Guruvara, Guruvāra, Guru-vara: 10 definitions
Introduction:
Guruvara means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Source: Wisdom Library: JyotiṣaGuruvāra (गुरुवार) refers to “thursday”. The corresponding planet is bṛhaspati (or, devaguru, guru; jupiter). It is one of the seven days of the week (vāra). The term is used throughout Jyotiṣa literature.
Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationGuruvāra (गुरुवार) refers to “thursday”, as defined in the Śivapurāṇa 1.14. Accordingly, “it is said that the respective merits of the different days [viz., Guruvāra, ‘thursday’] are secured through the gratification of the gods. [...] The repetition of the mantras of the favourite deity accords the respective benefits of the day of the week. [...] A person who seeks longevity shall worship the deities for their gratification, with sacred thread, cloth, milk and ghee on Thursday (Guruvāra)”.
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: Arcana-dipika - 3rd EditionGuruvāra (गुरुवार) or Bṛhaspativāra refers to “Thursday” and represents the first “day of the week” (vāra).—In accordance with the day of the week, one would utter, for example, guru-vārānvitāyāṃ.
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: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara SamadhiGuruvara (गुरुवर) refers to the “highest Guru”, according to the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi [i.e., Cakrasamvara Meditation] ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.—Accordingly, “Drinking the only essence, the liquor of union, purifies the mind, By going to the power places, and so on, the body is purified, In the middle of the holy seat, the highest mandala, Cakra Nātha, With the head bowed, in praise of the eternally highest Guru (guruvara)”.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryguruvāra (गुरुवार).—m (S Day of Guru or Jupiter.) Thursday.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishguruvāra (गुरुवार).—m Thursday.
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 dictionaryGuruvāra (गुरुवार).—Thursday.
Derivable forms: guruvāraḥ (गुरुवारः).
Guruvāra is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms guru and vāra (वार). See also (synonyms): guruvāsara.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English DictionaryGuruvāra (गुरुवार):—[=guru-vāra] [from guru] m. = -divasa, [Hemādri’s Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi i, 3, 389] ([Mahābhārata])
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.
Hindi dictionary
Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionaryGurūvāra (गुरूवार):—(nm) Thursday.
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Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusGuruvāra (ಗುರುವಾರ):—[noun] the fifth day of the week; Thursday.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Guruvaraprarthanapancaratnastotra.
Full-text: Vara, Guruvasara, Brihaspativara, Brihaspati.
Relevant text
Search found 4 books and stories containing Guruvara, Guruvāra, Guru-vara, Gurūvāra, Guru-vāra; (plurals include: Guruvaras, Guruvāras, varas, Gurūvāras, vāras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Chaitanya Bhagavata (by Bhumipati Dāsa)
Gauḍīya-bhāṣya < [Chapter 1 - Summary of Lord Gaura’s Pastimes]
Musical Compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar on Planets < [April – June, 1982]
Shri Gaudiya Kanthahara (by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati)
Manasara (English translation) (by Prasanna Kumar Acharya)