Guru ( / ˈ ɡ uː r uː / Sanskrit : गुरु ; IAST : guru ) is a Sanskrit term for a " mentor , guide , expert , or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions , a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential figure to the disciple (or shisya in Sanskrit, literally seeker [of knowledge or truth ]) or student, with the guru serving as a "counselor, who helps mold values, shares experiential knowledge as much as literal knowledge , an exemplar in life , an inspirational source and who helps in the spiritual evolution of a student". Whatever language it is written in, Judith Simmer-Brown says that a tantric spiritual text is often codified in an obscure twilight language so that it cannot be understood by anyone without the verbal explanation of a qualified teacher, the guru. A guru is also one's spiritual guide, who helps one to discover the same potentialities that the guru has already realized.
136-549: Thuggee ( UK : / θ ʌ ˈ ɡ iː / , US : / ˈ θ ʌ ɡ i / ) is the name given to the alleged practice of thugs, who supposedly were historical organised cults of professional robbers and murderers in India. They were said to have travelled in groups across the Indian subcontinent . They usually murdered their victims by strangling using a handkerchief as a tool. The Thuggee were believed to practice their killings as
272-444: A spiritual advisor , or someone who performs traditional rituals outside a temple, or an enlightened master in the field of tantra or yoga or eastern arts who derives his authority from his experience, or a reference by a group of devotees of a sect to someone considered a god-like Avatar by the sect. The tradition of reverence for guru continues in several denominations within modern Hinduism, but rather than being considered as
408-594: A Thug ). Feringhea brought Sleeman to a mass grave with a hundred bodies, told him the circumstances of the murders and named the Thugs who had committed them. After initial investigations confirmed what Feringhea had said, Sleeman began an extensive campaign using profiling and intelligence. Sleeman was made superintendent of the Thuggee and Dacoity Department in 1835, an organ of the Indian government first established by
544-654: A Thuggee from the Doab, originated from the same ancestors of his clan. The Lodahas were prevalent in the region around Nepal in Bihar and Bengal during the tenure of Perry and originally hailed from Awadh which they left around 1700. A Deccan Thuggee stated that the "Hindu Thugs of Talghat", located around the Krishna River , didn't marry with the Telinganies whom they considered to be descendants of lower classes as
680-413: A Thuggee group in the 19th century was the product of "colonial imaginings", arising from British fear of the little-known interior of India, as well as limited understanding of the religious and social practices of its inhabitants. Cynthia Ann Humes states that the testimony of most of the thugs captured by Sleeman does not support his view of priests profiting from and directing the thugs. She adds that
816-591: A bloody terror it was, what a desolating scourge it was. In 1830 the English found this cancerous organization embedded in the vitals of the empire, doing its devastating work in secrecy, and assisted, protected, sheltered, and hidden by innumerable confederates—big and little native chiefs, customs officers, village officials, and native police, all ready to lie for it, and the mass of the people, through fear, persistently pretending to know nothing about its doings; and this condition of things had existed for generations, and
952-559: A century as Received Pronunciation (RP). However, due to language evolution and changing social trends, some linguists argue that RP is losing prestige or has been replaced by another accent, one that the linguist Geoff Lindsey for instance calls Standard Southern British English. Others suggest that more regionally-oriented standard accents are emerging in England. Even in Scotland and Northern Ireland, RP exerts little influence in
1088-591: A dispute developed between the Zamindar official named Tejun with a Thuggee named Ghasee Ram in 1812, the latter took refuge with his family under another landlord called Laljee. Tejun in turn revealed the thugs of Sindouse to Nathaniel Halhed. Thomas Perry, the magistrate of Etawah , assembled some soldiers of the East India Company under the command of Halheld in 1812 to suppress the Thugs. Laljee and his forces including over 100 Thugs were defeated, with
1224-435: A family vocation, and others who were forced to turn to it out of necessity. The leadership of many of the groups tended to be hereditary with family members sometimes serving together in the same band. Such thugs were known as aseel . According to a Thuggee testimony, a young initiate who joined the group was usually trained by a senior experienced Thuggee member who held the title of guru . While they usually kept their acts
1360-517: A few swords. The poisonous ingredients which prepared by the Thuggee were consisted of Datura metel , the Indian thornapple, (family Solanaceae ), a poisonous plant sacred to Shiva with powerful deliriant properties, were sometimes used by thugs to induce drowsiness or stupefaction, making strangulation easier. The Hindi name for the plant धतूरा ( dhatūra ) is derived from the Sanskrit and
1496-621: A form of worship toward the goddess Kali . For centuries, the authorities of the Indian subcontinent , such as the Khalji dynasty , the Mughal Empire , and the British Raj , attempted to curtail the criminal activities of the Thuggee during their rules. Contemporary scholarship is increasingly skeptical of the thuggee concept, and has questioned the existence of such a phenomenon, which has led many historians to describe thuggee as
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#17327724140071632-508: A greater movement, normally [əʊ], [əʉ] or [əɨ]. Dropping a morphological grammatical number , in collective nouns , is stronger in British English than North American English. This is to treat them as plural when once grammatically singular, a perceived natural number prevails, especially when applying to institutional nouns and groups of people. The noun 'police', for example, undergoes this treatment: Police are investigating
1768-423: A handkerchief or noose. One of the Thuggee would befriend their potential targets (even to the point of assuming their religion) and accompany them for a while to assess their potential wealth. Eventually, as one Thug managed to distract their victims by engaging them in conversation, the other members who were tasked with the killing would strangle them swiftly from behind. After the murder, they sometimes mutilated
1904-731: A larger share of the plunder. In turn the original Muslim and Kayastha Thugs helped spread Thuggee amongst other groups like the Brahmins , Rajputs , other Hindus, the Lodhi people and the Ahir people. The Thuggee generally considered that it was forbidden to kill women, fakirs , ascetics, bards, musicians and dancers. Like the ancient Hindu texts which distinguished robbery from the murder of Brahmins, women or children as violent crimes, many Thugs considered it taboo to kill people who belonged to such categories. Those who worked in lowly professions,
2040-406: A lesser class or social status and often discounted or considered of a low intelligence. Another contribution to the standardisation of British English was the introduction of the printing press to England in the mid-15th century. In doing so, William Caxton enabled a common language and spelling to be dispersed among the entirety of England at a much faster rate. Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of
