SMSF Glossary


	abhyas
	practice

Back to top	abhyasi
	aspirant; one who practices yoga in order to achieve union with God.

	adi
	original

	adi guru
	original Guru: Lalaji, in Sahaj Marg

	adi tatva
	original element

	aditya
	The Sun

	aditya hridayam
	A Sanskrit chant praising the Sun; a prayer to the Sun God (from the Ramayana)

	advaita (adwaita)
	State of unity (Non-duality)

	agamic initiation
	Initiation according to the Agamas. The Agamas are a body of spiritual literature dealing with temple rituals, temple architecture, etc.

	agni
	Fire, the fire element or principle

	agni naadi
	The fire (current or channel)

Back to top	agya chakra
	See ajna chakra

	aham
	The ego; I

	ahamta
	Egoism

	aham bhrahmasmi
	I am Brahma

	ahamkara (ahamkar)
	Ego

	ahimsa
	Non-violence

	aikya
	Oneness, unity

	aikya bhava
	Feeling of oneness

	ajapa
	Meditation without utterance of any mantra

	ajna chakra (agya chakra)
	The fire point located between the eyebrows. Trikuti

Back to top	akarta
	Non-doer; one who does not do

	akasha
	Space, sky. The space element or principle

	akasha naadi
	The space, or etheric, naadi

	aksi
	Reflected condition

	anaadi
	Without beginning

	anahat
	Sound which cannot be heard. Literally, “not hit"

	ananda (anandam)
	Bliss

	anandamaya kosha
	Sheath of bliss

	anant
	Infinity or endlessness

	anant-ki-or
	Towards infinity

Back to top	anansuyatmaka buddhi
	Mind free of jealousy

	anasuya
	One who has no jealousy

	anda
	Egg; Macrocosm

	angas
	Limbs

	anoraniyan
	Smaller than the smallest

	annam
	Food

	annayama kosha
	Physical sheath or food sheath (matter)

	antaryami
	The God within; the In-Dweller

	anubhava
	Intuitional perception or personal experience in the realm of Nature or God

	anubhava shakti
	Intuitive capacity, capacity acquired by experience

Back to top	anumana
	Hypothesis, hypothetical

	anushatanam
	Performance of daily rituals

	ap
	Water or water principle

	apara brahman
	Determinate Absolute (see Saguna Brahman)

	aparigraha
	Non-covetousness

	appa
	Father; affectionate term, like papa. Equivalent to the Hebrew Abba

	arhat
	One of the qualifications of Gautama the Buddha. One who is fit; one who deserves.

	arjuna
	To whom Krishna gave the Gita in the Mahabharata

	asan (asana)
	Posture

	asabda
	Soundless, non-verbal

Back to top	ashanthi
	Disquiet, having no peace

	ashram (ashrama)
	“Ashram” comes from the Sanskrit “Shreyas” which applies, in the spiritual sense, to the growth of benefits which are connected to the higher level. An ashram is also a kind of refuge, a place of retreat from today’s life. Ashrams in Sahaj Marg are dedicated to meditation only, all other activities are normally not allowed in the Ashram. An Ashram is usually charged by the Master, who creates a special atmosphere of spirituality conducive to meditation.

	ashtanga-yoga (ashtang-yoga)
	Patanjali described youga as having eight limbs: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi

	astheyam
	Non-stealing.

	asuya
	Jealousy

	atma chakra
	Heart chakra. In Sahaj Marg, the second, or soul, point

	atman
	Soul

	atmanand
	Bliss of soul

	avadhuta (avahoota)
	Generally revered as elevated souls, but are really persons with spiritual aspirations who have become “fixed” at a certain level because their development has been arrested

Back to top	avakasha
	Time

	avarana (avaran)
	Layers of grossness; coverings

	avasthas
	Conditions, states

	avatar
	Incarnation of a Divine soul

	avyakta gati
	Undifferentiated state. State where man is completely liberated from Maya limitations. Inexpressible condition

	avidya
	Ignorance

	ayodhya
	Birthplace of Lord Rama

	basant panchami
	Fifth day of spring in the lunar calendar. It is also Lalaji’s birthday

Back to top	bhaava
	Attitude of mind

	bhajan
	Chanted prayer

	bhakta
	Devotee

	bhakti
	Devotion.

	bhamuk
	Illusion

	bhandara
	A spiritual gathering or celebration

	bharat (bharata)
	Lord Rama’s brother

	bhavas
	Expression of an inner condition; attitudes of the mind

	bhishma pitamah
	Grand uncle of the Pandavas and the Kauravas in the Mahabharata epic

	bhog (bhoga, bhogam)
	Process of undergoing effects of impressions; experience; enjoyment

