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.

51 resultsfor “Nãrãyan” · clear

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.
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.
ankush: An instrument used to control an elephant. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s right foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn enables a bhakta to control his mind, and to become strong in worshipping Bhagvãn.
ardha-chandra: Half moon. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s left foot. The moon symbolises peace. A bhakta performing dhyãn on this chihn overcomes all miseries and experiences inner peace and profound happiness. Also, just as the night-lotus blossoms due to the light of the moon, the bhakta blossoms with bhakti and shraddhã through the light of Bhagvãn.
ashtakon: An octagon. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s right foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn grants a bhakta the fruits of ashtãng-yog. He also attains Akshardhãm, which is beyond the eight barriers.
avatãri: The cause of all avatãrs. Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn. All avatãrs emerge from Him.

Badrikãshram: 1) An ãshram with orchards of badri-trees – trees bearing small, slightly sour apple-like fruits, called badri-fruits in Sanskrit. 2) The dhãm of Nar-Nãrãyan. Considered to be full of orchards of badri-trees. 3) 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.
bãjubandh: Decorative jewellery tied around the upper-arm. Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn often wore bãjubandh made of flowers.
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.
brahm-chãri: 1) A brãhman who has been initiated as a tyãgi into the Swãminãrãyan sampradãy. Such brahm-chãris were given special priestly authority, such as personal sevaks to the murtis within mandirs, and as the performers of other religious ceremonies. 2) A person who observes brahm-chãrya; leads a life of celibacy. 3) A person who is in the first stage of life, brahm-chãrya ãshram.

dhanush: A bow; symbolises humility and strength. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s left foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn makes a bhakta humble, wise, polite, and fearless. It also enables him to overcome inner enemies.
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.
dhvaj: A flag. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s right foot. A flag sits above a mandir, and is also carried by the chief

ekadmal: Former sãdhu, who left satang due to some personal misconduct or his inability to conform to the life of a tyãgi, and travels alone without a companion sãdhu. This is against the niyams set by Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn in which sãdhus should never travel alone.

gaupad: A cow’s footprint. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s left foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn causes the vast material world to become the size of a cow’s hoof.
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.

haribhakta: A bhakta of Shree Hari. A bhakta of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn.

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.

jãmbu: A berry. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s right foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn ensures that a bhakta loses interest in everything else and feels that all worldly affairs are worthless.
jav: A barley grain. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s right toe. Performing dhyãn on this chihn destroys all sins, purifies the mind, and grants a person with the knowledge of ãtmã and Paramãtmã. It also ensures enough worldly wealth and comforts.

kalash: A brass water-pot. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s left foot. By performing dhyãn on this chihn a bhakta attains total fulfilment and becomes akshar-rup. A kalash occupies the highest point on the shikhar of a mandir, and so the bhakta attains the highest dhãm, Akshardhãm.
kamal: A lotus. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s right foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn enables a bhakta to remain free of material attachments and focus his mind at the feet of Bhagvãn. Just as a kamal is able to blossom even in muddy water, similarly, a bhakta is able to remain free of material attachments, despite fulfilling all his worldly duties obligations. Just as a kamal does not sink into water, a bhakta is not submerged by the forces of inner enemies, attachments, and material pleasures.
karma-yogi: A person is striving for karma-yog (yog through activities). Term used for a grahastha bhakta who has not renounced his/her worldly duties completely – as opposed to a sãnkhya-yogi – but is nevertheless sincerely striving for yog or kalyãn. Refers to the many grahasthas in the time of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn who chose to totally commit and dedicate their lives to satsang.
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.

