Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >A<

Acharya

Adhvaryu priest

One of the priests officiating at a sacrifice, his duty being to measure the ground, builds the altar; prepare the sacrificial vessels, etc. While he is engaged in these duties, hymns from the Yajur—Veda are recited.

Adityas

Twelve deities constituting a group.

Advaita

Non—duality; also the name of a school of Vedanta philosophy teaching the oneness of God, soul and universe, whose chief exponents were Gaudapada and Sankaracharya.

Agamas

The Vedas.

Agni

Fire; the god of fire.

Agnihotra

A Vedic sacrifice in which oblations were offered to Agni, the god of fire.

Akasa

The first of the five material elements that constitute the universe; often translated as "space" and "ether." The four other elements are vayu (air), agni (fire), ap (water) and prithivi (earth).

Anandagiri

A well—known Sanskrit scholar who wrote commentaries chiefly on Sankaracharya’s explanations of the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita.

Anandam

Bliss.

Antahkarana

The inner organ; the mind.

Apana

A modification of the vital breath, by the action of which the unassimilated food and drink go downward and are ultimately ejected; also the movement of the out—going breath. See prana.

Aranyaka

One of the sections of the Vedas.

Arjuna

A hero of the epic Mahabharata and a friend and disciple of Krishna.

Aryaman

The sun god.

Asrama

Hermitage; also any one of the four stages of life: the celibate student stage (brahmacharya), the married householder stage (garhasthya), the stage of retirement and contemplation (vanaprastha) and the stage of religious mendicancy (sannyasa).

Asramas

The four stages of life in Hindu society: the celibate student stage (brahmacharya), the married householder stage (garhasthya), the stage of retirement and contemplation (vanaprastha) and the stage of religious mendicancy (sannyasa).

Asvamedha

The Horse—sacrifice, performed in ancient India by kings and emperors to demonstrate their sovereignty over other princes.

Asvattha

The holy fig tree; sometimes used as a symbol of the universe.

Asvins

The twin sons of the sun god and physicians of the gods in heaven.

Atharva—Veda

One of the four Vedas. See Vedas.

Atman

The Self or Soul; denotes both the Supreme Soul and (with small a) the individual soul, which, according to Non—dualistic Vedanta, are ultimately identical.

Aum

The same as OM.

Avidya

A term of Vedanta philosophy denoting ignorance, individual or cosmic.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >B<

Badarayana

The author of the Brahma Sutras and other philosophical works; also known as Vyasa.

Bhagavad Gita

An important Hindu scripture, comprising eighteen chapters of the section on Bhishma in the epic Mahabharata embodying the teachings of Sri Krishna.

Bhagavan

(Lit. One endowed with the six attributes, namely, infinite prosperity, strength, glory, splendour, knowledge and renunciation.) An epithet of the Godhead; also the Personal God of the devotee.

Bhagavata

A well—known scripture dealing mostly with the life of Sri Krishna.

Bhakti

Love of God.

Bhuh

Earth.

Bhuvah

The space between earth and heaven; the atmosphere.

Brahma

The Creator God; the First Person of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Vishnu and Siva.

Brahma priest

The chief among the four priests who conduct a sacrifice.

Brahma Sutras

An authoritative treatise on Vedanta philosophy, ascribed to Vyasa.

Brahmacharin

A celibate student who lives with his teacher and devotes himself to the practice of spiritual discipline.

Brahmacharya

The first of the four stages of life; the life of an unmarried student.

Brahmaloka

The Plane of Brahma, roughly corresponding to the highest heaven of the dualistic religions, where fortunate souls go after death and enjoy communion with the Personal God.

Brahman

The Absolute; the Supreme Reality of Non—dualistic Vedanta.

Brahmana

One of the two main sections of the Vedas, which includes the Aranyakas and the Upanishads.

Brahmarandhra

The aperture at the top of the head through which the soul of an illumined person leaves the body at death.

Brahmavidya

The Knowledge of Brahman.

Brahmin

A member of the priestly caste, the highest caste in Hindu society.

