Bhagavan

Bhagavan

Bhagavan, also written Bhagwan or Bhagawan, from the Sanskrit "nt"-stem "IAST|bhaga-vant-" (nominative/vocative _sa. भगवान् "IAST|Bhagavān") literally means "possessing fortune, blessed, prosperous" (from the noun "IAST|bhaga", meaning "fortune, wealth", cognate to Slavic " _sl. bog" "god"), and hence "illustrious, divine, venerable, holy", etc. [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/romadict.pl?query=bhagavat&display=simple&table=macdonell Macdonell Sanskrit-English dictionary] ]

In some traditions of Hinduism it is used to indicate the Supreme Being or Absolute Truth, but with specific reference to that Supreme Being as possessing a personality (a personal God) [ [http://www.krishna.com/node/118 Who is Krishna?] "God the person, or Bhagavan"] . This "personal" feature indicated in Bhagavan differentiates its usage from other similar terms [ [http://srimadbhagavatam.com/1/2/11/en1 Bhag-P 1.2.11] "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan"] such as Brahman, the "Supreme Spirit" or "spirit", and thus, in this usage, Bhagavan is in many ways analogous to the general Christian conception of God.

Bhagavan used as a title of veneration is often translated as "Lord", as in "Bhagavan Krishna", "Bhagavan Shiva", "Bhagavan Swaminarayan", etc. In Buddhism and Jainism, Gautama Buddha, Mahavira and other Tirthankaras, Buddhas and bodhisattvas are also venerated with this title. The feminine of Bhagavat is Bhagawatī and is an epithet of Durga and other goddesses.

The title is also used as a respectful form of address for a number of contemporary spiritual teachers in India.

Definitions

In the Vishnu Purana (6.5.79) the personality named Parashara Rishi defines six bhagas as follows:

:"IAST|aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ":"IAST|jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣannāḥ bhaga itīṇganā"

Jiva Gosvami explains the verse in his Gopala Champu (Pūrva 15.73) and Bhagavata Sandarbha 46.10:

:"IAST|jñāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-vīrya-tejām.sy aśeṣataḥ":"IAST|bhagavac-chabda-vācyāni vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ"

:"The substantives of the word bhagavat (IAST|bhagavat-śabda-vācyāni) are unlimited (IAST|aśes.atah.) knowledge (jñāna), energies (śakti), strength (bala), opulence (aiśvarya), heroism (vīrya), splendor (tejas), without (vinā) objectionable (heyair) qualities (IAST|guṇādibhiḥ)."

Early epigraphical evidence

Bhagavat

The Bhāgavat religion of early Hinduism is documented epigraphically from around 100 BCE, such as in the inscriptions of the Heliodorus pillar, in which Heliodorus, an Indo-Greek ambassador from Taxila to the court of a Sunga king, describes himself as a Bhagavata ("Heliodorena bhagavatena"):

:"Devadevasa Va [sude] vasa Garudadhvajo ayam:"karito i [a] Heliodorena bhaga- :"vatena Diyasa putrena Takhasilakena:"Yonadatena agatena maharajasa:"Amtalikitasa upa [m] ta samkasam-rano :"Kasiput [r] asa [Bh] agabhadrasa tratarasa:"vasena [chatu] dasena rajena vadhamanasa"

:"This Garuda-standard of Vasudeva (Vishnu), the God of Gods:was erected here by the Bhagavata Heliodoros,:the son of Dion, a man of Taxila,:sent by the Great Greek (Yona) King :Antialcidas, as ambassador to:King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Savior:son of the princess from Benares, in the fourteenth year of his reign." :(Archaeological Survey of India, Annual Report (1908-1909))

In Buddhism

The word "Bhagavat" has also been used to describe the Buddha in the earliest Pali texts. The term "Bhagava" has been used in Anussati or recollections as one of the terms that describes the "Tathagatha".