2176-641: A life of study in the Gurukula (the household of the Guru ). The process of acceptance included proffering firewood and sometimes a gift to the guru, signifying that the student wants to live with, work and help the guru in maintaining the gurukul , and as an expression of a desire for education in return over several years. At the Gurukul, the working student would study the basic traditional vedic sciences and various practical skills-oriented shastras along with
2312-937: A lineage of gurus, who would study and focus on certain schools of Hindu philosophy or trade, also known as the guru-shishya parampara (teacher-student tradition). This guru -driven tradition included arts such as sculpture, poetry and music. Inscriptions from 4th century CE suggest the existence of gurukuls around Hindu temples , called Ghatikas or Mathas , where the Vedas were studied. In south India, 9th century Vedic schools attached to Hindu temples were called Calai or Salai , and these provided free boarding and lodging to students and scholars. Archaeological and epigraphical evidence suggests that ancient and medieval era gurukuls near Hindu temples offered wide range of studies, ranging from Hindu scriptures to Buddhist texts, grammar, philosophy, martial arts, music and painting. The guru-shishya parampara , occurs where knowledge
2448-479: A manifestation of the fear of the unknown that dawned on the British Raj at the thought of being alone in the wilderness of Central India. Using literary and legal sources, he has connected the "information panic" of the thug-phenomenon to the limitations of British demographic models that fell short of truly capturing the ethnic diversity of India. He explains the "Thuggee hysteria" around 1830s as being caused by
2584-450: A natural cream or khaki colour rather than bright yellow. The Thuggees preferred to use the method of strangulation in order to take advantage of loopholes in civil law which persisted from the times of the Mughal Empire , which ruled most of India from the 1500s. For a murderer to be sentenced to death, he or she must have shed the blood of their victim. Those who murdered but did not shed blood might face imprisonment, hard labor and paying
2720-532: A noun, connotes "teacher" in Sanskrit , but in ancient Indian traditions it has contextual meanings with significance beyond what teacher means in English. The guru is more than someone who teaches a specific type of knowledge, and included in the term's scope is someone who is also a "counselor, a sort of parent of mind ( Citta ) and Self ( Atman ), who helps mold values ( Yamas and Niyamas ) and experiential knowledge as much as specific knowledge , an exemplar in life, an inspirational source and who reveals
2856-433: A number of travellers who had sought his protection, and they took the road to Baroda ." We do not know who he was; he flits across the page of this rusty old book and disappears in the obscurity beyond; but he is an impressive figure, moving through that valley of death serene and unafraid, clothed in the might of the English name. We have now followed the big official book through, and we understand what Thuggee was, what
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#17327724140072992-523: A penalty—but they would not risk execution. The "River Thugs" preyed upon people including Hindu pilgrims travelling using the Ganga river and became mostly active during the winter like their compatriots from Murnae, Bundelkhand and Awadh . Their dialect of Ramasee differed from the one used by their compatriots on land and used boats taken on lease from their builders or from a jemadar called Khuruck Baboo. Sleeman states that they tapped three times to give
3128-507: A personal teacher. Buddha is called as Lokagaru, meaning "the teacher of the world". In Vajrayana Buddhism's Tantric teachings, the rituals require the guidance of a guru. The guru is considered essential and to the Buddhist devotee, the guru is the "enlightened teacher and ritual master", states Stephen Berkwitz. The guru is known as the vajra guru (literally "diamond guru"). Initiations or ritual empowerments are necessary before
3264-659: A process called T-glottalisation . National media, being based in London, have seen the glottal stop spreading more widely than it once was in word endings, not being heard as "no [ʔ] " and bottle of water being heard as "bo [ʔ] le of wa [ʔ] er". It is still stigmatised when used at the beginning and central positions, such as later , while often has all but regained /t/ . Other consonants subject to this usage in Cockney English are p , as in pa [ʔ] er and k as in ba [ʔ] er. In most areas of England and Wales, outside
3400-489: A prophet, the guru is seen as a person who points the way to spirituality, oneness of being, and meaning in life. In some forms of Buddhism , states Rita Gross, the concept of Guru is of supreme importance. Guru is called as Garu in Pali. The Guru is the teacher, who teaches the spiritual and religious knowledge. Guru can be anyone who teach this knowledge and not generally need to be Acariya or Upajjhaya . Guru can also be
3536-484: A range of blurring and ambiguity". Variations exist in formal (both written and spoken) English in the United Kingdom. For example, the adjective wee is almost exclusively used in parts of Scotland, north-east England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and occasionally Yorkshire , whereas the adjective little is predominant elsewhere. Nevertheless, there is a meaningful degree of uniformity in written English within
3672-520: A regional accent or dialect. However, about 2% of Britons speak with an accent called Received Pronunciation (also called "the King's English", "Oxford English" and " BBC English" ), that is essentially region-less. It derives from a mixture of the Midlands and Southern dialects spoken in London in the early modern period. It is frequently used as a model for teaching English to foreign learners. In
3808-467: A result of their professions. The "Telinganie" group were also disparagingly called Handeewuls (from handi ) due to their eating habits. The Pungoo or Bungoo of Bengal derived their name from the region, with the Lodhees or Lodaha also present. The Motheea group of Rampur- Purnia region was from a caste of weavers and their name derived from the practice of giving "handful" ( muhti ) of the spoils to
3944-530: A role served by Jain ascetics . The guru is one of three fundamental tattva (categories), the other two being dharma (teachings) and deva ( divinity ). The guru-tattva is what leads a lay person to the other two tattva . In some communities of the Śvētāmbara sect of Jainism, a traditional system of guru-disciple lineage exists. The guru is revered in Jainism ritually with Guru-vandan or Guru-upashti , where respect and offerings are made to
4080-795: A school run by guru , were an established tradition in India by the 1st millennium BCE , and these helped compose and transmit the various Vedas , the Upanishads , texts of various schools of Hindu philosophy , and post-Vedic Shastras ranging from spiritual knowledge to various arts. By about mid 1st millennium CE, archaeological and epigraphical evidence suggest numerous larger institutions of gurus existed in India, some near Hindu temples , where guru-shishya tradition helped preserve, create and transmit various fields of knowledge. These gurus led broad ranges of studies including Hindu scriptures , Buddhist texts , grammar , philosophy , martial arts , music and painting . The tradition of
4216-499: A secret, female thugs also existed and were called baronee in Ramasee, while an important male Thuggee was called baroo . The Thuggee usually avoided killing the children of the victims and instead adopted them. However, sometimes they resorted to killing women and children to eliminate witnesses. Some of the thugs avoided murdering victims they considered proscribed according to their beliefs and let other unscrupulous members commit