Back to top	bhrumadhya
	Between the eyebrows

	bhuh
	One of the states of consciousness

	bhuma (bhooma)
	Absolute; Ultimate; Base

	bhumika
	Stage in spiritual evolution

	bhuvah
	One of the states of consciousness

	bismil
	Auspicious beginning

	bodh
	Wisdom

	brahman (brahm)
	Center; God; Ultimate

	brahmacharya
	Student phase of life; celibacy; literally “like Brahman"

	brahma-gandha
	Divine smell

Back to top	brahmagati
	Divine state, state of Brahman

	brahma-kama
	Love of God; desire for God

	brahma loka
	World or realm of the Divine

	brahmanda (brahmand)
	Astral world. Cosmos

	brahmanda mandal (brahmanda desh)
	Mental sphere, supra-material sphere, cosmic region; sphere where everything manifests under a subtle shape before taking place in the material world

	brahmandi sur
	Celestial vibrations

	brahmarandhra
	A point or opening in the crown of the head

	brahma-rasa
	Divine pleasure, enjoyment, or taste

	brahma-sabda
	Divine sound

	brahma-sparsa
	Divine touch

Back to top	brahmopadesha
	Initiation; teaching of higher knowledge about Brahman

	bhruvormadhya
	Point between the eyebrows, used in certain Yogic systems as a point for concentration

	buddham saranam gacchami
	“I seek refuge in the Buddha”

	buddhi
	Intellect

	cakra
	See chakra

Back to top	chaitanyata (chetanyata)
	Consciousness, including a subtle activity

	chakra
	Center of super-vital forces located in different parts of the body; figuratively called lotus

	chela
	Student or disciple

	chit (chitta)
	Consciousness

	chit lake
	Another name for Brahmanda Mandal

	cleaning
	Specific meditation technique prescribed to be practiced at the end of each day by a Sahaj Marg abhyasi, wherein the will power is used to remove subtle distortions (vikshep), coverings (avarana) and impurities (mala) that impede spiritual development

	dakshina
	South; also offering by disciple to Guru for training received

Back to top	dakshinayana
	The six months of the sun’s southern path

	dam
	Control of senses and indriyas

	darshan
	Vision of someone’s inner Reality

	deva vani
	Divine voice

	devata
	A god; cosmic personality

	devi upska
	A Devi (Mother-Goddess) worshipper. Tantrik worship

	dharana (dharna)
	Mental focus (sixth limb of Patanjali’s yoga)

	dharma
	A term with many applications, depending on the context: duty; righteousness; destined way; truth; virtue; that which upholds

	dharmaja
	One born of righteousness. Also, first-born child

	dharmakaya
	The dharma body, body built of righteousness

	dhoti
	A long cloth worn by men around the waist

Back to top	dhi
	An element of samadhi; sama, meaning balance, and adhi, meaning original or ancient. See samadhi

	dhruvagati
	State of Dhruva (see DHRUVA)

	dhruva (dhruv pad)
	Highly evolved soul. First or lowest level of cosmic functionary. Below the Dhruvadhipati

	dhruvadhipati
	Godly functionary of great caliber who directs the work of the Dhruvas. Below the Parishad

	dhyana (dhyan)
	Meditation (seventh limb of Patanjali’s yoga)

	diksha
	Initiation

	durga chakra
	Durga plexus

	dvaita
	Duality

	dvndva
	Dualities; the pairs of opposites (e.g., good-bad, pleasure-pain)

	ekagra vritti
	Tendency to fix our attention on one thing at a time


	fana
	A spiritual condition. Also, destroyed or sacrificed

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	gaddi
	A mattress for sitting on the floor. In politics, the expression “to aspire for the gaddi” means to seek to be the leader of an organization.
Back to top
	gayathri
	One of the mantras

	gayathri upadesh
	Teaching of the Gayathri mantra

	gita
	Divine knowledge given to Arjuna by Lord Krishna in the Mahabharata. Also, the Bhagavad Gita, or “Song of God,” an essential scripture of Hinduism, containing a portion of the epic Mahabharata

	granthi
	Knot

	grihastaha (grahastha)
	One who leads a worldly life, a householder

	grihastha ashrama
	Conditions or circumstances of a household life

	gunas
	The three qualities of nature in Hindu philosophy: sattva, rajas and tamas

