Swami
Sign in to savethumb|Swami Saradananda Swami (; ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (sanyāsa). It is used either before or after the subject's name (usually an adopted religious name). An alternative form, swamini (), is sometimes used by female renunciates.
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thumb|Swami Saradananda Swami (; ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to an ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (sanyāsa). It is used either before or after the subject's name (usually an adopted religious name). An alternative form, swamini (), is sometimes used by female renunciates.
The meaning of the Sanskrit root of the word swami is "[he who is] one with his self" ( stands for "self"), and can roughly be translated as "he/she who knows and is master of himself/herself". The term is often attributed to someone who has achieved mastery of a particular yogic system or demonstrated profound devotion (bhakti) to one or more Hindu gods. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology as: