Hinduism Terms

Adi Granth

Scripture first compiled by Guru Arjan in 1604 and invested with supreme authority as Guru Granth Sahib

Advaita

Shankara's school of philosophy, which holds there is only one ultimate reality

Artha

Prosperity; one of the three classical aims in life

Ashramas

4 stages in the life of an upper-class male: student, householder, forest-dweller, and ascetic

Atman

Individual self, held by Upanishadic and Vedantic thought to be identical with Brahman, the world-soul

Avatara

"Descent" or incarnation of a deity in earthly form

Bhagaved Gita

a section of the Indian epic the Mahabharata

Bhakti

loving devotion to a deity seen as a gracious being who enters the world for the benefit of humans

Brahman

World-soul, sometimes understood in impersonal terms

Brahmanas

Texts regarding ritual

Brahmin

A member of the priestly class

Darshana

Seeing and being seen by the deity in the temple or by a holy teacher; the experience of beholding with faith

Deepavali

Festival of light held in Oct-Nov, when lamps are lit

Dharma

Religious and social duty, including both righteousness and faith

Five Ks

5 marks of Khalsa identity: kes (uncut hair), kangha (comb), kirpan (sword), kara (wrist-ring), kachh (short breeches)

Gurudwara

The Sikh place of worship

Guru

A spiritual teacher

Holi

Spring festival celebrated by throwing brightly colored water or powder

Jnana

Knowledge; along with action and devotion, one of the three avenues to liberation explained in the Bhagavad Gita

Kama

Sensual pleasure; one of the three classical aims in life

Karma

Action, good and bad, believed to determine the quality of rebirth in future lives

Kirtan

The singing of hymns from the scriptures in worship

Khalsa

An order of Sikhs bound by common identity and discipline

Kshatriya

Member of the warrior class in ancient Hindu society

Langar

Community kitchen and the meal that is prepared there and served

Linga

Conical or cylindrical stone column symbolizing the creative energies of the god Shiva

Mahabharata

a very long epic poem, one section of which is the Bhagavad Gita

Mantra

Expression of one or more syllables that is chanted repeatedly as a focus of concentration in devotion

Moksha

Liberation from the cycle of birth and death; on of the three classical aims in life

Murti

Form or personification in which divinity is manifested

Nam

Sum total of all divine attributes

Om

Syllable chanted in meditation, interpreted as representing ultimate reality

Prasada

Gift from the deity, especially food that has been presented to the god's temple image, blessed, and returned to devotee

Puja

Ritual household worship of the deity, commonly involving oil lamps, incense, prayers, and food offerings

Puranas

(Old Tales) Stories about deities that became important after the Vedic period

Ramayana

Epic recounting the life of Lord Rama, incarnation of the god Vishnu

Rishi

Seer; composers of the ancient Vedic hymns and considered rishis

Samnyasin

Religious ascetic; one who has reached the last of the four stages of life for a Hindu male

Samsara

Counting cycle of rebirths

Sati

Self-sacrifice of a widow who throws herself onto her deceased husband's funeral pyre

Shruti

(What is heard) Sacred literature of Vedic and Upanishadic periods

Shudra

Member of the lowest of the four major classes, usually translated as "servant"

Smrti

(What is remembered) Body of ancient Hindu literature, including the epics, Puranas, and law codes. Formed after the shruti

Tantra

Esoteric school outside the Vedic and Brahminical tradition, centered on controversial ritual practices

Upanayana

the initiation of a young brahmin boy into ritual responsibility, in which he is given a cord to wear over his left shoulder and a mantra to recite and is sent to beg for food for the day

Upanishads

Philosophical texts in form of reported conversations on theory of Vedic ritual and nature of knowledge

Vaishya

Member of the third or mercantile class in the ancient fourfold class structure

Vedas

4 collections of hymns and ritual texts that constitute the oldest and most highly respected Hindu sacred literature

Yoga

Practice and discipline that involves philosophical system and mental concentration as well as physical postures and exercises