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Brahmana

  (brä'mə-nə) pronunciation
n.

Any of several ancient Hindu religious prose texts that explain the relationship of the Vedas to the sacrificial ceremonies.

[Sanskrit Brāhmaṇam, from neuter of brāhmaṇa-, brahminical. See Brahman.]


 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Brahmana

Any of a number of discourses on the Vedas that explain their use in ritual sacrifices and the symbolism of the priests' actions. Dating to 900 – 600 BC, they constitute the oldest historical sources for Indian ritual. The Aitareya and Kausitaki Brahmana, compiled by followers of the Rig Veda, include discussions of daily sacrifices, the sacrificial fire, new- and full-moon rites, and the rites for installation of kings. The Pancavimsa, Sadvimsa, and Jaiminiya Brahmana discuss the "going of the cows," soma ceremonies, and atonements for mistakes in ritual. The Satapatha Brahmana introduces elements of domestic ritual, and the Gopatha Brahmana treats the priests' supervision of sacrifices.

For more information on Brahmana, visit Britannica.com.

 
Buddhism Dictionary: Brāhmaṇa

(Sanskrit; Pāli). 1. A Brahmin or member of the Hindu priestly caste against whose abuse of power and deluded ideas of self-importance the Buddha directed a number of his discourses.

2. A genre of Hindu religious literature appended to the vedas. These sources date to approximately the 8th century bce and comprise explanatory manuals of instruction relating to the performance of sacrifice, as well as containing a range of cosmological speculations.

 
Asian Mythology: Brāhmaṇas

These ancient texts are part of Hindu writing designated as śruti (see Śruti) or sacred knowledge. Each of the four Vedas (see Vedas) is made up of poetic hymns and prayers (Saṃithās) to which are attached one or more brāhmaṇas, theological revelations in prose. They describe certain rituals and myths and then provide explications or arthavādas. The religion of the Brāhmanas is one centered in rites of sacrifice rather than in the gods themselves. Āraṇyakas (see Āraṇyakas) and Upaniṣads (see Upaniṣads) can be thought of as extensions of the Brāhmaṇas. The word brāmaṇa also refers to the brāmaṇa caste (see Brahmans).

 
Wikipedia: Brahmana
This page deals with the Hindu theological texts. For other uses of this word and similar words, see Brahman (disambiguation).
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Bibliography

The Brāhmaṇas (Devanagari: ब्राह्मणं) are part of the Hindu śruti.

They are composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and the period of their composition is sometimes referred to as the Brahmanic period or age (approximately between 900 BCE and 500 BCE). They are essentially commentaries of the Vedas, explaining Vedic ritual. The earliest Brahmanas may have been written several centuries earlier, contemporary to the Krishna Yajurveda commentary prose, but they have only survived in fragments.

The Brahmanas are originally instructions for the proper performance of ritual and sacrifice, but they are also the nucleus of later Hindu philosophy, introducing concepts of Karma and Samsara, the four stages in the life of a Brahmin, viz., brahmacarya, grihastha, vanaprastha, sannyasi, and mystical notions presaging Vedanta philosophy. Some Brahmanas contain sections that came to be considered an Aranyaka or Upanishad in their own right.

List

Each Brahmana is associated with one of the four Vedas, and within the tradition of that Veda with a particular shakha or school:

  • Rigveda
  • Samaveda
    • Kauthuma: PB, SadvB
    • Jayminiya: Jayminiya Brahmana (JB)
    • Tandyamaha or Pancavimsa Brahmana
    • Sadvimsa Brahmana
    • Samavidhana Brahmana
    • Arseya Brahmana
    • Devatadhyaya or Daivata Brahmana
    • Mantra or Chandogya Brahmana
    • Samhitopanisad Brahmana
    • Vamsa Brahmana
    • Jayminiya Arseya Brahmana
    • Jayminiya Upanisad Brahmana
  • Yajurveda
    • Kathaka Brahmana
    • Krishna: the Brahmanas are integrated into the samhitas:
      • Maitrayani (MS)
      • Carakakatha (CS)
      • Kapisthalakatha (KS)
      • Taittiriya (TS). The Taittiriya school has an additional Taittiriya Brahmana (TB)
    • Shukla
      • Vajasaneyi Madhyandina: Shatapatha Brahmana, Madhyadina recension (ShB)
      • Kanva: Shatapatha Brahmana, Kanva recension (ShBK)
  • Atharvaveda

References

  • Arthur Berriedale Keith, Rigveda Brahmanas (1920); reprint: Motilal Banarsidass (1998) ISBN-13: 978-8120813595.
  • A. C. Banerjea, Studies in the Brāhmaṇas, Motilal Banarsidass (1963)
  • E. R. Sreekrishna Sarma, Kauṣītaki-Brāhmaṇa, Wiesbaden (1968, 1976).

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Buddhism Dictionary. A Dictionary of Buddhism. Copyright © 2003, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Asian Mythology. A Dictionary of Asian Mythology. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by David Leeming. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Brahmana".  Read more

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