Brahmanism

Ancient Indian religion

Brahmanism is the ancient religious tradition of India centered on the Vedic texts and the priestly Brahman caste.

It emphasized ritual sacrifice, sacred hymns, and the authority of Brahman priests as intermediaries between humans and the divine.

Brahmanism evolved into classical Hinduism while retaining core concepts like dharma and karma.

The term sometimes carries a critical edge, implying rigid caste hierarchy or priestly elitism: The reformers challenged Brahmanism's monopoly on religious authority.

Philosophy

Atman

Hindu eternal essence

  • karmaSpiritual cause and effect
  • dharmaCosmic moral order
  • mokshaRelease from rebirth cycle

samsara · maya · satya · ahimsa · shruti · Vedanta · orthodoxy

Practice

mantra

Repeated focus phrase

  • pujaHindu worship ritual
  • tapasSpanish appetizer assortment
  • pranayamaYogic breath control technique

diksha · ashram

Scripture

Vedas

Hindu canonical texts

  • UpanishadsVedic philosophical scriptures
  • SutrasSacred aphoristic religious texts
  • ShrutiRevealed Hindu scriptures
Deities

Brahma

Hindu god of creation

  • VishnuHindu deity of preservation
  • ShivaHindu god of dissolution
  • IndraVedic king of deities

Agni · Saraswati · Lakshmi · Durga · Ganesh

Caste

varna

Hindu hereditary social order

purity · pollution · dharma

Categories
Opposites
Indian religious tradition

BrahmanismBuddhism

Enlightenment-seeking Eastern religion

Jainism · egalitarianism · Sikhism · Quakerism · atheism

religious hierarchy and authority

BrahmanismQuakerism

Religious Society of Friends

egalitarianism · anti-clericalism · iconoclasm

Abrahamic vs. Dharmic worldview

Brahmanismsecularism

Separation of faith, state

materialism · Judaism · Christianity · Islam · monotheism

Family

Brahman, Brahmans

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