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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.

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ãchãrya: 1) A person who establishes a religious philosophy. 2) Head of a sampradãy, who protects dharma. A spiritual leader and guru, who initiates a satsangi into the sampradãy. There are two ãchãryas in the Swãminãrãyan Sampradãy; one for northern India (Amdãvãd Gãdi), and one for southern India (Vadtãl Gãdi). They are decedents of Dharma-Dev (the father of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn). Sahajãnand Swami adopted Ayodhyãprasãdji from His elder brother Rãmpratãpji, and adopted Raghuvirji from His younger brother Ichhãrãmji. Both sons then became the first two ãchãryas of the Swãminãrãyan Sampradãy. The ãchãrya a satsangi follows depends on where they live: satsangis living in northern India fall under the Amdãvãd region, and satsangis living in southern India fall under the Vadtãl region.
adhidev: 1) Main dev of the indriyas of the jeev. 2) Main dev of the indriyas of Virãt-Purush.
Agni-Dev: The dev of fire.
akartum: The non-doer. Bhagvãn does not do anything, as He has delegated responsibilities to devs.
amrut: Nectar. A magical liquid churned from the ocean by the devs and the demons, and it was known to grant immortality to those who drink it. However, this means the ãtmã is unable to break free from the cycle of births and deaths.
anyathã-kartum: The all-doer and non-doer. Even though Bhagvãn is the cause of everything, He does not do anything Himself. He has delegated responsibilities to the devs. For example, Kãl and is responsible for death.
ãshrit: Disciple. Devotee. Follower.
Ayodhyãprasãdji: Adopted by Swaminarayan Bhagwan from His elder brother Rampratapji; became the first Acharya of the Nar-Narayan Dev Gadi at Amdavad (Ahmedabad), one of the Sampraday's two hereditary acharya lineages.

Baldevji: The elder brother of Shree Krishna. He is considered as a partial avatãr of Vishnu or an avatãr of Shesh, the serpent on which Vishnu sleeps. Baldevji was the symbol of strength, an obedient son, and an ideal brother and husband. Also called Balrãm.
bhakta: Devotee of Bhagvãn. A follower of Bhagvãn.
bhakti: Devotion to Bhagvãn. One of the four attributes of ekãntik dharma. There are nine types of bhakti:
Bhakti: The devi of bhakti.
Bhakti-Devi: The earthly mother of Swaminarayan Bhagwan, also known as Bhakti-Mata. Born in Samvat 1798 in Chhapaiya to a Travadi brahmin family; married to Dharma-Dev.
Brahmã: The dev responsible for the creation of the brahmãnd and the life-forms within it. Part of the trinity of devs, along with Vishnu (the sustainer) and Shiv (the destroyer), responsible for the control of one brahmãnd.
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.
Bruhaspati: The guru of the devs.

chakra: 1) A razor-bladed disc. One of Bhagvãn’s weapons. Also called sudarshan chakra. 2) Wheel. According to yogic practices, chakras are centres of spiritual power and consciousness located within the inner body. The six chakras are: ãgnã, vishuddh, anãhat, manipur, svãdhisthãn, ãdhãr. Each chakra has its corresponding location and dev.
Chandra-Dev: The dev of the Moon. The dev of the man.
chãran: A heavenly poet. Member of a specific class of people, considered heavenly in origin, as they were employed by devs to compose and recite verses celebrating their exploits.

Dãdã Khãchar: A devotee in whose residential darbar in Gadhada Swaminarayan Bhagwan stayed for extended periods; the great majority of the Vachanamrut's Gadhada-section discourses (Gadhada I, II, and III) were given there, as the text itself repeatedly records ("in Dada Khachar's darbar in Gadhada").
darshan: Seeing. To see with admiration and devotion. To see Bhagvãn, a sat-purush, and murtis, with inner or outer vision, with the intention of receiving their grace and blessings. By doing darshan properly a bhakta develops affection for Bhagvãn, and Bhagvãn develops affection for that bhakta. [Sãrangpur – 2].
dev: A demi-god who is given powers and responsibilities in the universe, and who lives in a higher lok. Devs are bhaktas of Bhagvãn and follow His ãgnã.
devi: A demi-goddess.
Dhanvantari: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of the physician of the devs. He introduced the world to Ãyurved medicine and surgery. For this reason, He is known as the father of Ãyurved.
Dharma: The dev of dharma.
Dharma-Dev: The earthly father of Swaminarayan Bhagwan. Born Dev-Sharma in Samvat 1796 to a Sarvariya Sam-Vedi brahmin family in Itar village, Kaushal-Desh; became known as Dharma-Dev for his strictness in dharma. Took bhagvati diksha from Ramanand Swami at Prayag-Kshetra.
Dharma-Kul: Family of Dharma-Dev (Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s father). Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s family. The Ãchãrya of our sampradãy are decedents Dharma-Dev, and are therefore the family of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn.
Dhruv Star: Fixed star. North Star. This star is used by travellers as a useful navigational reference marking due north. Named after a devout bhakta named Dhruv.

gandharva: A heavenly being engaged in music, song and dance in the loks of the devs.
Ganesh: The dev known as the remover of obstacles. He is the son of Shiv and Pãrvati, and has the body of a human, and the head of an elephant. His pujã is performed before any religious ceremony or auspicious occasion. Also called Ganpati and Vignavinãyak. Ganesh writes the charitras of Bhagvãn.

