Rural Dictionary

nirvana

1. A term used in Hinduism, the native religion of India and third largest religion in the world behind Christianity and Islam. Hinduists believe that a person reincarnates until they achieve an understanding of the relationship between God(known by Bhrama or Atman) and man. The state at which this is achieved is known as nirvana, and person who has achieved this is known as a guru. It is believed that once nirvana is achieved, a person will achieve the aftelife, rather than reincarnating.

2. A term used by Budhists to describe the ultimate state of enlightment in which the soul is free from all worldly possessions. Derived from the Hinduist phrase.

3. A state of total bliss or happiness.

4. A popular rock band of the same name from the late 80s and early 90s featuring Kurt Cobain (1967-1994)

"He no longer saw the face of his friend Siddhartha, instead he saw
other faces, many, a long sequence, a flowing river of faces, of
hundreds, of thousands, which all came and disappeared, and yet all
seemed to be there simultaneously, which all constantly changed and
renewed themselves, and which were still all Siddhartha." - From Herman Hesse's Siddhartha

by Anonymous April 27, 2003

2729👍 506👎

nirvana

I'm reading these definitions and I thought I had to do one of my own. Most of 'em are by people who've only heard a "the hits" on the rock-radio, or by angst-ridden, dumbass teens who like Slipknot as well.

Throw away the cliches, Smells like Teen Spirit, and Kurt Cobain's idea of hating fame. Forget all that shit. Then, go spend ten bucks and buy them live, unplugged on MTV.

Before an artsy internet geek get's all nimbly bimbly on me for mentioning MTV.. remember, there was a time when Eric Clapton, Bobby Dylan, and Noel Gallagher all found there way onto the MTV screen.. it wasn't always shit.

Take the Unplugged CD, throw it in whatever you use to play music, and forget about everything else that you're doing. From All Apologies to Where Did You Sleep Last Night, you will be blown away.

Honest to god, that eerie tingle in Cobain's voice will make you wonder how you've lived without hearing this album. Do yourself a favour, sober up and go to the record store. Buy it, and thank me.

Also, don't do heroin. Not cool atall.

Clerky : "That'll be 11.99"
Clerky : "A twenty? Here's your change."
Dude : "Thanks man"
Clerky : "Oh, by the way. Nice choice. Solid stuff you got there"

by johnny depp August 24, 2004

3555👍 800👎

nirvana

1.
In Buddhism the state of release from the bondage of Karma and rebirth where desire and lust have been ceased to have power and no renewal of existence will take place after death. To gain Nirvana was the goal which the Buddha set before his followers as a supreme end to their efforts and longings. The northern school of Buddhist teaching has interpreted Nirvana to mean an actual paradise of existance after death attained as the reward of a saintly life on earth.

2. Nirvana is also a band. The core of the band Nirvana was Kurt Cobain, lead guitarist and vocalist, and Krist Novoselic, bass player. After going through many many different name changes and member changes, Kurt and Krist met Chad Channing, who became their drummer for their debut album. Some of the other notable people that were in the band, or its earliest incarnations, were Buzz Osbourne and Dale Crover of the Melvins and Danny Peters of Mudhoney, among others.

Nirvana recorded their Bleach album for about $600, a dark, crunching album containing simple, guitar driven like Negative Creep and School as well as more sophisticated songs like About a Girl, and a modified version of Shocking Blue's Love Buzz. It was released in June of '89 by Sub Pop records. After recording, Nirvana went on tour after the addition of guitarist Jason Everman. Jason was added because Kurt wasn't sure he could handle singing and playing guitar at the same time. Jason also helped contribute quite a bit of the money to record the debut LP.

After touring and and looking for another label, Nirvana was bought out of their two year contract by DGC, David Geffen's record label. They recorded their Nevermind album in May of '91 at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. It was released on September 13, 1991 and went platinum in about three weeks, mostly due to the song Smells Like Teen Spirit, which has been labeled as the anthem of generation X.

After a massive tour in support of Nevermind, Nirvana came back to the states. A collection of B-sides and rarities, called Incesticide was released, and sold well despite very little fanfare. After touring constantly, Nirvana once again returned to the studios in March of 1993 to record their long-awaited new album, In Utero.

Originally, DGC was not pleased with the album at all. Their first comment upon hearing the recording was, "Nice demos. When can we expect to hear the finished album?" They thought that it had no commercial value at all, and would let Nirvana's fans down after the slick, radio friendly Nevermind album. A few of the songs were later remixed or rerecorded, but the majority of the album stayed the same. One of the reasons why it may not have sounded quite as great as Nevermind is that In Utero was recorded in two weeks. Most of the vocals were done in one day, with the help of a lot of cough syrup, and a lot of the songs were recorded in one take. It was also plagued with problems regarding Krist's bass playing, which was frequently inaudible.

But, after working out their difficulties with their company, In Utero was released on September 14, 1993 in the United Kingdom. Due to an unforseen delay, it was released in the United States on September 21, 1993. The foreign version also contained a secret track, Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip. It was labeled as a "Deflated American Dollar Purchase Incentive Track," and is now available on bootlegs and import CDs only.

Nirvana returned to the road, playing in the states and overseas. On January 8, 1994 Nirvana played their final American show in Seattle, Washington. They then toured Europe, playing their last show on March 1 in Munich, Germany.

After returning to the United States, Kurt Cobain dissapeared after jumping the wall at the Exodus rehabilitation clinic, where he was undergoing rehab for a heroin addiction. Several days later, on April 8, his body was found by an electrician at his house in Seattle, Washington. Kurt had been dead for several days, the victim of a self inflicted gunshot wound. He left a suicide note near his body, explaning why he had killed himself. Fans still didn't accept his death, and many haven't still.

1. Monk: I have been meditating for a long time, but finally have i reached Nirvana.

2. -I like this music, what's the band called?
-the band is called Nirvana.

by Max March 10, 2005

232👍 75👎