What is the difference between pujari and purohit?

A “Pujari” is a Hindu temple priest. A “Purohit” performs duties similar to a chaplain in Christianity, and is usually linked to a specific family or, traditionally, dynasty.

What is the difference between guru and sadhu?

The most famous terms are “Yogis” (those who practice Yoga), “Gurus” (those who dispel spiritual darkness), “Sadhus” (medicants), “Swamis” (Spiritual Masters), “Rishis” (Seers), and “Sannyasis” (Renunciates). The number of these terms is a sign of the importance of holy men and women in Indian life even today.

What is the difference between a guru and a swami?

A guru is a spiritual counselor or guide. Swami, maharishi and yogi are terms that are used like titles of famous gurus. The word swami is defined as master or teacher of Hindu philosophy. It means the swami strives for the mastery over his or her smaller self and habit patterns.

What is the difference between a swami and a sadhu?

sadhu and swami, sadhu also spelled saddhu, in India, a religious ascetic or holy person. They are sometimes designated by the term swami (Sanskrit svami, “master”), which refers especially to an ascetic who has been initiated into a specific religious order, such as the Ramakrishna Mission. …

What is a sadhu in Hinduism?

From the Sanskrit root sadh, which means “make straight,” or “reach one’s goal,” the term sadhu refers to a mendicant, ascetic, or any holy person within Hinduism who has renounced all earthly attachments with the unswerving objective of connecting to the Divine.

What is a sadhu in India?

Sadhu (IAST: sādhu (male), sādhvī or sādhvīne (female)), also spelled saadhu, is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively referred to as yogi, sannyasi or vairagi.

What is a swami in Hinduism?

swami, sadhu also spelled saddhu, in India, a religious ascetic or holy person. The class of sadhus includes renunciants of many types and faiths. They are sometimes designated by the term swami (Sanskrit svami, “master”), which refers especially to an ascetic who has been initiated…

What is a yogi in Hinduism?

A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions. The feminine form, sometimes used in English, is yogini. In Hindu mythology, the god Shiva and the goddess Parvati are depicted as an emblematic yogi–yogini pair.

Does Hinduism have a single text?

However, unlike the Christian or Islamic traditions, which have the Bible and the Koran, Hinduism does not adhere to a single text. The lack of a single text, among other things, also makes Hinduism a difficult religion to define. Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor is it polytheistic.

What is the structure of Hinduism?

Hinduism is bound to the hierarchical structure of the caste system, a categorization of members of society into defined social classes.

What is Hinduism’s view of the self?

Almost all Hindus believe that the real self ( atman) is distinct from the temporary body made of matter ( prakriti ). The eternal soul identifies with matter and is entrapped by maya (illusion). Impelled by lust, greed, anger, etc., he undergoes samsara (the cycle of repeated birth and death).

Who is the Supreme Being in Hinduism?

Within the Hindu pantheon are a number of gods, goddesses and deities; however, one entity is supreme, Brahman. Brahman is the Supreme Being; the One self-existent power; the Reality which is the source of all being and all knowing.