Agneyastra
A missile charged with an invocation to the God Agni (Fire).
Aryaputra
Noble prince; classical form of address by wife to husband, betokening love and respect combined.
Ashrama
Hermitage.
Asuric Yajna
Sacrifice pertaining to Asuras. Demoniacal sacrifice and necromancy for gaining power.
Abhisheka
Religious rite of pouring or sprinkling sacred waters on the head of one who is installed as King or First Prince.
Adharma
Sin, unrighteous action, opposite of dharma.
Agni
The God of Fire.
Alakapuri
The capital of Kubera, the God of Wealth.
Amaravati
The city in heaven where Indra has his abode.
Aruna
The God of Dawn, first son of Kasyapa Prajapati and Vinata. He was born lame. Aruna was the elder brother of Garuda. Aruna is the charioteer of the Sun God
Arundhati
Wife of Sage Vasishtha, a pattern of chastity.
Astras
Miraculous weapons whose power lay in the invocations they were charged with.
Asuras
Enemies of the Gods.
Aswapati
King of Kekaya, father of Kaikeyi and grandfather of Bharata.
Aswini Devatas
Celestial beings, twin sons of Surya.
Avatar
Incarnation.
Bala, Ati Bala
Two invocations to obviate hunger, thirst and sleep.
Bhagirathi
Another name of Ganga.
Bhagyam
Fortune, prosperity.
Bhakta
Devotee.
Bhakti
Devotion to God, loyalty, faith.
Bheda
Diplomacy of playing one against another in the enemy camp.
Bhogavati
The capital of the Serpent King in the nether world.
Brahmana
The first of the four castes devoting their lives to study and teaching and the performance of religious ceremonies.
Brahma
The Creator, one of the Trinity
Brahmastra
The most powerful among Astras (mantra invoked weapons).
Brahmachari
One who is in the first of the four stages in a Brahmin’s life, the stage of study and practice of a disciplined life.
Brahmadanda
Holy staff of an austere Brahmin.
Brahmajnana
The realisation of the Supreme Being, higher wisdom.
Brahmarishi
The highest type of sages.
Brihaspati
The preceptor of the Devas, the planet Jupiter.
Chaitra
The month falling in the second half of April and the first half of May.
Chandala
Outcaste, untouchable.
Dana
Gift, bribing of the enemy,
Danavas
Sons of Danu and Kasyapa Prajapati, enemies of Devas.
Daityas
Sons of Diti and Kasyapa Prajapati, enemies of Devas.
Daivam
Divine, celestial, fate.
Danda
Physical punishment, force used in meeting the enemy’s tactics.
Darbha
A species of sacred grass used for religious rites.
Deva-Loka
The celestial regions.
Devarishis
Sages of Heaven.
Devas
Celestial beings, sons of Aditi and Kasyapa.
Dharma
Duty as laid down by
religion or customDishtam
Indicated.
Gandharvas
A Class Of semi-divine beings. Celestial musicians.
Garuda
The bird king who is Vishnu’s vehicle.
Govinda
One of the names of Krishna.
Guru
Acharya, preceptor.
Hari
One of the names of Vishnu. The second of the Hindu Trinity. Other names are Krishna, Mukunda, Madhava, Kesava, Narayana.
Himavan
The presiding deity of the Himalaya range.
Ikshvaku
King of the Solar race from whom the name came for the race of Solar kings.
Indra
The chief and the king of the Gods.
Indra-Astra
Missile charged with an invocation to Indra.
Jambavan
Leader of bears in the army of Sugriva.
Jamadagni
A great sage, father of Parasurama.
Jnana
Spiritual knowledge, realisation.
Jnani
A knower of Reality.
Kama
Desire, usually referred to in relation to sex.
Kamadhenu
The Divine cow of Heaven. It was born of the Ocean when the Devas and Asuras churned it for Nectar.
Kamavalli
A name which Surpanakha gave to herself.
Kartaviryarjuna
Son of King Kritavirya. He had a thousand hands and his golden chariot could go wherever he wished. He was a contemporary of Ravana and had him imprisoned in his city. Parasurama killed him for carrying away Kamadhenu and killing Jamadagni
Kailasa
The abode of Siva.
Kalpaka
A Tree which issued out of the Ocean when it was churned by Devas and Asuras. A celestial tree which grants any wish to people who are under it.
Karma
Action, the law that governs all action and its inevitable consequences on the doer.
Karma Yogin
One who practises the way of action for salvation.
Kasyapa
A celebrated sage, son of Brahma. He had many wives through whom were born the various forms of life on earth.
Kekaya
A country north-west of Kosala, the place where Bharata’s maternal grand father ruled. West of modern Punjab.
Kinkaras
Soldiers, personal attendants.
Kinnaras
Celestial beings like the Gandharvas, who played on musical
instruments. Kodanda
Rama’s bow.
Kokila
The cuckoo.
Krodha
Anger.
Krouncha
A bird.
Kshatriya
The second of the four castes.
Kubera
God of Wealth.