Back to top	guru
	Master who transmits light, knowledge; a spiritual teacher

	guru dakshina
	Fee offered to the guru for training received, generally at the end of the training

	gurumat
	Disciples who obey the commands of the Master in all matters and try to submit to his will in all possible ways. Note: Do not confuse with GURU MATA which is the common name given to the Guru’s wife

	guru pashu
	People who become devoted to the Master’s physical form

	guru sthan
	The place where the guru sits during satsangh

	gyana
	See jnana

	gyani
	See janani

	hanuman
	Lord Rama’s faithful servant in the Ramayana

Back to top	harijan
	Children of God; fifth caste

	hatha yoga
	The first four stages of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga. The practice of yoga concerning the body

	havan
	Offering of an oblation with fire. Also called Homa

	hindi
	Language of North India, but commonly spoken throughout most of the country

	hiranya garbha
	A golden fetus; the name of Brahma the Creator; a soul invested with sukshma-sharira, or the subtle body

	hylem shadow
	Spiritual shadow located on the right side of the sternum

	hridaya chakra
	Heart plexus

	indriyas
	Ten sense-organs of Indian philosophy, subdivided as jnana and karma indriyas. The former are five senses pertaining to perception, knowledge or wisdom, while the latter are five senses pertaining mainly to action
Back to top
	invertendo
	Term coined by Babuji to describe the apparent inversions Truth undergoes as it moves through higher levels of abstraction

	isha
	God, as Ruler

	ishwara (ishwar)
	Determinate Absolute. God as Existence endowed of all the most subtle attributes

	ishwri mandal
	Region of the Determinate Absolute

	jada samdhi
	Lower levels of samadhi

Back to top	jagat guru
	World teacher

	jala
	Water; the water element or principle

	jal-dan
	Prayerful offering of water

	janah
	One of the states of consciousness

	janma
	Birth

	japa
	Repetition of a mantra

	jayanthi
	Birth anniversary

	jiva (jivatma)
	Individual incarnated soul. Life

	jivan moksha
	Liberation while alive in the physical body

	jnana
	Supreme Wisdom or Knowledge leading to Realization

Back to top	jnana bhumika
	Stage or state of knowledge

	jnana hinata
	Absence of knowledge or un-knowledge

	jnani
	Gnostic; one who is wise; one who has Divine knowledge

	jyoti
	Splendor, effulgence

	jyotimaya
	Form of effulgence

	kabir
	Indian Saint and Poet of the Middle-ages

Back to top	kalakshapaka
	A person who wastes time

	kama
	Desire; love

	kantha chakra
	Throat plexus

	karana shariri
	Causal body

	karma
	Action

	karma indriyas
	Organs or senses of action

	kasbi
	Acquired condition

	kayastha
	A particular caste in North India

	kosha
	The five sheaths that contain the essence and together comprise a human being are the food-sheath, breath-sheath, mind-sheath, knowledge-sheath, and bliss-sheath

	krishna (lord krishna)
	Most recent incarnation of Vishnu; divine personality in Mahabharata

Back to top	krishna-chakra
	Lord Krishna's weapon

	kriya
	Action

	krodha
	Anger

	kshipta
	Disturbed condition of mind due to sensations such as hunger, thirst, anger, sorrow, desire of fame and wealth

	kshobh (kshobha)
	State of disturbance; loss of equilibrium; stir caused by the will of God to effect creation. The original stir

	kunda
	Referring to the Kundalini; also, a bowl-shaped vessel

	kundalini
	The power which is coiled like a serpent at the base of the spine

	kurukshetra
	The battlefield in the Mahabharata

	kutcha
	Unfinished, raw

	lagan
	Attachment

Back to top	laya
	Dissolution

	layavastha
	The state of merging

	lila
	Divine play

	mahabharata
	One of the epic stories of India

Back to top	mahah
	One of the states of consciousness

	maha kala chakra (maha kal chakra)
	Wheel of the Supreme. (See footnote in Towards Infinity, discussion on Seventh Knot).

	mahamaya
	Subtle energy used by the Divine — Great Maya or great illusion. The spiritual sphere from which avatars come

	maha nirvana
	Illumined state

	maha parishad
	The highest cosmic functionary; Ruler of the Universe

	mahapralaya
	State of complete dissolution when everything in existence merges with the Center. The complete dissolution of the whole universe

	maha samadhi
	The final samadhi when a saint renounces his body and enters the brighter world

	mahatma
	Great soul, saint

	mahato mahiyan
	That which is greater than the greatest

Back to top	mal (mala)
	Impurities

	manas
	Psyche, mind

	manasa lake (manasarovar)
	Another name for the Brahmanda Mandal

	mani padma
	The jewel in the Lotus

	manmat
	Disciples who approach a guru for worldly, material goals

	manomaya kosha
	Mind sheath

	mantra (mantram)
	Recitation of a sacred sound, word, or phrase

	math (mutt, matha)
	Spiritual organization

	maya
	Phenomenal appearance. It is really a power of God. All manifestation or expansion which seems illusory is the play of Maya. Illusion

	moksha
	Liberation or Salvation. But in Sahaj Marg, both are not the same. “Freedom from bondage is Liberation. It is different from Salvation which is not the end of the process of rebirth” (Reality at Dawn)

