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Journey
through
Timeless
India
by
Nancy
Freeman Patchen
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Glossary
of
Indian Terms
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acharya:
spiritual teacher, preceptor.
advaita [not divided]: the one unchangeable, indivisible Truth;
the one essence that cannot be described as real or non-real. Adi Shankaracharya
wrote extensive commentaries on the major Vedantic scriptures to prove
this conclusion.
Agni: Vedic god of fire.
amma: mother.
ananda: divine bliss and happiness. A bliss that is not dependent
on the objects or situations in the world or the mind, but inherent in
each individual.
Aranyaka: the third section of each of the four Vedas that includes
the explanations of the symbolism of the rituals and mental exercises
for the contemplative life of the retiree (vanaprastha ashrama)
to prepare him for the fourth stage of life (sannyasa ashrama).
Arunachala Mountain: mountain in southern India where Ramana Maharshi
resided throughout his adulthood. In the Puranas, Arunachala is
said to be the center of the universe.
Arya Samaj: Society of Aryans, founded in 1875 by the north Indian
Swami Dayanand. He aimed to transform Hinduism from within by removing
such extraneous, and often difficult to rationalize, elements as the
Puranas, the epics that tell of the exploits of the various deities.
Arya(n): One of noble birth or character (Sanskrit). Also, the
family of Indo-European languages, therefore, the nomadic invaders who
brought a language of this group into India (and Europe) between 2,000
and 1,500 BC from the northern steppes.
asana: a particular posture or mode of sitting; a seat, stool, or pad
for sitting.
ashram: monastery, hermitage, place of retreat.
ashrama: the four orders or stages of a Hindu's life—brahmacharya
(student), grhastha (householder), vanaprastha (forest-dweller),
sannyasa (renunciate).
Atharva Veda: In general, this Veda contain rituals for dealing
with practical matters of life in the world. Its philosophical section
contains the Mundaka, Mandukya and Prasna Upanishads.
Atma(n): the essential Divinity, or light of consciousness, in
each individual; often translated into English as “Self”. See
Brahman.
Avatar: an incarnation of the Divine made flesh in response to
the collective karma of the population of a given time, not because
of individual, personal karma. Examples include Rama, Krishna,
the Buddha.
Ayurveda: a system of the ancient knowledge (veda) of health
and medicine that is so comprehensive it includes descriptions and drawings
of the tools used in major surgeries. Its validity is now recognized by
modern medical science.
Badrinath: one of the four great Himalayan pilgrimage centers; the
Matha established by Adi Shankaracharya in the north for the preservation
of the Hindu scriptures.
bhajan: devotional hymn or chant.
Bhagavad Gita [Song of the Lord]: a major scriptural poem contained
in the Mahabharata epic. In the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad
Gita, Lord Krishna gives the Divine Truth to his student Arjuna in
the setting of the battlefield of the dynastic war between the Pandavas
and Kauravas. The Gita is therefore intended as a practical guide
to persons attempting to live a spiritual life in the world, rather than
for renunciates.
bhakti/bhakta: devotion/devotee. Bhakti Yoga is the path
to enlightenment through devotion to God, the Truth, or a holy teacher.
Bharata: India, the traditional name the
Indians call their countr. The home of the ancient clan of Bharatis, or
“Sons of Light,”which was held together by a strong cultural
and religious bond based on the Sanskrit Vedas. The area is believed to
have extended from present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan on the west to
Burma on the east, from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean on the north
and south. Note: Bharat in Hindi; Bharata in Sanskrit.
bhiksha: food obtained by begging or asking
for alms. Also, the meal served when a sadhu is invited into the home.
Brahma (masculine gender): the deity of the
Hindu trinity who is the creator of the universe. Do not confuse with
Brahman, see below.
Brahman (neuter gender): the impersonal God,
devoid of all qualities; the Omnipresent, All-pervading, Transcendent
Reality. This supreme Reality is called Brahman when regarded as transcendent,
and Atman when regarded as the Life Principle in the individual person.
[Brahman is written in plain letters in the text.]
Brahman (Brahamana): the highest
of the four Hindu castes. The priestly caste consists of many sub-castes
depending on the area the priest comes from and the duties he performs,
such as temple priest, family priest, astrologer, teacher, cook, etc.
[Brahman is written in italicized letters in the text.]
