Swami

Swami playing the Harmonium

Swami is a primarily Hindu honorific, loosely akin to "master". It is derived from the Sanskrit language and means "owner of oneself", denoting complete mastery over instinctive and lower urges. It is a title added to one's name to donote learning and, of course, mastery of a specific field of knowledge, most often religious and/or spiritual. Many great yogis and gurus (teachers) of the Hindu tradition hold the title of Swami along with their names, as Swami Vivekananda or Swami Sivananda.

Topics in Hinduism
Shruti (primary Scriptures):	Vedas \| Upanishads \| Bhagavad Gita \| Itihasa (Ramayana & Mahabharata) \| Agamas
Smriti (other texts):	Tantras \| Sutras \| Puranas \| Brahma Sutras \| Hatha Yoga Pradipika \| Smritis \| Tirukural \| Yoga Sutra
Concepts:	Avatar \| Brahman \| Dharma \| Karma \| Moksha \| Maya \| Ishta-Deva \| Murti \| Reincarnation \| Samsara \| Trimurti \| Turiya
Schools & Systems:	Schools of Hinduism \| Early Hinduism \| Samkhya \| Nyaya \| Vaisheshika \| Yoga \| Mimamsa \| Vedanta \| Tantra \| Bhakti
Traditional Practices:	Jyotish \| Ayurveda
Rituals:	Aarti \| Bhajans \| Darshan \| Diksha \| Mantras \| Puja \| Satsang \| Stotras \| Yajna
Gurus and Saints:	Shankara \| Ramanuja \| Madhvacharya \| Ramakrishna \| Vivekananda \| Sree Narayana Guru \| Aurobindo \| Ramana Maharshi \| Sivananda \| Chinmayananda \| Sivaya Subramuniyaswami \| Swaminarayan
Denominations:	List of Hindu Sects Vaishnavism \| Saivism \| Shaktism \| Smartism \| Agama Hindu Dharma \| Contemporary Hindu movements \| Survey of Hindu organisations

Categories: Titles