Brihaspati

The preceptor and priest of the gods.

Buddhi

The determinative faculty of the mind, which makes decisions; sometimes translated as "intellect."

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >C<

Chandraloka

The Plane of the Moon, where souls repair after death to enjoy the fruit of their meritorious deeds done with a selfish motive. Afterwards these souls are reborn on earth.

Chit

Consciousness.

Cycle

A world period, representing the duration of the universe between its manifestation and its return to the unmanifested state.

Devaloka

The Plane of the Deities.

Devas

(Lit. shining ones.) The gods of Hindu mythology.

Dharma

Righteousness, duty; the inner constitution of a thing, which governs its growth.

Dvija

(Lit. twice—born.) An epithet applied to members of the three upper castes after their investiture with the sacred thread, which is their second, or spiritual birth. The first birth is the physical birth from their mother's womb.

Five Fires, Doctrine of the

See Brihadaranyaka Upanishads

Gandharva

A member of a class of demigods in Hindu mythology, who are the musicians of the gods.

Gayatri

A sacred verse of the Vedas, recited daily by Hindus of the three upper castes after their investiture with the sacred thread.

Gayatri Mantra

A sacred verse of the Vedas, recited daily by Hindus of the three upper castes after their investiture with the sacred thread.

Gita

The same as Bhagavad Gita.

Guna

According to Samkhya philosophy, prakriti (nature or matter) consists of three gunas—usually translated as "qualities"—known as sattva, rajas and tamas. Tamas stands for dullness or inertia; rajas, for restlessness or activity; sattva, for balance or righteousness. They are the three strands forming the twisted rope of nature, by which a man is bound to the relative world.

Guru

Spiritual teacher.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >H<

Harih

An epithet of the Godhead.

Hiranyagarbha

(Lit. the Golden Egg.) The first manifestation of Saguna Brahman in the relative universe.

Homa

Sacrifice.

Horse—Sacrifice

See Asvamedha.

Hotri Priest

A priest conducting a sacrifice; especially one who recites the prayers of the Rig—Veda at the sacrifice.

Ikshvaku

The first king of the Solar Dynasty, mentioned in the Puranas.

Indra

The king of the gods.

Isvara

The Personal God. See Saguna Brahman.

Jagat

The relative universe.

Jainas

The followers of Jainism, an important religious sect of India.

Jamuna

A sacred river of India.

Janaka

One of the ideal kings in Hindu mythology, who combined yoga with enjoyment of the world.

Jiva

(Lit. living being.) The individual soul, which in essence is one with the Universal Soul.

Jivanmukta

One enjoying Liberation while living in the body. See Jnana Knowledge of Reality.

Jnana

Knowledge of Reality arrived at through reasoning and discrimination; also (with small j) the process of reasoning by means of which Ultimate Truth is attained.

Jnanakanda

The part of the Vedas that teaches philosophical wisdom.

Kanada

A sage who was the founder of the Vaiseshika philosophy.

Kapila

The well—known founder of the Samkhya philosophy.

Karma

Action in general; duty. The Vedas use this word chiefly to denote ritualistic worship and humanitarian action.

Karmakanda

The part of the Vedas that deals with rituals and sacrifices.

Kshattriya

A member of the second or warrior caste in Hindu society.

Kusa Grass

A kind of grass from which mats for meditation are made; also used in the sacrifice.

Madhva

Short for Madhvacharya.

Madhvacharya

The chief exponent of Dualistic Vedanta (A. D. 1199—1296).

Mahabharata

The celebrated Hindu epic containing the Bhagavad Gita.

Mahah

The fourth of the seven upper planes in the relative universe; it is an intermediary region between the three planes constituting Brahmaloka and the three planes known as Bhuh, Bhuvah and Svah.

Mahesvara

(Lit. the Great Lord.) The Lord of all the Isvaras, or Governors, of the innumerable Brahmandas, or world systems; an epithet of Saguna Brahman.

Manas

The faculty of doubt and volition; sometimes translated as "mind."

