in Hinduism, God understood as a person, contrasting with the impersonal transcendent brahma. The title is particularly favoured by devotees of the god Shiva; the comparable term Bhagavan (also meaning “Lord”) is more commonly used by Vaishnavas (followers of the god Vishnu). Particular communities within the Hindu fold differ in their understanding of the relation between Ishvara and brahma. Theistic communities maintain that these two are one and the same, or even that the personal representation is superior; others, including some adherents of Advaita Vedanta, argue that Ishvara is a limited and ultimately inadequate representation of brahma.