā'', Adyar Library, Madras 1916. Second edition 1973.
* Sagar, B.A., Tridandi Bhiksu, (trans.), ''Śrī Brahma Saṁhitā, Quintessence of Reality the Beautiful, with the commentary by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur'', Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip 1992.
External links
Śrī Brahma Saṁhitā, Chapter 5, English translation with commentary by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati ThakuraForeword to Brahma Saṁhitā by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati(vedabase.com)
Vaishnavism
Hindu texts