Advaita – Non-duality
Agni – cosmic fire principle
Aham – sense of I**
Ahamkara – ego
Akshara – letter
Ananda – bliss
Anusvara – resonating final-m type sound
Apana – descending aspect of Prana
Artha – wealth and prosperity as goal of life
Astra – weapon
Atman – higher Self
Ayurveda **– Vedic medicine
Bhakti – devotion**
Bhairava – fierce form of Shiva
Bhairavi – Fire Goddess
Bija mantra – Seed mantra, single syllable
Bindu – point of awareness
Brahman – Absolute, Pure Being
Brahma – Creative aspect of Hindu Trinity
Buddhi **– intelligence
Cerebral – sound made with the tongue placed at the roof of the mouth**
Chakras – subtle energy centers along the spine
Chandi – fierce form of the Goddess
Chandra – Moon
Chhandas – meter
Chitta **– mental field
Dakinis – Shaktis of the chakras**
Dental – sound made with the tongue placed at the back of the teeth
Deva – Divine being or being of light
Devata – Divine or cosmic principle, deity, God or Goddess
Devi – Goddess
Dhanvantari – Vishnu as the deity of healing
Dharana – concentration as a limb of Yoga practice
Dharma – law of nature, vocation as goal of life
Dhatu – tissue of the body
Dhyana – meditation
Dosha - biological humor of Ayurveda
Drishti – gaze
Durga **– fiery protective form of the Mother Goddess
Ganapati – another name for Ganesha**
Ganesha – Deity of knowledge, teaching, speech and skill; portrayed with the head of an elephant
Gayatri – prime Vedic chant to the Sun as the Divine Light
Guna – quality of nature, especially three gunas of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas
Guttural **– sound made in the base of the throat
Hamsa – swan or bird of the soul as power of breath**
Hatha Yoga – Yoga of the Sun and the Moon, internal energy balancing
Havan – fire offering
Hridaya **– spiritual heart
Indra – Vedic deity governing perception, also name of deity of the eastern direction**
Ida Nadi – left nostril, lunar channel
Ishta Devata – chosen deity for worship
Ishvara **– Cosmic Lord or God in theistic sense
Japa – repetition of a mantra**
Jatharagni**- digestive fire**
Jiva – soul
Jnana – spiritual knowledge
Jyoti – Light
Jyotish **– Vedic astrology
Kali – Goddess of transformation, dissolution, electrical energy**
Kama – desire, happiness as goal of life
Kapha – biological water humor
Kavacha – shield mantra for providing protection
Ketu – south node of the Moon
Kilana – nailing mantra, to hold energy
Kirtan – chanting
Koshas – sheaths, bodies or fields around the soul
Krishna – bliss avatar of Lord Vishnu
Kriya – Yoga practice or action
Kundalini **– inner power of Yoga, serpent energy of the chakras
Labial – sound made with the lips**
Lakshmi – Goddess of preservation, support, nourishment
Laya – mergence, particularly into the sound current
Loka **– plane of experience or world
**Madhyama Vak – middle or pranic level of speech
Mahavakya – great knowledge affirmations of Vedanta
Maheshvara – Shiva as the great lord of the universe
Mala – rosary of beads for counting mantras
Manas – mind
Mantra Purusha – body or person composed of sound or mantra
Marmas – energy zones or points on the body
Moksha – liberation of soul from cycle of rebirth
Mudras – yogic hand gestures
Muhurta **– timing science of Vedic astrology
Nada – vibration, generally sound**
Nadi – pranic channel of the subtle body
Nakshatras – 27 lunar constellations
Namah – mantra of consecration or respect
Nirukta – Sanskrit etymology
Nyasa **– consecration, usually through mantra of various parts of the body
Ojas – vital essence of Kapha dosha
Palatal – sound made at the soft palate**
Panchanga – Hindu/Vedic astrology yearly almanac
Para Vak – transcendental level of speech
Pashyanti Vak – illumined or perceptive level of speech
Pingala nadi – right nostril, solar nadi
Pitta – biological fire humor
Prakasha – pure light
Prakriti – Nature
Prana – life-force and cosmic energy
Pranava**- primal sound staring with Om**
Prarthana – prayer
Pratyahara – yogic internalization of mind and senses
Puja – Ritual of offerings, mainly flowers
Purusha **– Cosmic Person, higher Self
Rahu – north node of the Moon**
Raja Yoga – Yoga of the eight limbs
Rajas – quality of energy and agitation
Rama – protective avatar of Vishnu
Rasa – essence
Rigveda – prime Vedic mantric text
Rishis – Vedic seers and yogis
Rudra **– fierce or fiery form of Shiva
Rudraksha – Mala made of Rudraksha tree seeds
Sadhana – deeper Yoga practice**
Samadhi – merged or deep meditation state of the mind
Samana – balancing aspect of Prana
Sarasvati – Goddess of Wisdom
Sattva – quality of harmony, balance and light
Shabda – sound vibration
Shakti – cosmic energy as form of the Divine feminine
Shankara – blessing or boon giving form of Shiva
Shanti mantra – peace chant or invocation
Shiva – cosmic masculine energy, Being of the Absolute
Skanda – fire God as son of Shiva and Parvati
So’ham – natural mantra of the breath
Soma – cosmic water and bliss principle, Moon
Sparsha – consonant
Stotra – classical Sanskrit hymns, chants and prayers
Sundari – Goddess of spiritual beauty and bliss, also called Tripura Sundari
Surya – solar Principle
Sukta – Vedic hymns, chants and prayers
Sushumna – central channel or spine of the subtle body and chakras
Svara – vowel, resonance, vibratory energy
Svaha **– fire consecration mantra
Tamas – quality of darkness and inertia**
Tantra – teaching or technical text of energetic Yoga practices
Tapas – power of self-discipline
Tara – Goddess of inner fire of knowledge
Tarpaka Kapha – Kapha governing the nervous system
Tejas **– spiritual energy of fire
Udana – ascending aspect of Prana**
Upaya – remedial measure in Vedic astrology
Ushma **– sibilant
**Vaikhari Vak – audible level of speech
Vak – Speech, Divine Word, Goddess
Varga – group of sounds
Vastu – Vedic architectural and directional science
Vata – biological air humor
Vayu – cosmic air principle
Vedanta – philosophical portion of Vedas, emphasizing Self-realization
Vidyut – electrical energy at a cosmic level, also produces sound
Visarga – aspirated final vowel repetition
Vishnu – Cosmic Pervader
Vyana – expansive aspect of Prana
Vyanjana – consonant
Yajna – fire ritual
Yantra – geometrical meditation designs
Yoginis **– Goddesses as powers of Yoga