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4352-514: A soldier named Creagh who was deployed at Cawnpore in 1802 were also identified by him. The group called "River Thugs" were based deep in the Hooghly region. Worship of Kali was particularly emphasized by the British contemporaries. McLeod commented, "It is a notable fact that not only amongst the Thugs, but in an especial manner among all lawless fraternities, and to a certain extent throughout
4488-534: A teacher of skills, a counselor, one who helps in the realization of one's Self ( Atma ), who instills values and experiential knowledge, an exemplar, an inspiration and one who helps guide a student's ( śiṣya ) spiritual development. At a social and religious level, the Guru helps continue the religion and Hindu way of life. Guru thus has a historic, reverential and an important role in the Hindu culture. The word Guru
4624-413: Is a guru who removes the disciples' suffering. Numerous here on earth are those who are intent on social class, stage of life and family. But he who is devoid of all concerns is a guru difficult to find. An intelligent man should choose a guru by whom supreme Bliss is attained, and only such a guru and none other. A true guru is, asserts Kula-Arnava , one who lives the simple virtuous life he preaches,
4760-725: Is also due to London-centric influences. Examples of R-dropping are car and sugar , where the R is not pronounced. British dialects differ on the extent of diphthongisation of long vowels, with southern varieties extensively turning them into diphthongs, and with northern dialects normally preserving many of them. As a comparison, North American varieties could be said to be in-between. Long vowels /iː/ and /uː/ are usually preserved, and in several areas also /oː/ and /eː/, as in go and say (unlike other varieties of English, that change them to [oʊ] and [eɪ] respectively). Some areas go as far as not diphthongising medieval /iː/ and /uː/, that give rise to modern /aɪ/ and /aʊ/; that is, for example, in
4896-435: Is available only to men of three varnas, unavailable to Shudra and women. Kramrisch, Scharfe, and Mookerji state that the guru tradition and availability of education extended to all segments of ancient and medieval society. Lise McKean states the guru concept has been prevalent over the range of class and caste backgrounds, and the disciples a guru attracts come from both genders and a range of classes and castes. During
5032-453: Is based on British English, but has more influence from American English , often grouped together due to their close proximity. British English, for example, is the closest English to Indian English, but Indian English has extra vocabulary and some English words are assigned different meanings. Guru The oldest references to the concept of guru are found in the earliest Vedic texts of Hinduism . The guru , and gurukula –
5168-506: Is for everyone, and offer examples of women and people from all segments of society who are guru and participated in vedic studies. The Upanishads assert that one's birth does not determine one's eligibility for spiritual knowledge, only one's effort and sincerity matters. The early Dharma-sutras and Dharma-sastras, such as Paraskara Grhyasutra, Gautama Smriti and Yajnavalkya smriti, state all four varnas are eligible to all fields of knowledge while verses of Manusmriti state that Vedic study
5304-647: Is high-minded, these teachings will be illuminating. The Bhagavad Gita also exemplifies the importance of a guru within Hinduism . Arjuna when faced with the realization of having to wage war with his kin is paralyzed with grief and remorse. Overwhelmed he lays down his weapons and refuses to fight. Despite his intellectual prowess and skill in warfare he finds himself lacking in Dharmic (moral) clarity. At this moment he turns to Krishna for guidance and in essence seeks Krishna as his guru. This interaction exemplifies
5440-740: Is included in style guides issued by various publishers including The Times newspaper, the Oxford University Press and the Cambridge University Press . The Oxford University Press guidelines were originally drafted as a single broadsheet page by Horace Henry Hart, and were at the time (1893) the first guide of their type in English; they were gradually expanded and eventually published, first as Hart's Rules , and in 2002 as part of The Oxford Manual of Style . Comparable in authority and stature to The Chicago Manual of Style for published American English ,
5576-461: Is literally understood as "weighty", states Alex Wayman, and it refers to the Buddhist tendency to increase the weight of canons and scriptures with their spiritual studies. In Mahayana Buddhism, a term for Buddha is Bhaisajya guru , which refers to "medicine guru", or "a doctor who cures suffering with the medicine of his teachings". Guru is the spiritual preceptor in Jainism , and typically
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5712-592: Is mentioned in the earliest layer of Vedic texts. The hymn 4.5.6 of Rigveda describes the guru as, "the source and inspirer of the knowledge of the Self, the essence of reality," for one who seeks. In chapter 4.4 within the Chandogya Upanishad , a guru is described as one whom one attains knowledge that matters, the insights that lead to Self-knowledge. Verse 1.2.8 of the Katha Upanisad declares
5848-520: Is now northwest Germany and the northern Netherlands. The resident population at this time was generally speaking Common Brittonic —the insular variety of Continental Celtic , which was influenced by the Roman occupation. This group of languages ( Welsh , Cornish , Cumbric ) cohabited alongside English into the modern period, but due to their remoteness from the Germanic languages , influence on English
5984-582: Is passed down through succeeding generations. It is the traditional, residential form of education, where the Shishya remains and learns with his Guru as a family member. The Hindu texts offer a conflicting view of whether access to guru and education was limited to men and to certain varna (castes). The Vedas and the Upanishads never mention any restrictions based either on gender or varna . The Yajurveda and Atharvaveda texts state that knowledge
6120-564: Is stable and firm in his knowledge, master yogi with the knowledge of Self ( Atma Gyaan ) and Brahman (ultimate reality). The guru is one who initiates, transmits, guides, illuminates, debates and corrects a student in the journey of knowledge and of self-realization. The attribute of the successful guru is to help make the disciple into another guru, one who transcends him, and becomes a guru unto himself, driven by inner spirituality and principles. In modern neo-Hinduism, Kranenborg states guru may refer to entirely different concepts, such as
6256-463: Is the case for English used by European Union institutions. In China, both British English and American English are taught. The UK government actively teaches and promotes English around the world and operates in over 200 countries . English is a West Germanic language that originated from the Anglo-Frisian dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of what
6392-774: Is to help others and a desire to impart the knowledge. Adi Shankara presents a series of examples wherein he asserts that the best way to guide a student is not to give immediate answers, but posit dialogue-driven questions that enable the student to discover and understand the answer. Reverence for the guru is a fundamental principle in Hinduism, as illustrated in the Guru Gita by the following shloka गुरु ब्रह्मा गुरु विष्णु गुरु देवो महेश्वरः। गुरु साक्षात् परम ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नमः। Transliteration: Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara, Guru Sakshat Parabrahma, Tasmai Shri Gurave Namah. Meaning: This shloka praises
6528-547: The Chambers Dictionary , and the Collins Dictionary record actual usage rather than attempting to prescribe it. In addition, vocabulary and usage change with time; words are freely borrowed from other languages and other varieties of English, and neologisms are frequent. For historical reasons dating back to the rise of London in the ninth century, the form of language spoken in London and
