| Many words we use in English today have their origins in Hindi or in Sanskrit. On this page I am going to attempt to explore some of these words. Nabob: From nawab, a Hindi words meaning victory or deputy governer under the Mogul Empire in 16th-century India, it became an honorary title for eminent Muslims in India or Pakistan. Accepted into English, a nabob is any wealthy, influencial or powerful person. Former vice president Spiro Agnew once called Democrats "nattering nabobs of negativism". guru: A wise man, a spiritual guide and teacher with a devoted following. Originally used for leaders in the Hindu religion, but now applied to elder statesmen, industrial geniuses, anyone with disciples. pundit: A learned man...an authority or one who gives opinions in an authoritive manner...a critic. Jungle: From "jangal" in Hindi. An impenetrable thicket or tangled mass of tropical vegetation or maybe even a tract overgrown with thickets or masses of vegetation Mantra: In Hinduism and Buddhism, a mantra is a sacred mystic word or verse chanted or sung separately as part of devotions and meditation. "OM" said over and over-is considered to be the greatest mantra,embodying the essence of the Universe. By exntension, the word has been applied to phrases, ideas or slogans that appear often and in a specific context. Juggernaut: A massive, inexorable force, campign, movement, or object that crushes whatever is in it's path. The word has it's origins in the Hindu God Jagganath, or, the Lord of the World. The city of Puri in eastern India is the site of an annual festival in his honor at which the image of the god is carried on a gigantic wheeled vehicle(45 feet high) and drawn through the streets by fanatical pilgrims that were said to throw themselves under the wheels of the chariot; it is this image that has contributed to the meaning of the word in English. ~Merriam's Dictionary of Allusions karma: The force generated by a person's actions,held in Hinduism and Buddhism ti perpetuate transmigration and in it's ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person's next existence. Wrongful actions may go unpunished in this world, but the moral debt remains and payment is exacted in the future. The Sanskrit word came into vogue in the United States in the 1960's as part of the West's fascination with Eastern religions. Today, the term is used loosely to mean fate or destiny, or to explain events or circumstances or to refer to the aura felt to emanate from persons,places or things-good or bad vibrations. ~Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Allusions |
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