Portal:Hinduism/Selected article/16

Bhagavān, in most contexts, is an epithet for God, particularly for Krishna and other avatars of Vishnu in Vaishnavism, as well as for Shiva in Shaivism tradition of Hinduism. Bhagavān also represents the concept of abstract God to Hindus who are religious but do not worship a specific deity. Bhagavan is male in Bhakti traditions, and female equivalent of Bhagavān is Bhagavatī.

The term Bhagavān does not appear in Vedas, nor in early or middle Upanishads. The oldest Sanskrit texts use the term Brahman to represent an abstract Supreme Soul, Absolute Reality, while using names of deities like Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati to represent gods and goddesses. The word Bhagavān is found in later post-Vedic era literature, such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Puranas. In Bhakti school literature, the term is typically used for any deity to whom prayers are offered; for example, Rama, Ganesha, Kartikeya, Krishna, Shiva or Vishnu. In other literature, the word Bhagavan also refers to a living person who is considered as spiritually enlightened or to one's spiritual teacher. In modern usage, Bhagavān is synonymous with Ishvara, Devatā, Hari or Prabhu, in some schools of Hinduism.