Why “shrivatsa” is a great word
SHRIVATSA — [Noun] An ancient symbolic motif, especially in Indian traditions, composed of interwoven lines with no beginning and no end, considered an auspicious mark. Its name is a learned borrowing from Sanskrit श्रीवत्स (śrīvatsa), a compound of श्री (śrī, "auspiciousness, prosperity, the goddess Lakshmi") and वत्स (vatsa, "beloved, dear, child"), thus meaning "beloved of Śrī". Unlike a mandala, which maps a cosmos in geometric order, or a swastika, which radiates with fixed, equilateral arms, the shrivatsa is a labyrinth of pure, self-contained affinity. It is the whorl on Vishnu's chest, the coiled secret in sacred architecture, the unbroken knot at the heart of devotion—a symbol not of the universe's expanse, but of the intimate, eternal tether between the divine and its dearest.