—A—
Abhinive?a—attachment to the body.
?cara— conduct.
?c?rya— a spiritual teacher (especially one who invest the student with the sacred thread and instructs him in the Vedas, in the law of secrifice and religios mysteries. In the Vaishnava terinology used as a title for a spiritual master who teaches by his own example, and who sets the proper religious example for all human beings.
Advayat?raka Upani?ad— one of the 108 Vedic scriptures known as upani?ads
Advaita— non—duality.
Agni— fire or the god of fire
?gamas— (literally— that which has come near) traditional scriptures, usually concerning worship of ?iva and ?akti.
aha?k?ra— ego.
Ahi?s?— non violence.
?tmanivedana— complete surrendering to the Divine.
?tma s?k?atkara—realisation, illumination.
An?hata Cakra— the fourth cakra, at the center of the chest.
A?gas— limbs
Anta? kara?a—the internal organ, the mind
Apauru?eya— Divine, not of human origin.
Aparigraha— non acceptance of worldly possessions.
Asmit?— egoism
a??adh? prak?tis— the eightfold nature.
a????ga—yoga— the 8 steps of yoga described by Patañjali Mah???i in his Yoga—s?tras.
?sana— seat, or a place for sitting, a posture in the Ha?ha—yoga tradition.
?stika—a believer
Asteya— non stealing
Atharva Veda— one of the four Vedas.
?tm?— Self
?tma—nik?epa— sourendering completely everything to the Lord.
?tm? s?ksh?tk?ra— add the second a in the text. Realization of the Self.
Ala?k?ra— ornaments in rhetoric Ala?k?ra means an ornament of sense or sound.
?nanda— bliss
?nuk?lyasya sa?kalpa— a resolution of something favorable (for the development of devotion to God)
?tma—?akti—the power of the Self.
Avadh?ta— Mah?tma (great soul) who has renounced everything.
Avidy?— ignorance.
Arcana— worship
?y?ma— extension and restraint.
—B—
Bali— offering.
Bandha— energy lock. One of the practices of Ha?ha—yoga, which awakens the ku??alin? energy and directs the flow of the pra?a (vital energy) in the body.
Bhagavad—g?ta— the song of God. The most widely accepted and essential text in all San?tana—dharma philosophies and paths. In a conversation between Lord K???a and his disciple Arjuna, in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, K???a explains the essence of spiritual sadhana and knowledge.
Bhagav?n— personal aspect of God.
Bh?gavata—pur??a— see ?r?mad Bh?gavatam
Bhajana— worship, adoration. (sometimes used for singing adoring songs for the Divine.)
Bhakta— a devotee
Bhakti—yoga— the yoga of devotion. A process of union with the Divine through developing love to God and worshiping Him.
Bh?ratavar?a— the ancient Vedic India
Bhoga— materialism
Bindu—the anusw?ra (the dot)in the sacred syllable Om, or a point of light, a form of Brahman.
Brahman— the Absolute Supreme Consciousness.
Brahmach?rya – celibacy.
brahma—vidy?— the knowledge of the Self
Brahmarandhra— the sahasr?ra cakra.
Brihaspati— the Guru of the devas.
Buddhi— intellect.
—C—
Cakra—(literally— a wheel, a circle) six centers of pra?a or vital energy in the subtle body. A meeting— spot of N???s, energy tunnels.
Caitanya—carit?m?ta— biography of ?r? Caitanya written byi K???adas Kaviraj Gosw?m?.
C?ndogya Upani?ad— one of the ten main upanishads
—D—
Dama— control over the senses.
D?sya— serving
Dar?a?a—vision.
Dak?i??cara— right conduct.
Deva—n?gar?— the Sanskrit script. (the script of the gods)
Dharma— literally— that which is established. Law, religion, duty, morality.
Dh?ra??— concentration
Dhy?na— meditation.
Durg?— one of the forms of Dev?, the Divine Mother.
Deva??i N?rada— the celestial ??i . One of the greatest devotees of Lord Vi??u.
Dev?— the Divine Mother
Devas— gods
D?k??— initiation
Divya— divine
Divya deva sevana— service to the divine.
Dwe?a— aversion.
—E—
Ek?grat?— a one pointed state of mind. (change the long a in the text)
—F—
—G—
Garga Muni— Lord K???a's spiritual master.
Ga?e?a—the elephant headed God. The remover of obstacles.
Gop?s— the cowherd girls from Vrindavan, the divine lovers of ?r? K???a
Gopt?tve vara?am— accepting the Lord as our only maintainer.
Gosv?m?— lord of the senses. One who has full control over his senses. Used also as an honoric title.
Gotama ??i— the founder of the Ny?ya philosophy.
Gu?a— quality, mode
Guru— destroyer of darkness. Spiritual master.