6664-500: The Advaita Vedanta philosopher Adi Shankara discusses the role of the guru in assessing and guiding students. In Chapter 1, he states that teacher is the pilot as the student walks in the journey of knowledge, he is the raft as the student rows. The text describes the need, role and characteristics of a teacher, as follows, When the teacher finds from signs that knowledge has not been grasped or has been wrongly grasped by
6800-534: The British Isles taken as a single umbrella variety, for instance additionally incorporating Scottish English , Welsh English , and Northern Irish English . Tom McArthur in the Oxford Guide to World English acknowledges that British English shares "all the ambiguities and tensions [with] the word 'British' and as a result can be used and interpreted in two ways, more broadly or more narrowly, within
6936-504: The East India Company in 1830. ( Dacoity referred to organised banditry , distinguished from thugs most notably by its open practice and due to the fact that murder was not an intrinsic element of their modus operandi .) Sleeman developed elaborate intelligence techniques that pre-dated similar methods in Europe and the US by decades. During the 1830s, the thugs were targeted for eradication by
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#17327724140077072-658: The East Midlands became standard English within the Court, and ultimately became the basis for generally accepted use in the law, government, literature and education in Britain. The standardisation of British English is thought to be from both dialect levelling and a thought of social superiority. Speaking in the Standard dialect created class distinctions; those who did not speak the standard English would be considered of
7208-466: The Governor-General of India , Lord William Bentinck , and his chief captain, William Henry Sleeman . Records were made in which the accused were given prisoner numbers, against which their names, residences, fellow thugs, and the criminal acts for which they were blamed were also noted. Many thugs' names were similar; they often lacked surnames since the Thuggee naming convention was to use
7344-486: The Mughals in 1675. He mentioned that three of them were relatives, which Kim A. Wagner notices is similar to the Thugs who were thought to have engaged in this as a family profession. A decree issued by Aurangzeb in 1672 refers to a similar method and uses the term "Phansigar". The garrote is often depicted as a weapon of the Thuggee. Other evidences suggest that the katar (dagger) was their personal status weapon,
7480-484: The Proto-Indo-European root *gʷerə- , specifically from the zero-grade form * gʷr̥ə- . गु शब्दस्त्वन्धकारः स्यात् रु शब्दस्तन्निरोधकः । अन्धकारनिरोधित्वात् गुरु रित्यभिधीयते ॥ १६॥ The syllable gu means darkness, the syllable ru , he who dispels them, Because of the power to dispel darkness, the guru is thus named. A popular etymological theory considers the term "guru" to be based on
7616-493: The Royal Spanish Academy with Spanish. Standard British English differs notably in certain vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation features from standard American English and certain other standard English varieties around the world. British and American spelling also differ in minor ways. The accent, or pronunciation system, of standard British English, based in southeastern England, has been known for over
7752-490: The Scots language or Scottish Gaelic ). Each group includes a range of dialects, some markedly different from others. The various British dialects also differ in the words that they have borrowed from other languages. Around the middle of the 15th century, there were points where within the 5 major dialects there were almost 500 ways to spell the word though . Following its last major survey of English Dialects (1949–1950),
7888-573: The University of Leeds has started work on a new project. In May 2007 the Arts and Humanities Research Council awarded a grant to Leeds to study British regional dialects. The team are sifting through a large collection of examples of regional slang words and phrases turned up by the "Voices project" run by the BBC , in which they invited the public to send in examples of English still spoken throughout
8024-610: The West Country and other near-by counties of the UK, the consonant R is not pronounced if not followed by a vowel, lengthening the preceding vowel instead. This phenomenon is known as non-rhoticity . In these same areas, a tendency exists to insert an R between a word ending in a vowel and a next word beginning with a vowel. This is called the intrusive R . It could be understood as a merger, in that words that once ended in an R and words that did not are no longer treated differently. This
8160-524: The bhakti movement of Hinduism, which started in about mid 1st millennium CE, the gurus included women and members of all varna . The Advayataraka Upanishad states that the true teacher is a master in the field of knowledge, well-versed in the Vedas , is free from envy, knows yoga , lives a simple life that of a yogi, has realized the knowledge of the Atman (Self). Some scriptures and gurus have warned against false teachers, and have recommended that
8296-527: The guru , and the guru sprinkles a small amount of vaskep (a scented powder mixture of sandalwood, saffron, and camphor) on the devotee's head with a mantra or blessings. In Sikhism, seeking a Guru (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ gurū ) is of the utmost importance, Guru Nanak writes in Ang (ਅੰਗ):751 (੫੧ of the Guru Granth Sahib : ਗਾਫਲ ਗਿਆਨ ਵਿਹੂਣਿਆ ਗੁਰ ਬਿਨੁ ਗਿਆਨੁ ਨ ਭਾਲਿ ਜੀਉ ॥ O foolish mind, without seeking
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#17327724140078432-493: The guru . In Tantra, states Feuerstein, the guru is the "ferry who leads one across the ocean of existence." A true guru guides and counsels a student's spiritual development because, states Yoga-Bija , endless logic and grammar leads to confusion, and not contentment. However, various Hindu texts caution prudence and diligence in finding the right guru, and avoiding the wrong ones. For example, in Kula-Arnava text states
8568-524: The meaning of life ." The word has the same meaning in other languages derived from or borrowing words from Sanskrit, such as Hindi , Marathi , Punjabi , Tamil , Telugu , Kannada , Malayalam , Odia , Bengali , Gujarati and Nepali . The Malayalam term Acharyan or Asan is derived from the Sanskrit word Acharya . As a noun the word means the imparter of knowledge ( jñāna ; also Pali : ñāna ). As an adjective, it means 'heavy,' or 'weighty,' in
8704-402: The northern and eastern regions of India. The English word thug is derived from the same roots as the term "Thuggee". The Thuggee reportedly operated as gangs of highwaymen who tricked and murdered their victims by strangling . To take advantage of their victims, the thugs would join travellers and gain their confidence, which would allow them to surprise and strangle the travellers with
8840-514: The "Sooseeas" who were part of the Dhanuk clan. The "Dhoulanee" group existed in modern-day Maharashtra . The "Duckunies" of Deccan were from Munirabad and "Kurnaketies" from the Carnatic region . Another group was called "Kathurs" whose name derives from a bowl called kathota , based on a tradition of a man who held it during celebrations by Thugs. The "Qulundera" group's name was derived from
8976-629: The 21st century. RP, while long established as the standard English accent around the globe due to the spread of the British Empire , is distinct from the standard English pronunciation in some parts of the world; most prominently, RP notably contrasts with standard North American accents. In the 21st century, dictionaries like the Oxford English Dictionary , the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ,
