GLOSSARY
Acharya A spiritual teacher.(Acharya)
Ajna The sixth chakra belonging to the mind or sixth sense. (Ajna)
Ajnana Ignorance.
Akash Space. Ether. The first five elements evolved from the absolute.
Amrita Ambrosia. Nector of immoratility.
Ananda Bliss.
Apana Vayu One of the vital airs functioning below the naval. (Apana)
Asana Seat. Physical pose or sitting posture. (Asana)
Atman Self or soul. (Atman)
Avadhoota A holy man of great renunciation.(Avadhuta)
Bhakti Devotion to God. Devotional love of God.
Bindu Point. Dot. Seed. Source. (Bindu)
Brahma The Creator. The first person if the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.(Brahma)
Brahman The Absolute. The supreme reality.
Brahma Nadi Innermost subtle nerve or pranic channel within spinal column.
Brahmanda Universe. Lit. the egg of Brahma. (Brahmanda)
Brahmananda Bliss of Brahman. (Brahmananda)
Brahmarandhrara Abode of Brahma, located in the opening on the crown of the head.
Brahma Vidya Process of attaining knowledge of Brahman. (vidya)
Budhi Intelligence or discriminating faculty. (Buddhi)
Chaitanyananda Bliss of supreme consciousness. (Caitanyananda)
Chakra Center of subtle energy in human system. Wheel. (cakra)
Chidakasha Consciousness in its' aspect as limitless and unbounded knowledge and intelligence. (Cidakasa)
Chit Principle of universal intelli-gence or consciousness. Knowledge. (Cit)
Chitta Mind stuff. (citta)
Dharana Concentration of mind. (Dharana)
Ekadashi The eleventh day after the full moon or new moon, which a devotee spends in full or partial fasting, prayer, and worship. (dkadasi)
Ghatika Period of twenty-four minutes.
Gingilly Fickleness of the mind.
Gokul Town on the banks of Januna River where Sri Krsna spent his childhood among the cowherds.
Gokulnanda (Epithet for) Krsna-the bliss of Gokula.
Govardhana Hill near Vrndavin which Sri Krsna lifted with is finger to protect villagers from a deluge of rain.
Gunas Qualities of material nature. (gunas)
Hara An epithet for Siva. (remover of death).
Hare A direct address to God.
Hari Lit. thief of sins; Lord of the outer nature.
Haridwar A sacred place on the banks of the Ganges, at the foot of the Himalayas. (Hardwar)
Hatha Yoga The system of yoga for gaining control over the physical body.
Hridayakasha Unbounded heart expanse.
Ida The subtle nerve current (nadi) flowing through the left side of the body.
Indriyas The ten organs of perception and action.
Jagad World; Universe.
Japa Repetition of God's name.
Jeeva Individual Soul (jiva) (jeevatma-jivatma)
Jeevanmukti One who is liberated while still in the body.
Jnana Wisdom and knowledge.
Jnyanis One who has realized the Absolute through knowledge and wisdom and discrimination.
Kapha Phlegm; one of the three humours.
Karma Action; the law of action and reaction.
Kasi Holy City of pilgrimage for Lord Shiva.
Kumbhaka The suspension or cessation of breath.
Kundalini The primordial cosmic energy in each individual.
Lakh A hundred thousand.
Lakshmana Brother of Sri Rama.
Maha Great.
Maha Santi The Great Peace.
Mahatama Realized man of God. (mahatma)
Maheshwara Great Lord; epithet of Siva.
Manas Mind.
Mantra Sacred syllables or sounds through which one attains perfection by their repetition and reflection.
Mathura Holy district where Sri Krsna was born.
Maya Illusion; cosmic veiling power of God.
Moksha Liberation.
Mukti Liberation.
Muladhara Lowermost, root chakra. (muladhara)
Nada The primal first vibration from which the manifest arises.
Nadi A channel of subtle pranic current.
Nirvikalpa The silence of mind when no thoughts or imaginations arise. The highest state of Samadhi in which the aspirant realizes his total oneness with Brahman.