—H—
ha?ha—yoga— literally— the yoga of the force. an ancient yogic system, part of the R?ja—yoga Philosophy, consists of physical body postures and breathing exercises.
Ha?ha Yoga Prad?pik?— the basic classical Sanskrit text of the ha?ha—yoga tradition. Compiled by Swami Sw?tm?r?ma in the 15th century.
Havana— invocation. (also the act of offering oblation into the sacrificial fire)
Hira?yagarbha— the cosmic mind.
—I—
I??a—devat?— a form of God, individualy chosen for worship and devotion.
I??— the left hand N???.
??warapra?idh?na— surrender to God.
Indra— the king of the gods.
??wara— the supreme controler
—J—
Japa— repetition of name or mantra.
jñ?na—yoga— the yoga of knowledge.
Jñ?na— knowledge
—K—
Ka??da— the founder of the Vai?e?ika philosophy.
Kapila ??i— the founder of the s??khya philosophy.
Karma— action
Karma—yoga— the yoga of the action.
K?rpa?ya— cultivation of humbleness.
Kala— time
K?l?— a form of Durg? Dev?, the Divine Mother.
K?rtana— Chanting the names and telling the fame of the Lord.
Kriy?— literally— action, deed, effort. In hatha yoga kriy?s are exercises for purification and awakening the ku??alin?.
Kriy?—yoga— the yoga of austerities, study of the Self and surrender to God.
K???a— an avatar of Lord Vi??u.
K?ipta— unstable or disturbed state of mind
Ku??alin?— the coiled dormant cosmic energy, located in the base of the spine of the individual body. Awakens during the process of self—realization.
ku??alin?—yoga— a yogic system of practices for awakening the ku??alin? energy.
Kul?r?ava Tantra— one of the main tantras.
—L—
Lak?m?— Goddess of wealth and beauty. One of the forms of Dev?, the Divine Mother.
Laya—yoga— Saivic system of practicing yoga. Based on cakras development and awakening the ku??alin? energy.
Laghu— small or short
—M—
Madhyama— middle
Madya—intoxicating ,wine.
Mah?r?ja— literally great king, commonly used as an honorific title for Sadhus.
Mah?bh?rata—a great epic, describing the ancient history of India. Sometimes known as the fifth Veda. Compiled by ?r? Vyasadeva.
Ma??ala— circle, division or book of the ?g Veda
Ma?gala—?rati— the morning worship of the deity.
Ma?ip?ra Cakra— the third cakra which is between the navel and the ribs.
Manu Sm?ti— the book of laws written by Manu.
Mantra— a sacred formula or a mystical text.
Manas— conscious mind, or antah karana in general.
manomaya ko?a— the mental body.
Manana— reflection
M?nsa— meat, flesh
Matsya— fish
Maithuna— sexual union.
M?y?— power of illusion.
Mok?a— liberation
M??ha— deluded, foolish.
Mudr?— (literally— a seal) A gesture or position, usually of the hands and fingers, that locks and guides energy flow.
M?l?dh?ra cakra—the first cakra at the base of the spine
Mumuk?utwa (Mumuksuta) — the desire for liberation.
Mu??aka Upani?ad— one of the ten main upanisads.
M????kya Upani?ad— one of the ten main upanisads.
—N—
N?d— sound
N???— channel, in which the pra?a , the vital energy flows in the subtle body.
N?da—yoga the yoga of internal sound
N?da brahman – the eternal divine sound.
Nidr?— sleep
Niddidhy?sana— continual practice of Vedantic meditation
Nirodha— a complete control of mind.
Niyama— observance. Behavior to be observed for spiritual, pious, life.
N?si?ha Pur??a— one of the eighteen pur??as. contains the pastimes of lord Vi??u in his half—lion half—person incarnation.
Ny?ya— one of the six Dar?a?as, or orthodox philosophies in of San?tana—dharma.
—O—
O?—the original sound
O?k?ra— the syllable O?
—P—
Patañjali Mah???i— the compiler of the "Yoga—sutras".
P?dasevana— rendering service to the feet of...
pañca tattva— five principles.
Pa?ca a?ga sevana— the five limbed seva.
Para—n?da—
P?rvat?— the consort of Lord ?iva.
Pa?u— animal.
pi?gal?— the right hand nadi.
Pra?na Upani?ad
Pr??a— the life energy, the breath of life, the vital air.
Pr??a kriy?— breathing exercises.
Pr???y?ma—Expansion of the individual energy into the cosmic energy, by breathing excersises.
Prak?ti— nature.
Prahl?da Mah?r?ja— a great devotee of lord Vi??u, the son of Hiranyakasipu.
Pur??as—sacred scriptures which reveal the Vedic message and values in a simple way, mostly in the form of traditional stories about ancient sages, kings and devotees.
Puru?a— the Supreme Being or the inner spirit.
