World Religions 1000: Hinduism Definitions

Advaita

a vedantic doctrine that identifies the individual self (atam) with the ground of reality (brahman).

Agni

rigvedic deity of fire and the conveyor of sacrifices to the Gods. God of divine knowledge, who leads man to the Gods

Ahisma

the principle of non violence toward all living things.

Arati

Hindu religious ritual of worship, a part of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities.

Ananda

Extreme happiness, one of the highest states of being.

Arjuna

Is one of the heroes from the epic "The Mahabharata"(the longest Indian epic).

Artha

One of the four goals of human life, includes career, skills, health, wealth, prosperity and means of fulfilling life.

Aryans

The noble ones. Displaced the Dravidians.

Atman

Spiritual life principle of the universe, especially when regarded as inherent in the real self of the individual. A person's soul.

Avatara

The incarnation of a Hindu deity.

Bhatki Yoga

Path to self realization, to having an experience of oneness with everything. Union through love and devotion.

Brahma

"The Creator". The first member of the Trimurti with Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer).

Brahman

a member of the highest Hindu caste. The ultimate reality underlying all phenomena.

Brahamanas

Any of the lengthy commentaries on the Vedas, composed in Sanskrit and containing expository material relating to Vedic sacrificial ritual.

Brahmin

The priestly, educated class.

Cit

pure consciousness.

Darshana

The auspicious sight of a deity or a holy person. Refers to the sixth Orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy.

Devi/Goddess

A mother goddess of which Durga, Kali, etc. are particular forms.

Dharma

The principle of cosmic order.

Dharma Shastras

A brahmanical collection of rules of life often in the form of a metrical law book.

Dhyana

Profound meditation that is the penultimate stage of yoga.

Divali/Diwali

Hindu festival of lights, held in Oct to Nov, its particularly associated with Lakshmi the goddess of prosperity and marks the beginning of the fiscal year in India.

Dravidian

Native speakers of any of the Dravidian languages in South Asia.

Durga/Devi

Principle form of the Goddess, also known as Devi and Shakti in Hinduism. Is the root cause of creation, preservation and annihilation.

Dyaus Pitri

The Vedic God of sky.

Forest Dweller

Retirement from work and householder's life.

Ganesha

Lord of good fortune who provides prosperity.

Ganga/Ganges

A goddess, Hindus believe bathing in the river causes remission of sins and facilitates Moksha, the water is considered pure.

Guru

Spiritual teacher, especially one who imparts ignition.

Hanuman

Pale coloured langur monkey of Southern Asia, whose exploits are described in the Ramayana.

Harappa

Bronze age culture that flourished in the Indus Valley.

Henotheism

Adherence to one particular God out of several especially by a family, tribe or other group.

Hindu

Follower of Hinduism.

Hinduism

Major religious and cultural tradition of South Asia, developed from Vedic region.

Householder

Marked by the marriage ceremony and beginning of work.

Indra

The leader of the Devas and the Lord of Heaven. Is the Deva of rain and thunderstorms.

Indus Valley Civilizations

Bronze age civilization, known as the Harappan civilization.

Jnana Yoga

Realization/liberation through transcendental knowledge (Jnana).

Kali

One of the manifestations and titles of the wife of Shiva. Goddess of death and destruction.

Kalki

The final incarnation of Vishnu in the current Mahayuga. Destroyer of filth.

Kama

God of erotic desire.

Karma

Sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.

Kauravas

(In the Mahabharata) the cousins and enemies of the Pandavas.

Krishna

A deity, an avatar of Vishnu.

Kshatriya

Member of the second of the four great Hindu castes, the military caste. Function is to protect society by fighting in wartime and governing in peacetime.

Kumbha Mela

Festival held every twelve years where pilgrims bath in the Ganges and Jumna rivers for the purification of sin.

Lakshmi

Goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. Is the wife and active energy of Vishnu.

Linga

Symbol of divine generative energy, especially a phallus or phallic object worshipped as a symbol of Shiva.

Gandhi

Leader of the Indian independence movement in British ruled India.

Mantra

Word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation. Vedic hymn.

Marriage Rite

Rite of passage.

Maya

Concept in Hindu philosophy. Originally denoted the magic power with which a god can make human believe in what turns out to be an illusion.

Mohenjo Daro

Site near the Indus river.

Moksha

Release from the cycle of rebirth impelled by the law of karma.

Non-dualism/Monism

Defines various strands of religious and spiritual thought.

Pandavas

(In the Mahabharata) the family of Arjuna at war with their cousins, Kauravas.

Polytheism

Belief in or worship of more than one God.

Prithvi

"Vast one", name for the earth. Is a Devi.

Puja

Act of worship.

Raja Yoga

Intended to achieve control over the mind and emotions.

Rama

Model for the ideal ruler.

Ravana

Antagonist in the epic Ramayana.

Rishi

Sage or saint.

Sacred Thread Ceremony

A cotton thread which a Hindu youth of the three twice born castes and some Sudras is invested at the ceremony of initiation and is worn constantly thereafter from the left shoulder across the body to the right.

Samadhi

Stage of intense concentration achieved through meditation. Final stage where union with the divine is reached.

Sanskrit

Ancient Indic language of India.

Sarasvati

Goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning. Part of the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to create, maintain and regenerate recycle the universe respectively.

Samyasin/Sannyasin

Wandering mendicant and ascetic.

Samsara

Cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.

Sat

"The True Essence" and "that which is unchangeable" of an entity, species or existence.

Shakti

Female principle of divine energy, especially when personified as the supreme deity.

Shankara

Hindu Vendantist philosopher and teacher.

Shiva

A period of 7 days formal mourning for the dead, beginning immediately after the funeral.

Shruti

"That which is heard". Refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts comprising the central canon of Hinduism.

Shudra

Member of the worker caste (lowest Hindu caste).

Sita

The wife of Rama, regarded as an ideal of womanhood.

Smriti

Hindu religious text containing traditional teachings on religion, such as the Mahabharata.

Soma

Unidentified plant juice, which was a fundamental offering of the Vedic Sacrifices.

Student

First stage in Hindu life.

Surya

Chief solar Deity.

Swmai Vivekananda

Hindu religious leader and teacher.

The Bhagavad Gita

700 verse scripture in Sanskrit that's part of the epic, Mahabharata.

The Laws of Manu

Most important legal text.

The Mahabharata

1 of 2 Sanskrit epics. Epic narrative of the Kurukshetra war and the fates of the Kaurava and Pandava princes.

The Ramayana

Sanskrit epic poem.

The Rig Veda

Collection of vedic Sanskrit hymns. 1 of 4 sacred texts of Hinduism known as the vedas. Collection of 1028 hymns.

Twice Born

Belonging to 1 of 3 highest castes, especially as an inflated brahmin. Having undergone a renewal of faith or life.

Untouchables

Member of the lowest caste of a person outside the caste system. Contact with them defiles members of higher castes.

Upanishads

Series of sacred treatises expanding the vedas in mystical and monistic terms.

Vahana

Denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity. Called a deity's "mount".

Vaishya

Member of the 3rd of 4 castes, comprising of merchants and farmers.

Vedanta

Hindu philosophy based the doctrine of the Upanishads, especially in its monistic form.

Vedas

Most ancient Hindu scriptures. Preserved by oral tradition. 4 chief collections are the rig veda, same veda, yajur veda, and the athrva veda.

Vishnu

Central god and 1 of 3 deities in the trimurti.

Yajna

riutal sacrifice with a specific objective.

Yoga

Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, including breath control, simple meditation and adoption of specific bodily postures.

Karma Yoga

the discipline of selfless action as a way to perfection.