Glossary

Sanskrit and Vraj philosophical terms used across the Vachanamrut, Shikshapatri, and Bhaktachintamani, sourced verbatim from Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Bhuj-Kutch's own published Vachanamrut glossary appendix — not written by us.

21 resultsfor “Mahã” · clear

adhibhut: 1) Organs of the indriyas. The sthul body of the jeev. 2) Five mahã-bhuts. The sthul body of Virãt-Purush.

bhut: A physical element from which the sthul body of Virãt- Purush (the physical world) is formed. There are five bhuts in total – pruthvi, jal, tej, vãyu and ãkãsh. They are collectively called the five bhuts or five mahã-bhuts.
brahmãnd: Individual 'universe' comprising of a system of fourteen loks. There are countless millions of brahmãnds on various planes. Each brahmãnd, created and sustained by a Pradhãn-Purush pair, contains a trinity of Brahmã, Vishnu, and Shiv as the controlling devs. The fourteen loks of each brahmãnd are: Satya-Lok, Tap-Lok, Jan-Lok, Mahar-Lok, Svarg-Lok, Bhuvar-Lok, Mrutyu-Lok, Atal, Vital, Sutal, Talãtal, Mahãtal, Rasãtal, Pãtãl.

chãdar: A thin blanket. Was used by Shreeji Mahãrãj during the cooler months.
chokadi: Of four. The time of four yugs (Satya-Yug, Tretã-Yug, Dvãpar-Yug, and Kali-Yug). Also called Mahã-Yug.

Gopinãthji: The murti of Shree Krishna Bhagvãn. Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn installed a murti of Gopinãthji Mahãrãj in Gadhadã, which was made to the exact size of Shreeji Mahãrãj.

Krishna: 1) An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a cowherd. This is considered to be a greater avatãr than the others, as Shree Krishna possessed all of the powers of Bhagvãn, whereas other avatãrs possessed less power. Shree Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world. Also, He recited the epic poem, the Bhagvad Geetã, to Arjun in which He stated: ‘Whenever dharma declines and adharma increases, I shall incarnate myself as a human to save the holy, to destroy the sin of the sinner, and to establish dharma. I come into being from yug to yug’. 2) In the Vachanãmrut, Shreeji Mahãrãj also uses the name “Shree Krishna” to describe Bhagvãn Purushottam Nãrãyan.

Mahã: Eighth month of the Ãshãdhi Samvat year, normally falling between January and February.
mahã-bhuts: Major elements. Collective term for the five physical elements that evolve from tãmas-ahankãr and from which the physical world is formed. They are: pruthvi (earth or solid matter), jal (water or liquid matter), tej (light or energy), vãyu (air or gaseous matter), and ãkãsh (space or vacuum). Each one has a root cause, called its tanmãtrãs or vishay: smells, tastes, sights, touch, and sounds.
Mahã-Mãyã: See Prakruti.
Mahã-Purush: 1) Also called Mul-Purush, Akshar-Purush, and Purush. 2) The svarup of Bhagvãn that resides in Shvet-Dvip, and gives darshan to the niranna-muktas.
Mahã-Yug: The time of four yugs (Satya-Yug, Tretã-Yug, Dvãpar-Yug, and Kali-Yug). Also called chokadi.
Mahãbhãrat: The great epic of India. A shãstra revolving around the family feud between the Pãndavs and the Kauravs, which ends in a great battle. With over 100,000 verses, it is the world's longest poem.
Moksh-Dharma: A portion of the Mahãbhãrat consisting of Bhishma's teachings from his bed of arrows to Yudhishthir after the end of the Mahãbhãrat war.

Nãrãyan-Muni: One of the names given to Shreeji Mahãrãj by Rãmãnand Swãmi at the time of His initiation as the head of the sampradãy. The other name given was Sahajãnand Swãmi.

Prakruti: 1) Divine energy or instrument of Bhagvãn that initiates the creation process by being ‘impregnated’ by Purush – also called Mul-Purush, Mahã-Purush, or Akshar- Purush – and from which countless pairs of Pradhãn and Purush are ‘conceived’ for the creation and sustenance of each brahmãnd. Taken to be feminine in nature, she is composed of the three gun, is both jad and chaitanya, eternal, nirvishesh, and in her dormant state houses all jeevs and all elements. Also called Mul- Prakruti, Mul-Mãyã, and Mahã-Mãyã. 2) Also refers to Pradhãn-Prakruti.
Purush: 1) An akshar-mukta selected by Akshar-Brahm to ‘impregnate’ Prakruti for the creation process, from which countless pairs of Pradhãn and Purush are formed for the creation and sustenance of each brahmãnd. 2) Purush half of the Pradhãn-Purush pair, ‘conceived’ by Mul-Purush and Mul-Prakruti for the creation and sustenance of each brahmãnd. 3) Taken to be masculine in nature, Purush is the controller of Prakruti, and is also distinct from her. He is indivisible, without a beginning, and without an end. He is self-luminous, omniscient, imperishable, satya, kshetragna, and the cause of all the activities that possess a form. He also has a divya body. 4) Also called Mahã-Purush, Mul-Purush or Akshar- Purush.

Shikshãpatri: Concise shãstra of 212 Sanskrit verses written by Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn on Vasant Panchmi (Mahã sud 5), for all of His followers: male and female, married, young and old, tyãgi and grahastha, educated and uneducated, and even those in sovereign power. Serves as a fundamental code of conduct encompassing everything from basic civic norms (from personal hygiene to social ethics), up to universal philosophy and spirituality.
Smruti: That which is remembered. The Smruti shãstras were written after remembering past events. These include the Purãns, Upanishads, Mahãbhãrat, Rãmãyan, and Shreemad Bhãgvat.
Swãminãrãyan: 1) The lord of the whole world. Creator and destroyer of everything, 2) The mantra (mahã-mantra) given by Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn to His bhaktas in when Faneni, after He became head of the sampradãy. Eventually people began to identify Shreeji Mahãrãj by this mantra and called Him Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn. The mantra holds power greater than any other mantra. The greatness of the mantra is described in ‘Je Swãminãrãyan Nãm Leshe’ from Shree Hari-Leelãmrut.

Vidur-Niti: The code of political ethics explained Vidur, the educated statesman, to his elder brother, Dhrutrãshtra Rãjã. It forms portion of the Mahãbhãrat. One of the eight shãstras accepted as trustworthy by Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn.