Glossary

Ahimsa: Non-violence

Anusuya: Wife of sage Bhardwaj (embodiment of virtue and chastity)

Asana: Lit. Seat. A physical posture. One of the eight ‘limbs’ of Patanjali's yoga.

Ashrama: A spiritual retreat

Atma: Lit. The self. The interior self as distinguished from the empirical self which one experiences in everyday life. In the Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta, Atma is believed to be non-different from Brahman, the ultimate reality of the universe

Avatara: Sanskrit term for a Saviour or a saint

Beedis: Local handmade cigarettes

Bhagavad Gita: Also called simply ‘Gita’. One of the major scriptures of Hinduism. Officially part of the epic Mahabharata. Teaches different paths to union with God (or liberation) including ‘disinterested action’

Bhagavatam: Sacred text dealing with the lives of various incarnations of Vishnu, the text also deals elaborately with God.

Bhagwan: Lit. God. Also a form of addressing a liberated person, as such persons are believed to be incarnations of God.

Bhakti: Devotion to God

Chakras: The nerve plexuses or centres along the spine and in the head through which the Kundalini (see below) energy is led.

Chapatis: North Indian round roasted bread

Damayanti: Wife of king Nala (embodiment of virtue and chastity)

Durbar: Royal court; Hall of audience

Gaudapada: (c: 780 A.D.) The philosopher who revived the monistic teaching of the Upanishads. His pupil Govinda is the teacher of Sankara, the famous Advaita (non-dualist) philosopher. He is the author of Manduka-karika, a commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad.

Gayathri japa: Sacred Vedic hymns invoking the Sun God.

Guru: A teacher, particularly of the spiritual kind

Homas: Fire sacrament performed to satisfy gods

Hundi: Offerings of devotees

Idlis: Cooked rice cakes

Japa: Lit. Muttering or whispering. A muttered prayer consisting of reciting (and repeating) passages from scriptures, spells or names of a deity.

Jivanmukti: Liberation during one's lifetime

Karma: The effects of a person's past actions on his or her present and future state

Kundalini: A form of yoga practised in India, primarily in the school of Tantra. The term means ‘serpent power’, the energy which is believed to lie dormant in the human being and which through breath control and other means is made to travel through various chakras (see above) along the spine to be ultimately united with universal energy or Godhead in the Sahasrara Chakra (the thousand-petaled lotus) located in the top of the head.

Mala: Garland; also rosary.

Mantra: Tantric optical symbol; repetition of holy words.

Maricha: In the epic of Ramayana, uncle of Ravana who came in the form of ‘deer’ to entice Sita.

Maya: Cosmic illusion on account of which the one appears as many.

Moksha: Sanskrit term for liberation.

Mukthi: Lit. Release. Liberation

Murti: Lit. Form, shape. An idol in a temple. Also suffix for some given names in the South of India.

Nirvana: Lit. Explosion. Buddhist term explosion in consciousness leading to enlightenment.

Papads: Crisp thin wafers, salted and spiced, made out of ground pulses or grams.

Pranams: Reverential salutations.

Pranayama : Breath control. One of the eight ‘limbs’ of Patanjali's yoga. Consists of controlled inhalation, retention and exhalation of air.

Puja: Devotional ritual and prayer.

Pundit: A learned man. Also used as a honorary title.

Ram nam: Mantra, or repetition of the name of Rama

Ramanujacharya: Famous Vaishnava saint, philosopher in South India; founder of the school of non-dualism.

Rasam: Watery soup made out of tamarind and spices

Sadhana: Spiritual practice

Samadhi: Deep meditative trance state.

Samskara: Psychological conditioning or memory

Sandhyavandanam: Evening salutations to God

Sankara: The great exponent of Vedanta 

Sanskrit: The classical language of India in which most religious and spiritual literature was composed.

Sanyasins: Woman who has renounced the world

Sattvic: Endowed with a quality of goodness and purity.

Savasana: The ‘corpse’ posture—one of the asanas (see above) consisting of lying on the back and relaxing all limbs.

Shakti: Lord Shiva's consort, female energy

Shastras: Sacred scriptures, Hindu scriptures.

Shivapanchakshari: Salutation to Lord Shiva; repetition of his name (mantra)

Shivaratri: Special night, Saivites worship Lord Shiva.

Sita: Wife of Rama (embodiment of virtue and chastity)

Slokas: Verses in Sanskrit scriptures; hymns of praise

Swami: Lit. Master or lord. A form of addressing spiritual teachers or one's favourite deity.

Vedanta: A system of Hindu monistic or pantheistic philosophy founded on the Upanishads of the Vedas.

Yajnas: Religious rites to satisfy gods.

Yoga: Lit. Joining or union. In general, a path to liberation. More specifically, the system of physical and mental discipline and meditation propounded by Patanjali, the practice of which is believed to lead to ‘isolation’ or liberation.