Glossary
- ABHIMANA
- Ego-centred attachment.
- ABHYASA
- Spiritual practice. Refers to constant practice over a long period of time.
Has been prescribed by the great sage Patanjali Maharishi in his Yoga Sutras
and by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as an essential means to control
the mind together with Vairagya.
- ADHISHTHANA
- Substratum.
- ADHYASA:
- Mutual identification or superimposition.
- ADHYATMIC:
- Spiritual.
- ADVAITA:
- Non-duality.
- AHANKARA:
- Ego. One of the four elements of the mind or Antakharana.
- AHIMSA:
- Non-violence. The first of the five 8 limbs of Raja Yoga
- AMARA:
- Immortal.
- AMARA-PURUSHA:
- Immortal being.
- ANAHATA:
- Mystic sound heard by Yogis.
- ANANDA:
- Bliss.
- ANTAHKARANA:
- Internal instrument such as mind, intellect, ego and the subconscious mind.
- ANTARATMAN:
- Inner Self.
- ANTARYAMIN:
- Inner witness.
- ANUBHAVA:
- Experience.
- APTA:
- Realized.
- ARHATA:
- A perfected Soul.
- ASAMPRAJNATA:
- Highest superconscious state where the mind is completely annihilated and
Reality experienced.
- ASANA:
- A bodily pose or posture. See page on Yogic exercises
- ASHRAM:
- A hermitage; monastery. See list of the Sivananda Ashrams
- ASHTANGA:
- Eight limbs. See page on the 8 limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.
- ASURIC:
- Demoniacal.
- ATMA-JNANA:
- Knowledge of the Self.
- ATMA-SVARUP:
- The essential nature of the Self.
- ATMAN:
- The Self.
- AVADHUTA:
- A naked sage.
- AVARANA:
- Veil of ignorance.
- AVIDYA:
- Ignorance.
- AYURVEDA:
- The ancient Indian science of medicine.
- BENARES:
- A holy pilgrimage centre of Hindus, now called Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh,
India.
- BHAGAVAD-GITA:
- A scripture containing Lord Krishna's teachings.
- BHAGAVATA:
- Name of a Purana (sacred work dealing with the doctrines of creation, etc.)
- BHAJAN:
- Devotional song
- BHAKTA:
- Devotee of God
- BHAKTI: Devotion. Bhakti is one of the four paths of Yoga. See page on the
four paths
- BHARATAVARSHA:
- India. BHAVA(NA):
- Feeling; mental attitude.
- BHAYANAKA-SABDA:
- A fear inducing sound.
- BHOGI:
- Enjoyer.
- BHUMA:
- The Unconditioned, the Great Infinite, Brahman.
- BHUTA-SIDDHI:
- A psychic power by which mastery is gained over the elements.
- BODHISATTVA:
- A being who, having developed the Awakening Mind (a mind infused with the
aspiration to attain the state of Buddha hood), devotes his life to the task
of achieving Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings.
- BRAHMA-CHINTANA:
- Constant thinking of Brahman.
- BRAHMA-JNANA:
- Direct Knowledge of Brahman.
- BRAHMA-NISHTHA:
- One who is established in the Knowledge of Brahman.
- BRAHMA-SROTRI:
- One who has knowledge of the Vedas and the Upanishads.
- BRAHMA-SUTRAS:
- Classical Vedantic scripture.
- BRAHMA-TEJAS:
- Spiritual halo.
- BRAHMA-VIDYA:
- The science of Brahman.
- BRAHMACHARYA:
- Practice of celibacy. Purity in thought, word and deed. The third of the
five Yamas.
- BRAHMAMUHURTA:
- Period from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. The most auspicious time for the practice of
meditation and other spiritual practices.
- BRAHMAN:
- The Absolute Reality; God.
- BRIHADARANYAKA:
- Name of an Upanishad.
- BUDDHA:
- One who is totally purified from all defilements and who has realized all
that can be known.
- BUDDHI:
- Intellect. One of the four elements of the mind or Antakharana.
- CHAKRAS:
- Centres of energy in the human system. See our Shockwave interactive Chakra
animation
- CHANDOGYA:
- Name of an Upanishad.
- CHELA:
- Disciple.
- CHIRANJIVI:
- One who has gained eternal life.
- DAIVIC:
- Divine.
- DAMA:
- Control of senses.
- DARSHAN:
- Vision.
- DAYA:
- Mercy.
- DEHA:
- Body.
- DHARANA:
- Concentration. The sixth limb of the Ashtanga or Raja Yoga system.
- DHARMA:
- Duty; characteristics, righteousness.
- DHYANA:
- Meditation.The seventh limb of the Ashtanga or Raja Yoga system.
- DIVYA-DRISHTI:
- Divine perception.
- DVESHA:
- Repulsion; hatred; dislike.
- EKADASI:
- Eleventh day of the Hindu lunar fortnight.
