APPENDIX II
GLOSSARY OF
SANSKRIT TERMS
Abi
ikt_nanda
precursor of Bede Griffiths in __ntivanam
__ram in Tannirpalli, Tiruchirapalli.
advaita
non-dualism, monism, not-two
advaitaved_nta
School of ved_nta philosophy
in Hinduism
which believes in the oneness of God, soul
and universe. Its main exponent is _a_kara.
advaitin
follower or believer of Advaita ved_nta.
aha
k_ra
awareness, ego or I-consciousness.
ahi
s_
non-violence
_nanda
bliss or even absolute bliss
an_tm_
the doctrine of non-ego. The corresponding
Pali term is anatta. It is the denial of a
permanent unchanging self.
anicca
impermanence or change
Aru
_cala
name of a hill; abode of Rama
amahar
i
__rama
It comes from the word __ram_ and means
hermitage. It means any of the four stages
of the Brahmanical scheme of life, which are:
the student life (Brahmac_ri), that of
the householder (grihastha), that of the
hermit (v_naprasta) and finally that of the homeless mendicant (sanny_si)
_tman
It is the self. It could mean the Universal
Self, Supreme Self, soul, self or breath. It
means the innermost essence of each individual,
often the supreme universal self in
Hinduism
.
avat_ra The term
corresponding to incarnation
in
Hinduism
. They are to be clearly
distinguished from incarnation. Avat_ra is
Vishnu taking different forms and coming to the world to restore order
and law. It takes place quite often,
unlike Christian incarnation.
avidy_
ignorance or non-awareness.
avyakta indistinct
Bhagavad G_t_ is part of the
Indian
epic, the Mahabharata,
in which the famous discourse between Krishna
and Arjuna is related. It is
the most famous part of the epic.
bhakta devotee who
worships the divine I
vara or god. Literally it means
portion or share (in the beloved).
bhakti
devotion, the act of the bhakta.
bh_t_thata reality
or thatness
Bodhisattva One who
having attained enlightenment is
on his way to Buddhahood and who has postponed his goal of Buddhahood to
help other human beings attain their
salvation
Brahm_ Brahma, Vishnu and Siva
are the triad of
classic Hindu gods in Hindu mythology.
Brahma is the creator god and chief of the
triad. Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is
the destroyer god. Brahma is to be
distinguished from Brahman
.
Brahm_ S_tra one of the
earliest source
books of Ved_nta
philosophy dealing with the nature of the
Absolute. It is written by B_dar_yana.
Brahman
It is the metaphysical term for the supreme
being. It is the reality
and principle of life.The
term means also the absolute, which alone
is real, in classical Advaita ved_nta.
Buddha
an awakened or enlightened being. Usually
it refers to Gaudama Siddhartah (563-483
B.C.), the historical Buddha born near Kapilavastu in India
and the founder of
Buddhism
.
buddhi
intellect, discernment
cakra
wheel. In tantric Hinduism
, it is one of the
six circles or centers of energy in the
human body. In the iconography of Indian
art, it is a disk representing the sun and
sovereignty. God Vishnu carries chakra, a circular
weapon.
cit wisdom,
consciousness
, awareness.
citta
mind or pure consciousness
citta v
ittinir_dha control of the modifications of the mind
dhamma is
the pali equivalent for dharma, duty
Dhammap_da the main book of
Buddhism
dharma means the true way, the moral law which
a human being should follow to be pleasing
to god and to men. It is the way of
righteousness.
dharmak_ya the
essence of all beings
dhy_na
concentrated contemplation. It is a state of
mind achieved through higher meditation
.
The Chinese Ch'an is the correspondence
of dhyana.
divya
the soul which has attained divinity by transcending
the world of phenomena and
conquering the cycle of birth, death and
rebirth
dukk
a
Suffering, pain, misery, unhappiness.
dvaita duality,
two-ness.
j_grat_
one pointedness, concentration, the longing
for oneness
gu
a
quality, virtue.
Guru
a venerable holy man, a sage around whom disciples are gathered for
spiritual guidance.
h_nay_na one
of the major sects of Buddhism
. It is
a non-theistic and dominantly monastic
religion.
__a Upani
ad
one of the main Upani
ads
__vara God,
normally personal God.
japa
the repetition of a holy word as a form
of
prayer or devotion. The practice is prevalent in Hindus Shaivite sects,
in Sikhism,
in Sufism and in certain schools of
Japanese Buddhism
and reminds one of
the Jesus Prayer.
j_va
is the empirical self, the individual soul. It
is the experience
within consciousness
J_vanmukta when
one is liberated from illusions (maya) he
is called j_vanmukta, that is, liberated in
his life time.
j_v_tman as
opposed to param_tman
, it is the soul of
the individual person
.
jñ_na
knowledge, nescience. It is also the transcendental knowledge through
which the believer is aware of his identity with Brahman
, the supreme Being.
karma
means action. It is the law of cause and
effect. It is often interpreted as reward or
punishment for the deeds performed in
former lives. It also means ritualistic
worship.
karu
_
compassion
kun
alini
The points/spots of power in the body. It
is used predominantly by the tantric
tradition
.
Kuri_umal_
literally means the hill of the cross
l_l_
play
m_rga
way, means
m_y_
illusion. According to Pure Advaita the
whole world and sa
s_ra
are m_y_.
