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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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Akshardhãm: 1) The highest dhãm of Bhagvãn. The divine dhãm of Purushottam Bhagvãn Swãminãrãyan, where He is forever seated before the countless muktas who have attained qualities similar to those of Akshar. 2) The formless svarup form of Akshar.
Aniruddha: One of the four forms of Bhagvãn’s Vishvarup svarup. His role is to teach dharma, and to cause the creation of the brahmãnd (Virãt-Purush). During the state of creation, Virãt-Purush worships Aniruddha.
asat-purush: A false sant. An asat-purush person believes that all male and female svarups in this world have been created through Mãyã and the Purush, Virãt, and svarup of Bhagvãn, implying that all of these svarups are manifestations of Bhagvãn Himself. He also believes that if his mind is attracted towards a higher or lower svarup of either a male or female, he should perform dhyãn upon that very svarup in order to attain instantaneous samãdhi.

Bãl-Mukund: The murti of Shree Krishna in His child svarup.
bhagvan-nishtãrthi: A person who has a constant and singular determination for the sevã of the pratyaksha svarup of Purushottam Bhagvãn. He is the best bhakta of all. [Ashlãli – 1]
Bhumã -Purush: The svarup of Bhagvãn that resides in Avyãkrut.
brahm-sattã: 1) Formless svarup of Brahm. 2) Also refers to the ãtmã, which is eternal.
brahm-svarup: Form of brahm. Possessing qualities similar to those of Brahm. Also called akshar-rup.
Buddh: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of an enlightened sãdhu. He was born a prince named Siddhãrth. A brãhman had predicted that Siddhãrth would either become a great king or a great tyãgi as a result of seeing suffering and death. Siddhãrth eventually left home and became a sãdhu. He attained great peace and knowledge, and became enlightened. He then became known as Buddh. He preached the philosophy of ahinsã to all who could hear Him. He taught that all sorrow comes from attachments and desires, so it's better to abandon all attachments in order to remain happy.

Dattatrey: An avatãr of Bhagvãn, born to Ansuyã and Atri Rushi. Bhagvãn incarnated in the combined svarup Brahmã, Vishnu, and Shiv. He has three heads (Brahmã, Vishnu, and Shiv) with one body. Dattãtrey had twenty-four gurus: earth, air, sky, water, fire, sun, moon, python, pigeon, sea, moth, bee, elephant, bear, deer, fish, osprey, child, maiden, prostitute, blacksmith, serpent, spider, and wasp. He perceived gun in His twenty-four gurus. He believed that in the world, a man can learn from each and every thing.
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.

gnãn: 1) Knowledge. Spiritual knowledge leading to kalyãn. In particular, the knowledge of the ãtmã, and Bhagvãn’s svarup and His greatness. One of the four attributes of ekãntik dharma. 2) Also used to mean ãtmã-nishthã or ãtmã-gnãn.

Hanumãnji: A dev with the svarup of a monkey. He is courageous, brave, and a loyal bhakta of Shree Rãm.
Hari: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in His four-armed svarup to save an elephant from being killed by a crocodile. He cut off the crocodile’s head with His chakra.
Hayagriv: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a horse. Brahmã had become tired of his creative duties, and he wanted to rest. As night was approaching, Brahmã yawned, which caused all the four Veds to come out from his opened mouth. A demon who lived near him in disguise, abducted the Veds. Bhagvãn took birth as Hayagriv to kill the demon and protect the Veds.

Kalki: An avatãr of Bhagvãn that is still yet to appear on earth. Bhagvãn will incarnate in the svarup of a destroyer who
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.
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.
Kurma: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a turtle. During the samudra manthan (churning of the ocean), the Mount Mandarãnchal that was used to churn

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.
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.
mukti: To become free. Kalyãn. Moksh. Those who are bhaktas of Bhagvãn do not desire any of the four types of mukti: to reside in the dhãm of Bhagvãn; to stay near Bhagvãn; to assume a svarup similar to Bhagvãn; and to attain powers similar to Bhagvãn. A nishkãm bhakta of Bhagvãn does not wish for any of these. Instead, he only wishes for Bhagvãn’s sevã. [Gadhadã I – 43].

Nar-Nãrãyan: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of twin brothers to kill a demon named Kunchi. Nar incarnated as Arjun, and Nãrãyan incarnated as Shree Krishna. Nar- Nãrãyan Bhagvãn forever performs tap in Badrikãshram for His bhaktas.
Nãrad: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a travelling rushi. Nãrad showed that bhakti is the best way of attaining moksh. He was also a great bhakta of Bhagvãn and has guided many souls on the path of kalyãn by travelling all over the brahmãnd.
Nãrãyan: The four-armed svarup of Bhagvãn. See Bhagvãn.
nirãkãr: Formless. No svarup.
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
Pradyumna: One of the four forms of Bhagvãn’s Vishvarup svarup. His role is to explain the tattvas, and to cause the sustenance of the brahmãnd (Virãt-Purush). During the state of sustenance, Virãt-Purush worships Pradyumna.
Pruthu: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a king as it was the wish of the rushis. The earth had concealed all vegetation within herself and as a result the whole land had become barren. Pruthu returned all the vegetation to earth, and made the world beautiful and attractive again.
Pruthvi: The devi of the earth. Mother Earth. She is a svarup of Lakshmi.