Hanumãnji: A dev with the svarup of a monkey. He is courageous, brave, and a loyal bhakta of Shree Rãm.

Indra: The king of the devs. He resides in Svarg-Lok.
ishta-dev: The preferred murti of Bhagvãn that worshiped by a person. Our ishta-dev is Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn; but, the ishta-dev of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn was Shree Krishna.

Jeevã Khãchar: A devotee in whose residential darbar in Sarangpur Swaminarayan Bhagwan stayed; every discourse in the Vachanamrut's Sarangpur section opens by placing Him there, as the text itself repeatedly records ("in Jeeva Khachar's darbar in Sarangpur").

Kãl: Cause of death. A dev that remains in the ãgnã of Bhagvãn, but carries out his duties of his own free will. If Bhagvãn wishes, He may interfere with Kãl’s duties.
Kãm-Dev: The dev of lust and passion.
Kapil Geetã: A portion of the Shreemad Bhãgvat consisting of Kapil- Dev's teachings to His mother, Devhuti.
Kapil-Dev: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a rushi to compile all the divine knowledge that had been destroyed. He gave the knowledge of the Sãnkhya philosophy to his mother Devhuti, which was later written in the Shreemad Bhãgvat by Vyãsji.
Kuber: A dev who is the personal accountant of the other devs.

Lakshmi: A devi (goddess) who is the wife of Vishnu. She is the devi of wealth. Therefore, money and gold is also called Lakshmi. She eternally remains in the sevã of Bhagvãn.
Lakshmi-Nãrãyan: The murti of Lakshmi and Vãsudev-Nãrãyan.

mãnsi pujã: Mental worship. Form of worship in which a person devoutly performs pujã of Bhagvãn mentally - exactly as he would physically.
Mohini: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a beautiful lady. After the devs and demons had churned the oceans to extract the nectar that would give them immortality, there was a fight over the possession of the urn. Bhagvãn realised that if the argument continued for long then the nectar would spill out and be lost forever. He also did not want the demons to drink any of the nectar. So, He appeared as Mohini, a lady of great beauty. Both the devs and the demons stopped fighting and were attracted to Her beauty. Flaunting Her charms, Mohini convinced both the devs and the demons that she would distribute the nectar.

nirvishesh: Description of that which is without any responsibilities. This describes Mãyã in her causal state when she is without all of the things that may develop from her (the twenty-four tattvas).
nitya-pralay: 1) Constant destruction. The day-to-day dying of countless individual devs, demons, humans and other beings. 2) The jeev’s state of sushupti (deep sleep) – when all of jeev’s responsibilities are absorbed.
Nrusinh: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a lion-man. Hiranyakashipu was a demon who had immunity from being killed by man, beast, and Bhagvãn. For, this reason, Bhagvãn took birth as half-lion and half- man. He killed Hiranyakashipu, and saved His devout bhakta, Prahlãd.

Parshurãm: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a brave warrior. Parshurãm had great devotion for His parents. However, His father was hot-tempered, and Parshurãm inherited this quality from him. Then, His
prajãpati: The maker of clay and mud pots. The devs that preside over procreation, and protect life. Brahmã, Marichi, Daksh, and Kashyap are known as prajãpatis, as they are involved in creating life-forms and the world.
prem-lakshanã: Profound, loving devotion. bhakti
Pruthvi: The devi of the earth. Mother Earth. She is a svarup of Lakshmi.
purush-prayatna: If a person keeps the company of a devout sãdhu and becomes virtuous through his own thoughts, then that is known as purush-prayatna.

Raghuvirji: Adopted by Swaminarayan Bhagwan from His younger brother Ichharamji; became the first Acharya of the Laxmi-Narayan Dev Gadi at Vadtal -- the Vadtal Gadi lineage this platform's own content follows.
Rudra: A svarup of Shiv. The dev of the ahankãr.
Rushabh-Dev: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a king who became a tyãgi. He abandoned his kingdom and one hundred sons.

samudra manthan: Churning of the ocean. The devs decided to churn the ocean for precious gifts and amrut. However, they needed the demons to help them churn the ocean. The devs offered half of the amrut to the demons, and they accepted. First, they tore up Mount Mandarãnchal for use as a churning stick. Then, a serpent named Vasuki was used as a churning rope. The devs took hold of the tail, and the demons held the head. While they were churning, Vasuki’s breath became very hot, which almost suffocated the demons. Bhagvãn then took the avatãr of Kurma to stop the mountain from sinking into the ocean bed. Finally, the ocean produced precious items: poison, a cow, a horse, a white elephant, a diamond, a wishing tree, an apsãrã, alcohol, Lakshmi, Chandra, Surya, a jewel, a conch
Sanakãdik: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of the four sons of Brahmã: Sanak, Sanãtan, Sanandan, and Sanat-Kumãr. Born from Brahmã's mind, the four sons are described as great rushis who undertook lifelong vows of brahm-chãrya against the wishes of their father. From the Sanakãdik, the brãhmans got the inspiration regarding the values and importance of tap and brahm-chãrya. Although they are eternally liberated souls from birth, they still became attracted to the devotional service of Bhagvãn. Despite being very senior in age, the Sanakãdik are said to wander the universe in the forms of small children. Also called Chãtur Kumãr or Kumãr San.
sãnkhya: Fundamental belief of the Sãnkhya philosophy. It proposes that all that evolves from Mãyã is perishable and vain. After developing thoughts of sãnkhya, the bhakta gradually becomes detached from worldly, mãyik objects and become further absorbed in Bhagvãn.
Sãnkhya: A philosophy that analyses the tattvas, and states that there are twenty-five tattva. Founded by Kapil-Dev.
Sarasvati: The devi of knowledge.
sãttvik-ahankãr: One of the three types of ahankãr that evolve from maha- tattva, and from which the man, and the presiding devs of the indriyas evolve.
Shesh: A dev with the svarup of a cobra. He lives in Pãtãl where he acts as the bed of Vishnu. This gives Bhagvãn the name of Shesh-Shãyi-Nãrãyan.
Shiv: The dev of destruction. Part of the trimurti. He lives in Kailas with his wife Pãrvati.
Shree: 1) Name of Lakshmi. 2) Used before the names of Bhagvãn and devs to signify their high status.
Shvet-Dvip: The dhãm of Vãsudev Bhagvãn. The muktas of Shvet-Dvip are called niranna-muktas, as they do not consume water (nir) or food (ann). Also, they are free from the shad-urmi (six physical and emotional feelings). The muktas that reside in this dhãm are ãtmãs who have been freed from the cycle of births and deaths, but have not yet attained Akshardhãm. So, they perform continuous tap, in order to attain ultimate moksh.
Surã Khãchar: A devotee in whose residential darbar in Loya Swaminarayan Bhagwan stayed; every discourse in the Vachanamrut's Loya section was given there, and Sura Khachar himself is recorded asking Swaminarayan Bhagwan a question in Loya 7.
Surya-Dev: The dev of the Sun.

thãl: Food devotionally offered to Bhagvãn as a form of bhakti, which in turn blesses the food – turning it into prasãd.
trimurti: Three devs responsible for the control of a brahmãnd. Brahma (creator), Vishnu (sustainer), Shiv (destroyer).

Varun-Dev: The dev of water.
Vastã Khãchar: A devotee in whose residential darbar in Kariyani Swaminarayan Bhagwan stayed; every discourse in the Vachanamrut's Kariyani section opens by placing Him there, as the text itself repeatedly records ("in Vasta Khachar's darbar in Kariyani").
Vãsudev: One of the four forms of Bhagvãn’s Vishvarup svarup. His Vãsudev-Nãrãyan role is to be worshipped by the jeevs in the brahmãnd (Virãt-Purush). The four-armed svarup of Bhagvãn. He holds four different weapons: gadã, padma, shankh, and chakra.
Vãyu-Dev: The dev of wind and air.
Vishnu: The dev of sustenance. Part of the trimurti. He lives in Vaikunth with his wife Lakshmi.
Vishvarup: Literally means ‘svarup of the world’. This svarup was shown to Arjun by Shree Krishna Bhagvãn. The svarup consists of four different forms: Vãsudev, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and Sankarshan. They each have different roles and responsibilities in a brahmãnd (Virãt-Purush). Sankarshan, Aniruddha, and Pradyumna are the sagun svarups of Vãsudev Bhagvãn, and it is the strength of the upãsanã of Virãt-Purush that he becomes capable of performing the activities of creation, sustenance, and destruction. Also, as long as Virãt-Purush worships these three, his association with Mãyã – in the form of creation, sustenance, and destruction – is not broken. It is when he worships Vãsudev Bhagvãn, who is nirgun, that Virãt- Purush abandons Mãyã and becomes brahm-rup.

yagna: Sacrificial worship. Ceremonial ritual performed as a form of worship to seek the good favour and receive the blessings of the devs. Different items, such as ghee, grains, wood, and spices, are offered into a sacred pit of fire in accordance with strict scriptural niyams with the chanting of mantras that are prescribed in the Veds.
Yagna: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of the king of the devs, and temporarily replaced Indra. His teaching was based on the values of helpfulness and protecting each other during the time of crisis.
Yam-Rãj: The dev of justice. The lord of Yampuri, who protects dharma by punishing those who have sinned. Also called Dharma-Rãj.