abhāva-vairāgya show of dispassion
agni fire god
Agni upāsana propitiating fire God
amanī- bhāva no mind state
amṛtasthāna blissful state
Ānanda happiness
Anubhavarūpeņa through experience
Āraņyakā-s a portion of vedā-s
Arcana obeisance to a deity
Aświni devatā-s Gods for the medicine
aṣṭottara chants of 108 names of God
Āsvādana tasting
atyalpa spandana minimal vibration
Bhaktiyoga path of loving devotion to God by surrender
Bhaya fear
Bhogasukha material happiness
Brahmā One of the Trinity–creator
Brahmacāri person in pursuit of knowledge before marriage
Brāhmaņā-s portion of vedā-s dealing with rituals
Brahmavidyā Upanṣiad-s/knowledge of Brahman
Brahmin a division of the caste system
Caitanyā-s power centers
Cāncalya disturbance of mind
Cittasthiti state of mind
Cittaśuddhi purity of mind
Cittaviśrānti serenity of mind
Daśaratha name of King- ref. Rāmayaņa
Devaloka abode of Gods
Dhārmik moral and ethical
Dhyānayoga path of meditation
Duḥkha sorrow
Dūrvāsa name of a sage
dvijatva svīkāra thread ceremony among Hindus
five prāṇā-s Five types of vital breath ,life energy
Gāyatrīmantra Vedic chant in Gāyatri metre
Homa a sacrificial ritual
Homadravyā-s materials used in Homa
Indra name of demigod, head of Devata-s
Japa repeated utterance of the holy name of God
Japamātra mere verbal intonation
Jeevan Mukta realised soul
Jñānakāṇḍa portion of the veda-s dealing with knowledge
Kāmyakarma religious activity to fulfill desires
kāraṇasthiti causal state
Karmayoga path of action
Karmakāṇḍa portion of the veda-s dealing with rituals
Kşatriya warrior by caste
Kumbhana holding the breath
Laya dissolution
Mahābhārata epic of Hindus
Maheśwara One of trnity-destroyer
Manana ruminating over what has been heard
Manorāhitya absence of mental activity
Mantra-draşţā-s discoverer of the mantrā-s
mantrā-s a sacred word or a verbal formula
Mukthā-s liberated ones
Naciketa hero of Katha upanishad
Nididhyāsana uninterrupted contemplation
Nijasvarūpa true nature
Nirguṇa attributeless, non qualitative state
Pañcaprāṇā-s prana. apaana,vyaana, udaana and samana
Parihāra solution
Prakriyā-s a methodology used in Upanişads
prāṇa vital breath, life energy
Prārthana prayer
Pūjā-s offerings to God
Puruşasūkta a hymn in praise of GOD
Pūrvasthiti pre position
Rajas energized dynamic state of mind-one of the guṇa-s
R̥ṣi-s Sages of ancient times
Rudra vedic chants on Maheshwara
Sādhaka spiritual practitioner
Sādhana spiritual practice
Sahasranāma thousand names of God
Samādhistithi trance-like state
Samādhāna equanimity of mind
Sampradāya _tr_adition
Sandhyā a ritualistic practice
Śankara Bhāṣya Śankarācārya’s commentary
Sanyāsa relinquishing worldly activities/renunciation
śāśvata-sukha eternal happiness
Satva purity, harmony- one of the guṇā-s
Shri Rāma Character in Rāmayaņa, an epic of Hindus
Śraddhā faith
śrāddha-prayoga ceremony for the departed souls
śravaṇa listening
sruṣṭi creation
sthiti sustanance
Sukha happiness
Sūrya Sun God
Svarasahita uttering chants using intonations
Tamas inertness, darkness, ignorance -one of the guṇā-s
Udāsīnabhāva detached attitude
Upākarma a religious ceremony
Upaniṣad-s end portion of veda-s
Vaidika sampradāya vedic tradition
vaikuṇtha abode of Vishnu-one of the trinities of Hindus
Vānaprastha retirement to seclusion
Varuṇa rain god
Vāsanā-s gathered latent tendencies
Vedānta end portion of the veda-s
Vedānta Sampradāya tradition followed as per vedānta
Vedā-s religious texts of Hindus
Virajāhoma religious performance for sainthood
Viṣṇu One of the trinity-preserver
Viśvāmitra a sage
Vrata obligatory religious performance
Yajñā-s sacrificial religious practices
Yama/Yamadharmarāa god of death