Brahman

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Not to be confused with Brahmā or Brahmin .

For other uses, see Brahman (disambiguation).

Impact of a drop of water in water, a common analogy for Brahman and the Ātman

Part of a series on Hindu philosophy

Schools Samkhya · Yoga · Nyaya · Vaisheshika · Purva Mimamsa · Vedanta (Advaita · Vishishtadvaita · Dvaita · Achintya Bheda Abheda)

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In Hinduism, Brahman (ब्रह्मन् bráhman) is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the phenomenal universe, the one god, the only god, the energy that creates, sustains and dissolves the universe.^[1] Brahman is sometimes referred to as the Absolute or Godhead^[2] which is the Divine Ground^[3] of the primordial Being Hiranyagarbha and all subsequent Creation. Brahman is conceived as personal (with qualities), impersonal (without qualities) and supreme depending on the philosophical school.
The sages of the Upanishads teach that Brahman is the ultimate essence of material phenomena (including the original identity of the human self) that cannot be seen or heard but whose nature can be known through self-knowledge (atma jnana).^[4] According to Advaita doctrine, a liberated human being (jivanmukta) has realised brahman as his or her own true self (see Atman).
The word "Brahman" is traditionally derived from the verb ((brh)) (Sanskrit: to grow), and connotes greatness and infinity. The Mundaka Upanishad says:

Auṃ- That supreme Brahman is infinite, and this conditioned Brahman is infinite. The infinite proceeds from infinite. If you subtract the infinite from the infinite, the infinite remains alone.