Swami

Swami (Sanskrit: स्वामी svāmī [sʋaːmiː]; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism, is an honorific title given to a male or female ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (saṃnyāsa),^[1] or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas.^[2]

The meaning of the Sanskrit root of the word swami is "[he who is] one with his self" (swa stands for "self"),^[3] and can roughly be translated as "he/she who knows and is master of himself/herself".^[1] The term is often attributed to someone who has achieved mastery of a particular yogic system or demonstrated profound devotion (bhakti) to one or more Hindu gods.^[1] The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as:^[4]

Hindi svāmī 'master, lord, prince', used by Hindus as a term of respectful address, < Sanskrit svāmin in same senses, also the idol or temple of a god.

Perhaps the best-known representative of Hinduism in the West to bear this moniker was Swami Vivekananda, chief disciple of the Bengali saint and mystic Ramakrishna.^[1] As a direct form of address, or as a stand-in for a swami's name, it is often rendered Swamiji (also Swami-ji or Swami Ji).

Swami is also the surname of Bairagis in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan. In Bengali, the word (pronounced [ˈʃami]), while carrying its original meaning, also has the meaning of "husband" in another context. The word also means "husband" in Malay, in which it is spelled suami,^[5] and in Khmer, Assamese and Odiya. The Thai word for "husband", sami (สามี) or sawami (สวามี), and the Tagalog word for "spouse", asawa, are cognate words.^{[citation needed]}

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Boeving, Nicholas Grant (2014). "Swamis". In Leeming, David A. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion (2nd ed.). Boston: Springer Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_673. ISBN 978-1-4614-6087-9.
^ Brewer, E. Cobham (2009). Rockwood, Camilla (ed.). Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. London: Chambers Harrap. "Swami" entry. ISBN 9780550104113. OL 2527037W..
^ Yogananda, Paramhamsa (1997). Autobiography of a Yogi. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House. p. 14.^{[unreliable source?]}
^ "swami". Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
^ "Istilah Malaysia". Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia. Retrieved 31 May 2013.

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[Boeving-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Boeving, Nicholas Grant (2014). "Swamis". In Leeming, David A. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion (2nd ed.). Boston: Springer Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_673. ISBN 978-1-4614-6087-9.

[2] Brewer, E. Cobham (2009). Rockwood, Camilla (ed.). Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. London: Chambers Harrap. "Swami" entry. ISBN 9780550104113. OL 2527037W..

[3] Yogananda, Paramhamsa (1997). Autobiography of a Yogi. Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House. p. 14.^{[unreliable source?]}

[4] "swami". Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.

[5] "Istilah Malaysia". Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia. Retrieved 31 May 2013.

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Swami

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