Juggernaut

Juggernaut

A juggernaut (audio|En-us-juggernaut.ogg|American pronunciation) is a term used to describe a force regarded as unstoppable, that will crush all in its path.

The word is derived from the Sanskrit "Jagannātha" [ [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/juggernaut dictionary.reference.com] ] (meaning "Lord of the universe") which is one of the many names of Krishna from the ancient Vedic scriptures of India. One of the most famous of Indian temples is the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa, which has the "Ratha Yatra (chariot procession), " an annual procession of chariots carrying the murtis/statues of "Jagannâth" (Krishna), Subhadra and Baladeva (Krishna's elder brother). During the British colonial era, Christian missionaries promulgated a fallacy that Hindu devotees of Krishna were lunatic fanatics who threw themselves under the wheels of these chariots in order to attain salvationFact|date=September 2008. Such a description can also be found in the popular fourteenth-century work "The Travels of Sir John Mandeville." In rare instances in the festival's past, people had been crushed accidentally as the massive 45 foot tall, multi-ton chariot slipped out of control, with others suffering injury in the resulting stampedes. This sight led the Britons of the time to contrive the word "Juggernaut" to refer to examples of unstoppable, crushing forces.Fact|date=September 2008

In modern times, the government officers and temple priests managing the festival take elaborate precautions to protect people from injury during these processions.Fact|date=September 2008

The Ratha Yatra festival has become a common sight in most major cities of the world since 1968 through the Hare Krishna movement. Its leader A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada successfully transplanted the festival which now happens on an annual basis in places such as London, Paris, Toronto and New York.Fact|date=September 2008

In more modern times the game is used often as a gaming term, juggernaut being someone unstoppable, or sometimes even depicted by the game itself as the juggernaut.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • juggernaut — jug‧ger‧naut [ˈdʒʌgənɔːt ǁ ərnɒːt] noun [countable] 1. a very large company: • The software juggernaut Microsoft will continue to lead the industry with its Windows operating system. 2. something large and powerful that could be harmful to… …   Financial and business terms

  • Juggernaut — Jug ger*naut , n. [Skr. jagann[=a]tha lord of the world.] 1. One of the names under which Vishnu, in his incarnation as Krishna, is worshiped by the Hindus. See also {Jagannath}. [Written also {Juggernnath}, {Jaganath}, {Jagannath}, {Jaganatha},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Juggernaut —    Juggernaut is an English version of the Hindustani name Jaganath. It was the eponym given to Krishna, chief Hindu deity and Lord of the World. In Hindu belief Juggernaut is the name of a great idol to the god Vishnu. During the summer worship… …   Dictionary of eponyms

  • Juggernaut — Juggernaut, s. Dschaggernat …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • juggernaut — (n.) 1630s, huge wagon bearing an image of the god Krishna, especially that at the town of Puri, drawn annually in procession in which (apocryphally) devotees allowed themselves to be crushed under its wheels in sacrifice. Altered from Jaggernaut …   Etymology dictionary

  • juggernaut — ► NOUN Brit. ▪ a large heavy vehicle, especially an articulated truck. ORIGIN from a Sanskrit word meaning «Lord of the world», in reference to an image of the Hindu god Krishna carried in procession on a heavy chariot …   English terms dictionary

  • Juggernaut — [jug′ər nôt΄] n. [altered < Hindi Jagannāth < Sans Jagannātha, lord of the world < jagat, world + nātha, lord] 1. an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, whose idol, it was formerly supposed, so excited his worshipers when it was hauled… …   English World dictionary

  • Juggernaut — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Juggernaut est la déformation du mot sanskrit Jagannâtha. En anglais, cela désigne une force implacable détruisant tout sur son passage. Le terme est… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Juggernaut — Prozessionswagen des Juggernaut (1851) Juggernaut [ˈdʒʌɡə(r)ˌnɔːt] ist ein metaphorischer Begriff aus dem Englischen. Er steht für eine unaufhaltsame Kraft, alles vernichtend was ihr im Wege steht. Der Wortursprung liegt bei den riesigen, viele… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Juggernaut A5 — Le Juggernaut A5 est un véhicule de l univers de fiction de Star Wars. Il apparaît dans le troisième opus de la série, la revanche des Sith. Sommaire 1 Caractéristiques 2 Sous le régime impérial 3 Versions …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”