Hinduism

» Harsh Nevatia - Similar words with different meanings

There are four similar words that will occur again and again and need to be differentiated. The first is Brahm. Brahm is the name for the One Supreme God that is without any manifestation. Other spellings of Brahm are Brahma and Brahman. I will consistently use Brahm so as not to create confusion with other words. Brahm is omnipotent, infinite, eternal and self existent.

The second word is Brahma. Brahma is one of the anthropomorphic manifestations of Brahm. Brahma is the member of the Hindu Trinity associated with Creation. Before the evolution of the Trinity, Brahma was considered the single supreme anthropomorphic manifestation of Brahm. In the Vedas (Samhitas) Brahma is also referred to as Prajapati and Purusha.

The other two words are more straightforward. Brahmana is the part of the Vedas that deals with liturgical practices and Brahmin (Brahman) is the class of priests.