Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara at the Guimet Museum, Paris, France
Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara at the Guimet Museum, Paris, France
Published 2015-05-07T13:22:00+00:00
The name Avalokiteśvara is made of the following parts: the verbal prefix ava, which means "down"; lokita, a past participle of the verb lok ("to notice, behold, observe"), here used in an active sense (an occasional irregularity of Sanskrit grammar); and finally īśvara, "lord", "ruler", "sovereign" or "master". In accordance with sandhi (Sanskrit rules of sound combination), a+iśvara becomes eśvara. Combined, the parts mean "lord who gazes down (at the world)". The word loka ("world") is absent from the name, but the phrase is implied. It does appear in the Cambodian form of the name, Lokeśvara.
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Date published | 07/05/2015 |
Title | Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara |
Record | null |
Place | Musée Guimet |