Nirvana Meanings:
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Dictionary:

Main Entry: nir·va·na
Pronunciation: nir-'vä-n&, (")n&r-
Function: noun
Usage:  often capitalized 
Etymology: Sanskrit nirvAna, literally, act of extinguishing, from nis- out + vAti it blows 
more at WIND 
Date: 1801
1 : the final beatitude that transcends suffering, karma, and samsara and is sought especially 
in Buddhism through the extinction of desire and individual consciousness 
2 a : a place or state of oblivion to care, pain, or external reality; also : BLISS, HEAVEN b : 
a goal hoped for but apparently unattainable : DREAM 
- nir·van·ic /-'vä-nik, -'va-/ adjective


Thesaurus:

Entry Word: nirvana
Function: noun
Text:
Synonyms: HEAVEN 2, bliss, Canaan, Civitas Dei, elysium, empyrean, happy hunting ground, 
New Jerusalem, paradise, Zion 


Encyclopedia:

History of Nirvana 
Frequently hailed as a flagship band of Generation X, Nirvana were a grunge band from 
Seattle (late 1980s early 1990s). Members included Kurt Cobain (guitar and vocals), 
Krist Novoselic (bass and backing vocals), Dave Grohl (drums and backing vocals), and later, 
an unofficial 4th member (Pat Smear) who played guitar when the band toured. Their first 
album, Bleach (featuring Chad Channing on drums), was a garage rock record, made for the 
Seattle independent record label Sub Pop and sold poorly. Their second, Nevermind, sweetened 
the sound of the earlier with a cleaner production (by Butch Vig) and occasional pop 
hooks. Recorded for the much larger Geffen Records label, it was a major breakthrough both 
for the band and the rock music scene. The highly infectious single "Smells Like Teen 
Spirit" received heavy airplay on MTV, inspiring a slew of imitators and bringing the 
grunge sound into the mainstream. Their follow up, 1993's In Utero, was slightly less 
accessible to the mass market due to its more subdued and introspective sound, but still 
obtained critical and commercial success. 

Singer Kurt Cobain was known to be troubled, and suffered from bipolar disorder. He wrote a 
song, "Lithium", about the medication lithium carbonate, which is used to treat bipolar 
disorder. Around 1993 Cobain married musician and actress Courtney Love. Plagued by 
an unexplained stomach illness and increasingly dissatisfied with the crass commercialism of 
the music industry, Cobain became depressed, reclusive, and a heroin addict. Cobain 
committed suicide in 1994, after which the band broke apart. 

Several albums have been released since Cobain's death, including a live set, and a 
superb perfomance on MTV's Unplugged. In the years following Kurt Cobain's death, there has 
been much controversy over the ownership of Nirvana's music. The two surviving members, Grohl 
and Novoselic, and wife Courney Love, have argued the issue of releasing a new ablum 
containing rare or unreleased tracks. On October 29, 2002, following a grueling legal battle, 
the album Nirvana was released containing several greatest hits and one unreleased track, 
"You Know You're Right". (A live version of this song can be found on Outcesticide 
V(5) Disintegration. This was released prior to the album Nirvana.) 

According to some, notably public access host Richard Lee of Seattle, Kurt Cobain was 
murdered. His ongoing documentary has been running since the week after Cobain's 
demise. In addition, a documentary film called "Kurt & Courtney" was made by filmmaker 
Nick Broomfield which suggests that Love had Cobain killed. However, these are 
generally considered to be conspiracy theories and the official verdict of death 
by self-inflicted gunshot wound is widely accepted.