Bhagavan facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Bhagavan (pronounced Bah-gah-vahn), sometimes spelled Bhagwan, is a special title used in Indian religions. It's like calling someone "Lord" or "God."

In Hinduism, Bhagavan is used for a deity (a god or goddess) or an avatar (a god appearing on Earth). It's often used for Krishna and Vishnu in a group called Vaishnavism. It's also used for Shiva in Shaivism and for Durga or Adi Shakti in Shaktism.

In Jainism, the term refers to the Tirthankaras, who are great teachers. In Buddhism, it refers to the Buddha.

Many people in India and South Asia use Bhagavan to mean a universal God, especially if they are spiritual but don't worship one specific deity.

In bhakti (devotion) writings, Bhagavan is often used for any deity that people pray to. For a devotee, their chosen deity is often their only Bhagavan. The female version of Bhagavan is Bhagavati. Some Hindus see Bhagavan as an idea of God that doesn't have a gender.

In Buddhist writings from Pali and Sanskrit, the term Bhagavā or Bhagavān is used for Gautama Buddha. It means "Lord" or "The Blessed One." You can find this term in many different Buddhist texts.

What "Bhagavan" Means
Bhagavan in Hinduism
Bhagavan in Buddhism
- How it's Used in Buddhist Texts
  - In Pali and Sanskrit Writings
    - In Pali Texts
    - In Sanskrit Texts
  - Other Forms of the Word
- Why it's Important in Buddhism
Ancient Inscriptions
See also

What "Bhagavan" Means

The word Bhagavān comes from Bhagavat, which means "fortunate" or "blessed." It comes from the word bhaga, meaning "fortune" or "wealth." So, it also means "illustrious," "divine," "venerable," or "holy."

The Vishnu Purana, an ancient Hindu text, explains Bhagavan as someone who understands how everything is created and destroyed. It also means someone who knows about beings appearing and disappearing, and who understands both wisdom and ignorance.

The word Bhagavan is also linked to the root Bhaj (भज्), which means "to revere" or "to adore." It suggests someone who is "glorious," "revered," or "divine." This root also means "to share with" or "to partake of." In some traditions, it means that a follower wants to share in the divine nature of Bhagavan.

The Buddha is called Bhagavan in many ancient Buddhist texts. Here, it means "Lord," "Blessed One," or "Fortunate One."

Bhagavan in Hinduism

How it's Used in Hindu Texts

Upanishads

The word "Bhaga," which is the root of "Bhagavan," is found in the Mundaka Upanishad. However, in this early text, it doesn't mean "Bhagavan" as a divine title.

Later Hindu texts, especially from the medieval period, do use the term Bhagavan. For example, the Kali-Saṇṭāraṇa Upaniṣhad uses it when the sage Narada asks, "O Lord, how can I overcome the troubles of the Kali Yuga (a difficult age)?" This text also mentions two names of Bhagavan in the Hare Krishna mantra.

Purana

In a tradition called Bhagavata Dharma, Bhagavan refers to different forms of Narayana Vasudeva. God is called Bhagavan, and a person devoted to Bhagavan is called a Bhagavata. The Bhagavata Purana says that Krishna is Bhagavan in human form. Bhagavan is seen as the complete way God shows himself.

If a devotee truly seeks Bhagavan, then Bhagavan also seeks that devotee in return.

Bhagavad Gita

The term Bhagavan is used a lot in the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna gives advice to Arjuna. For example, in one verse, Krishna says:

Shri Bhagavan said, "Why has this weakness come upon you at this difficult time? It is not noble, it will not lead you to heaven, nor will it bring you honor, O Arjuna."

Bhagavan and Vishnu

The Bhāgavat traditions in Hinduism mention Bhagavan in the Mahabharata epic. This tradition, which focuses on devotion to Lord Vishnu (also known as Vasudeva), became very popular during the Gupta Period. It introduced the idea of Vishnu's different forms and encouraged the worship of certain warriors.

