Persian · noun, masculine · People & Roles
Barhaman
बरहमन
said bar-ha-man
also written: Brahman, Brahmin
Meaning
A Brahmin or Hindu priest; in Persianate poetry the idol-temple's keeper, a counterpart to the Muslim cleric.
Literally: Brahmin priest
Usage & notes
The barhaman, like the shaikh, is a figure of institutional religion whose externals Iqbal contrasts with the inner truth of love. He famously pairs shaikh and brahman to show that hollow ritualism crosses every creed.
Related words
SANSKRIT
Brahman
A Hindu priest of the highest caste who tends the temple and its rites.
PERSIAN
Sheikh-o-brahman
'The Sheikh and the Brahmin' together; a stock pairing of the two priesthoods that stands for institutional religion of every kind.
PERSIAN
Dair
A cloister, temple, or place of non-Muslim worship; in poetry, the abode of the wine-server and the unbeliever.
PERSIAN
Butparast
An idolater; one who worships idols.