Brahma(n) Sutras: one of the three authoritative books of Hinduism
in which Sri Vyasa encapsulated the principles of Vedanta in 551 terse
statements. These short verses were originally intended for ease of memorization,
thereby ensuring their availability for mental reflection on the great
truths of the Upanisads at any time or place.
Brahma(n) vichar: continually thinking on the nature of Brahman,
the eternal Truth.
Brahma(n) vidya: knowledge of the eternal Truth, Brahman.
brahmachari (m), brahmacharini (f): One who moves in Brahman;
that is, one who continually fixes the mind on the eternal Truth. The
more common meaning is student, or one who practices spiritual discipline
and celibacy.
brahmacharya ashrama: the first of the four stages of life in the
Hindu system. This period of life, usually from five to twenty-five years
of age, is allotted to general education and the study of the Vedas for
the understanding of, and preparation for, life.
Buddha [one of true wisdom]: Buddha is a title bestowed on an enlightened
master. The Buddha in the present cycle is Siddhartha Gautama (563 BC)
who was born in a small kingdom in present day Nepal. After a renunciation
of his kingdom and a long period of asceticism, he became enlightened
and began teaching. His sermons form the school of philosophy called Buddhism.
caste: There are four castes, each with its own duties,
rules, regulations and hierarchy. Within each caste there are hundreds
of subcastes, variations and hierarchies. Varna (caste) is usually
translated as “community”; by Indians, for it means much more
than a single category. It means where one is from, how one dresses, what
one eats, the language one speaks. Traditionally, there was flexibility
in the caste system, according to one's talent. For example, Mahatma Gandhi's
father, from the grocer-Vaishya caste, served as a counselor to
a king, the traditional role served by a Brahman(a). On the other
hand, J. Nehru was a Kashmir Brahman (considered a lower status
in the Brahman caste hierachy); however, he and his father were
attorneys, a Kshatriaya caste function. Having had to withstand
the foreign invasions of religious fanatics, both Moslem and Christian,
for some 1,000 years, the Indian system has continued to crystallize and
become rigid in order to protect the culture and religion.
The highest caste is the Brahman(a), or priest, teacher, scholar,
advisor group. By virtue of their position in the society, they have more
duties and are accorded heavier punishments than the other castes. For
example, in the Mahabharata, a group of men had committed a crime.
The Brahman(a) was given the death sentence, while the ones of
lower castes were given sentences in prison, varying according to their
caste.
The Kshatriya caste is referred to as the warrior caste. This caste
includes everyone from the king to the foot soldier, their wives and children.
In modern times, they have been court judges and administrators. Only
Kshatriyas went to war, leaving the rest of the population free
to carry on with their respective duties.
The third caste is the Vaishya, or merchant and farmer category.
In general, this has been the wealthiest caste.
The fourth caste is the Shudra, or service caste. Anyone who performs
services in the community, such as office executives, clerks, secretaries
and persons in banking, communication and medical services.
Champak: a tree of the magnolia tree with small cream-colored blossoms
that are very fragrant. A mature tree can reach 30 feet in height.
chandala: untouchable; one outside of the caste system. The outcastes
were generally of the aboriginal native tribes.
Chandrakaladhara, Lord [moon + small part + ornament]: During the
churning of the milky ocean by the gods and the demons, “Chandrakala”
emerged on the day of the new moon. The gods prayed to Lord Shiva to wear
this crescent moon on his head as an ornament with the hope that it would
help cool his destructive anger.
Cochin: port city on the Malabar cost of the Arabian Sea; also
the pre-independence kingdom that included the cities of Cochin, Ernakulam
and Trichur.
Congress (Indian National Congress): Organized in 1885 with the
assistance of Allan Hume, a retired British civil servant, for the purpose
of giving Indians more voice in public affairs. Congress was the principal
political organ in India's struggle for independence and remains the major
political force in modern India.
dal: dried beans that have had the outer husk removed. Any bean
or pea may be made into a dal. Also, any soup or curry that is made from
a dal.
darshan: to see or view, usually used in the context of “beholding”a
holy person or an idol.
deva (m), devi (f) [dev = to shine]: god/goddess.
All Vedic gods are functional names of the one supreme creative power
manifesting in myriad forms; therefore, these deities, or shining ones,
preside over and have the power to bless various activities in the world.