Why "Bhagavan" is Important

In Hinduism, Bhagavan means the Supreme Being or the Absolute Truth seen as a Personal God. This idea of a "personal" God is what makes Bhagavan different from terms like Brahman, which means the "Supreme Spirit" without a personal form. In this way, Bhagavan is similar to the Christian idea of God the Father.

A follower of Bhagavan Krishna is called a Bhāgavata.

The Bhagavata Purana (1.2.11) explains that the wisest people call the ultimate truth by different names: Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan.

Bhagavan is often used as a title of respect, like "Lord Rama," "Lord Krishna," or "Lord Shiva." In Buddhism and Jainism, Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, and other great teachers are also given this title. The female form, Bhagawatī, is used for Durga and other goddesses.

Bhakti (devotion to God) means doing things with dedication to the Paramatman, who is the ultimate cause of the world. Ancient wise people described the goals that come from God as Bhagavan.

Bhagavan in Buddhism

How it's Used in Buddhist Texts

In Pali and Sanskrit Writings

In Pali Texts

Bhagava is the Pali word for Bhagavan. Some Buddhist texts, like the Pali suttas, use Bhagavā for the Buddha, meaning "the fortunate one." This term is used in Buddhist "recollections" (like remembering the Buddha's qualities) to describe the Buddha as someone full of good qualities.

Bhagavan is one of the nine special qualities of the Buddha. In remembering the Buddha, Bhagavan is described like this:

"Thus is the Buddha, deserving homage, perfectly awakened, perfect in true knowledge and conduct, well gone to Nibbana, knower of the worlds, incomparable leader of persons to be tamed, teacher of gods and humans, awakened one and Blessed One."

In Sanskrit Texts

Many Tibetan Buddhist tantra texts use the word Bhagavān. For example, a text called Pradipoddyotana uses Bhagavān, which is translated as "Lord." It also refers to "Bhagavan Sarvatathagatakayavakcittadipatih," meaning "Lord, Master of the Vajras of Body, Speech, and Mind of all Buddhas."

The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, a Mahāyāna Buddhist text, uses the word Bhagavān over three hundred times. Scholars often leave it untranslated or translate it as "Lord" or "Blessed One."

Other Forms of the Word

Other forms of the term Bhagavan, like Bhagavant and Bhagavata, are also found in Buddhist texts. For example, the chant recited before almost every Sutta (Buddhist teaching) begins with:

"I honor that Bhagavan, who is Arhat (deserving of respect) and a fully-enlightened Buddha."

Why it's Important in Buddhism

The term Bhagavān is used in Buddhist practices, especially in Theravada Buddhism, as a title meaning "the Blessed One." You can find it in ceremonies like Sri Lanka's Bodhi Puja (Worship of the Twenty Eight Buddhas).

Bhagavan is the most common word in Buddhist texts to refer to the Buddha. For instance, almost every Buddhist text starts with a line like:

"Thus have I heard - Once the Bhagavan was dwelling in Savatthi, at the Anathpindaka's monastery in Jetavana."

Ancient Inscriptions

Greek Inscriptions

A word similar to Bhagavan was found in ancient writings from around 100 BCE. For example, on the Heliodorus pillar, Heliodorus, a Greek ambassador, calls himself a Bhagvatena (devotee) of Vishnu.

The inscription says:

"This Garuda-standard of Vasudeva (Vishnu), the God of Gods was put here by the Bhagavatena (devotee) Heliodoros, the son of Dion, a man from Taxila, sent by the Great Greek King Antialcidas, as ambassador to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Savior son of the princess from Benares, in the fourteenth year of his reign."

Heliodorus Khamba (pillar) in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This pillar, from about 100 BCE, has an inscription saying Heliodorus was a Bhagvatena (devotee) of Vishnu.

Buddhist Vase Inscriptions

The phrase Sākamunisa bhagavato is written in an ancient script called Kharoshthi on a vase found in a Buddhist stupa (a dome-shaped building). It was placed there by a Greek governor named Theodorus.