Nityananda Eternal Bliss. (Nityananda)
Nityatma Eternal soul. (Nityatma)
Omkar The most sacred sound vibration symbolizing Brahman or God.
Para-Brahma The Supreme Brahman. (Param Brahma)
Paramahansa Realized Soul; highest class of sunnyasins.
Paramananda Supreme Bliss.
Paramatma The Supreme Self.
Pariah Outcast in Hindu social system.
Pindanda The world of the body; microcosm as opposed to the world of the COSMOS.
Pingala The subtle nerve current (nadi) flowing through the right side of the body.
Pitha One of the three Ayur-Vedic humours.
Pooraka Inhalation of breath. (puraka)
Prakriti Primordial Nature; Matter which in association with Purusha creates the universe.
Prana Bramanda. Life force; vital air.
Pranalinga Essential energy of the universe embodied.
Pranava Omkara; sacred sound vibration symbolizing Brahman or God.
Prana-Vayu Vital air which pervades the upper body.
Pranayama Science of control and regulation of vital and physcial breath.
Prema Divine Love of the most intense kind.
Purushartha One who transcends the gunas.
Rajas One of the three gunas; the active quality of nature.
Raja Yoga King of Yoga. Name applied to Patanjali's system of yoga.
Rechaka Exhalation of breath.
Satchitananda Being, consciousness, bliss (three aspects of Brahman).
Sadananda Bliss of Eternity.
Sadaka An aspirant devoted to the prac-tice of spiritual discipline.
Sadhana Spiritual discipline.
Sadhu Holy man; term generally used with reference to a monk.
Sahasrara Thousand-petalled lotus region in the top of the head where Kundalini Shakti unites with Lord Siva.
Samadhi State of total absorbtion where the Absolute is experienced beyond all duality.
Samsara The cycle of birth and death.
Sankalpa Thoughts, desires and imagination which arise in the mind.
Sanyasi A renounciate; order of renounced life.
Sat Being, truth, existence,that which undergoes no change.
Satwa One of the three gunas; the quality of light, purity and goodness. (sattva)
Seeta Divine wife of Rama.
Shabda Sound.
Shakti The creative energy of the absolute, a name of the Divine Mother. (sakti)
Shanti Peace.
Shiva Two being Brahman and Vishnu.
Shiva Linga Sacred symbol of the merging Of God with form into the formless God.
Shraddha Great Faith (sraddha). Also, a religious ceremony in which food and drink offered to deceased relatives.
Siddha Perfected being.
Siddhi Perfection. (Refers to yogic mystic attainments)
Sookshma Subtle elements.
Sthoola The gross body of five elements. (stula)
Sushumna The most important of the nadis corresponding to the spinal column in the subtle body through which the awakened spiritual energy (Kundalini) rises.
Swadhisthana Second chakra; one of the centers of subtle energy.
Swarajya Self Mastery.
Tamas One of the qualities of nature, inertia, tendency for concreteness.
Tapas Austerity.
Taraka Refers in raja yoga to the light between and in front of the eyebrows, which is seen in meditation.
Tatwa Reality, element, essence, principle. (tattva)
Tat Wam Asi Famous aphorism of Chandogya Upanisad "That Thou Art".(6.8, 6) (Tat Tvam Asi)
Upanayana Inner initiation; ceremony in which the Guru initiates the disciple into spiritual life.
Varaigya Detachment; dispassion (vairagya)
Vasanas Subtle tendencies of the mind which give rise to desires. (vasans)
Vatha One of the three Ayur Vedic Humours.
Vayu Air; vital air.
Vedanta Lit: The end of Knowledge. One of the six systems based on the Upanisads. (vedanta)
Vijnanya Knowledge; practical knowledge.
Vishnu Maintainer and Preserver of all creation; second God in Hindu Trinity.
Viveka Discrimination.
Yajna Vedic Sacrifice; sacrifice.
Yantra A geometric pattern used for attunement to aid inner visualization and meditation.
Yoga Nidra Meditation sleep, a light form of sleep peculiar to yogins which allows them to withdraw from the external world while retaining use of their mental powers.