Mantra

Holy Sanskrit text; also (with capital M) one of the two main sections of the Vedas, which describes the hymns used in the sacrifices.

Manu

The celebrated lawgiver of ancient India; also the name of the mythical personage regarded as the representative man and father of the human race.

Maruts

The winds.

Maya

A term of Vedanta philosophy denoting ignorance obscuring the vision of Reality; the cosmic illusion on account of which the One appears as many, the Absolute as the relative world.

Meru

A mythical mountain abounding in gold and precious stones. The abode of Brahma, the Creator and a meeting—place for the gods, demigods, rishis and other supernatural beings, Meru is regarded as the axis around which the planets revolve.

Mimamsa

Same as Purva—mimamsa.

Mimamsakas

The followers of the Purva—mimamsa philosophy, a system based upon the ritualistic portion of the Vedas, whose chief exponent was Jaimini.

Mitra

The sun.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >N<

Naiyayikas

The followers of Nyaya philosophy.

Nirguna Brahman

(Lit. Brahman without attributes.) A term in Vedanta used to describe the Absolute.

Nirvana

Final absorption in Brahman, or All—pervading Reality, through the annihilation of the individual ego.

Nitya Karma

Daily obligatory work, such as worship of God, by the performance of which sins accumulated in past lives are gradually destroyed and the propensity to new sins is checked.

Non—Dualism

A school of Vedanta philosophy teaching the oneness of God, soul and universe. See Advaita.

Northern Path

The Devayina, or Way of the Gods, by which departing souls attain to Brahmaloka.

Nyaya

Indian logic; founded by Gautama, it is one of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >O<

Om

The most sacred word of the Vedas; also written Aum. It is a symbol both of the Personal God and of the Absolute.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >P<

Panchadasi

An authoritative Vedantic treatise.

Paramahamsa

One belonging to the highest order of sannyasins, or monks.

Patanjali

The author of the Yoga system, one of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy, which deals with concentration and its methods, control of the mind, samadhi and similar matters.

Pitris

Forefathers.

Pitriyana

The Southern Path, or Way of the Manes, by which departing souls attain to Chandraloka, or the Plane of the Moon.

Plane of the Moon

Chandraloka, a plane where departed souls enjoy the fruit of their meritorious action performed while on earth and from which they return to earth for rebirth to satisfy their unfulfilled desires.

Prajapati

The Creator God.

Prajna

Consciousness functioning in deep sleep.

Prajnatman

The conscious self.

Prakriti

Primordial nature; the material substratum of the creation, consisting of sattva, rajas and tamas.

Prana

The vital breath which sustains life in a physical body; the primal energy or force, of which other forces are manifestations. In the books of Yoga, the prana is described as having five modifications, according to its five bodily functions:

1. prana (which controls the breath),
2. apana (which carries down unassimilated food and drink),
3. vyana (which pervades the entire body),
4. udana (by which the contents of the stomach are ejected through the mouth and the soul, at death, is conducted from the body) and
5. samana (which carries nutrition throughout the body).

Prana (with capital P) is also a name of Saguna Brahman, or Brahman with attributes.

Pranayama

Control of the breath; one of the disciplines of Yoga.

Prarabdha Karma

That portion of the work performed in a previous life which is bearing fruit in the present life.

Pratika

Something worshipped as a substitute for God.

Puranas

Books of Hindu mythology.

Purusha

(Lit. person.) A term of Samkhya philosophy denoting Spirit, or the Conscious Principle. The universe evolves from the union of prakriti (nature) and Purusha. In Vedanta the word also denotes the Soul and the Absolute.

Purva—Mimamsa

A system of orthodox Hindu philosophy whose chief exponent was Jaimini; it is based upon the ritualistic part of the Vedas.

Pushan

The nourisher; also an epithet of the sun.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >Q<

Qualified Non—Dualism

A school of Vedanta founded by Ramanuja, according to which the soul and nature are modes of Brahman and the individual soul is a part of Brahman.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >R<

Rajas

Raja—Yoga

A system of Yoga ascribed to Patanjali, dealing with concentration and its methods, control of the mind, samadhi and similar matters.

Rakshasas

Members of a class of demigods; monsters.

Ramakrishna

A great saint of Bengal regarded as a Divine Incarnation (A.D. 1836—1886).

Ramanuja

Short for Ramanujacharya.

Ramanujacharya

A great saint of southern India, the founder of the school of Qualified Non—dualistic Vedanta (A. D. 1017—1137).

Rechaka

Exhalation of the breath.

Rig

A verse of the Rig—Veda.

Rig—Veda

One of the four Vedas. See Vedas.

Rik

Same as Rig.

Rishi

A seer of Truth to whom the wisdom of the Vedas was revealed; a general name for saint or ascetic.

Rudras

Members of a group of gods, eleven in number, supposed to be collateral manifestations of Siva, who is their leader.

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Sachchidananda

(Lit. Existence—Knowledge—Bliss Absolute.) A name of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality.

Sadhyas

Members of a class of celestial beings.

Saguna Brahman

(Lit. Brahman with attributes.) The Absolute conceived as the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the universe. Corresponds to Isvara, or the Personal God.

Saivas

The worshippers of Siva.

Sakti

Power, generally the Creative Power of Brahman; a name of the Divine Mother in the Hindu religion.

Salagrama

A stone emblem of Vishnu, the Supreme Lord.

Samadhi

Ecstasy, trance, communion with God.

Saman

The Sama—Veda. See Vedas

Samana

A modification of the vital breath, by the action of which nutrition is carried all through the body. See prana.

Sama—Veda

One of the four Vedas. See Vedas.

Samhita

A section of the Vedas containing the collection of hymns used in the sacrifices; the same as Mantra.

Samkhya

One of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy, which teaches that the universe evolves as the result of the union of prakriti (nature) and purusha (consciousness). According to this system, which is attributed to Kapila, there are as many purushas, or units of consciousness, as there are living beings.

Samkhyas

Followers of Samkhya philosophy.

Samsara

The relative world; the unceasing round of birth and death.

Sankara

Short for Sankaracharya.

Sankaracharya

One of the greatest saints and philosophers of India, the foremost exponent of Advaita Vedanta (A.D. 788—820).

Sannyasa

The monastic life.

Sannyasin

A Hindu monk, who renounces the world in order to realize God.

Sarasvati

The Goddess of learning and music.

Sat

Reality, Existence.

Sattva

The principle of balance or righteousness. See guna.

Satyaloka

The highest world in the universe; the abode of Brahma.

Sayanacharya

A celebrated commentator on the Vedas.

Siva

The Destroyer God; the Third Person of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Brahma and Vishnu.

Smriti

The sacred books of the Hindus, subsidiary to the Vedas, guiding their daily life and conduct; they include the epics, the Puranas and the Code of Manu.

Soma

A creeper whose juice was used in Vedic sacrifices; also (with capital s) an epithet of the moon.

Soma—Juice

The juice of a creeper, used in Vedic sacrifices.

Southern Path

Same as Pitriyana.

Sri

The word is often used as an honorific prefix to the names of deities and eminent persons, or to celebrated works generally of a sacred character.

Sruti

(Lit. hearing.) The Vedas, which in ancient India were transmitted orally from teacher to disciple.

Sudra

A member of the fourth or labouring caste in Hindu society.

Sushumna

Among the innumerable nerves of the nervous system, the Sushumna is the most important. It is situated within the spinal column and extends from the base of the spine to the brain. The Sushumna, through which the awakened spiritual energy rises, is described as the Brahmavartman, or Pathway to Brahman.

Sutra

(Lit. thread.) An epithet of the Cosmic Soul conceived as the thread that holds together all creatures and the universe; the same as Hiranyagarbha, Prana and Vayu. The word (with small s) also denotes an aphoristic statement.

Sutratma

(Lit. the Thread Soul.) An epithet of the Cosmic Soul conceived of as the thread that holds together all creatures and the universe; same as Hiranyagarbha, Prana and Vayu.

Suvah

Same as Svah.

