tirthankara means A person who achieves enlightenment through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance. Lexicurio rates it Distinctive — a strength score of 66 out of 100.
Why this word is great
TIRTHANKARA — [Noun] In Jainism, a perfected being who achieves omniscience through asceticism and establishes the path to liberation. Etymologically, it is a transliteration of Sanskrit तीर्थंकर (tīrthaṃkara), from तीर्थम् (tīrtham, "ford, crossing place") + कर (kara, "maker"). Unlike a bodhisattva, who postpones final nirvana out of compassionate engagement, or a guru, a general spiritual preceptor, a tirthankara has irrevocably crossed the river of existence and forges the very causeway for others. He is the chill of marble underfoot in a temple at dawn, the austere blueprint for a soul that has shed the last atom of karma, the absolute stillness of a figure whose carved eyes see nothing of this world—the architect of a crossing from which he requires no return, a vanished presence marking where the water is shallow enough to cross.
noun
- A person who achieves enlightenment through asceticism and who then becomes a role-model teacher for those seeking spiritual guidance.