ABHYASA: Spiritual practice. Refers to constant practice over a long period of time. Has been prescribed by the great sage Patanjali Maharishi in his Yoga Sutras and by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita as an essential means to control the mind together with Vairagya.
ADHISHTHANA: Substratum.
ADHYASA: Mutual identification or superimposition.
ADHYATMIC: Spiritual.
ADVAITA: Non-duality.
AHANKARA: Ego. One of the four elements of the mind or Antakharana.
AHIMSA: Non-violence. The first of the five Yamas. AMARA: Immortal.
AMARA-PURUSHA: Immortal being.
ANAHATA: Mystic sound heard by Yogis.
ANANDA: Bliss.
ANTAHKARANA: Internal instrument such as mind, intellect, ego and the subconscious mind.
ANTARATMAN: Inner Self.
ANTARYAMIN: Inner witness.
ANUBHAVA: Experience.
APTA: Realized.
ARHATA: A perfected Soul.
ASAMPRAJNATA: Highest superconscious state where the mind is completely annihilated and Reality experienced.
ASANA: A bodily pose or posture.
ASHRAM: A hermitage; monastery. ASHTANGA: Eight limbs. ASURIC: Demoniacal.
ATMA-JNANA: Knowledge of the Self.
ATMA-SVARUP: The essential nature of the Self.
ATMAN: The Self.
AVADHUTA: A naked sage.
AVARANA: Veil of ignorance.
AVIDYA: Ignorance.
AYURVEDA: The ancient Indian science of medicine.
BHAGAVAD-GITA: A scripture containing Lord Krishna's teachings.
BHAGAVATA: Name of a Purana (sacred work dealing with the doctrines of creation, etc.)
BHAJAN: Devotional song
BHAKTA: Devotee of God
BHAKTI: Devotion. Bhakti is one of the four paths of Yoga.
BHARATAVARSHA: India.
BHAVA(NA): Feeling; mental attitude.
BHAYANAKA-SABDA: A fear inducing sound.
BHOGI: Enjoyer.
BHUMA: The Unconditioned, the Great Infinite, Brahman.
BHUTA-SIDDHI: A psychic power by which mastery is gained over the elements.
BODHISATTVA: A being who, having developed the Awakening Mind (a mind infused with the aspiration to attain the state of Buddhahood), devotes his life to the task of achieving Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings.
BRAHMA-CHINTANA: Constant thinking of Brahman.
BRAHMA-JNANA: Direct Knowledge of Brahman.
BRAHMA-NISHTHA: One who is established in the Knowledge of Brahman.
BRAHMA-SROTRI: One who has knowledge of the Vedas and the Upanishads.
BRAHMA-SUTRAS: Classical Vedantic scripture.
BRAHMA-TEJAS: Spiritual halo.
BRAHMA-VIDYA: The science of Brahman.
BRAHMACHARYA: Practice of celibacy. Purity in thought, word and deed. The third of the five Yamas.
BRAHMAMUHURTA: Period from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. The most auspicious time for the practice of meditation and other spiritual practices.
BRAHMAN: The Absolute Reality; God.
BRIHADARANYAKA: Name of an Upanishad.
BUDDHA: One who is totally purified from all defilements and who has realized all that can be known.
BUDDHI: Intellect. One of the four elements of the mind or Antakharana.
CHANDOGYA: Name of an Upanishad.
CHELA: Disciple.
CHIRANJIVI: One who has gained eternal life.
DAMA: Control of senses.
DARSHAN: Vision.
DAYA: Mercy.
DEHA: Body.
DHARANA: Concentration. The sixth limb of the Ashtanga or Raja Yoga system.
DHARMA: Duty; characteristics, righteousness.
DHYANA: Meditation.The seventh limb of the Ashtanga or Raja Yoga system.
DIVYA-DRISHTI: Divine perception.
DVESHA: Repulsion; hatred; dislike.
GAYATRI: One of the most sacred Vedic Mantras; goddess.
GITA: Renowned sacred text "Bhagavad-Gita".
GUNA: Quality born of nature. GURU: Teacher; preceptor.
HIRANYAGARBHA: Cosmic intelligence; the supreme lord of the universe; cosmic mind.
INDRIYAS: Senses.
ISHVARA: Lord; God.
JIVA: Individual Soul.
JIVANMUKTA: One who is liberated in this life.
JNANA: Wisdom. Knowledge of the Self. Jnana is one of the four paths of Yoga.
JNANA-INDRIYAS: Organs of knowledge or perception.
JNANI: (Pronounced Nyani) A wise person who is endowed with Jnana.
KARMA: Action. The law of action and reaction. the fruits of the action.
KARMA-INDRIYAS: Organs of action - tongue, hands, feet, genital organ and anus.
KARMA-KANDI: One who observes strictly the duties ordained in the scriptures.
KARMASRAYA: Receptacle of actions.
KARUNA: Compassion
KASHAYA: Hidden desires.
KIRTAN: Singing devotional songs.
KRIYA: A type of of exercise in Hatha Yoga.
KSHAMA: Forgiveness.
KUNDALINI: The primordial cosmic energy located in the individual.
KUTIR: A small cottage; hut.
LINGA-SARIRA: The subtle body, the astral body.
MAHABHARATA: A Hindu epic.
MAHANT: Great sage
MAHAPURUSHA: A great soul.