9112-466: The East ." It would be hard to word a claim more modestly than that for this most noble work. Thugs considered themselves to be the children of Kali , having been created from her sweat. However, many of the Thugs who were captured and convicted by the British were Muslims, perhaps up to a third. According to colonial sources, Thugs believed that they played a positive role in saving human lives. Without
9248-836: The English Language (1755) was a large step in the English-language spelling reform , where the purification of language focused on standardising both speech and spelling. By the early 20th century, British authors had produced numerous books intended as guides to English grammar and usage, a few of which achieved sufficient acclaim to have remained in print for long periods and to have been reissued in new editions after some decades. These include, most notably of all, Fowler's Modern English Usage and The Complete Plain Words by Sir Ernest Gowers . Detailed guidance on many aspects of writing British English for publication
9384-666: The Germanic schwein ) is the animal in the field bred by the occupied Anglo-Saxons and pork (like the French porc ) is the animal at the table eaten by the occupying Normans. Another example is the Anglo-Saxon cu meaning cow, and the French bœuf meaning beef. Cohabitation with the Scandinavians resulted in a significant grammatical simplification and lexical enrichment of the Anglo-Frisian core of English;
9520-421: The Guru, identifying them as the creator (Brahma), the preserver (Vishnu), and the destroyer (Shiva), ultimately recognizing the Guru as the supreme reality. Other notable examples of devotion to the guru within Hinduism include the religious festival of Guru Purnima . Traditionally, the Guru would live a simple married life, and accept shishya (student, Sanskrit: शिष्य) where he lived. A person would begin
9656-517: The Islamic idea of fate was more commonly invoked during Thuggee acts, while invoking the Hindu Bhavani was far more rare. Historian Kim Wagner views the policies of East India Company in relation to the dismissal of armies of the conquered Indian kingdoms as being responsible for the development of Thuggee. Roaming bands of freelance soldiers had often joined one kingdom or another during
9792-559: The Muslim saints called qalandar . There were also Jogi thugs who were divided into twelve sub-groups. According to Feringheea, the Brahmins of Tehngoor village of Parihar were taught Thuggee after they accompanied the kings of Meos to Delhi, and later helped in spreading it in the region around Murnae. He also stated that two of his ancestors had settled and intermarried with Brahmins of Murnae about seven generations ago, which led to
9928-922: The Oxford Manual is a fairly exhaustive standard for published British English that writers can turn to in the absence of specific guidance from their publishing house. British English is the basis of, and very similar to, Commonwealth English . Commonwealth English is English as spoken and written in the Commonwealth countries , though often with some local variation. This includes English spoken in Australia , Malta , New Zealand , Nigeria , and South Africa . It also includes South Asian English used in South Asia, in English varieties in Southeast Asia , and in parts of Africa. Canadian English
10064-593: The Raj's angst at realizing its own ignorance of local society. British English British English (abbreviations: BrE , en-GB , and BE ) is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England , or, more broadly, to the collective dialects of English throughout
10200-712: The South East, there are significantly different accents; the Cockney accent spoken by some East Londoners is strikingly different from Received Pronunciation (RP). Cockney rhyming slang can be (and was initially intended to be) difficult for outsiders to understand, although the extent of its use is often somewhat exaggerated. Londoners speak with a mixture of accents, depending on ethnicity, neighbourhood, class, age, upbringing, and sundry other factors. Estuary English has been gaining prominence in recent decades: it has some features of RP and some of Cockney. Immigrants to
10336-433: The Thuggee wore this weapon proudly across their chest. Early references to Thugs reported they committed their strangulation murders with nooses of rope or catgut , but later they adopted the use of a length of cloth that could be used as a sash or scarf, and thus more easily concealed. This cloth is sometimes described as a rumāl (head covering or kerchief), translated as "yellow scarf"; "yellow", in this case, may refer to
10472-460: The Thugs respected no quality, no vocation, no religion, nobody; that they killed every unarmed man that came in their way. That is wholly true—with one reservation. In all the long file of Thug confessions an English traveller is mentioned but once—and this is what the Thug says of the circumstance: " He was on his way from Mhow to Bombay . We studiously avoided him. He proceeded next morning with
10608-534: The Thugs' sacred service, Kali might destroy all mankind: The Muslim thugs, while retaining their monotheistic faith, had functionalised Bhavani for Thuggee and she was syncretised as a spirit subordinate to Allah . A Muslim thug caught by Sleeman stated, "In my heart, I take the name of God, when I strangle a man – saying "God thou are King !" "Alla, toomee Malik!" I do not pray to Bhowanee, but I worship her." Other Muslim Thugs who had agreed to testify for Sleeman, stated they had assimilated Bhavani and started
10744-635: The Truth, which is the source, stay and end of the universe." The ancient tradition of reverence for the guru in Hindu scriptures is apparent in 6.23 of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad , which equates the need of reverence and devotion for guru to be the same as for god, यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः ॥ २३ ॥ He who has highest Bhakti (love, devotion) of Deva (god), just like his Deva , so for his Guru , To him who
10880-550: The UK in recent decades have brought many more languages to the country and particularly to London. Surveys started in 1979 by the Inner London Education Authority discovered over 125 languages being spoken domestically by the families of the inner city's schoolchildren. Notably Multicultural London English , a sociolect that emerged in the late 20th century spoken mainly by young, working-class people in multicultural parts of London . Since
11016-576: The United Kingdom , as well as within the countries themselves. The major divisions are normally classified as English English (or English as spoken in England (which is itself broadly grouped into Southern English , West Country , East and West Midlands English and Northern English ), Northern Irish English (in Northern Ireland), Welsh English (not to be confused with the Welsh language ), and Scottish English (not to be confused with
11152-426: The United Kingdom, and this could be described by the term British English . The forms of spoken English, however, vary considerably more than in most other areas of the world where English is spoken and so a uniform concept of British English is more difficult to apply to the spoken language. Globally, countries that are former British colonies or members of the Commonwealth tend to follow British English, as
11288-465: The West Scottish accent. Phonological features characteristic of British English revolve around the pronunciation of the letter R, as well as the dental plosive T and some diphthongs specific to this dialect. Once regarded as a Cockney feature, in a number of forms of spoken British English, /t/ has become commonly realised as a glottal stop [ʔ] when it is in the intervocalic position, in
