darshan

English

Etymology 1

From Sanskrit दर्शन (darśana, “vision”), from a root दृश् (dṛś, “to see”).

Noun

darshan (countable and uncountable, plural darshans)

1. (Hinduism, Buddhism) Hierophany, theophany; being in the presence of the divine or holy (as a person or object).
   • 2002, S. Brent Plate, Religion, Art, and Visual Culture: A Cross-Cultural Reader‎^[1], →ISBN, page 171:

     A common sight in India is a crowd of people gathered in the courtyard of a temple or at the doorway of a streetside shrine for the darshan of the deity.

   • 2006, Linda Hess, chapter 8, in The Life of Hinduism‎^[2], page 183:

     Hindus take darshan of a holy person, object, or place, believing that its mere presence, particularly the sight of it, conveys blessings.

   • 2007, Editors of Hinduism Today, What Is Hinduism?: Modern Adventures Into a Profound Global Faith‎^[3], page 151:

     When approaching a soul who is known to give darshan, be in the same area of the superconscious mind that you feel he must be in.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Hebrew דַּרְשָׁן (darshán).

Noun

darshan (plural darshanim)

1. (Judaism) An exegete.
2. (Judaism) A preacher.

Anagrams

• Hansard, Shandra, dharnas