Juggernaut

n. Jagannath, idol of Krishna

n. destructive force; something which requires blind devotion or cruel sacrifice;

The term juggernaut is used to describe any literal or metaphorical force regarded as unstoppable that will crush all in its path. The word is derived from the Sanskrit Jagannātha (meaning "Lord of the universe") which is one of the many names of Krishna from the ancient Vedic scriptures of India. One of the most famous of Indian temples is the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Orissa, which has the Ratha Yatra (chariot procession), an annual procession of chariots carrying the murtis/statues of Jagannâth (Krishna), Subhadra and Baladeva (Krishna's elder brother). During the British colonial era, Christian missionaries promulgated a fallacy that Hindu devotees of Krishna were lunatic fanatics who threw themselves under the wheels of these chariots in order to attain salvation. Such a description can also be found in the popular fourteenth-century work "The Travels of Sir John Mandeville." The fact is that devotees have sometimes been crushed accidentally in the past as the massive 45 foot tall, multi-ton chariot slipped out of control. Many have also been killed in the resulting stampedes. The sight led the Britons to use the word "Juggernaut" to refer to other instances of unstoppable, crushing forces.
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Noun
1. an avatar of Vishnu
(synonym) Jagannath, Jagannatha, Jagganath
(hypernym) avatar
2. a crude idol of Krishna
(hypernym) idol, graven image, god

Noun
1. a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way
(synonym) steamroller
(hypernym) power, force

(n.)
One of the names under which Vishnu, in his incarnation as Krishna, is worshiped by the Hindoos.
  

[Hindu] The image of the Hindu god Vishnu (whose title is "Jagannath", literally "lord of the world") that was carried on a enormous carriage through the streets of India. As an act of devotion, devotees used to throw themselves beneath its great wheels to be crushed to death. This story was reported by the Fransiscan missionary Friar Odoric in the early 14th century and it is probably an exaggeration or misinterpretation of actual events, but the story spread throughout Europe. By the 19th century, the word "juggernaut" was used to refer to any massive vehicle with crushing abilities.