11424-468: The actual reason might not have been that posited by the monk and noting Kahalgaon's later reputation as a place frequented by the "River Thugs". Modern contemporary scholars have become increasingly sceptical of the "thuggee" concept, and have even questioned the existence of such a phenomenon. The British representation of Thuggee is held by some critics to be full of inconsistencies and exaggerations. Numerous historians have described "thuggee" as basically
11560-567: The authorities by one of their compatriots, from Awadh. Forces under Sleeman's command hunted them down in 1836. In 1870s the practice of thuggee was thought to have ceased. However, the history of Thuggee led to the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA) of 1871. Although the CTA was repealed at Indian independence in 1947, tribes considered criminal still exist in India. The Thuggee and Dacoity Department remained in existence until 1904, when it
11696-488: The award of the grant in 2007, Leeds University stated: that they were "very pleased"—and indeed, "well chuffed"—at receiving their generous grant. He could, of course, have been "bostin" if he had come from the Black Country , or if he was a Scouser he would have been well "made up" over so many spondoolicks, because as a Geordie might say, £460,000 is a "canny load of chink". Most people in Britain speak with
11832-407: The condition that they told everything that they knew. According to historian Mike Dash , who used documents in the UK archives, suspects were subject to bench trials before British judges. Though the trials were lacking by later standards (e.g., suspects were not allowed legal representation), they were conducted with care to protocols of the time. While most suspects were convicted, Dash notes that
11968-504: The corpses to hide evidence, and buried the remains. Their modus operandi led to the thugs being called Phansigar ("using a noose "), a term more commonly used in southern India. Although strangulation is one of their most-recognised methods of murder, they also used blades and poison. The Thuggee gangs usually commenced their act in the evening, and attacked travelling groups whose numbers were smaller than their own groups to avoid unnecessary losses. To avoid suspicion, they carried only
12104-567: The country. The BBC Voices project also collected hundreds of news articles about how the British speak English from swearing through to items on language schools. This information will also be collated and analysed by Johnson's team both for content and for where it was reported. "Perhaps the most remarkable finding in the Voices study is that the English language is as diverse as ever, despite our increased mobility and constant exposure to other accents and dialects through TV and radio". When discussing
12240-470: The courts genuinely seemed interested in finding the truth and rejected a minority of allegations due to mistaken identity or insufficient evidence. Even by later standards, Dash argues, the evidence of guilt for many thugs was often overwhelming. Because they used boats and disposed of their victims in rivers, the "River Thugs" were able to evade the British authorities for some time after their compatriots on land were suppressed. They were ultimately betrayed to
12376-565: The diseased and disabled were also forbidden as victims based on their folk belief . The Thuggee cults believed that breaking these rules would incur divine retribution . The East India Company officers since the time of Thomas Perry, who was appointed to Etawah in 1811, came to understand that there were many Thuggee groups and they all viewed themselves to be different from the other groups. The Thuggee groups were often formed based on their native hometown, although some were also formed based on their professions. The group called "Jamuldahee"
12512-411: The first to realize that information obtained from one group of stranglers might be used to track and identify other thugs in a different district. His first major breakthrough was the capture of "Feringhea" (also known as Syeed Amir Ali, Khuda Buksh, Deahuct Undun and Daviga Persaud), who was persuaded to turn King's evidence . (Feringhea's story was the basis of the successful 1839 novel Confessions of
12648-460: The following guidance: Gurus are as numerous as lamps in every house. But, O-Goddess, difficult to find is a guru who lights up everything like a sun. Gurus who are proficient in the Vedas, textbooks and so on are numerous. But, O Goddess, difficult to find is a guru who is proficient in the supreme Truth. Gurus who rob their disciples of their wealth are numerous. But, O Goddess, difficult to find
12784-426: The former the etymology of 'guru' in which the derivation is presented as gu ("darkness") and ru ('to push away'); the latter he exemplifies by "guru" with the meaning of 'heavy.' Traditional The Guru is an ancient and central figure in the traditions of Hinduism . Ultimate liberation or moksha and inner perfection is considered achievable in Hinduism with the help of a guru . The Guru can also serve as
12920-658: The goddess Kali featured exactly the cautionary notes which are typically found in folklore ." Kim Wagner asserts that we can analyse their traditions about events after their flight from Delhi "to a much greater advantage". A tradition which was recounted by a captive stated that Thuggee had originally tried to settle in Agra and they later settled in Akoopore in the Doab region . However, they had to flee to Himmutpur and later they fled to Parihara after their kings started demanding
13056-498: The guru "as indispensable to the acquisition of knowledge." In chapter 3 of Taittiriya Upanishad , human knowledge is described as that which connects the teacher and the student through the medium of exposition, just like a child is the connecting link between the father and the mother through the medium of procreation. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, the guru then urges a student to "struggle, discover and experience
13192-572: The guru is also found in Jainism , referring to a spiritual preceptor, a role typically served by a Jain ascetic . In Sikhism , the guru tradition has played a key role since its founding in the 15th century, its founder is referred to as Guru Nanak , and its scripture as Guru Granth Sahib . The guru concept has thrived in Vajrayāna Buddhism, where the tantric guru is considered a figure to worship and whose instructions should never be violated. The word guru (Sanskrit: गुरु ),
13328-526: The guru is the means [to awakening]. Therefore, someone wishing to attain the state of Buddhahood should please the guru. There are Four Kinds of Lama (Guru) or spiritual teacher (Tib. lama nampa shyi) in Tibetan Buddhism : In various Buddhist traditions, there are equivalent words for guru , which include Shastri (teacher), Kalyana Mitra (friendly guide, Pali: Kalyāṇa-mittatā ), Acarya (master), and Vajra-Acarya (hierophant). The guru
13464-423: The head. In the modern-day Uttar Pradesh , the groups were: the "Korkureeas" from Kohrur, "Agureeas" of Agra , "Jumaldahees", "Lodhees" and "Tundals". The "Multaneea" were from Multan . In Madhya Pradesh , the groups were: "Bangureeas" or " Banjaras ", "Balheems" or "Bulheems", "Khokhureeas" and "Soopurreeas" of Sheopur . In modern Rajasthan , the groups were "Guguras" whose name derives from river Ghaggar , and
13600-458: The idea of two different morphemes, one that causes the double negation, and one that is used for the point or the verb. Standard English in the United Kingdom, as in other English-speaking nations, is widely enforced in schools and by social norms for formal contexts but not by any singular authority; for instance, there is no institution equivalent to the Académie française with French or
