Archive for Category: Noun

botchery:

a task done badly or carelessly

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  Ravana’s commander assured him that Lanka had been burned not because of the demons’ botchery but because Hanuman had caught them by surprise. Mahabharata:  On coming to know that the Pandavas had survived the Varnavarta fire, Duryodhana condemned the dead Purochana for his botchery. Bhagavad-gita:  If we listen uncritically to our mind,

hegemony:

leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  Ravana couldn’t believe that a mere mortal could dare to challenge the hegemony he had established by conquering the entire universe. Mahabharata:  By sacrificing the hundred kings he had arrested, Jarasandha planned to gain mystical power and thereby establish hegemony over the entire world. Bhagavad-gita:  Demons don’t just disbelieve in God; they

despot:

anyone who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it cruelly

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  As Ravana conquered more and more parts of the universe, other competing demoniac races soon recognized that he was a despot and submitted to his overlordship. Mahabharata:  Kamsa was a despot who unhesitatingly killed six of his newborn nephews in cold blood in front of their parents. Bhagavad-gita:  Demons are despots who

debacle:

a complete and humiliating failure

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  Ravana’s plan to burn Hanuman’s tail turned out to be a debacle – his own city ended up burned, and Hanuman escaped unhurt and victorious. Mahabharata:  Due to the intervention of the Gandharvas, Duryodhana’s scheme to exhibit his wealth before the exiled Pandavas ended up in a debacle. Bhagavad-gita:  In the Gita’s

nincompoop:

stupid or foolish person

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  In some renditions of the Ramayana for children, when baby Hanuman performs some pranks, his friends are so bewildered that they act like nincompoops.   Mahabharata:  The illusions in the maya-sabha were so bewildering that in trying to navigate them, Duryodhana ended up acting like a nincompoop. Bhagavad-gita:  We may be extremely smart

retribution:

punishment inflicted on someone for their wrong or criminal act

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  Lying besides Ravana’s corpse, Mandodari lamented, “You have received the just retribution for your vile act of abducting the chaste Sita.” Mahabharata:  Fearing retribution by the powerful Duryodhana, none of those present in the Kuru assembly dared be the first to oppose the mistreatment of Draupadi. Bhagavad-gita:  Karma is meant not for

virtuosity:

the quality of being extremely skilled at something

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  The virtuosity of the poet who composed the Ramayana, Valmiki, was such that the epic came to be celebrated as the adi-kavya, the original poem. Mahabharata:  Maya’s virtuosity in constructing the assembly hall for Yudhishthira was such that it became celebrated as the palace of illusion, and it left visitors spellbound. Bhagavad-gita: 

rhetoric:

clever language that sounds good but is not sincere or has no real meaning

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  After Rama pointed out Vali’s grievous wrongs, the monkey didn’t use any rhetoric to defend himself; he humbly accepted his mistakes and apologized to Sugriva. Mahabharata:  After walking out from the Kuru assembly where Krishna was presenting his peace proposal, Duryodhana warned his supporters to guard against Krishna’s rhetoric. Bhagavad-gita:  Krishna pointed

infatuation:

an intense but short-lived passion or admiration for someone or something

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  While Ravana had earlier felt infatuation for many attractive women whom he had thereafter abducted, what he felt for Sita seemed to be far more overpowering. Mahabharata:  Kichaka’s infatuation with Draupadi would have seemed humorous, if his actions toward her hadn’t been so vicious. Bhagavad-gita:  Infatuation is like an intoxication; it transports

precedent:

an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances

Example Sentences: Ramayana:  Many of the defining incidents in the Ramayana have become precedents on which Indian society has based its behaviour for millennia. Mahabharata:  While discussing whether Draupadi’s marrying five husbands was appropriate, Vyasadeva stressed that such a relationship, although not common, had some precedents in history. Bhagavad-gita:  When Krishna recommended renunciation in action,