DattaPeetham Glossary
Glossary of Terms
Abhiseka
ablution of a Deity
Agni
fire, name of the Firegod
Akasha tattva
principle of ether
Alamkara
decoration
Amsa
part
Ananda
bliss
Arati
camphor light which is turned
clockwise in front of a Deity
Artha
materialistic attainments
Asana
lit.: seat, posture; in general use
set of a holy person or seat used
for meditiation
Avatara
incarnation of a Deity
Ayurveda
science of life
Bhagavat Gita
the song devine, one of the source books of
Hindu philosophy, the sacred dialogues
between Krishna and Arjuna
Bhagavati
name of Mother Goddess
Bhajan
spiritual song
Bhakti
devotion
Bhakti Yoga
the achievement of union with the
universal spirit through devotion
Bharat
India
Brahman
the Supreme Being, the all
pervading spirit
Chakra
lit: wheel or circle; in general use:
energy centers of the subtle body,
junctions of the nadis. The seven
main chakras are: Muladhara,
Svadhisthana, Manipuraka,
Anahata, Visuddha, Ajna and
Sahasrara
Chandra
moon
Darsana
becoming visible, appearance of a
holy being
Dattastava
prayer on Lord Dattatreya in eight
(asta) verses, recited daily at the Ashram
Deva
God
Devi
Goddess
Dharma
the authourity for the code of conduct by which man can make his life sublime, and the lord of Dharma is God.
Whenever man deviates from the path of dharma, formless God assumes a form and brings the strayed back to the path of dharma. This process is an eternal one.
Diksha
vow
Ekagrata
concentration, one-pointedness
Gopika
lit: a cowherd lady; in general use:
a cowherd lady who adrores Lord Krishna
Graha
planet
Grahana
eclipse
Hatha Yoga
the way towards realization
through rigorous disciplines,
commonly understood as the
yogic exercises, the asanas
Homa
fire ritual for the worship of Agni,
the Lord of fire
Homa kunda
pit in which the fire worship is performed
Japa
muttered prayer or mantra, usually
by counting beads of a rosary
Jivatma
individual, personal soul
Jnana
knowledge
Kama
desire, lust
Kalasa
lit: pot; in general use: a copper
pot containing water, placed in a
plate of unkooked rice and topped
with leaves and decorated with
coconut, all together representing a
Deity
Kali Yuga
ref. Yuga
Karma
lit.: action; in general use: the total
of our past actions, good and bad, of
which we bear the fruits in this
life
Karma Yoga
the way which leads to realization performing
selfless acts
Kriya Yoga
The way which leads to realization by
refining the senses and getting
control over them through mental
exercises and pranayamas
Lila
lit.: play; in general use: the world
of manifestation is considered as
the play of God
Linga
lit.: symbol; in general use: a bare
idol in the form of an egg or a
rounded cylinder symbolizing
Shiva who has no beginning and
no end
Mahabhagavata
a book describing the stories of Gods
Mantra
sacred words imbued with power
Mata
Mother
Maya
illusion
Moksha
liberation, final emancipation of
the soul from the cycle of births
and deaths
Mouna
silence
Mrdanga
Indian percussive-instrument
Mukti
liberation
Nada
sound
Nada Nidhi
a treasure of sounds
Nada Yoga
the way towards realization by
listening and concentration on
sounds
Nadi
tubular organ of the subtle body
through which spiritual energy flows
Namaskara
lit.: bending forward; in general use:
prostration
Navagraha
the nine planets: Sun, Moon, Mars,
Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn,
Raghu (Dragon's head)
and Ketu (Dragon's tail)
Nirguna
without quality
Omkara
primordial sound
Padmasana
Lotus posture, sitting with crossed legs
Paduka
lit.: footwear; in general use:
sandals of a saint
Pancabhuta
the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether
Paramatma
the supreme, all pervading soul
Pooja
ref. puja
Pradaksina
circumbulation of an idol or a temple
clockwise, turning around clockwise
in front of an idol as part of prostration
Prakrti
nature with its quality of creation
and destruction
Prana
life force
Prasada
lit.: blessing, grace; in general use:
offering which we get back after it
has been blessed or gift given by a
holy being or after the worship is over
Pranayama
breathing exercices with the benefit
of extending the prana
Prayatna
endeavour, effort
Puja
a vedic ritual for the worship of God
Puja mandapa
temple for the Deity, the idol
which is being worshipped
Purana
literature of old stories about great souls
Purnatattva
principle of completeness
Purusa
Supreme Being, existing from the
beginning and forever
Raga
sequence of musical notes, 72
main ragas form the basis of the
Indian music system
Raja Yoga
the achievement of the union with
the universal soul by becoming the
ruler of one's mind
Raksasa
demon
Sadhaka
aspirant
Sadhana
practice, quest
Saguna
with quality
Sahasrara chakra
ref. chakra
Shakti
spiritual energy, the dynamic
element of consciousness
Shakti pata
transferring one's own spiritual
energy to another person
Samhara
destruction
Samkalpa
determination
Samsara
succession of births and deaths
Samskrit
language of the holy scripture,
the Veda
Sari
the traditional dress of Indian women
Satvic
ref. to Sattva, one of the three
qualities (gunas) constituting
nature:
Sattva - purity, goodness: Rajas -
passion, agitation: Tamas -
darkness, ignorance
Seva
service
Shiva Linga
ref. linga
Siddhi
lit.: accomplishment: in the context
of Yoga: super human power.
There are eight such powers (asta siddhis):
Anima (ability to become small), Mahima
(to become big) Garima ( to become heavy)
Laghima ( to become light), Prapti (to attain
whatever desired), Prakamya (to be present
at any place at any time), Isatva (to transcend
all human limits), Vasitva (to control the
sense organs)
Siddha purusa
a supreme being who is master of
the eight super human powers
Sisya
student, disciple
Sloka
verse
Soham
"That am I, the unconscious repetitive
prayer that goes on with every inhalation
and exhalation
Shraddha
faith, interest
Sri Chakra
commonly considered as the symbol for
Mother Goddess
Sri Chakrarcana
the outer worship (bahiraga) of Sri Chakra
Sri Vidya Upasana
the mental worship (antaryaga) of
the knowledge of Mother Goddess
Sri Yantra
a geometrical drawing symbolizing
Mother Goddess
Surya
sun
Susupti
one of the tree states of existence: Susupti - state of
dreamless sleep; Svapna - dreaming state; Jagrat -
wakeful state
Svadharma
one's personal righteous conduct
according to age, sex, position
Tapas
penance, austerity
Thirta
liquid (like water, milk) which is
distributed after having been poured
over the deity during the worship
Treta Yuga
ref. Yuga
Vairagya
dispassion, absence of worldly desires
Vastra
dress, cloth
Vidyartha
student
Veda
the sacred scriptures revealed by
the Supreme Being, adopted by the Hindus.
There are four parts: Rgveda, Yajurveda
Somaveda, Atharvaveda
Vedanta
the final part of the Veda in which the true
principle of God is described,
Veda Nidhi
a treasure of Vedas
Yantra
a geometrical drawing symbolizing a deity
Yajna
sacrifice, worship
Yajurveda
ref. Veda
Yogakendra
center of Yoga
Yogaprastha
who is best in Yoga
Yuga
epoch: According to the vedic tradition
there are four epochs: Krta Yuga -first;
Treta Yuga - second; Dvapara Yuga -third;
Kali Yuga -fourth (which is running now)