In the context of Vedanta, the gods are symbolic of human inner psychological
powers representing one's ability to bless or curse oneself.
dharma [dhr = to support, sustain]: the inner essence or
very foundations of a thing or being. Dharma may be translated
as law, duty, harmony or essential Truth, according to the context.
dharma shala: overnight abodes or hostels that were constructed
by pious people or kings to provide free food and shelter to traveling
pilgrims.
dhoti: The traditional men's wear in many parts of India, which
is a large rectangular cloth, wrapped around the body like a skirt and
tied at the waist. Called a lunghi in Kerala.
Dravidian: the principal indigenous culture and language on the
Indian sub-continent. It remains the source of the South Indian culture
and language, Tamil, of today.
enlightenment: the direct experience that the individual Self (Atman)
is one with the supreme Self (Brahman); also referred to as realization,
Self-realization and liberation. The Sanskrit terms for enlightenment
are moksha, mukti and nirvana.
Gandhi, Mahatma (Mohandas K.) (18969-1948) : The leader of the
Indian nationalist movement who voiced the ideal of non-violence. He dedicated
his life to searching for Truth and devising programs for the improvement
of the lives of the impoverished masses of India.
Ganesha: the elephant god of great wisdom and strength who is worshiped
first in any ritual or new enterprise. He is invoked to remove obstacles
in the practical matters of success in worship or in worldly endeavors,
or to remove obstructions in spiritual practices done to attain enlightenment.
Ganga: a river flowing from the high Himalayas, said to originate
in the heavens. It has sustained a flourishing civilization along its
banks for several millenium. (Mispronounced “Ganges” by the
British.)
Gangotri: one of the four great Himalayas pilgrimage centers. It
is near the source of the Ganga.
Gaudapada, Sri (700 AD): the guru of Govindapada Acharya, who was
the Guru of Adi Shankaracharya. He authored the Mandukya Upanishad's
Karika, or commentary.
Gayatri: the most sacred verse in the Vedas (Rg III, 62:10) that
invokes the Solar Deity, Savitri, for wisdom in daily living. It has been
used in daily worship and in initiation ceremonies throughout the ages
in Bharat.
ghat: slopes, steps; the steps that line the sacred rivers and
temple pools to enable the worshipers to easily enter the water for a
purification bath; therefore, also the most sacred places along these
pools and rivers. The term ghat is also used for mountain ranges, such
as the Western Ghats that borders and defines the state of Kerala.
ghee: butter that has been clarified using fire.
Gita: See Bhagavad Gita.
grhastha ashrama: the householder, or second stage of life of the
Hindu. The householder lives according to a behavioral code given in the
Dharma Shastra. In addition, he daily performs certain required
rituals.
guru [one who dispels darkness]: a spiritual teacher who initiates
seekers into the secrets of the sacred scriptures by the clearing of ignorance
and misconceptions of life, thereby revealing the Eternal Truth. Colloquially,
a teacher of any specialized knowledge.
Hanuman: the deity of wind and mental prowess. As the hero monkey
who aided Lord Rama in the battle against evil, he exhibited great qualities
as a supporter of dharma and devotee of the Lord. He is therefore
idolized throughout India, particularly in the North, in the region of
Rama's ancient kingdom.
Hara: an epithet of Lord Shiva.
Hari: an epithet of Lord Vishnu.
Harijan: children of God; a term coined by Mahatma Gandhi for the
Untouchables.
Havan: a fire ritual accompanied by the chanting of the sacred
Vedic mantras for a communal or common purpose. In the Vedic age, Havans
were performed to give offerings of ghee, milk or grain to please
the deities. With the later philosophical development of Hinduism, their
purpose evolved into a method of practicing renunciation.
Indus Valley Civilization (ca. 4000-1,500 BC): an advanced civilization
in ancient India concurrent with the Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations.
Numerous sites of ruins lie along the Indus River in present-day Pakistan.
japa: repetition, usually mentally, of a mantra to exclude all
other thoughts and to build the power of concentration of the mind.
jnana: knowledge; wisdom of the absolute Reality.
Kailasa, Mount: peak of 22,280 feet in southwest Tibet in the Kailasa
Range of the Himalayas. The pilgrimage path that girdles it is thirty
miles long and reaches a height of 18,000 feet at one point. It is also
called Kamgrimpoche (Tibetan).
karma [kr = to do]: action, work, deed; the sum of the effects
of past actions producing results in the life of the world. According
to the context, karma can be translated as destiny (the results
of past actions) or duty (actions intended to produce good results in
the future). In the Vedas, karma means only the action of performing
the prescribed rituals.
karma phala: fruit, results, of actions in the world.