Kurukshetra
The battlefield where the Pandavas and Kauravas fought.
Kusa
A kind of grass used in religious ceremonies.
Lakshmi
The Goddess of well-being, wife of Vishnu.
Leela
Play, the unexplainable ways of Providence.
Malyavan
The aged Rakshasa grandfather of Ravana.
Malyavati
A stream flowing by the foot of the Chitrakuta Hill.
Maruti
Name of Hanuman being son of Marut, the Wind-god.
Mahabali
An Asura who became a powerful ruler and a rival to the gods. He was the son of Virochana and grandson of Prahlada.
Mahadeva
One of the names of Siva.
Maharshi : A great Sage.Manmatha
The God of Love.
Mantras
Scriptural verses, incantations.
Maya
The architect of Asuras.
Meru
A fabulous mountain around which the Sun is supposed to revolve.
Naga
Semi-divine serpents.
Narayana
Vishnu.
Narada
The celestial rishi with the lute.
Namah
Bow, salutation.
Nandigrama
A village near Ayodhya where Bharata lived and ruled Ayodhya as a deputy of Rama.
Nikumbhila
A cave and grove in Lanka where oblations were offered to Kali.
Niti Sastra
Science of government and diplomacy.
Niyati
Law.
Paduka
Footwear.
Parayana
Reading a Purana or Epic as a daily devotional exercise.
Parijata
A celestial flowering tree.
Parvati
Uma, wife of Siva.
Patala
The nether regions.
Payasam
A sweet preparation of milk and rice.
Parasurama
The sixth incarnation of Vishnu who curbed the growing arrogance of the Kshatriyas.
Pinaka
Bow of Siva.
Puja
Worship.
Prajapati
The Creator.
Puranas
Sacred legends.
Pushpaka Vimana
Aerial chariot of Ravana which originally belonged to Kubera. Sitting in this chariot, one could obtain anything he or she desired.
Rajagriha
The capital of the Kekaya country.
Rajasabha
Council of State.
Rajasik
Appertaining to the principle of activity egoism, arrogance.
Rakshasas
Evil-minded strong beings similar to Asuras.
Rakshasi
Feminine of Rakshasa.
Raghu
An ancestor of Rama. He was a king of the Solar race.
Raja Rishi
An eminent sage, a philosopher-king.
Rishabha
A peak in the Himalayas.
Rishi
A sage who has undergone severe austerities.
Rudra
Siva.
Sama
Peaceful approach to the enemy, negotiation.
Sastras
Sacred lore.
Satvik
Appertaining to the element of equanimity as distinguished from the principles of activity and inertia.
Sanyasini
A female recluse, feminine of Sanyasi.
Sarama
Wife of Vibhishana. She and Trijata were the friends among the Rakshasis that Sita had during her incarceration in the Asoka Vana.
Sarayu
A tributary of the river Ganges on the North bank.
Satyaparakrama
Righteous and strong. Strong in righteousness.
Siddha
One who attained special powers through penance. A class of heavenly beings.
Siva
One of the Hindu Trinity.
Sloka
Couplet or Quatrain in Sanskrit.
Surya
The Sun God.
Soulabhya
Ease of access.
Sri Krishna
The eighth incarnation of Vishnu, who gave the Bhagavad Gita.
Sruti
Veda, Revelation.
Sukra
The Guru or acharya of the Asuras, the planet Venus.
Swarga
Heaven, where the blessed are received after death.
Tamasik
Pertaining to the element of inertia.
Tamasa
A river flowing into Ganga.
Tapas
Austerities and penances.
Tapasvi
One who does Tapas or penance.
Tapasvini : Feminine of Tapasvi.Tapasya
Power obtained through Tapas or penance.
Tilaka
A mark put on the forehead of women.
Trivikrama
See Vamana.
Vamana
The fifth incarnation of Vishnu to curb the power of Mahabali. Vamana became Trivikrama of huge stature who measured Earth and Heaven in two steps
Vanaprastha
The third stage of a Brahmin’s life retiring with his wife as a preparation for sanyasa.
Vayu
The Wind God who was father of Hanuman.
Vaidehi
Another name of Sita.
Vaishnava
Appertaining to Vishnu or worship of Vishnu.
Vaitarani
A terrible river in Hell.
Varuna
The Lord of the Ocean.
Veda : Scripture. Four books
Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharvana Veda.
Vidhi
Law, decree of fate, that which is ordained.
Vidyut-Jihva
Lightning Tongued, a Rakshasa sorcerer.
Vinata
Mother of Garuda.
Vishnu
See Narayana.
Visravas
A rishi who was father of Ravana.
Viswakarma
The celestial architect.
Vritra
An Asura killed by Indra.
Yaga
Sacrifice, a religious ceremony accompanied by oblations.
Yajarmana
He who performs a sacrifice, Master of Ceremonies.
Yakshas
A class of celestial beings.
Yama
God of Death.
Yojana
A measure of distance equal probably to nine miles.
Yudhajit
Son of the King of Kekaya. Brother of Kaikeyi.
Yuvaraja
Prince-Regent.