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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.

25 resultsfor “Arth” · clear

Akshar: 1) Imperishable. In his personal form, Akshar serves Bhagvãn in Akshardhãm, and takes birth on earth as His ideal bhakta (sat-purush). Both forms are human in appearance. In his impersonal form, Akshar is the dhãm of Bhagvãn called Akshardhãm. In his all- pervading anvay form, Akshar is called Chidãkãsh.
arth: One of the four purushãrths, allowing for the fulfilment of desires for material objects, in particular wealth. [Amdãvãd 5].
arthãthi: A person who desires material objects, such as material pleasures and powers. One of the four types of bhaktas.
avatãr: Incarnation of Bhagvãn. He incarnates on Earth for the welfare of society and for the kalyãn of the jeevs. Bhagvãn is always present in Bharat-Khand through these incarnations or His sãdhus. He assumes various avatãrs according to whichever task needs to be accomplished in whichever place, and each avatãr possesses varying amounts of Bhagvãn’s power.

Bhagvãn: God. Supreme being. Lord of all. Bhagvãn is unparalleled, omnipotent and the all-doer, omniscient, omnipresent, the ocean of all forms of bliss, does not have any attributes of Mãyã, is divine, and is always taking birth on earth for His bhaktas. Resides within the ãtmã. Also called Parbrahm, Paramãtmã, Purushottam, Krishna Nãrãyan, and Swãminãrãyan.
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.

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.
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.

Kali-Yug: Age of Darkness. Fourth and present of the four ages that mark the time-scale of the world. Kali-Yug began in 3102 BCE, after Shree Krishna Bhagvãn left the earth. It lasts for 432,000 human years, of which over 5,000 years have already passed. The current Kali-Yug is estimated to end in the year 428,889 CE. Kali-Yug is when purity and righteousness have thoroughly diminished in comparison to what they were in Satya-Yug. People generally live to be not more than a hundred, and svabhãvs prevail in greater abundance than ever before.
Kalki: An avatãr of Bhagvãn that is still yet to appear on earth. Bhagvãn will incarnate in the svarup of a destroyer who

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.
murti: 1) Sacred idol of Bhagvãn used to offer worship. There are eight types of murtis that can be worshipped: stone, wood, metal, earth, engraved or drawn, sand, gems, and mental. 2) The form of Bhagvãn.

Paramãtmã: Greater than the ãtmã. God. Supreme being. Bhagvãn. Lord of all. He is unparalleled, omnipotent and the all- doer, omniscient, omnipresent, the ocean of all forms of bliss, does not have any attributes of Mãyã, divine, always taking birth on earth for His bhaktas. Resides within the ãtmã.
Parbrahm: Beyond Brahm. God. Supreme being. Bhagvãn. He is unparalleled, omnipotent and the all-doer, omniscient, omnipresent, the ocean of all forms of bliss, does not have any attributes of Mãyã, divine, always taking birth on earth for His bhaktas. Resides within the ãtmã. Also called Paramãtmã, Parbrahm, Krishna Nãrãyan, and Swãminãrãyan. Highest of the five eternal entities (jeev, ishvar, Mãyã, and Brahm, and Parbrahm).
pratyaksha: Visible. Present on earth. Physical.
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: Earth. One of the five bhuts, from which the physical
Pruthvi: The devi of the earth. Mother Earth. She is a svarup of Lakshmi.
purushãrths: Collective term for the four goals pursued by all Hindus: dharma (duties), arth (material wealth), kãm (desires), and moksh (liberation). [Amdãvãd – 5].
Purushottam: God. Supreme being. Bhagvãn. He is unparalleled, omnipotent and the all-doer, omniscient, omnipresent, the ocean of all forms of bliss, does not have any attributes of Mãyã, divine, always taking birth on earth for

rotlo: A basic unleavened bread-like food of many parts of Gujarat made generally of millet flour that is patted into a flat, circular shape before being cooked on an earthen or metal hot plate.

sat-purush: A true sant. A sant who guides a person on the path of Bhagvãn. A guru for a mumukshu. Through whom Bhagvãn remains ever-manifest, passing on His divine energy and experience, love and guidance to all beings on earth. They ensure that the gateway to liberation and Bhagvãn is forever open for all seekers. Surrendering to a sat-purush, and striving to obey his ãgnã, is the root of all spiritual activities. Also called sant, bhakta, ekãntik bhakta, ekãntik sant, param-bhãgvat, param-ekãntik sant, and sadguru.

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.
vidyãdhars: A heavenly servant of Indra, thought to live between the skies and earth.