Cosmic principleUltimate reality underlying existence in Vedantic discourse
Brahman
Brahman — Ultimate reality underlying existence in Vedantic discourse; distinct from the creator Brahma.
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The divine
Characters & Cosmic Entities.
Beings, divine forms, sages and epic figures. The editorial power roster contains 700 ranked entries.
720 profiles · 700 in the master ranking
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Cosmic principleSupreme Self or indwelling divine presence
Paramatman
Paramatman — Supreme Self or indwelling divine presence; its relation to Brahman and personal deity depends on school.
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Cosmic principleTerm for the personal divine or Lord possessing fullness of divine excellences
Bhagavan
Term for the personal divine or Lord possessing fullness of divine excellences; not a single universally separate person.
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Cosmic principleCosmic Person in Vedic imagery and conscious principle in Samkhya
Purusha
Cosmic Person in Vedic imagery and conscious principle in Samkhya; distinguish these meanings.
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Cosmic principlePrimordial nature or material principle
Prakriti
Primordial nature or material principle; relationship to divinity and consciousness differs across philosophical schools.
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Cosmic principlePrimordial Shakti understood as the source of divine power
Adi Shakti
Primordial Shakti understood as the source of divine power, especially in Shakta traditions.
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Cosmic principleGreat divine power or Shakti
Mahashakti
Great divine power or Shakti; frequently overlaps with Adi Shakti and Mahadevi rather than constituting a separate being.
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Cosmic principleGolden embryo or germ associated with cosmic emergence
Hiranyagarbha
Golden embryo or germ associated with cosmic emergence; later identifications vary.
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Cosmic principleLord or governing divine principle
Ishvara
Lord or governing divine principle; identity and status vary by philosophical and devotional tradition.
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Cosmic principleCosmic time
Kala
Cosmic time, sometimes personified; distinguish time as principle from particular divine forms.
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Cosmic principlePower of manifestation or appearance
Maya
Power of manifestation or appearance; meanings include divine potency and the conditions of misapprehension.
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Cosmic principleCosmic and ethical order
Dharma
Cosmic and ethical order; distinct uses include a principle and a personified deity.
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DeityCreator deity associated with cosmic creation in Puranic traditions
Brahma
Brahma is the creator deity of Puranic accounts, associated with Vedic knowledge and the unfolding of the cosmos. He is distinct from Brahman, the philosophical term for ultimate reality.
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DeityThe cosmic sustainer
Vishnu
Vishnu is central to Vaishnava traditions. In the Vishnu Purana, he is presented as the divine ground of the universe and its preservation.
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DeityThe great ascetic
Shiva
Shiva is a central deity of Hindu traditions, associated with asceticism, transformation, and divine power. Shaiva traditions understand him as supreme divinity.
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GoddessGreat Goddess encompassing or identified with many divine feminine forms
Mahadevi
Great Goddess encompassing or identified with many divine feminine forms; supreme in Shakta traditions.
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DeitySupreme Narayana of Vaishnava theology
Narayana
Narayana — Supreme Narayana of Vaishnava theology; closely identified with Vishnu.
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DeityCosmic Vishnu form
Mahavishnu
Cosmic Vishnu form, particularly elaborated in some Vaishnava cosmologies.
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