P?rva M?m??sa—one of the six Dar?a?as, or orthodox philosophies of San?tana—dharma.
P?j?r?— priest
Parampar?— Guru— disciple lineage.
para—n?da— the supreme sound.
p?r?a—yoga— complete yoga, integral yoga.
Pram??a—process of getting correct knowledge. (authority)
Pr?tik?lyasya varjanam—the rejection of anything that adverse (to the surrender to the Lord)
Praty?h?ra— internalization of the senses.
Prema— (Divine) love.
Pa?yanti—one of the stages of speach (omkari— context)
par anurakti—Supreme love
P?dasevanam— rendering service to the feet.
—Q—
—R—
R?ga— attraction, or mood, usually used for melodic modes in the Indian Music.
Rajo—gu?a, Rajas—the mode of passion. One of the three gu?as— modes of material nature.
R?ja—yoga— a Yogic system concentrated on union of the individual with the divine. Also called a????ga—yoga
Rak?i?yat?ti vi?v?sa?— belief that "He (the Lord) will protect".
R?m?ya?a— the story of the life and pastimes of Lord Ram and Sita.
?g Veda— one of the four Vedas
??i— a seer, self realized sage.
—S—
?abda Brahman— the eternal divine word (the Vedas).
S?dhu— a virtuous person, a holy person.
s?dhu—sa?ga— association with saintly persons.
S?dhana— Spiritual practice.
Sahasr?ra Cakra—the cakra which placed at the top of the head.
san?tana—dharma— the eternal religion, (Hinduism)
?aivism— worship of ?iva
?ama— serenity.
Sam?dh?na— profound absorption.
Samay?cara— conventional or established practice.
Sa(t)d guru— true Guru, teacher of truth.
?ara?ag?ti— taking refuge.
?a? Sampat—the six –fold wealth (virtues) in the path of jnana yoga?.
satsa?ga— association with the truth.
Satya—Truth or truthfulness.
Sattva—gu?a— the mode of goodness, and clarity.
?akti— power, energy.
Sakhya— freindship.
sa?s?ra— The cycle of repeated birth and death in the material world
sa?sk?ras— vrittis when stored in the unconscious.
Sama Veda— one of the four Vedas.
Sam?dhi— complete union with the Divine. The last of the eight steps of astanga yoga.
s??khya— one of the six Dar?a?as, or orthodox philosophies of San?tana—dharma.
sa?k?rtana— Chanting and glorifying God (together)
?a?kar?c?rya— the principle exponent of the Adwaita Vedanta school of philosophy. (lived about two thousand years ago)
Sanatkum?ra— one of the sons of Brhama.
Santo?a— contentment.
sa?ny?sa ??rama— the renounced order of life.
??stra— scripture
?ava—?sana— Corpse posture, relaxation posture, of the traditional hatha—yoga system.
Seva— sevice.
Svet??vatara Upani?ad— one of the ten man upanishads.
Siddhi— Spiritual power
?ik?? – instruction.
Spanda— vibration, pulse.
?iva— one of the five forms of God. or the god of destruction.
S?tra— an aphorism expressing essential knowledge in minimum words.
?auca— external and internal cleanliness.
Sw?m?— one who took into the renounced order of life.
Sv?dhi??h?na Cakra— the second cakra below the navel.
??ktism— worship of Dev?, the Divine—mother.
?loka— verse
Sm?rtism— worship following the Sm?ti scritpures. Worship of God in different forms.
Smara?a— rememberence.
Sm?ti—1. memory(function of the mind). 2. that which has been remembered. Refers to the literature that was not revealed directly from God, but was compiled by sages. Includes the Mah?bh?rata and the Pur??as.
?r?mad Bh?gavatam— also called Bhagavata— purana. A work of eighteen thousand verses compiled by sage Vy?sa.The most famous and poetically beautiful of the eighteen puranas.
?ruti— that which was heard. The literature which was revealed directly from God. Includes the four Vedas and the Upani?ads.
?rava?a— listening, Hearing.
?raddh?— faith.
s?rya namask?ra – Salutation to the sun. Traditional exercise of hatha—yoga, contains a cyclic dynamic series of postures.
Saundarya Lahar?— a famous hymn written by Adi ?a?kar?c?rya. Describing the beauty of Parvati, the consort of Lord ?iva.
?uddhi—cleanness, purification.
?uddha—bhakti— pure devotion.
Su?uma??—the central Nadi, connecting the mooladhara and sahasrara chacras. The ku??alin? energy flows in it when awakened.
Sw?dhy?ya— Study of the scriptures.
—T—
Taittir?ya—sa?hit?— part of the Yajur Veda.
T?la— rythm.
Tapas— austerity.
Tamo—gu?a, tamas— the mode of darkness or ignorance. One of the three gunas— modes of material nature.