13736-491: The importance within the Hindu tradition for a disciple to seek guidance from an experienced spiritual guru. Additionally, other references to the role of a guru in the Bhagavad Gita include verse 4.34 - those who know their subject well are eager for good students, and the student can learn from such a guru through reverence, service, effort and the process of inquiry. The 8th century Hindu text Upadesasahasri of
13872-568: The introduction of Thuggee in the area. A thug hailing from Shikohabad whilst talking of his clan's origin, recounted to Perry a tradition that the Munhars were influenced to take up Thuggee after witnessing the immense plunder acquired by Afghans, Mewatties and the Sheikhs . Sleeman in 1839 identified a band called "Meypunnaists" who he stated abducted children to sell them further. Another band called "Tashmabazes" who used methods introduced by
14008-428: The invention of the British colonial regime. ठग ( Thuggee ), translated from Hindi as " swindler " or "deceiver". It is related with the verb thugna ("to deceive"), from the Sanskrit स्थग ( sthaga ' cunning , sly , fraudulent ') and स्थगति ( sthagati , 'he conceals'). This term, describing the murder and robbery of travellers, was popular in the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent , especially
14144-422: The invention of the British colonial regime. However, the more radical critics in this camp have themselves been criticized for focusing overly on British perceptions of thuggee rather than on the historical accuracy of primary source documents, but conclude that "the colonial representation of thuggee cannot be taken at face value". Martine van Woerkens of École Pratique des Hautes Études writes that evidence for
14280-479: The jobs of many soldiers. Based on Sleeman's writings about the Thugs, Robert Vane Russell claimed that most of them were Kanjars . He viewed the Muslim Kanjars as having recently converted to Islam. The British generally took the view that Thuggee was a type of ritual murder practiced by worshippers of Kali. Sleeman's view of it as an aberrant faith was based on the contemporary British view that Hinduism
14416-523: The last southern Midlands accent to use the broad "a" in words like bath or grass (i.e. barth or grarss ). Conversely crass or plastic use a slender "a". A few miles northwest in Leicestershire the slender "a" becomes more widespread generally. In the town of Corby , five miles (8 km) north, one can find Corbyite which, unlike the Kettering accent, is largely influenced by
14552-518: The later Norman occupation led to the grafting onto that Germanic core of a more elaborate layer of words from the Romance branch of the European languages. This Norman influence entered English largely through the courts and government. Thus, English developed into a "borrowing" language of great flexibility and with a huge vocabulary . Dialects and accents vary amongst the four countries of
14688-457: The mass internal migration to Northamptonshire in the 1940s and given its position between several major accent regions, it has become a source of various accent developments. In Northampton the older accent has been influenced by overspill Londoners. There is an accent known locally as the Kettering accent, which is a transitional accent between the East Midlands and East Anglian . It is
14824-539: The murder or were forced to let them by those who did not believe in their customs like the Muslim thugs. Many of them avoided committing the robberies near the areas in which they lived, to avoid recognition and criminal repercussion. There were numerous traditions about their origin: In the 16th century Surdas , in his allegorical couplet, mentioned robbers called "thags" who would lure victims into their clutches to kill them and steal their property. Ibn Battuta , on his way to Calicut from Delhi as an envoy to China ,
14960-493: The names of their tribes, castes and job assignments in the gangs. Accurate recording was also difficult because the thugs adopted many aliases, with both Muslim and Hindu thugs often posing as members of the other religion. By the testimony from a Thuggee named Ghulam Hussain, Hindu and Muslim Thuggees avoided eating together, such was not the case for drinking and smoking. The campaign relied heavily on captured thugs who became informants. These informants were offered protection on
15096-513: The one who "dispels ignorance, all kinds of ignorance", ranging from spiritual to skills such as dancing, music, sports and others. Karen Pechilis states that, in the popular parlance, the "dispeller of darkness, one who points the way" definition for guru is common in the Indian tradition. In Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion , Pierre Riffard makes a distinction between "occult" and "scientific" etymologies, citing as an example of
15232-431: The practice of Thuggee. In the view of the historian Mike Dash , the Thuggee had no religious motivation in their murderous conduct. When religious elements were present among Thugs, their beliefs, in principle, were little different from the religious beliefs of many others who lived on the Indian subcontinent and attributed their success or failure to supernatural powers: "Indeed all of the Thugs's legends which concerned
15368-419: The pre-British era, with the main income of many armies coming from plunder. After being dismissed from military service, they turned to robbery as a means of subsistence. He also contested whether the thugs mentioned by Firuz Shah Tughlaq 's biography were actually the same thugs the British authorities fought against. Sagnik Bhattacharya agrees with the sceptics and claims the thug-phenomenon to be nothing but
15504-478: The religious texts contained within the Vedas and Upanishads . The education stage of a youth with a guru was referred to as Brahmacharya , and in some parts of India this followed the Upanayana or Vidyarambha rites of passage. The gurukul would be a hut in a forest, or it was, in some cases, a monastery, called a matha or ashram or sampradaya in different parts of India. Each ashram had
15640-512: The sense of "heavy with knowledge," heavy with spiritual wisdom, "heavy with spiritual weight," "heavy with the good qualities of scriptures and realization," or "heavy with a wealth of knowledge." The word has its roots in the Sanskrit gri (to invoke, or to praise), and may have a connection to the word gur , meaning 'to raise, lift up, or to make an effort'. Sanskrit guru is cognate with Latin gravis 'heavy; grave, weighty, serious' and Greek βαρύς barus 'heavy'. All three derive from
15776-542: The signal to murder which they always committed during the day. To avoid detection of a corpse, they broke its back and threw it in the river to be eaten by crocodiles and only robbed money or jewels. The British found out about them in Southern India for the first time in 1807, while in Northern India they were discovered in 1809 with an effort to suppress them being carried out from 1809 to 1812. After
15912-526: The spiritual seeker test the guru before accepting him. Swami Vivekananda said that there are many incompetent gurus, and that a true guru should understand the spirit of the scriptures, have a pure character and be free from sin, and should be selfless, without desire for money and fame. According to the Indologist Georg Feuerstein , in some traditions of Hinduism, when one reaches the state of Self-knowledge, one's own Self becomes
16048-690: The student is permitted to practice a particular tantra , in Vajrayana Buddhist sects found in Tibet and South Asia. The tantras state that the guru is equivalent to Buddha, states Berkwitz, and is a figure to worship and whose instructions should never be violated. The guru is the Buddha , the guru is the Dhamma , and the guru is the Sangha . The guru is the glorious Vajradhara , in this life only
16184-435: The student that are enjoined by the Śruti and Smrti , such as avoidance of anger, Yamas consisting of Ahimsa and others, also the rules of conduct that are not inconsistent with knowledge. He [teacher] should also thoroughly impress upon the student qualities like humility, which are the means to knowledge. The teacher is one who is endowed with the power of furnishing arguments pro and con, of understanding questions [of
