# ब्रह्मविद्या (brahmavidyā)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/brahmavidya

ब्रह्मविद्या (brahmavidyā) is a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge of the supreme spirit or sacred knowledge, name of an Upanishad, knowledge of spirit, knowledge of God, durga, knowledge of Brahman, personified. Its 10 recorded definitions are grouped into 3 contexts, among them Knowledge of the Supreme Reality, Personified Knowledge or Divine Epithet, Name of an Upaniṣad.

- **Etymology:** E. ब्रह्म, and विद्या science — E. brahma, and vidyā science
- **SLP1:** `brahmavidyA`  **IAST:** brahmavidyā  **Devanagari:** ब्रह्मविद्या
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmavidya
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/brahmavidya/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Knowledge of the Supreme Reality (7 definitions)
- knowledge of the supreme spirit or sacred knowledge  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 740,1] ब्रह्म (brahma) — विद्या (—vidyā) f. knowledge of ‘the one self-existent Being’, kn° of Brahmă, sacred knowledge, ŚBr. &c. &c. ( cf. Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 219 ) [ ID=147018 ]
- Knowledge of spirit  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ब्रह्म (brahma) विद्या (vidyā) (brahmavidyā) [Printed book page 608 ] ब्रह्म (brahma) विद्या (vidyā) (brahmavidyā) f. ( - द्या (-dyā) ) Knowledge of spirit. E. ब्रह्म (brahma), and विद्या (vidyā) science. [ ID=28033 ]
- Knowledge of God  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ब्रह्मविद्या (brahmavidyā) [Printed book page 545-b ] ब्रह्म - विद्या (brahma-vidyā) ( द्या ) ((dyā)) 1. f. Knowledge of God. [ ID=27543 ]
- knowledge of the supreme spirit  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ब्रह्मविद्या (brahmavidyā) [Printed book page 512-24 ] ब्रह्मन् - विद्या (brahman-vidyā) f. knowledge of the supreme spirit. [ ID=26896 ]
- Knowledge of spirit  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ब्रह्मविद्या (vidyā) (brahmavidyā) [Printed book page 521-a ] ब्रह्मविद्या (vidyā) (brahmavidyā) f. ( - द्या (-dyā) ) Knowledge of spirit. E. ब्रह्म, (brahma,) and विद्या (vidyā) science. [ ID=28903 ]
- knowledge of the supreme spirit  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ब्रह्मविद्या (brahmavidyā) [Printed book page 369 ] ब्रह्मविद्या (brahmavidyā) f. abstr. to prec. [ ID=22384 ]
- Knowledge of the Absolute  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > ब्रह्मविद्या (brahmavidyā) [Printed book page 2-079 ] Brahma-vidyā, ‘knowledge of the Absolute,’ is the name of one of the sciences enumerated in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad. 1 It is also mentioned elsewhere. 2 [ Footnote: 1) vii. 1, 2, 4; 2, 1; 7, 1.] [ Footnote: 2) Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, i. 4, 20, etc.] [ ID=2215 ]

### Personified Knowledge or Divine Epithet (2 definitions)
- Durga  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > ब्रह्मविद्या (brahmavidyā) [Printed book page 166-2 ] Brahmavidyā 1 = Durgā (Umā): VI, 803 ( tvaṃ B°ā via- yānāṃ ). [ ID=1815 ]
- knowledge of Brahman, personified  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Brahmavidyā 2 (“knowledge of Bráhman”) (personified). § 730 (Ānuśās.): XIII, 14 β, 627. [ ID=1816 ]

### Name of an Upaniṣad (1 definition)
- name of an Upanishad  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of an Upaniṣad ( cf. below) [ ID=147019 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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