("Sakamunisa bhagavato"), is recorded in the kharoshthi dedication of a vase placed in a Buddhist stupa by the Greek meridarch (civil governor of a province) named Theodorus (Tarn, p391):

:"Theudorena meridarkhena pratithavida ime sarira sakamunisa bhagavato bahu-jana-stitiye": :"The meridarch Theodorus has enshrined relics of Lord Shakyamuni, for the welfare of the mass of the people" :(Swāt relic vase inscription of the Meridarkh Theodoros [http://depts.washington.edu/ebmp/etext.php?cki=CKI0032] )

ee also

* Bhagavata Purana
* Bhagavad Gita
* Brahman
* Ishvara
* Paramatma
* Om Tat Sat
* Turiya

Notes

References

* "The Shape of Ancient Thought. Comparative studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies" by Thomas McEvilley (Allworth Press and the School of Visual Arts, 2002) ISBN 1-58115-203-5
* "Buddhism in Central Asia" by B.N. Puri (Motilal Banarsidass Pub, January 1, 2000) ISBN 81-208-0372-8
* "The Greeks in Bactria and India", W.W. Tarn, Cambridge University Press.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bhagavan — Krishna avec Radharani. Bhagavan est un mot originaire du sanskrit, la langue mère de l hindi, qui signifie Dieu, voire saint[1]. Il est issu de la meme racine que le titre du livre Bhagavad Gita qui veut dire la chanson …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Bhagavan —    Bhagavan in Sanskrit means “one who is glorious, illustrious, revered, divine, or holy.” It is the most common word for “God” in Hinduism. In its sense of “holy” or “divine” it is also used as an honor ific for gurus and divine personages, for …   Encyclopedia of Hinduism

  • Bhagavan — Bhagavan, Beiname der höchsten Gottheit, insbesondere des Krischna Wischnu …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Bhagaván — En el marco de las religiones de la India, Bhagavān es un nombre con que se designa a Dios. También se puede encontrar escrito Bhágavat, Bhagwan y Bhagawan. Proviene del sánscrito bhaga vat (भगवान् bhagavān) significa literalmente ‘que posee… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bhagavan — Bhagvan, auch Bhagwan oder Bhagavan (Sanskrit, m., भगवत्, bhagavat, Nom./Vok. Sing.: bhagavan), ist in Indien der Begriff für Gesegneter, Erhabener, Gott, Herr, Glücklicher, Verehrungswürdiger, Liebenswerter.[1] Das Wort Bhagavat steckt u. a.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bhagavān — the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.5.72–74) defines Bhagavān as follows: śuddhe mahā vibhūtākhye pare brahmaṇi śabdyate | maitreya bhagavac chabdaḥ sarva kāraṇa kāraṇe ||72|| sambharteti tathā bhartā bha… …   The Bhaktivedanta encyclopedia

  • Bhagavan Das — (* 12. Januar 1869 in Varanasi, Indien; † 18. September 1958) war ein indischer Politiker, Theosoph und Gelehrter. Bhagavan Das wurde 1869 in einer wohlhabenden Händlerfamilie geboren. Er erlangte bereits 1888 mit 19 Jahren den Master of Arts in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bhagavan Das — may refer to: *Bhagavan Das (theosophy), 1869 1958 *Bhagavan Das (yogi), born 1945 …   Wikipedia

  • Bhagavan Das (yogi) — For the theosophist, see Bhagwan Das. Bhagavan Das (भगवान दास) (born Kermit[1] Michael Riggs in Laguna Beach, California on May 17, 1945) and also known by the name Anagorika Dharma Sara within the Buddhist community, is a Western yogi who lived… …   Wikipedia

  • Bhagavan (disambiguation) — The word Bhagavan (also spelt Bhagawan or Bhagwan) can refer to:*Bhagavan, a term meaning the blessed or fortunate one in Hinduism * Svayam bhagavan , a philosophical concept in monotheistic Vaisnava traditions. *Bhagwan Das, an Indian… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”