16320-415: The student, he should remove the causes of non-comprehension in the student. This includes the student's past and present knowledge, want of previous knowledge of what constitutes subjects of discrimination and rules of reasoning, behavior such as unrestrained conduct and speech, courting popularity, vanity of his parentage, ethical flaws that are means contrary to those causes. The teacher must enjoin means in
16456-480: The student], and remembers them. The teacher possesses tranquility, self-control, compassion and a desire to help others, who is versed in the Śruti texts ( Vedas , Upanishads ), and unattached to pleasures here and hereafter, knows the subject and is established in that knowledge. He is never a transgressor of the rules of conduct, devoid of weaknesses such as ostentation, pride, deceit, cunning, jugglery, jealousy, falsehood, egotism and attachment. The teacher's sole aim
16592-437: The syllables gu ( गु ) and ru ( रु ), which it claims stands for darkness and "light that dispels it", respectively. The guru is seen as the one who "dispels the darkness of ignorance." Reender Kranenborg disagrees, stating that darkness and light have nothing to do with the word guru . He describes this as a folk etymology . Joel Mlecko states, " Gu means ignorance, and Ru means dispeller," with guru meaning
16728-603: The theft of work tools worth £500 from a van at the Sprucefield park and ride car park in Lisburn. A football team can be treated likewise: Arsenal have lost just one of 20 home Premier League matches against Manchester City. This tendency can be observed in texts produced already in the 19th century. For example, Jane Austen , a British author, writes in Chapter 4 of Pride and Prejudice , published in 1813: All
16864-403: The traditional accent of Newcastle upon Tyne , 'out' will sound as 'oot', and in parts of Scotland and North-West England, 'my' will be pronounced as 'me'. Long vowels /iː/ and /uː/ are diphthongised to [ɪi] and [ʊu] respectively (or, more technically, [ʏʉ], with a raised tongue), so that ee and oo in feed and food are pronounced with a movement. The diphthong [oʊ] is also pronounced with
17000-634: The uneducated population of Central India , the Mussulmans vie with the Hindus in a devotion of this sanguinary deity ( Devi or Bhavani ) far exceeding that they pay to any other." Sleeman thought that some Brahmins acted as intelligence providers to thugs, claiming that they profited from Thuggee and directed it. David Ochterlony blamed the Pindaris for the rise of Thuggee while Sleeman blamed it on Indian rulers dismissing their armies which took away
17136-564: The village of Murnae, a headquarter of the Thugs, destroyed and burnt by the Company soldiers. Laljee fled to Rampura and the southern banks of Sindh River but was caught by the Marathas who turned him over to the company. British authorities had occasionally captured and prosecuted Thugs, circulating information about these cases in newsletters or the journal Asiatick Researches of The Asiatic Society . However, Sleeman seems to have been
17272-568: The world are good and agreeable in your eyes. However, in Chapter 16, the grammatical number is used. The world is blinded by his fortune and consequence. Some dialects of British English use negative concords, also known as double negatives . Rather than changing a word or using a positive, words like nobody, not, nothing, and never would be used in the same sentence. While this does not occur in Standard English, it does occur in non-standard dialects. The double negation follows
17408-526: Was notably limited . However, the degree of influence remains debated, and it has recently been argued that its grammatical influence accounts for the substantial innovations noted between English and the other West Germanic languages. Initially, Old English was a diverse group of dialects, reflecting the varied origins of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. One of these dialects, Late West Saxon , eventually came to dominate. The original Old English
17544-654: Was a despicable and immoral faith founded on idol-worship. R. C. Sherwood in Asiatick Researches published in 1820 traces this phenomenon back to the Muslim conquests of India and suggests links to Hindu mythology. Charles Trevelyan viewed Thugs as representatives of the "essence" of Hinduism (rather than as a deviant sect), which he considered to be "evil" and "false". In 1882, Alexander Cunningham commented on Hiouen-Thsang 's remarks about "people who visited Kahalgaon and forgot to leave it", speculating that
17680-541: Was adapted by Linnaeus into the Latinate genus name Datura . A leader of a Thuggee was called jemadar . This was derived from military-style ranks such as jemadar and subedar among Thugs as well as reference to individual members as a " private ", suggests that the organisation of their gangs had a military link. They used a jargon known as Ramasee to disguise their true intentions from their targets. The Thuggee members comprised some who had inherited Thuggee as
17816-461: Was attacked by bandits, who probably were thugs. The Janamsakhis used the term thag to refer to a robber who used to lure pilgrims. Jean de Thévenot in his 1665 account referred to a band of robbers who used a "certain Slip with a running noose" to strangle their victims. John Fryer also mentions a similar method of strangling used by robbers from Surat whom he saw being given capital punishment by
17952-642: Was formidable with the sanctions of age and old custom. If ever there was an unpromising task, if ever there was a hopeless task in the world, surely it was offered here—the task of conquering Thuggee. But that little handful of English officials in India set their sturdy and confident grip upon it, and ripped it out, root and branch! How modest do Captain Vallancey's words sound now, when we read them again, knowing what we know: " The day that sees this far-spread evil completely eradicated from India, and known only in name, will greatly tend to immortalise British rule in
18088-588: Was named so because its members lived along the Yamuna river , they hailed from the Doab and Awadh regions. Another stated origin is that their ancestor was the Thuggee Jumulud Deen. The Telinganie originated from Telangana , Arcottees from Arcot and Beraries from Berar . The "Lodaha" group, mostly concentrated in Bihar , were caravaneers named after the lodha or load they carried and according to
18224-422: Was never a truly mixed language in the strictest sense of the word; mixed languages arise from the cohabitation of speakers of different languages, who develop a hybrid tongue for basic communication). The more idiomatic, concrete and descriptive English is, the more it is from Anglo-Saxon origins. The more intellectual and abstract English is, the more it contains Latin and French influences, e.g. swine (like
18360-565: Was replaced by the Central Criminal Intelligence Department (CID). In Following the Equator , Mark Twain wrote about an 1839 government report by William Henry Sleeman: There is one very striking thing which I wish to call attention to. You have surmised from the listed callings followed by the victims of the Thugs that nobody could travel the Indian roads unprotected and live to get through; that
18496-532: Was then influenced by two waves of invasion: the first was by speakers of the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic family, who settled in parts of Britain in the eighth and ninth centuries; the second was the Normans in the 11th century, who spoke Old Norman and ultimately developed an English variety of this called Anglo-Norman . These two invasions caused English to become "mixed" to some degree (though it
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