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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.

35 resultsfor “avatãr” · clear

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.
avatãri: The cause of all avatãrs. Swãminãrãyan Bhagvãn. All avatãrs emerge from Him.

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.
bhãgvat dharma: 1) Dharma related to Bhagvãn. The dharma which avatãrs of Bhagvãn come to establish, and the dharma which was adopted by Nãrad, the Sanakãdik, Shukji, Dhruv, Prahlãd, Ambrish and other bhaktas. This form of dharma is not different from bhakti itself. 2) Collective term for dharma, gnãn, vairãgya, and bhakti coupled with the knowledge of Bhagvãn's greatness. This will lead a person to become an ekãntik bhakta who crosses Bhagvãn's Mãyã and attains His dhãm. 3) Also called ekãntik dharma.
Bharat-Khand: Ancient India, considered to have stretched westward to present-day Turkey, eastward to present-day Burma, and beyond the Himalayan mountain range in the north. Is considered to be the best of the nine khands of Jambu- Dvip because those who attain birth in this region can potentially attain kalyãn due to the constant presence of Bhagvãn's avatãr or Bhagvãn's sant.
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.

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.
Hiranyagarbh: An avatãr of Bhagvãn.

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

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.

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.
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
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.

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.
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.
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.
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].

vaijayanti: Unique garland adorned by Bhagvãn and His avatãrs, generally depicted as reaching down to the feet. Made of five types of gems (rubies, pearls, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds – representing the five elements) and/or divine flowers that never wither.
Vaishnav: Follower of Bhagvãn’s various avatãrs, in particular Shree Krishna Bhagvãn. Relating to Vishnu.
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.
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].
vishnupad: A kirtan written by the great Vaishnav bhakta Narsinh Mehtã, which narrates the charitras of Krishna Bhagvãn. Can also refer to a general kirtan of Bhagvãn or His avatãrs.
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.