Guruvara, Guruvāra, Guru-vara: 11 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.
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In Hinduism
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Guruvāra (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)
Guruvāra (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)
Guruvāra (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)
Guruvara (गुरुवर) refers to the “highest Guru”, according to the Guru-maṇḍala-arcana [i.e., “Guru Mandala Worship]” 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
guruvāra (गुरुवार).—m (S Day of Guru or Jupiter.) Thursday.
guruvāra (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
Guruvāra (गुरुवार).—Thursday.
Derivable forms: guruvāraḥ (गुरुवारः).
Guruvāra is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms guru and vāra (वार). See also (synonyms): guruvāsara.
Guruvāra (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
Gurūvāra (गुरूवार):—(nm) Thursday.
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Kannada-English dictionary
Guruvāra (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.
Nepali dictionary
Guruvāra (गुरुवार):—n. Thursday;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Guruvaraprarthanapancaratnastotra.
Full-text: Vara, Guuruuvaar, Kuruvaran, Guruvasara, Brihaspati, Brihaspativara, Suo zun zhong.
Relevant text
Search found 23 books and stories containing Guruvara, Guruvāra, Gurūvāra, Guru-vara, Guru-vāra; (plurals include: Guruvaras, Guruvāras, Gurūvāras, varas, vāras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)
Verse 2.4.3 < [Chapter 4 - Vaikuṇṭha (the spiritual world)]
The Suryavamsi Gajapatis of Orissa (by R. Subrahmanyam)
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Studies in Indian Literary History (by P. K. Gode)
13. Harikavi alias Bhanubhatta (a Court-Poet of King Sambhaji) < [Volume 3 (1956)]
12. Exact Date of Amarakirti < [Volume 1 (1945)]
57. Date Of Dhaneshvara’s Commentary On Bana’s Candishataka < [Volume 1 (1945)]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 576 < [Hindi-Gujarati-English Volume 1]
Page 557 < [Hindi-Kannada-English Volume 1]
Page 559 < [Gujarati-Hindi-English, Volume 1]
Yuktimallika by Vadiraja (critical study) (by Gururaj K. Nippani)