Kedarnath: one of the four great Himalayas pilgrimage centers.
Kerala: the Indian state established after Independence in 1951,
composed of the small kingdoms on the Malabar coast of the Arabian Sea
in which Malayalam was spoken, including Travancore, Calicut and Cochin.
kovalam:
geometric or floral designs made by the south Indians in front of
their homes each morning. Traditionally, kovalams were made with
rice powder to feed the birds and tiny crawling creatures. Now, they just
use a white chalky powder for the kovalam, which is created anew
daily.
Krishna, Lord: the ninth and most beloved Avatara. His life
was immortalized with Sri Vyasa's Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita.
Krishnamurthi, Jiddu (1895-1986): Born in Andhra Pradesh, he was
groomed as a messianic figure by the theosophist Annie Besant. In 1928
he repudiated his role as the World Teacher and, to some extent, the role
of all spiritual teachers. He spent his life principally in Europe and
America writing and lecturing-being a spiritual teacher.
Krishnastami Day: Lord Krishna's birthday. He was born after midnight
on the eighth day of the dark moon in the month of Sravana (July-August)
in a prison in Mathura.
kula guru: spiritual teacher of the household or clan.
laksharchana [lak = one thousand]: worship by chanting the
one thousand name of a god or goddess.
Lakshmi, Sri: goddess of wealth and good fortune; symbol of auspiciousness
and grace. Also called Sri, which means auspicious.
Lalita: an epithet of Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva.
lila: divine play, particularly of the gods.
Madrasi: resident of Madras. During the British Empire the Madras
Presidency included the sourthern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Mysore
and Andhra Pradesh.
Mahabharata: an epic poem of ancient India detailing the history
of the evolution of mankind through the lineage of the Bharata family.
Written by Veda Vyasa, the poem of 100,000 verses is the longest epic
poem in the world. It also contains the philosophical treatise, the Bhagavad
Gita.
Maharaja: great king; can be used as both a secular and spiritual
title.
maha samadhi: the great or final samadhi, that is, the death
of a sage. Therefore, the burial place of a sage is also referred to as
a “samadhi.”
Mahatma: great soul.
mala: rosary used for meditation. It usually consists of 108 beads
with a central (meru) bead, or turning bead, to enable one to count the
number of repetitions of the mantra while chanting.
Malayalam: the native language of Kerala that originated with the
Dravidian Tamil although it has numerous additions from indigenous influences
and from Sanskrit. It is considered to be the most sanskritized of the
native Indian languages.
mantra: a sacred syllable, word or phrase that represents the eternal
Truth. Mantras may be used in daily life for protecting the mind
from falling into agitation and for spiritual evolution by reflecting
on their significance.
master: In India and Hinduism, the term refers to one who has mastered
himself and has thereby mastered life.
Mandukya Upanishad: a philosophical treatise in the Atharva
Veda. It is considered to be the most terse, yet most sublime and
complete, of the Upanishads.
matha: monastery, seminary; one of the four centers established
by Adi Shankaracharya for the preservation of the four Vedas and other
sacred scriptures: Badrinath (north), Shringeri (south), Puri (east) and
Dwaraka (west). These four mathas have established subsidiary mathas
in their respective districts, such as at Kanchi and Kavir.
mauna: silence, the practice of maintaining silence to prevent
the dissipation of energy to exercise discipline over the sense organs.
Moghul: a dynasty established in India in the 16th century by Babur,
a Mongolian/Turk; also a civilian of this dynasty.
monsoon: seasonal rain-bearing winds that inundate most India with
rains from June 10 to September 10 each year, except the southeast coast,
which has rains from late November through January.
lunghi: Malayalam word for a wrap-around cloth worn as a skirt
by both men and women in Kerala (dhoti in Hindi). The mundu is
the top cloth worn over the shoulder.
Nandi: the bull that sits in front of all Shiva temples. It faces
Shiva, indicating that the materialistic, instinctual nature of creation
is at peace when focused on Lord Shiva.
Narayana, Jaya Prakash (1902-1979): the founder of the Congress
Socialists in the early 1930's and leader of the Socialist Party. He was
one of the few Indian nationalists educated in America and this experience
influenced his emphasis on industrialization in India. In 1956 he withdrew
from formal politics to serve his countrymen in what he felt was a more
practical manner by establishing the Sarvodaya (Upliftment of All) Foundation.
