Swami

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Swami ([sʋaːmiː]; Sanskrit: स्वामी, romanized: svāmī; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (sanyāsa). It is used either before or after the subject's name (usually an adopted religious name). An alternative form, swamini (svāmini), is sometimes used by female renunciates. The meaning of the Sanskrit root of the word swami is "[he who is] one with his self" (swa stands for "self"), and can roughly be translated as "he/she who knows and is master of himself/herself". 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. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as: svāmī 'master, lord, prince', used by Hindus as a term of respectful address, < Sanskrit svāmin in some senses, also the idol or temple of a god. As a direct form of address, or as a stand-in for a swami's name, it is often rendered...

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