Svah

Heaven.

Svaha

A word used when an oblation is offered to the god of fire in sacrifice.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >T<

Taijasa

Consciousness functioning in the dream state.

Tamas

The principle of dullness or inertia in nature. See guna.

Tantra

A system of religious philosophy in which the Divine Mother, or Power, is regarded as Ultimate Reality; also the scriptures dealing with this philosophy.

Turiya

(Lit. the Fourth.) Pure Consciousness, which both transcends and pervades the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >U<

Udana

A modification of the vital breath, by the action of which the contents of the stomach are ejected through the mouth and the soul is conducted from the body at death. See Prana.

Udgatri

One of the officiating priests in a Vedic sacrifice; his duty was to recite from the Sama—Veda.

Udgatri Priest

One of the officiating priests in a Vedic sacrifice; his duty was to recite from the Sama—Veda.

Udgitha

A part of the Sama—Veda chanted at the sacrifice.

Uktha

The most important among the hymns of praise in the Vedas.

Upadhi

A term of Vedanta philosophy denoting a limitation imposed upon the Self or upon Brahman through ignorance.

Upanishads

The well—known scriptures of the Hindus, containing the philosophy of the Vedas. They are one hundred and eight in number and of them eleven are called major Upanishads.

Upasana

A Ritualistic worship with meditation.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >V<

Vaiseshika

One of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy; founded by Kanada.

Vaisvanara

Consciousness functioning through the collective gross body in the waking state.

Vaisya

A member of the commercial and agricultural caste in Hindu society.

Vanaprasthin

One who has entered the stage of retirement and contemplation.

Varuna

The presiding deity of the ocean in Hindu mythology.

Vasus

Members of a class of deities, usually eight in number.

Vayu

An epithet of the Cosmic Soul; the same as Hiranyagarbha, Prana and Sutra. The word (with small v) also denotes the element air.

Vedanta

(Lit. the essence or the concluding portion of the Vedas.) A system of philosophy ascribed to Vyasa, discussed mainly in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras.

Vedantasara

An authoritative treatise on Vedanta, ascribed to Sadananda.

Vedas

The revealed scriptures of the Hindus, consisting of the Rig—Veda, Yajur—Veda, Sama—Veda and Atharva—Veda.

Vidya

Knowledge; the word (with capital V) also denotes Knowledge leading to Liberation, i.e. to the realization of Ultimate Reality.

Vina

A stringed musical instrument.

Viraj

An epithet of Saguna Brahman conceived as the aggregate of all physical bodies.

Virat

Consciousness limited or conditioned by the upadhi of the aggregate of gross bodies; an epithet of the Cosmic Soul.

Vishnu

(Lit. the All—pervading Spirit.) A name of the Supreme Lord; the Preserver God, the Second Person of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Brahma and Siva.

Visishtadvaita

Qualified Non—dualistic Vedanta, as expounded by Ramanuja.

Visva

Consciousness functioning through the waking state.

Visve—Devas

The name of a particular class of gods.

Vyahritis

Mystic words uttered in various rituals. There are in all seven vyahritis, which are the symbols of the seven planes, namely, Bhuh, Bhuvah, Suvah, Mahah, Jana, Tapah and Satya. The first three of these, called the "great vyahritis", are recited by every brahmin during his daily devotions.

Vyana

A modification of the vital breath, by the action of which the vital energy pervades the entire body. See prana.

Vyasa

The compiler of the Vedas and the reputed author of the Vedanta philosophy

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z >W<

Way of The Gods

See Northern Path.

Way of the Manes

See Pitriyana.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  >Y<

Yajna

Yajur—Veda

One of the four Vedas. See Vedas.

Yajus

Same as Yajur—Veda.

Yakshas

Members of a class of demigods.

Yama

The king of death, a Vedic deity.

Yoga

Union of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul; also the discipline by which such union is effected. The Yoga system of philosophy, ascribed to Patanjali, is one of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy and deals with the realization of Truth through concentration of the mind.

Yogi

One who practises yoga.

Yogin

One who practises yoga.