Introduction

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Bhagavat (भगवत्) refers to “primordial Goddess” and is used to describe the Goddess (Devī), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.2.12. Accordingly as Brahmā narrated to Nārada:—“[...] with various sorts of prayer [Dakṣa] eulogised and bowed to the Goddess (Devī) mother of the universe, [...] Be pleased, O primordial Goddess (bhagavat), be pleased, O Goddess in the form of Śiva; be pleased, O bestower of boons to the devotees; obeisance be to Thee, O wielder of illusion over the universe.”.

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The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)

Source: Pure Bhakti: Brhad Bhagavatamrtam

Bhāgavat (भागवत्) refers to:—The essential reality of the Supreme Personality. (cf. Glossary page from Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta).

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Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: academia.edu: A Critical Sanskrit Edition and a Translation of Kambala’s Sādhananidhi, Chapter 8

Bhagavat (भगवत्) is the name of a deity associated with the syllable “hūṃ” of the Heart Mantra of Heruka (hṛdayamantra): one of the four major mantras in the Cakrasaṃvara tradition, as taught in the eighth chapter of the 9th-century Herukābhidhāna and its commentary, the Sādhananidhi.  The Hṛdaya-mantra consists of twenty-two letters. [...] A practitioner in meditation visualizes that twenty-two deities [viz., Bhagavat] are developed from the twenty-two letters constituting the mantra. Each letter of the mantra is used as the initial letter of each deity’s name except for the first and second deities, who are the chief couple deities and located at the center of the maṇḍala.

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Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Bhagavat (भगवत्) is a synonym for the Buddha according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter IV).

Why is he called P’o k’ie p’o (Bhagavat)?:

1) In the word Bhagavat, bhāga means quality (guṇa) and vat indicates its possession: “the one who possesses qualities”.

2) Bhāga means to analyze (vibhāga) and vat indicates skill (kuśala). Skillful in analyzing the general and specific characteristics (svasāmānyalakṣaṇa) of the dharmas, he is called Bhagavat.

3) Bhāga means glory (yaśas-) and vat indicates its possession. Thus this word means “the one who possesses glory”. No-one else has as much glory as the Buddha. The noble Cakravartin kings, Indra, Brahmā, the Lokapālas, are inferior to the Buddha. What then could be said of ordinary men (pṛthagjana)?

4) Bhāga means to crush (bhaṅga) and vat indicates the ability. The person who can crush desire (rāga), hatred (dveṣa) and stupidity (moha) is called Bhagavat.

context information

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

General definition (in Buddhism)

Source: Buddhist Door: GlossaryThere are many different meanings: one who possesses auspicious signs, one who destroys illusions evil, one who is provided with such auspicious virtues of freedom as the law, fame, good signs, desire and diligence, one who has completely understood the Four Noble Truths, one who receives and keeps various excellent practices, one who has abandoned the wandering of transmigration.

India history and geography

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Indian Epigraphical Glossary

Bhagavat.—(ML; CII 3, 4), ‘the lord’ or ‘the divine’; an epithet of divinities such as Viṣṇu, Buddha, Jinendra, Nārāyaṇa, Śiva, the Sun-god, Kārttikeya, etc; also applied to sages, etc. in the sense of ‘venerable’, e. g. to Vyāsa, the arranger of the Vedas; rarely applied to kings apparently on account of their saintliness (cf. Ep. Ind., Vol. XXX, p. 19). Note: bhagavat is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.

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The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

bhagavat (भगवत्).—This is, in Sanskrit, the neuter termination of the adjective bhagavān, or the form in composition of bhagavān (the common name of God); as bhagavatkṛpā Divine favor, bhagavatsattā Divine power, bhagavadicchā The divine will, bhagavatsēvā, bhagavadrūpa, bhaga- vanmāyā, bhagavadbhakti or bhagavadbhajana, bhagavatprāpti, bhagavaddāsa.

context information

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Bhagavat (भगवत्).—a.

1) Glorious, illustrious.

2) Revered, venerable, divine, holy (an epithet applied to gods, demigods and other holy or respectable personages); स्वर्गप्रकाशो भगवान् प्रदोषः (svargaprakāśo bhagavān pradoṣaḥ) Rām.5.5.8; अथ भगवान् कुशली काश्यपः (atha bhagavān kuśalī kāśyapaḥ) Ś.5; भगवन् परवानयं जनः (bhagavan paravānayaṃ janaḥ) R.8.81; so भगवान् वासुदेवः (bhagavān vāsudevaḥ) &c.; उत्पत्तिं च विनाशं च भूतानामागतिं गतिम् । वेत्ति विद्यामविद्यां च स वाच्यो भगवानिति (utpattiṃ ca vināśaṃ ca bhūtānāmāgatiṃ gatim | vetti vidyāmavidyāṃ ca sa vācyo bhagavāniti) ||

3) Fortunate (Ved.). -m.

1) A god, deity.

2) An epithet of Viṣṇu.

3) Of Śiva.

4) Of Jina.

5) Of Buddha.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Bhagavat (भगवत्).—mfn. (-vān-vatī-vat) Respectable, worshipful, adorable, and hence the common appellative of a prince or deity. m. (-vān) One of the generic titles of a Jina or Jaina deified sage. f. (-vatī) 1. A name of Gauri. 2. Any goddess. E. bhaga fortune, supremacy, &c., and matup poss. aff.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Bhagavat (भगवत्):—a etc. See p. 743, col. 3.

2) [=bhaga-vat] [from bhaga > bhaj] 1. bhaga-vat ind. like a vulva, [Viṣṇu-smṛti, viṣṇu-sūtra, vaiṣṇava-dharma-śāstra [Scholiast or Commentator]]

3) [v.s. ...] 2a mfn. See below.

4) [from bhaj] 2b mfn. (for 1. See under bhaga) possessing fortune, fortunate, prosperous, happy, [Ṛg-veda; Atharva-veda; Gṛhya-sūtra; Bhāgavata-purāṇa]

5) [v.s. ...] glorious, illustrious, divine, adorable, venerable, [Atharva-veda] etc. etc.

6) [v.s. ...] holy (applied to gods, demigods, and saints as a term of address, either in [vocative case] bhagavan, bhagavas, bhagos cf. [Pāṇini 8-3, 1], [vArttika] 2, [Patañjali, and viii, 3, 17] f. bhagavatī m. [plural] bhagavantaḥ; or in [nominative case] with 3. sg. of the verb; with Buddhists often prefixed to the titles of their sacred writings)

7) [v.s. ...] m. ‘the divine or adorable one’, Name of Viṣṇu-Kṛṣṇa, [Bhagavad-gītā; Bhāgavata-purāṇa]

8) [v.s. ...] of Śiva, [Kathāsaritsāgara]

9) [v.s. ...] of a Buddha or a Bodhi-sattva or a Jina, [Buddhist literature] (cf. [Monier-Williams’ Buddhism 23])

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Bhagavat (भगवत्):—[(vān-vatī-vat) a.] Respectable, adorable. m. One of the titles of a Jaina. f. A goddess.

[Sanskrit to German] (Deutsch Wörterbuch)

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Sanskrit-Wörterbuch in kürzerer Fassung

Bhagavat (भगवत्):—Adv. wie eine vulva Comm. zu [Viṣṇusūtra 45,24.]

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

See also (Relevant definitions)

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