His devotion to the cause of India's independence and resulting respect
from the people was equal to that of Nehru.
Narayana: an epithet of Lord Vishnu.
Narayana Guru (1856-1928): Born in the low Ezahava caste in Kerala,
he was a respected reformer who spent his life building temples, teaching
Vedanta and preaching against social injustice.
nawab: the king or ruler of the Moslem kingdoms.
Nehru, Jawaharlal (1889-1964): first Prime Minister of independent
India. He and his father, Motilal Nehru, were prominent leaders of the
nationalist movement and Indian Congress Party from the 1930's.
Nilgiris: the Blue Mountains, a long chain of mountains in southern
India. They are mostly in Tamil Nadu, but part of them are in Karnataka
and Kerala.
nimbu: India lime, which is more like a cross between a lime and
a lemon.
nishkama karma: action performed without the taint of personal
desire for results or reward.
OM (aum): a mystic syllable that represents the higher Reality,
Brahman. It begins all the sacred scriptures and all prayers. Its significance
is expounded in the Mandukya Upanishad.
OM namah Shivaya [surrender + (to) Lord Shiva]: The mantra
emitting the highest vibration of the seven seed sounds (such as eim,
srim, krim, hrim) defined by Adi Shankaracharya in the “Karpooradi
Stotram.”
Panchadasi [fifteen]: Vedantic text of fifteen chapters written
by Swami Vidyaranya. It is an advanced introductory text (prakarana
grantha) intended to unfold all the subject of Vedanta necessary for
enlightenment, or to serve as a foundation for further study of Vedanta.
parampara: a line of teachers established by the handing down of
the Eternal Truth from teacher to student.
prakarana grantha: introductory Vedantic texts that unfold the
entire subject matter of Vedanta with or without reference to any of the
terse Upanishads. The purpose of these texts were to explain all
the concepts necessary for enlightenment in simple terms, so the subject
could be understood without having to resort to the study of the thick
scriptures and the lengthy logical analysis typical of the scholarly approach.
Some of the most known are Atma Bodha, Vivekachudamani, Panchadasi,
Vedanta Sara, Vedanta Paribhasa.
pranam: a prostration; often used as a salutation to show respect
to a holy man.
prasadam: food, usually sweets, offered to the gods during a ritual.
Afterwards, it is distributed among the participants as a consecrated
offering along with ash, sandalwood paste or other items used in the worship.
Prastana Treya: the three foundation scriptures of Vedanta:
Bhagavad Gita, Brahma(n) Sutras and the Upanishads.
prem: divine, selfless love, as opposed to romantic, self-centered
love.
puja: worship, ritual; pujya: worshipful.
punya: good karma, or merit, accumulated from good actions.
Puranas: epics, or ancient legendary histories compiled by Veda
Vyasa. There are eighteen Puranas, each of which contains the following
five topics: 1) cosmology with various symbolic illustrations of philosophical
principles, 2) secondary creation after periodic annihilation, 3) genealogy
of gods and saints, 4) descriptions of the great epochs, 5) history of
the royal dynasties.
ragi: Indian millet. It is dark brown when cooked and is the principal
grain of many of the tribal and rural people.
raja: king in the Hindu kingdoms in India; the king of a large
or prosperous kingdom was a maharaja.
Rama, Sri: the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu; the hero-king
of the epic Ramayana, who was the model of piety, morality as well as
ethical behavior in the performance of worldly duties.
Ramakrishna, Sri (1836-1886): A Bengali sage who accepted and demonstrated
the essential unity of all religions. He was the Guru of Swami Vivekananda,
Swami Brahmananda and other founders of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950): A spiritual master who left home at
sixteen years of age after an experience of enlightenment to spend the
remainder of his life at Arunachala Mountain, meditating and teaching
those who came to him. Ramana Maharshi is considered to be the last of
the line of authentic sages of the ancient tradition. Somerset Maugham
visited the sage in 1938, and later used him as the model for the holy
man in The Razor's Edge.
Ramayana: the history of Sri Rama; the epic poem of 24,000 verses,
written by Sri Valmiki. The Ramayana dramatizes the trials of the individual,
represented by Sita, in spiritual evolution.
rani: queen in the Hindu kingdoms in India.
rishi: a divinely inspired poet or sage; usually refers to the
original preceptors of the Vedas, the original Hindu scriptures.
