Svaha

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

In Hinduism, Svaha is a minor goddess, wife of Agni. She was originally a nymph but became immortal after marrying Agni, with whom she is the mother of Karttikeya. Whenever fire sacrifices are made, "Svaha" is chanted, as per Agni's order.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, "Svaha" (Sanskrit: svāhā) is a component in mantras used roughly equivalent to the word amen in Christian prayers - a holy word used to indicate finality in prayers or holy sayings.

Svaha is defined as "svatva hanana" which means the destruction of self or the abnegation of self-reference. It could be translated as "I offer myself for the welfare of all beings."

For example, the heart sutra concludes with the mantra:

Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha;

Translated as:

"Gone, gone, gone beyond, completely gone beyond, I abnegate the self."

• Alternative: Svaha;, Swaha, Soha

Svaha is also a word in a Native American language for the time between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder. In this interpretation, it was used by Charles de Lint as the title for his novel, Svaha, first published in 1989 and reissued in 1994 and 2000, and issued as an e-book in 2001.

See also

• History of India]]
• Hindu scriptures]]
• Hindu Epics]]
  • Ramayana
  • Mahabharata
  • Puranas
• Hindu mythology
• Hindu deities
• List of Hindu deities
• List of Hinduism-related articles