Lakshmi-Nãrãyan: The murti of Lakshmi and Vãsudev-Nãrãyan.

mãlã: A rosary made of 108 beads, which is usually made of tulsi or sandalwood. The mãlã is turned with the right hand, by placing it over the middle finger and moving each bead one by one with the thumb, while reciting “Swãminãrãyan”.
mandal: Group or assembly. In the time of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn, the sãdhus were often formed into groups, within which they travelled and preached in different regions.
mantra: 1) A repeated word or phrase. 2) A sacred verbal phrase repeated in prayer, or meditation, such as ‘Swãminãrãyan’. Wicked people use mantras to cast evil curses.
Matsya: A fish. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s left foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn grants a bhakta with a stable mind. It also empowers him to live life absorbed in the murti of Bhagvãn.

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.
Nãrãyan: The four-armed svarup of Bhagvãn. See Bhagvãn.
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.

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).
pãrshad: 1) Male tyãgi in the time of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn, similar to a sãdhu, but whose niyams were not as strict; they observed brahm-chãrya in general but were allowed to talk with women, and were allowed to touch money but not keep it for themselves. Most pãrshads shaved their heads like other sãdhus but wore a white dhoti and upper garment. 2) Attendant of Bhagvãn.

Rãmnavmi: Birthday of Shree Rãm – Chaitra sud 9. A fast if kept on this day, and it is celebrated with great festivity. Also the birthday of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn.

sãnkhya-yogi: A yogi who has abandoned activities. Term used for a bhakta who has abandoned his/her worldly duties – as opposed to a karma-yogi – and is sincerely striving for kalyãn. Refers to a tyãgi who is totally dedicated and committed to satsang. In the time of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn, many widows and widowers chose to become sãnkhya-yogis after their spouse passed away. They dedicated their lives to Bhagvãn rather than any other family members. Often refers to female tyãgis.
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.
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.
Shreemad Bhãgvat: Most popular of the eighteen Purãns written by Vyãsji. It narrates the life, leelãs, and charitras of various avatãrs of Bhagvãn, particularly Shree Krishna Bhagvãn. One of the eight shãstras accepted as trustworthy by Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn.
svastik: This sacred sign symbolises the focusing of Bhagvãn’s energy from all four directions to the centre. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s right foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn grants the bhakta a happy life free of misery, and good luck.
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.

torã: A tassel, usually hung from a pãgh. Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn often wore torã made of flowers.
trikon: A triangle. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s left foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn frees a bhakta from the bondage and the three bodies – sthul, sukshma, kãran; and the three mental states – jãgrat, svapna; sushupti. He becomes brahm-rup.

urdhva-pundra: A yellow ‘U’ mark applied to the forehead made with tilak sandalwood paste, and a chãndlo of kum-kum if made in the centre. The tilak signifies Nãrãyan (Bhagvãn), and the chãndlo signifies Lakshmi. The tilak and chãndlo are applied during pujã in the morning. It must be applied everyday is it is the ãgnã of Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn for all of His bhaktas. The tilak and chãndlo shows that a person has completely surrendered his life to Bhagvãn and has become His bhakta. Females only apply the chãndlo of kum-kum.

Vachanãmrut: Amrut in the form of words. A collection of 273 spiritual talks delivered by Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn, that were carefully noted and collated by His senior sãdhus in His presence, and were authenticated by Him. Central philosophical shãstra of the Swãminãrãyan Sampradãy that summarises the essence of all Hindu shãstras.
vajra: The vajra is a weapon that is as long as a trident carried by Indra. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s right foot. Performing dhyãn on this chihn helps a bhakta overcome his inner enemies, and removes the desires for material pleasures, which enables the mind to focus on Bhagvãn.
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.
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.
Vyãs Sutra: Extremely concise, cryptic sayings, explaining the essence of the Upanishads, written by Vyãs. Also known as the Brahm Sutra or Vedãnt Sutra. One of the eight shãstras accepted as trustworthy by Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn.
vyom: Space (ãkãsh); present in pruthvi, jal, tej, and vãyu, but it remains unaffected by them. A chihn on Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn’s left foot. Similarly, a bhakta performing dhyãn on this chihn remains detached from the material world and Bhagvãn resides within the purified space of his heart (hruday-ãkãsh).