MAHARISHI: Great sage
MAHASAMADHI: The departure of a Self-realized saint from his mortal coil.
MAHATMA: Great soul
MAITRI: Friendship.
MANONASA: Destruction of mind.
MANTRA: Sacred syllable or word, or set of words through the repetition and reflection of which one attains perfection.
MAYA: The illusive power of God.
MOHA: Infatuation.
MOKSHA: Liberation.
MOUNA: Vow of silence.
MOUNI: One who observes silence.
MUKTI: Liberation.
MUMUKSHU: One who aspires after moksha or liberation.
MUNI: An ascetic.
NIRVANA: Liberation; final emancipation.
NIRVIKALPA-SAMADHI: Superconscious state where there is no mind or Triputi.
NITYA-SIDDHA: A liberated soul of marvellous powers who is ever present on the astral plane.
NIVRITTI: Renunciation.
NIYAMA: The second step in Raja Yoga, observance - purity, contentment, austerities, etc.
OM: The sacred monosyllable which symbolizes Brahman.
OORDHVARETA: A Yogi who has stored up the seminal energy in the brain after sublimating the same into spiritual energy (Ojas).
PARAM-DHAMA: Supreme abode.
PARAMAHAMSA: The highest class of Sannyasins.
PASU-SVABHAVA: Animal nature; bestial nature.
PATANJALI: The author of Yoga-Sutras, the foremost scripture on Raja Yoga, the Yoga of mind control..
PRAKRITI: Mother Nature, causal matter.
PRANA: Vital energy; life-breath.
PRANAVA: The sacred monosyllable Om.
PRANAYAMA: Practice of breath-control.
PRATYAHARA: Abstraction or withdrawal of the senses; fifth step in Raja Yoga.
PREMA: Divine Love.
PRITHVI: Earth.
PURANA: Hindu myths and legends.
PURUSHA: The Supreme Being.
RAJA: King.
RAJAS: One of the three Gunas or qualities of Prakriti which generates passion and restlessness.
RAJA-YOGA: A system of Yoga generally taken to be the one propounded by Patanjali Maharishi, i.e., Ashtanga Yoga. One of the four paths of Yoga.
RAJASUYA-YAJNA: A sacrifice performed by a monarch as a mark of his subduing all other kings. RAMAYANA: A holy narative of Lord Rama.
RASASVADA: Tasting the bliss of lower Samadhi.
RISHI: Sage.
RISHIKESH: A sacred place in the Himalayas.
SADHANA: Spiritual practice.
SADHU: Pious man; Sannyasin.
SAHASRANAMA: The thousand Names of the Lord.
SAKTI: Power; the feminine aspect of Divinity.
SAKTI-SANCHAR: Transference of power by a developed Yogi.
SAMA: Serenity; control of mind.
SAMADHI: The state of superconsciousness.
SAMSARA: The process of worldly life.
SAMSKARAS: Impressions in the subconscious mind.
SAMYAMA: Concentration, meditation and Samadhi practiced at one and the same time.
SANKARA: The well known teacher of Vedanta philosophy.
SANKIRTAN: Singing of divine songs.
SANNYASINS: Those who have embraced the life of complete renunciation.
SATCHIDANANDA: Existence absolute(Sat), Knowledge absolute(Chid), Bliss absolute(Ananda).
SATSANG: Association with the wise.
SATTVA: Purity-one of the three qualities of nature or Gunas.
SIDDHI: Psychic power.
SIVA: Lord Siva - bestower of auspiciousness on His devotees.
SLOKA: Verse.
SRADDHA: Faith.
SRI: Auspiciousness-a name is qualified by putting "Sri" before it as a mark of courtesy and auspiciousness.
STOTRA: Hymn.
SUDDHA: Pure.
SUSHUMNA: The chief among astral tubes in the human body running inside the spinal column.
SUTRA: Aphorism.
SVADHYAYA: Study of scriptures.
SVARUPA: Essential nature; Reality.
TAPAS: Austerity. The third Niyama of the Ashtanga Yoga system.
TAPASCHARYA: Practice of austerity.
TATTVA: Essence; principle.
TEHSILDAR: Revenue officer.
TRIPUTI: The triad-seer, sight and seen.
TRISHNA: Sense-hankering.
TURIYA: The state of superconsciousness, the fourth state transcending the waking, dreaming and deep sleep states.
TYAGA: Renunciation (of egoism, desires and the world).
UPADESA: Spiritual advice.
UPANISHADS: Revelation; text dealing with Ultimate Truth and Its Realization.
VASANA-KSHYA: Desireless.
VASANAS: Subtle desires.
VEDANTA: The school of Hindu thoughts (based primarily on the Upanishads).
VEDANTIN: One who follows the path of Vedanta
VEDAS: The highest authority among the Aryans of India.
VEERYA: Seminal energy.
VETTA: Knower.
VICHARA: Enquiry into the nature of Brahman.
VIKSHEPA: The tossing of mind.
VISHAYA: Sense-objects.
VIVEKA: Discrimination.
VRITTI: A wave in the mind-lake.
VYAVAHARA: (Worldly) activity
YAMA: First limb of Raja Yoga; Eternal vows - non-violence, truthfulness, etc.
YOGA: Union; union with the Supreme Being - any course that makes for such union.
YOGI (N): One who practices Yoga; one who is established in Yoga.
YONI: Source.