- GANGA:
- River Ganges.
- GAYATRI:
- One of the most sacred Vedic Mantras; goddess.
- GITA:
- Renowned sacred text "Bhagavad-Gita".
- GUNA:
- Quality born of nature. See page on the three Gunas.
- GURU:
- Teacher; preceptor. Read more about Guru
- HAVAN:
- Sacred oblations.
- HIRANYAGARBHA:
- Cosmic intelligence; the supreme lord of the universe; cosmic mind.
- INDRA:
- The Lord of gods; the ruler of heaven.
- INDRIYAS:
- Senses.
- ISHVARA:
- Lord; God.
- JAPA:
- Repetition of the Lord's Name or Mantra.
- JIVA:
- Individual Soul.
- JIVANMUKTA:
- One who is liberated in this life.
- JNANA:
- Wisdom. Knowledge of the Self. Jnana is one of the four paths of Yoga. See
page on the four paths
- JNANA-INDRIYAS:
- Organs of knowledge or perception.
- JNANI:
- (Pronounced Nyani) A wise person who is endowed with Jnana.
- KAIVALYA:
- Emancipation; state of absolute independence.
- KARMA:
- Action. The law of action and reaction. the fruits of the action. See pages
on the law of Karma & on reincarnation.
- KARMA-INDRIYAS:
- Organs of action - tongue, hands, feet, genital organ and anus.
- KARMA-KANDI:
- One who observes strictly the duties ordained in the scriptures.
- KARMASRAYA:
- Receptacle of actions.
- KARUNA:
- Compassion
- KASHAYA:
- Hidden desires.
- KIRTAN:
- Singing devotional songs.
- KRIYA:
- A type of exercise in Hath Yoga.
- KSHAMA:
- Forgiveness.
- KUNDALINI:
- The primordial cosmic energy located in the individual.
- KUTIR:
- A small cottage; hut.
- LAYA:
- Merging; dissolution.
- LINGA-SARIRA:
- The subtle body, the astral body.
- MAHA:
- Great.
- MAHABHARATA:
- A Hindu epic.
- MAHANT: Great sage
- MAHAPURUSHA:
- A great soul.
- MAHARISHI:
- Great sage
- MAHASAMADHI:
- The departure of a Self-realized saint from his mortal coil.
- MAHATMA: Great soul
- MAITRI:
- Friendship.
- MANONASA:
- Destruction of mind.
- MANTRA:
- Sacred syllable or word, or set of words through the repetition and reflection
of which one attains perfection.
- MAYA:
- The illusive power of God.
- MOHA:
- Infatuation.
- MOKSHA:
- Liberation.
- MOUNA:
- Vow of silence.
- MOUNI:
- One who observes silence.
- MUKTI:
- Liberation.
- MUMUKSHU:
- One who aspires after moksha or liberation.
- MUNI:
- An ascetic.
- NADA:
- Mystic sound.
- NIRVANA:
- Liberation; final emancipation.
- NIRVIKALPA-SAMADHI:
- Superconscious state where there is no mind or Triputhi.
- NITYA-SIDDHA:
- A liberated soul of marvellous powers who is ever present on the astral
plane.
- NIVRITTI:
- Renunciation.
- NIYAMA:
- The second step in Raja Yoga, observance - purity, contentment, austerities,
etc.
- OJAS:
- Spiritual energy.
- OM:
- The sacred monosyllable which symbolizes Brahman.
- PARAMAHAMSA:
- The highest class of Sannyasins.
- PATANJALI:
- The author of Yoga-Sutras, the foremost scripture on Raja Yoga, the Yoga
of mind control..
- PRAKRITI:
- Mother Nature, causal matter.
- PRANA: Vital energy; life-breath.
- PRANAYAMA:
- Practice of breath-control. See page on proper breathing.
- PRATYAHARA:
- Abstraction or withdrawal of the senses; fifth step in Raja Yoga.
- PREMA: Divine Love.
- PRITHVI:
- Earth.
- PURANA:
- Hindu myths and legends.
- PURUSHA:
- The Supreme Being.
- RAGA:
- Attachment.
- RAJASUYA-YAJNA:
- A sacrifice performed by a monarch as a mark of his subduing all other kings.
- RAMAYANA:
- A holy narrative of Lord Rama.
- UPANISHADS:
- Revelation; text dealing with Ultimate Truth and Its Realization.
- VASANA-KSHYA:
- Desireless.
- VASANAS:
- Subtle desires.
- VEDANTA:
- The school of Hindu thoughts (based primarily on the Upanishads).
- VEDAS:
- The highest authority among the Aryans of India.
- VEERYA:
- Seminal energy.
- YOGA:
- Union; union with the Supreme Being - any course that makes for such union.
- YOGI (N):
- One who practices Yoga; one who is established in Yoga. YONI: Source.
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