Sanskrit · noun, masculine · People & Roles
Brahman
ब्रह्मन
said brah-man
also written: Brahmin, Barhaman
Meaning
A Hindu priest of the highest caste who tends the temple and its rites.
Literally: Brahmin, priestly class
Usage & notes
Iqbal invokes the brahman both as the temple-keeper of the love-shrine and as a symbol of ritual religion paralleling the Muslim cleric. The pairing lets him argue that the heart's devotion, not priestly form, is the essence of faith.
Related words
PERSIAN
Barhaman
A Brahmin or Hindu priest; in Persianate poetry the idol-temple's keeper, a counterpart to the Muslim cleric.
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.