Tantra— a class of scriptures teaching mystic formularies mostly in the form of dialogues between ?iva and Durga.
Tarpa?a— the act of satisfying. Usually gods or ancestors by offering them water.
Tattva Boddha— book written by Sankaracarya.
Titik??— forbearance.
Tripura Rahasya— the secret of Tripura, one of the main books of ?aktia agamas.
—U—
Upade??m?ta— the Nectar of instructions. A book written by ?r?la Rupa Goswami, a disciple of ?r? Chaitanya Mah?brabhu.
Upani?ads— the concluding portions of the Vedas, Vedanta. Presents the goal of the Vedas.
Uttara M????sa— one of the six Dar?a?as, or orthodox philosophies of San?tana—dharma.
Uparati— renounciation of egoism(in the text) Cessation from action.
—V—
Vaidika—dharma— Vedic Religion, Hinduism.
V?m?cara— bad conduct, or the left hand practices of Tantra.
Vai?e?ika— one of the six Dar?a?as, or orthodox philosophies of San?tana—dharma.
V?jasaney?—sa?hit?— part of the Yajur Veda.
vaikhari— the (speech)eternal sound when manifested as speach when it comes out of the mouth
Vandana— bowing, adoration.
Vair?gya— detachment.
Vai??avism—worship of Vi??u
Vic?ra?a— self inquiry
Vik?ipta— agitated, distraught.
Viparyaya— wrong knowledge.
Viveka—c???ma?i— "the crest—jewel of wisdom" a famos book of ?r? Sankaracarya, presenting the adwita vedanta philosophy.
Vira— (long i)hero, an 'adept' in Tantra.
Ved?nta—the end of the Vedas. The final conclusion, the essence of the Vedas. A philosophical school within Hindu—dharma.
Vedas— the canonical ancient and sacred scriptures of Hindu—dharma which were heard directly from God (?ruti).
Vedic literature—literature which is derived from, related to or conformable to.
Vikalpa— imagination.
Vi??u— one of the five form of God. The god of preservation.
Vi??u Pur??a— a scripture describing the glory of lord Vi?nu.
Vi?udda Cakra— the fifth cakra, below the throat.
Vaidika—dharma— Vedic Religion, Hinduism.
V?m?cara— bad conduct, or the left hand practices of Tantra.
Vai?e?ika— one of the six Dar?a?as, or orthodox philosophies of San?tana—dharma.
V?jasaney?—sa?hit?— part of the Yajur Veda.
vaikhari— the (speech)eternal sound when manifested as speach when it comes out of the mouth
Vandana— bowing, adoration.
Vair?gya— detachment.
Vai??avism—worship of Vi??u
Vic?ra?a— self inquiry
Vik?ipta— agitated, distraught.
Viparyaya— wrong knowledge.
Viveka—c???ma?i— "the crest—jewel of wisdom" a famos book of ?r? Sankaracarya, presenting the adwita vedanta philosophy.
Vira— (long i)hero, an 'adept' in Tantra.
Ved?nta—the end of the Vedas. The final conclusion, the essence of the Vedas. A philosophical school within Hindu—dharma.
Vedas— the canonical ancient and sacred scriptures of Hindu—dharma which were heard directly from God (?ruti).
Vedic literature—literature which is derived from, related to or conformable to.
Vikalpa— imagination.
Vi??u— one of the five form of God. The god of preservation.
Vi??u Pur??a— a scripture describing the glory of lord Vi?nu.
Vi?udda Cakra— the fifth cakra, below the throat.
Viveka— discrimination.
Vy?sadeva—the compiler of the Vedas, as they are now, and most of the puranic litarature. The Literary Avatar of Lord Vi??u.
Vraja—go, the area of Vrindavan.
Vrind?vana— the village where ?r? K???a passed his childhood, and performed his early pastimes.
V?ttis— thought waves.
Vijñ?namaya ko?a—intellectual body. One of the five sheets that cover the Atma, the self.
Viveka— discrimination.
Vy?sadeva—the compiler of the Vedas, as they are now, and most of the puranic litarature. The Literary Avatar of Lord Vi??u.
Vraja—go, or the area of Vrindavan.
Vrind?vana— the village where ?r? K???a passed his childhood, and performed his early pastimes.
V?ttis— thought waves.
—W—
—X—
—Y—
Yajur Veda— one of the four vedas
Y?jña— secrifice.
Yantra— literally— an instrument. A mystical diagram.
Yama— Restraint. A rule or code of conduct for living in dharma, virtuously.
Yaimini— the founder of the Purva mimamsa Philosopy. (Sould be Jaimini)
Yoga—s?tras— foundational text of the R?ja—yoga. Compiled by Patañjali Mah???i.
Yog?— one who practices yoga or one who mastered the way of yoga.
—Z—
