A reference of Sanskrit terms used across the library. Terms are also linked inline throughout the articles and Q&A — tap or hover any underlined word to see its meaning.
A
- Advaita
- The non-dual philosophy of Shankara: Atman and Brahman are ultimately one.
- Ahimsa
- Non-violence; the ethical principle of not harming any living being.
- Artha
- Prosperity and the means of life; one of the four aims of life (purusharthas).
- Ashrama
- One of the four stages of life: student, householder, hermit, and renunciate.
- Atman
- The innermost Self or pure consciousness within each being; in Vedanta, identical with Brahman.
- Avatar
- A descent or incarnation of the Divine into the world to restore dharma.
- Avidya
- Spiritual ignorance; the root misperception that mistakes the Self for the body and mind.
B
- Bhagavad Gita
- The 700-verse teaching of Krishna to Arjuna on duty, devotion, and liberation.
- Bhakti
- The path of loving devotion and heartfelt surrender to the Divine.
- Brahma
- The creator within the Trimurti, who brings forth the manifest universe.
- Brahma Sutras
- The aphoristic text systematizing the philosophy of the Upanishads; a basis of Vedanta.
- Brahman
- The ultimate, infinite, formless Reality underlying all existence; pure Being-Consciousness-Bliss.
C
- Chakra
- One of the subtle energy centers situated along the spine in yogic anatomy.
D
- Darshana
- A school of Hindu philosophy; also the auspicious sight of a deity or holy person.
- Dashavatara
- The ten principal incarnations of Lord Vishnu, including Rama and Krishna.
- Devi
- The Divine Mother; the Goddess in her many forms as the supreme creative power.
- Dharma
- Cosmic order, righteousness, and one's sacred duty; the moral law that upholds life and the universe.
- Durga
- The fierce protective form of the Goddess who vanquishes the forces of evil.
G
- Ganesha
- The elephant-headed remover of obstacles and lord of beginnings and wisdom.
- Guna
- One of the three qualities of nature: sattva (purity), rajas (activity), and tamas (inertia).
- Guru
- A spiritual teacher who dispels darkness and guides the seeker toward realization.
H
- Hanuman
- The devoted monkey-god of the Ramayana, exemplar of strength, service, and devotion.
I
- Ishvara
- The personal form of the Divine; God as creator and Lord.
- Itihasa
- The epic histories of Hinduism: the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
J
- Japa
- The meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name.
- Jiva
- The individual embodied soul, journeying through samsara until it attains liberation.
- Jnana
- The path of knowledge and self-inquiry leading to liberation.
K
- Kali
- The fierce, liberating form of the Goddess who destroys ego and illusion.
- Kali Yuga
- The present age of strife and spiritual decline within the cycle of yugas.
- Kama
- Pleasure, love, and desire; one of the four aims of life (purusharthas).
- Karma
- The law of action: every intentional deed produces consequences that shape future experience.
- Kartikeya
- The warrior god of valor, son of Shiva and Parvati; also known as Murugan or Skanda.
- Kirtan
- Devotional call-and-response chanting of the divine names.
- Krishna
- The eighth avatar of Vishnu and speaker of the Bhagavad Gita; the divine teacher and beloved.
- Kundalini
- The dormant spiritual energy at the base of the spine, awakened through yogic practice.
L
- Lakshmi
- The goddess of prosperity, abundance, and auspiciousness; consort of Vishnu.
M
- Mahabharata
- The great epic of the Bharata dynasty, which contains the Bhagavad Gita.
- Mahavakya
- A 'great saying' of the Upanishads expressing the identity of Atman and Brahman, e.g. 'Tat Tvam Asi'.
- Mantra
- A sacred sound, word, or phrase repeated in prayer and meditation.
- Maya
- The creative power by which the one Reality appears as the many; the veil of cosmic illusion.
- Moksha
- Liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara); the ultimate goal of spiritual life.
- Murti
- A consecrated image or form of a deity used in worship.
N
- Nirguna
- The Divine conceived as formless and beyond all attributes.
- Niyama
- The five observances of yoga: purity, contentment, discipline, self-study, and surrender to God.
O
- Om
- The primordial sacred sound, regarded as the vibration of Brahman.
P
- Parvati
- The gentle Mother Goddess; consort of Shiva and mother of Ganesha and Kartikeya.
- Prakriti
- Primordial nature or matter; the ever-changing substance of the manifest world.
- Prana
- The vital life-force or breath that animates all living beings.
- Pranayama
- Yogic regulation of the breath to steady the mind and vital energy (prana).
- Prasada
- Sanctified food offered to a deity and then shared as a blessing.
- Puja
- Ritual worship offered to a deity with devotion, light, flowers, and prayer.
- Purana
- A genre of scriptures recounting cosmology, mythology, and devotional lore.
- Purusha
- Pure consciousness or spirit; the witnessing principle, as distinct from prakriti (matter).
- Purushartha
- The four aims of human life: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.
R
- Rajas
- The guna of activity, passion, and restlessness.
- Rama
- The seventh avatar of Vishnu and hero of the Ramayana; the model of righteous conduct.
- Ramayana
- The epic of Lord Rama, attributed to Valmiki; a model of dharma and devotion.
S
- Saguna
- The Divine conceived as having form and attributes.
- Samadhi
- The deep meditative absorption in which the mind merges with its object; the goal of yoga.
- Samsara
- The continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, driven by karma and desire.
- Samskara
- A sacred rite of passage that sanctifies a stage of life; also a subtle mental imprint.
- Sannyasa
- The renounced stage of life, dedicated wholly to spiritual liberation.
- Saraswati
- The goddess of knowledge, learning, music, and the arts; consort of Brahma.
- Satsang
- The company of the wise; a gathering for spiritual truth and fellowship.
- Sattva
- The guna of purity, clarity, harmony, and balance.
- Seva
- Selfless service offered without expectation of reward.
- Shakti
- The divine feminine creative power; the dynamic energy of the cosmos.
- Shiva
- The transformer within the Trimurti; the great ascetic and lord of meditation and dissolution.
- Shruti
- 'That which is heard'; revealed scripture, namely the Vedas.
- Smriti
- 'That which is remembered'; texts of human authorship such as the epics and Puranas.
T
- Tamas
- The guna of inertia, dullness, and darkness.
- Tilaka
- The sacred mark worn on the forehead, indicating devotion and sectarian affiliation.
- Trimurti
- The triad of Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (transformer).
U
- Upanishads
- The philosophical texts concluding the Vedas (Vedanta), teaching the unity of Atman and Brahman.
V
- Vairagya
- Dispassion; detachment from the fleeting objects of the world.
- Vedanta
- The 'culmination of the Vedas'; the philosophy based on the Upanishads.
- Vedas
- The oldest and most authoritative Hindu scriptures; revealed knowledge (shruti).
- Vibhuti
- Sacred ash worn by devotees of Shiva, symbolizing the impermanence of all forms.
- Vishnu
- The preserver within the Trimurti, who sustains cosmic order and descends as avatars.
- Viveka
- Discernment; the ability to distinguish the eternal Real from the impermanent unreal.
Y
- Yama
- The five ethical restraints of yoga: non-violence, truth, non-stealing, continence, and non-possessiveness.
- Yoga
- A spiritual discipline that unites the individual with the Divine; literally 'union'.
- Yuga
- A vast cosmic age; the four yugas form a recurring cycle of cosmic time.