The Blessed One, the Buddha, The Lord, The Supreme Buddha, The God
here according to AN4.36 , the Buddha makes total sense, others meanings make it something untangible, un achievable.
Remember me, brahmin, as a Buddha.
Buddhoti maṁ, brāhmaṇa, dhārehīti.
To elaborate further, how people understood this term and the meaning 2600 years ago is highlighted above
one who has freed their mind, bhaggā (The ending of, breaking, destroying) greed, hate, and delusion within is bhagavā
Tassa yo rāgakkhayo, dosakkhayo, mohakkhayo—
in this article
“भगवानः”
“भग्ग रागो, भग्ग दोसो, भग्ग मोहो ति भगवा”- अर्थात जिसने अपने “चित” से राग, व्देष और मोह का समूल नष्ट कर दिया इस अर्थ में “भगवान”।
“भगवान” शब्द के मूल में “भगवा” शब्द हैं जिसका अर्थः-
“भग्गरागोति भगवा”-राग को भग्न-नष्ट कर इस अर्थ में “भगवान”।
“भग्गदोसोति भगवा”-द्वेष को भग्न-नष्ट कर इस अर्थ में “भगवान”।
और “भग्गमोहोति भगवा”-मोह को भग्न-नष्ट कर इस अर्थ में
“भगवान”।
Personally, I’ve found the most relatable way of understanding the term is through a bit of etymology and history.
Bhagavā refers to someone who has fortune, wealth, abundance, luck. It seems to have also had connotations of worship, reverence, or respect.
It seems to go back to the idea of lords who had lots of wealth and resources that they would distribute to their people. The connection between powerful lords/chiefs and head deities is very strong. The chief or king is basically a parallel or mirror-copy on earth of a ruling or war deity up in the sky. Many such war deities became the ruling deities or even the creator gods. Indra, for example, is the King of Gods. Yahweh was a tribal war/storm deity who became the creator of the universe.
The sky (think: deity) provides rain for crops and food which bring prosperity and abundance. It hovers over the people and watches them. So too, the wealthy lord provides people with food, resources, and wealth, bringing abundance. He watches over them and protects them from his stance of power.
So ‘bhagavā’ basically means “lord.” This is also how it’s used in other literature. The person who has all the prosperity and abundance and who people revere and worship as mighty. They bestow blessings and fortune upon people. These are all symbols and imagery; it isn’t necessarily that every being with the title ‘bhagavā’ literally has all of the qualities there per se.
In some Hindu traditions, ‘bhagavā’ is used for the main God. In Jainism, it used for Mahāvīra. In Buddhism, the Bhagavā is the Buddha.
The term “Bhagavā” (often rendered as “Bhagwan” in modern usage) is used in Indian traditions to denote a supreme holy person. For example, Jains refer to Mahavira as Bhagwan Mahavira, Hindus might say Bhagwan Ram or Bhagwan Shiv, and in ancient times, the term was also used to address the Buddha.
The word “Bhagavā” has endured for over 2,500 years with little change in its meaning or usage. It signifies a revered, divine, or enlightened being. In the context of Buddhism, the Buddha was often referred to as “Bhagavā.” This term highlighted his esteemed status and enlightened qualities.
The phrase “Etipiso Bhagavā” is part of a traditional Pali chant that means “Such is the Blessed One” (Bhagavā), used to elaborate on the Buddha’s qualities. This indicates that “Bhagavā” is not a quality in itself but rather a respectful title used to address a supremely holy person.
Yes, I think this is maybe why ‘lord’ doesn’t quite capture the flavor.
‘Blessed One’ seems the most literal,(one possessing good fortune) but perhaps sounds a bit awkward in English.
It’s a hard word to translate.
Exactly, its used to elaborate buddhas qualities, abandoning of ignorance.
Though there is a subtle aspect that these qualities are achievable bu anyone , here and now. Its not a unachievable target, and the prefixes like supremely enlightened, god etc give that kind of connotation which was not meant.
