''Brahmavidya'' () is a branch of
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
scriptural knowledge derived primarily through a study of the ''
Upanishads
The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...
'', the
''Brahma Sūtras'', and the ''
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...
''.
In the ''
'', this is divided into two branches, the first one dealing with the
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...
mantras and is called
para-vidya or 'former knowledge', and the latter dealing with the study of the Upanishads and is called the ''apara-vidya'' or 'latter knowledge'. Both ''para-'' and ''apara-vidya'' constitute ''brahma-vidya''. The ''
Mundaka Upanishad
The Mundaka Upanishad (, ) is an ancient Sanskrit Vedic text, embedded inside Atharva Veda. It is a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 5 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads of Hinduism. It is among the most widely translat ...
'' says that "''Brahma''-''vidya sarva''-''vidya pratistha''", which means "The Knowledge of Brahman is the foundation of all knowledge."
Etymology
The term ''brahmavidya'' is a compound derived from the Sanskrit terms ''
brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
'' and ''
vidya''.
Brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
is the Ultimate Reality in Hinduism.
The word ''vidyā'' means "knowledge," and is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root -''vid''- ("to know"), also seen in the word
Veda
FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...
. Its cognates in other
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
are the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
εἶδον for ἐϝιδον ("I saw"),
οἶδα for ϝοιδα ("I know"),
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
vidēre ("to see"),
Slavic
Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to:
Peoples
* Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia
** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples
** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples
** West Slav ...
věděti,
Gothic ("witan, wait"),
Germanic wizzan,
wissen
Wissen is a town in the Altenkirchen (district), district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg (river), Sieg, approximately 12 km northeast of Altenkirchen.
Wissen is the seat of the ''Verbandsg ...
("to know"), and the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
("wisdom, wit").
Mythology
The ''
Shatapatha Brahmana
The Shatapatha Brahmana (, , abbreviated to 'SB') is a commentary on the Yajurveda, Śukla Yajurveda. It is attributed to the Vedic sage Yajnavalkya. Described as the most complete, systematic, and important of the Brahmanas (commentaries on the ...
'' features a legend in which the sage
Atharvan
Atharvan ( , nominative singular: अथर्वा ) is a legendary Vedic sage (rishi) of Hinduism, who along with Angiras, is supposed to have authored (" heard") the Atharvaveda. He is also said to have first instituted the fire-sacrific ...
was threatened decapitation by
Indra
Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes
Indra is the m ...
if he restored the head of a sacrifical offering, since it would lead to the revelation of esoteric knowledge. The
Ashvin
Ashvin or Ashwin or Ashwan (; ; Malay/ Indonesian: ''Aswin''; Thai: ''Asawin''), also known as Aswayuja, is the seventh month of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, the solar Tamil calendar, where it is known as Aippasi, and the solar Indian nation ...
twins, eager to acquire this wisdom, promised to replace the head of Atharvan with that of a horse while keeping the real one in safekeeping, after which the head could be restored. Atharvan agreed, restoring the head of the sacrifice, and the knowledge was revealed from the horse-head. When Indra duly carried out this decapitation after the revelation, the Ashvins promptly restored the real head of the sage. The knowledge revealed came to be known as the Brahmavidya.
In the ''Mundaka Upanishad'',
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– ...
is stated to have revealed the Brahmavidya to his eldest son Atharvan, who passed it down to
Angiras
Angiras ( (stem), , , nominative singular , , , rendered Angirā in Hindi) was a Vedic rishi (sage) of Hinduism. He is described in the ''Rigveda'' as a teacher of divine knowledge, a mediator between men and gods, as well as stated in othe ...
, who in turn passed it down to
Bharadvaja
Bharadvaja (, ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages
(maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and a physician. He is one of the Saptarshis (seven great sages or Maharṣis).
His co ...
.
Yama
Yama (), also known as Kāla and Dharmarāja, is the Hindu god of death and justice, responsible for the dispensation of law and punishment of sinners in his abode, Naraka. He is often identified with Dharmadeva, the personification of ''Dharm ...
is described to have imparted the knowledge of Brahmavidya to
Nachiketa
Nachiketas (), also rendered Nachiketā and Nachiketan, is a character in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Vājashravas, or Uddalaki, in some traditions. He is the child protagonist of an ancient Indian dialogical narrative about th ...
.
Current usage
In modern Hinduism, Brahmavidya is used to mean a spiritual study of Hindu scriptures with the aim of realising the Ultimate Reality. Different modern Hindu leaders have defined it in the context of their own systems of philosophy.
References
{{Reflist
Hindu philosophy
Sanskrit words and phrases