Today’s Podcast

Today’s word was sent to me by David. The word is juggernaut. It, like pundit, is an english word borrowed from India.

Juggernaut is a noun with has three definitions. Although they are all closely related, two of them completely new to me. This first definition is the one I am most familiar with- an unstoppable force. The other definition are more religious in nature and are derived from the Sanskrit Jagannāth meaning “lord of the world.” One use of Juggernaut is the title of the Hindu god Krisha or Vishnu. The remaining religious definition is a belief or institution that elicits unquestioning devotion or to which people are sacrificed.

David sent me this word after I confessed I wasn’t aware of very many english words of Hindi or Sanskrit origin, but he wasn’t the only one. Craig Patchett of the GodCast podcast also sent me two list. One of Hindi words and one of Sanskrit words. I never would have guessed shampoo, swastika, sugar &orange were derived from Indian languages.