Rishikesh: a traditional spiritual center of the Hindu sages and
sadhus. It lies at the foot of the Himalayas on the River Ganga.
Rg Veda: The oldest Veda, therefore, it contains much historical
information. It is the only Veda that appears to have been partially formulated
outside of India. The verses are metrical and intended to be recited aloud
for the invocation of the deities during the sacrificial fire ceremonies.
The Aitareya and Kausitaki Upanishads comprise its philosophical
section.
roti: flat, round, unleavened wheat bread that is baked on an iron
griddle, often called chapati.
rudraksha: a seed from a tree found in the Himalayas that is used
for the beads of malas. In addition to its medicinal properties including
regulating blood pressure, it is believed to emit a peaceful vibration
conducive for meditation. The Gauri-Shankara rudraksha is a rare
double seed that is used as the turning bead on a mala. In addition
to its rarity, the double rudraksha is valued as a symbol of creation,
the wedding of matter and spirit.
rupee: the Indian unit of currency; in recent years the value has
fluctuated between 25 and 50 rupees per U.S. dollar.
sadhana: spiritual practice; any discipline performed for the purpose
of turning one's mind from the world and applying it to the spiritual
truths.
sadhu: a practitioner of spiritual and virtuous values; in common
usage, a sannyasi or wandering mendicant.
Sama Veda: The third and most poetic of the Vedas, whose mantras are
to be sung during the sacrificial fire ceremonies. It contains the Chandogya
and Kena Upanishads.
samadhi (sama = steady + dhi = intellect): a calm
and pure mind in all circumstances, whether sitting in meditation or acting
in the world. Also, a trance-like experience of divine ecstasy.
sambhar: a thick soup made of toor dal, vegetables, chilies
and spices.
samsara: the process of the wordly life through successive births
and deaths.
sannyasa ashrama: the fourth ashrama in the four stages of the
Hindu's life. At this time, the life in the world is renounced for the
purpose of attaining enlightenment. Vows are administered by a sannyasi
renunciate.
sannyasi: one who has renounced the world by taking the sannyasa
vows.
Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Truth): the eternal principle of life
that is the essence of all religious teachings; that knowledge, which
remains, unchanged in all periods of time and states of consciousness.
The religion based on the Vedas, which is best known by its foreign label
of Hinduism.
Sanskrit: that which is well, or completely, done. The oldest language
of mankind; the language of the original Hindu scriptures, developed for
the communication of spiritual ideas and concepts, not for dealing with
worldly or mundane concerns.
Saraswati: goddess of speech and learning who is the consort of
Brahma, the creator.
sat: the essence of being, the essential, the true.
sat-chit-ananda: term used to express the ultimate experience of
oneness: sat = Truth, Existence; chit = intelligence, consciousness;
ananda = divine bliss.
satsang: association or nearness with the virtuous; therefore,
discussions with, or time spent in the presence of, spiritual masters.
sattva (n.), sattvic (adj.): one of the three modes (gunas)
of manifestation: sattva = calm, peaceful; rajas = active,
agitated; tamas = dull inactive.
Savitri: The divine Solar deity, or the vitalizing power behind
the visible sun, immortalized in the Gayatri Mantra.
Self: The nearest English equivalent of the Sanskrit word “Atman”,
the essential Divinity of an individual.
seva: noble, altruistic service.
sevak: one who does seva, or service.
Shankara: an epithet of Lord Shiva; see Shankaracharya, Adi.
Shankaracharya: title given to the head of each of the four mathas
set up by Adi [first] Shankaracharya and their subsidiaries.
Shankaracharya, Adi (730-820 AD): the great master of Advaita
Vedanta who synthesized the Vedantic teaching with clear commentaries,
wrote many scriptural books, as well as composed beautiful devotional
hymns; commonly referred to by the name: Shankara. He renovated and established
temples and founded mathas in the four directions in India for
the preservation of the Vedas.
shastras: all the scriptures of the Hindu religion.
Shiva: the third god of the Hindu trinity who is entrusted with
the task of destruction, thereby enabling regeneration.
Shivaratri: Shiva's night; the fourteenth day of the dark half
of the month Magha (February) on which a rigorous fast is observed in
honor of Lord Shiva.
Shringeri: The matha in the South established by Adi Shankaracharya
in approximately the seventh century.
