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I've seen many people called "Ramaswami". Is it a honour title or a family name? --83.43.178.19 11:49, 16 September 2006 (UTC)Reply

I suspect it is a family name. I work with a computer programmer, a gentleman by the surname of Krishnaswamy, and while the spelling is not that which I am accustomed to, he explains that it is simply his family name. Tenmiles 04:48, 14 February 2007 (UTC)Reply

Its a firstname that is used mainly by people of South Indian oral. "Swami" when used with a deity's name means Lord. RAMASWAMI means Lord Rama. It is not an honorary title. SanskritGuy (talk) 22:43, 1 July 2010 (UTC) 22:43, 1 July 2010 (UTC)Reply

i think it might be better for someone to just do a full rewrite of this article. it is definitely better after dantes changes, but the article, on the whole, is still so far from encyclopedic and probably will be unless totally redone. --Ganeshananda 23:55, 8 February 2007 (UTC) I agree--Mr.XReply

I just want to second Ganeshanandas opion. This article is horrific. Bilz0r 23:10, 23 March 2007 (UTC)Reply

maybe we should just get the different sections for the article up so that the people who care about each respectively can flesh them out. like, just get a couple basic sentences up for each section to get it started. i think one of the problems is the various definitions and interpretations for swami, and how to resolve them into a 2 paragraph article. instead it might be better to have 5 mini-articles that will soon get filled out into a big, multi-faceted article that incorporates all the interpretations. but it almost seems like a big under construction sign would be better than the present article.--Ganeshananda 07:18, 26 March 2007 (UTC)Reply

i was looking under orange and found a bunch of info about the orange robes they wear thats not in this article. i think it should be included. 65.58.203.31 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 22:12, 28 March 2009 (UTC).Reply

no--Mr.X It's not clear right now what god the article's referring to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.201.150.130 (talk) 19:05, 6 December 2007 (UTC)Reply

The title of Swami also indicates that the individual has take the oaths of "sanyas", which includes oaths of chastity, poverty, and obedience. To be a Swami is to be celibate, and to renounce all worldly possessions.--Ksteveh (talk) 02:25, 24 November 2008 (UTC)Reply

YES! You are completely right.--Mr.X Swami generally refers to a male sannyasin; a sannyasini would be Swamini. However, sometimes in present day, Swami is used for women (Like Chidvilasananda). I believe the "Swami", though a kind of prefix, is not merely an "honorific" but actually a part of a sannyasin's name. Devadaru (talk) 20:11, 6 May 2010 (UTC)Reply

Swami is not the part of the sanyasin's actual name. While taking the oath of renunciation, the person abandons his social status, including a monastic name. The monastic name is usually a single word i.e. there is no title/firstname/lastname etc. The Shaivite or Non-dualistic sanyasins have the suffix "Aanand" (sanskrit for bliss) with their names (like Swami Vivekananda); while the Vaishnavites sanyasins have the suffix "daas" (Sanskrit for slave. People call them by Swami or Baba or other such names out of their respect and affection. It would be rather impolite to refer them only by their names, so one would say "Swami Vivekananda", instead of just "Vivekananda". However SWAMI is not a part of their actual name. SanskritGuy (talk) 22:54, 1 July 2010 (UTC) 22:54, 1 July 2010 (UTC)Reply

Well, I haven't been able to find any references supporting either view. Do you have some refs? As I have heard, anyhow, the Yoga patta or swami's name (in Shankara's Order) consists of three parts: "Swami", the name "Vivekananda" or "Bhaskarananda" or whatever, and "Bharati", "Puri", etc, indicating which of the 10 streams of the Dasanami order the sannyasin belongs to. Devadaru (talk) 13:20, 5 October 2010 (UTC)Reply