dvija · noun — A person who has been born again spiritually, usually by a rite of passage that initiates them into a school for Vedic studies. It carries an Arena rating of 1466, earned across 102 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, dvija ranks #1,962 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words, #2,168 of 17,177 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,563 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words, #3,257 of 17,195 for Most Exacting Words.
Why “dvija” is a great word
DVIJA — [Noun] A person considered 'twice-born' in Hinduism, having undergone a spiritual rebirth through initiation into Vedic study, traditionally a member of the Brahmin, Kshatriya, or Vaishya orders. From Sanskrit द्विज (dvija), from dvi- ("two, twice") + ja ("born"). Unlike "Shudra" (which denotes the traditional fourth varna, excluded from this Vedic rite) or "ekaja" (which means "once-born," signifying a purely physical existence), a dvija is one for whom birth is a dual inheritance: first of the body, then of sacred knowledge. It is the young boy’s head newly shorn save for the sikha, the resonant first utterance of the Gayatri mantra at dawn, and the palpable weight of the sacred thread upon the skin—a rebirth not of flesh, but of duty, forever separating the aspirant from the uninitiated world.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Sanskrit द्विज (dvija).
noun
- A person who has been born again spiritually, usually by a rite of passage that initiates them into a school for Vedic studies.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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