Shruti [shru = to hear]: the Holy Scriptures that were heard by
the ancient rishis through direct revelation; the Vedas.
Sri (m), Srimati (f): a title of respect used in direct
address or in writing; equivalent to Mr. and Mrs. in English.
swami (m), swamini (f): the title used by a sannyasi
who has taken the vows of renunciation; literally one who is with
oneself.
Swamiji: term used when directly addressing a swami, the
suffix “ji”added to a name indicates respect in direct
address.
Tamil: the language of the Dravidians of South India, from which
Malayalam is derived.
Tamil Nadu: the state of South India in which Tamil is spoken;
its capital is Madras (presently Chennai, its pre-British name).
tapas: to shine, blaze or converge inner heat. Austerities on the
physical level include yoga postures; on the mental level, consistent
concentration; on the intellectual level, applying the concentration and
thought to a divine ideal.
Tilak, Bal Gangadar (1856-1920): One of India's first prominent
nationalist leaders. His efforts towards India's total independence earned
him the title of Lokamanya, “Respected of the people.”His efforts
were rewarded by a term of six years (1897-1902) in British prisons in
India. He developed the ideas of passive resistance, boycotting of British
goods, organization of mass opinion, and other political tactics that
were later adopted by Mahatma Gandhi. Because of his words, “Swaraj
[self-rule] is my birthright,”he has been called the Patrick Henry
of India.
Trivandrum: capital city of Kerala in the former princely state
of Travancore.
Tungabhadra River: a sacred river that flows through Mysore and
part of Andhra Pradesh to merge with the larger Krishna River in Andhra
Pradesh.
turya: the substratum in which the waking, dream and sleep are
perceived in the phenomenal or waking point of view; for convenience,
it is referred to as the fourth, or turya, state of consciousness. It
can be compared to water, which appears in the three states of ice, liquid
and steam.
Upanayanam: the sacred thread ceremony for the bestowal of the
Gayatri Mantra. The ceremony for the purpose of “bringing
near or leading to”the Truth is performed by a priest and presided
over by the father of the boy being initiated. India's law-giver, Manu,
states the appropriate age for the receiving of the thread as five years
for a Brahman, six for Kshatriya, and eight for a Vaishya
(Code of Manu ii, 37-38).
Upanishad (seated below): the culmination, or philosophical section,
of each of the four Vedas that reveals the essential oneness between God
and man. These treatises are believed to have been compiled from 800 to
500 BC. They were meant to be taught by an enlightened teacher to students
of a humble and receptive attitude, that is both mentally and physically
“seated below.”
upasana (seated near): being near to the Lord through continual
mental visualization of his form.
Uttarkasi: the Himalayan mountain village that has been the residence
of many sages, including Swami Tapovanam.
vanaprastha ashrama: the third stage of a Hindu's life. As a forest-dweller,
he lives in semi-retirement at the edge of the family estate where he
is separate from the family, but available in an advisory capacity as
his sons take over his former duties. He passes the day in contemplation
and study of the Aranyaka section of the Vedas.
Varanasi: considered the holiest city in India by the Hindus. Its
historical name was Kashi. (Re-named Benares by British).
vasana: innate tendency. These subconscious tendencies color all
levels of our personality: our perceptions, emotions, thoughts and actions.
It is postulated that they are brought with us into this life from previous
births.
Vedanta (end of knowledge): system of non-dualistic philosophy
based on the Upanishads, which are found in the last section of
the Vedas. Vedanta proves the non-difference between the individual Self
(Atman) and the Supreme Self (Brahman).
Vedas: the four principal books of sacred knowledge: Rg, Yajur,
Sama and Atharva. Each Veda is divined into four sections to
guide the four ashramas (stages) of life. The first, or Samhita,
section contains the many mantras, which are hymns, prayers and formulas
to be used in the various rituals during the grahastha ashrama.
The second, or Brahmana, section is commentary on the meaning of
the mantras with directions for their use in various rituals to
produce results in worldly endeavors. The third section consists of treatises
for contemplation and study including the symbolic meanings of the elements
of the rituals. These mental exercises are meant to be used by those of
the vanaprastha ashrama. This section is therefore named the Aranyaka
or forest treatises. The fourth section contains the philosophical treatises,
the Upanishads, intended for the final realization by those in
the sannyasa ashrama.
Note: You may use any of the above definitions in any worthwhile
endeavor. You need give me credit only if space and context make it feasible.
—Nancy
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