Swami - Definition and Overview

Swami playing the Harmonium

Swami is a primarily Hindu honorific, loosely akin to "master". It is derived from the Sanskrit language and means "owner of oneself", denoting complete mastery over instinctive and lower urges. It is a title added to one's name to donote learning and, of course, mastery of a specific field of knowledge, most often religious and/or spiritual. Many great yogis and gurus (teachers) of the Hindu tradition hold the title of Swami along with their names, as Swami Vivekananda or Swami Sivananda.