Rãm/Rãmchandra: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a king. Shree Rãm was the perfect human, the perfect son, the perfect husband, and the perfect king. He was exiled to the forest for fourteen years, with His wife Sitãji and His brother Lakshmanji. When Sitãji was kidnapped by the demon Rãvan, Rãm saved her with the help of Hanumãnji and Lakshmanji, and killed Rãvan.
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.

sagun: With gun. Possessing divine qualities and kalyãn-kãri gun. Also means great, when referring to the svarup of Bhagvãn.
sakãm bhakta: A bhakta who superficially appears to be a tyãgi and nishkãmi. However, he does not have wish for the murti of Bhagvãn, but instead has desires for the darshan of the ãtmã and the four types of mukti. Even if his nishchay is perfect, is a great tyãgi, has firm vairãgya, intense ãtmã- nishthã, and he is not disturbed by inner enemies, if he desires anything other than the pratyaksha svarup of Bhagvãn, then even if he is in the higher loks, he will certainly attain less bliss.
sãkshãtkãr: When that talk is recalled exactly as it was, with absolute clarity and sincerity. If a person engages in shravan, manan, and nididhyãs about the Bhagvãn and His svarup of the ãtmã, then he will attain sãkshãtkãr of the ãtmã. Sãkshãtkãr cannot be attained by doing shravan alone, without practicing both manan and nididhyãs. Also used to describe something that has been so well learned or understood that it becomes second nature.
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.
Sankarshan: One of the four forms of Bhagvãn’s Vishvarup svarup. His
Shãradã: A svarup of Pãrvati.
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.
Shesh-Shãyi: The svarup of Bhagvãn when He is resting upon Shesh in Nãrãyan Pãtãl.
shushka-vedãnt: Dry vedãnt. The Advait philosophy. The Vedãnt principle proposing that the ultimate reality is only brahm. Referred to as ‘dry’ because it denies the existence of a personal Bhagvãn, His eternally divine svarup, and His dhãm. Therefore, it does not propose any form of bhakti or worship of Bhagvãn and His avatãrs. [Gadhadã II – 19] [Gadhadã III – 28].
sthitapragna: A person with a stable understanding. A bhakta of Bhagvãn who has no doubts at all regarding the svarup of Bhagvãn, and glorifies His strengths. He also glorifies those charitras of Bhagvãn that appear to be inappropriate, in exactly the same way that he glorifies charitras that are appropriate. [Gadhadã II – 17].
svarup: A physical form.

Vãman: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a dwarf. Vãman asked Bali (demon king) to grant Him three steps of Bali’s kingdom, to which Bali agreed. With the first step, Vãman covered all of the earth. With the second step, he covered all of the heavens. With the third step, Vãman pushed Bali into Pãtal.
Varãh: An avatãr of Bhagvãn. He incarnated in the svarup of a wild boar. Hiranyaksha was a demon who stole the Veds and drowned the earth. Varãh killed Hiranyaksha, retrieved the Veds, and saved the earth by lifting it from the ocean on his tusks.
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.
Virãt-Purush: 1) An ishvar ‘conceived’ by one of the countless pairs of Pradhãn-Purush. A svarup assumed by Bhagvãn through Purush and Prakruti, and through whom He then grants Brahmã and other jeevs their bodies. By nature, he is like a jeev, with his actions also being similar to that of a jeev – but with a lifespan of two parãrdhs (2 x 1017 human years). The creation, sustenance, and destruction of this brahmãnd are his three states. [Gadhadã II – 31]. 2) He is also the physical world (Virãt-Purush) or a brahmãnd, which is a human form. However, it is beyond visualisation due to its immense size. Also known as Purush-Avatãr. [Gadhadã I – 63].
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.
Vyãs: An avatãr of Bhagvãn born to Satyavati and Parãshar Rushi. Bhagvãn incarnated in the svarup of a great scholar. Vyãs made divisions in the Veds, and wrote eighteen Purãns, including Shreemad Bhãgvat.

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.
yog-yagna: When a person performs a sãttvik yagna by withdrawing the ten indriyas and the mind (the eleventh indriya) from whichever vishays they have become attached to, and then offers them into the brahm-agni. By continuously making these offerings, Bhagvãn incarnates Himself with the brahm-svarup self of the person who performs a yoga- yagna, just as Bhagvãn grants darshan to the performer of a yagna. This is the reward of the yog-yagna.