M_ddhva
one of the fourteenth century theologians
of Hinduism
who advocated dvaita
or
dualistic philosophy
Mah_bh_rata
one of the two epics of Hinduism
(together
with Ramayana). Bhagavat G_t_ is part of
this epic, which portrays the battle of the
Kauravas and the Pandavas
mah_sam_dhi
the great rest, death
Mah_tm_
literally means the great soul, a great, holy
person
mah_v_kya
the great saying. This normally implies the
most significant sayings in the Ved_ like
Aham Brahm__mi.
mah_y_na
the great vehicle, one of the many school
of Buddhism
ma
ala
implies wholeness, integration
manas
mind. Manas, buddhi
(discernment) citta
(pure
consciousness
) and ahamkara (I-
consciousness)
are the four inner organs in
S_mkhya philosophy
.
mantra
chanting, sacred word. It is a sacred word,
verse or syllable signifying supernatural
power. It is repeated to deliver the soul
from bondage
m_la
radical, original, going to the roots
mudr_
used in religious rituals and yoga
and
in
some dance as a gesture of the hand or fingers
mukti
liberation from passion and this
worldliness. It is the goal of all religious
activities.
N_g_rjuna
one of the early Buddhist
philosophers
nirv_
a
freedom
from the cycle of rebirth through
the final enlightenment
niv
tti
cessation from activity
OM
the sacred sound expressing the Ultimate
Param_tman
,
ultimate spirit, ultimate soul.
It is used also to denote Brahman
as
opposed to jiv_tman.
p_j_
sacrifice, worship and devotional service
of a deity in the presence
of an icon
.
pr_na
life, soul
praj__
Supreme knowledge or wisdom. It is the
spiritual awakening which bringing
liberation.
prajñ_n_m
intelligence, knowledge, wisdom
prak
ti
is the ultimate material cause of the
universe.
It is the unconscious primal
matter
. According to S_mkhya
philosophy
there are two ultimate realities: purusa and
prakriti. They exist independently of each
other. The self, puru
a,
is pure
consciousness
without any activity in it.
Prakriti
on the other hand is primal matter,
unlimited energy without consciousness or
intelligence in it. Evolution begins with the
coming together of puru
a
and prakriti.
prat_tyasamutp_da
theory of causality in Buddhism
prav
tti
activity and is opposed to niv
tti
Puru
a
the ultimate spiritual cause according to
S_mkhya Philosophy. To be contrasted to
prakriti, the spiritual self.
puru
_ttama
the noblest or best of human beings
R_m_nuja
a Ved_ntin, who advocated qualified
Ved_nta, unlike _a_kara.
rajas
is one of the three gunas (qualities or
substance) which make up primal
matter
. The others are sattva
(luminous,
good principle) and rajas (the principle or
activity or restlessness or affectivity) and
tamas (the principle of darkness
, of inertia,
laziness)
R_ma
a Mah_r
i
a great spiritual sage at the beginning of
this century
R_m_yana
One of the two great epics of India
.
g Ved_
Ved_, the earliest Ved_s
sa
s_ra
the ceaseless cycle of becoming as opposed
to nirv_
a.
saccid_nanda
sat-cit-_nanda is being-consciousness-bliss.
The ultimate reality
.
s_dhana
is the course of spiritual training or
spiritual discipline. It is also the means for
salvation.
_aiva
system of religion and philosophy
centered
on the god _iva.
__kyamuni
Another name for Buddha
_akti
force, strength
sam_dhi
departure, death. It means, at a deeper
level, profound meditation
. It is interpreted
as the stage in which the mind due to
absorption in meditation loses self
awareness and so is the final stage in the
practice of yoga
. It
is the stage in which
one achieves nirv_
a and liberation
_a_kara
the author of Vivekach_d_mani, lived in the
eighth century. He is the founder of
Advaita Ved_nta school.
sanny_s_
monk
sanny_si
n
female monk
__ntivanam
Forest of peace. Name of Griffiths'
monastery.
__nti
peace
s_tra
an aphorism
_ri
title indicating auspiciousness
_ruti
Sacred Writings of the Hindus, Ved_s.
Literally means that which is heard.
su
upti
deep sleep
__nyat_
void
, emptiness
Sw_m_
holy person
, monk, hermit
tamas
means darkness
, the principle of inertia or
laziness. One of the three gu
_s
of prakriti.
tanh_
thirst or desire; longing.
tantra
Esoteric Hindu literature (and sect) for the
guidance of human persons in the present
age and supposed to be revealed by god
_iva. They place their emphasis on the
worship of the female essence of the
universe, the divine Mother
or on _akti.
tao (dao)
the way, the absolute, the Ultimate
Principle
tapas
heat, penance
tath_gatha
Buddha
thath_ta
The real that stands unmodified or the
Absolute. It is the "suchness" or "thisness"
or "thatness."
tr
na
thirst, desire
trik_ya
three world
trim_rti Three
gods: Brahma, Visnu and _iva. Not really a Trinity, but comparable thereto.
turiy_
fourth stage of the growth of consciousness
or in sleep
upani
ad
teachings for salvation given by the guru
to the disciple. They are normally regarded
as sacred and secret.
up_ya
the skillful means with which a master brings
any one to a state of enlightenment.
ved_nta
the end (goal, the temporal end) of Ved_.
They are also seen as the Upani
ad.
ved_
the most sacred books of Hinduism
.
vi_i
t_dvaita
qualified non-duality, the teaching of
Ramanuja
.
vidy_
is the knowledge of the absolute reality
that
liberates the soul.
Yog_c_rya
the master of yoga
.
yoga
is the mental discipline which its practitioner
attains through various physical exercises such as controlling
breathing, posture and asceticism. It seeks to gain
control over one's own body, to
attain union with the universal Spirit
, Brahma.
The chief yogas are Bhakti
(devotion) yoga,
j__nayoga (knowledge) and karmayoga (service). Yoga is much
more than
a physical discipline. It ultimately implies a spiritual transformation. Yoga
thus
means to be united (yoked) with the
divine.
yog_
one who follows yoga