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Deathless

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A state of immortality or liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara), a goal in Buddhism and Hinduism.

Detailed Definition
The Deathless (Amrita in Sanskrit) refers to Nirvana or Moksha, the unconditioned state beyond all suffering and impermanence. In poetry, it is the ultimate object of spiritual seeking, the final refuge. Poets contrast the fleeting, decaying nature of the material world with the promise of the Deathless, creating a tension that fuels the seeker's journey. It represents not merely eternal life, but a qualitative state of being—uncreated, unbound, and beyond all change—offering a profound hope and resolution to the human predicament of mortality.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Hindu poetry, amrita (deathless nectar) grants immortality: “Drink and never thirst again”; In Buddhist verse, Nirvana is the Deathless: “Beyond birth and death—the Deathless shore”; In Sufi poetry, the Beloved’s gaze confers deathlessness: “One look—and time forgets my name”; Contemporary poets use “Deathless” to describe legacy: “Your words—Deathless, though your bones return to dust.”
Additional Notes
“Deathless” (amata in Pali) refers to Nibbana/Nirvana—the cessation of craving and rebirth; unlike eternal life in heaven, it is an unconditioned state beyond description; poets approach it through negation (no birth, no death) or paradox (awake while the world sleeps), using silence or stillness to point toward liberation.
Also Known As
Amrita Nibbana (in some contexts)
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