Back to top	moodha
	Condition of the mind, including tendencies, which cause laziness, indolence and idleness

	mudra
	Yogic “seal” or secret practice. Also refers to certain postures and hand gestures

	muhurtam
	Auspicious moment

	mukti
	Liberation

	mumukshu
	A seeker of the spiritual Truth

	muni
	See RISHI

	nabhi (naabhi)
	Navel

Back to top	nadi (naadhi)
	Commonly refers to the pulse beat; subtle channels; any physical tubular organs in the body

	namasthe (namaskaram)
	Greeting, a salute to the God within

	narada
	A Divine sage

	nirakar
	Formless

	nirguna
	Without attributes or qualities

	nirguna brahma
	Indeterminate Absolute. The Ultimate Cause

	nirmanakaya
	A created body

	nirodha
	Tendency which brings the mental to a state of perfect self-control, free of all complexity and perturbation

	nirvana
	Illuminated state

Back to top	nirvikalpa samadhi
	Samadhi in which we are not conscious; ecstasy with the loss of the world-consciousness; consciousness of abstract

	nishkam
	Desireless

	nishkam karma
	Desireless action

	nishkam upasana
	Desireless devotion

	nivritti
	Retrogression; destructive return or withdrawal

	niyama (niyam)
	Subjected laws which must be followed. They are purity, contentment, austerity, self study, self abandonment (devotion to God).

	nyasa
	Something entrusted to another, put in trust

	ojas
	Splendour

	omkar
	The sacred syllable “Aum” (OM).

	om shanti (om santih)
	Invocation of peace

	panch agni vidya
	Wisdom of the five fires (see footnote in Towards Infinity, discussion on Fifth Knot).
Back to top
	pancha bhutas
	The five elements or principles in Hindu cosmology: earth, water, fire, air, and space

	panchamakaara
	The left-hand path, also called Vaamchaara — an esoteric and occult practice of Tantrik schools. They use Matsya (fish), Mamsa (meat), Madhya (alcohol), Mudra (position of fingers during religious worship), Maithuna (copulation) — all beginning with “M” or “Ma,” and since there are five of them it is called the Pancha-makaara, or “Five Ma’s”

	pandal
	Tent

	pandit
	Learned person, well versed in any subject

	para brahman (par brahma)
	Indeterminate Absolute; God as the Ultimate Cause of Existence

	para brahmanda
	Supra-cosmic consciousness

	para brahmanda mandal
	Supra-cosmic region of the mind

	paramanus
	Subtle particles

	parishad
	Cosmic functionary below the Maha Parishad who directs the work of the Dhruvadipatis

Back to top	pasus
	Generally refers to all living things; specifically, to animals; most specifically, to cows

	patanjali
	Ancient Indian scholar who wrote the Yoga Sutras

	pinda (pind)
	Material or gross existence, that which exists in the gross or material state

	pinda desh (pinda pradesh)
	Material sphere; the heart region

	pitri bhava
	Paternal feeling

	prabhu
	Master; God

	brabhu-prapanna
	Spiritual condition experienced as being both the Master and one who has surrendered

	pradeshas
	Conditions, states

	prakriti
	Nature

	pralaya
	State of dissolution, applied not to the whole universe but only to a part of it

Back to top	pramana
	Authority, or valid means of knowledge

	prana
	Life, breath

	pranahuti
	Process of yogic transmission; derived from prana meaning life and ahuti meaning offering. Offering of the life force by the Guru into the disciple’s heart

	pranam
	Respectful salutation; obeisance

	pranamaya kosha
	Breath sheath

	prana pratishta (pran pratishta)
	Power to infuse a spiritual force into a picture or idol

	pranava
	The syllable “Aum”

	pranava japa
	Chanting the “Aum” or pranava

	pranayama
	Derived from prana (life, vital force) and from ayama (to restrain). The regulation of Prana

Back to top	prapanna
	A spiritual stage; also, one who has surrendered

	prapti-virodhis
	Enemies of our attainment

	prarabdha
	Fate, destiny

	prasad (prasadam)
	Divinized food, usually sweet; an offering to Master or God

	prasthana trayee
	The three orthodox scriptural books of the Hindus; viz., the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras

	pratyahara (pratyahar)
	The inner withdrawal of the mind (fifth branch of Patanjali’s Yoga).

	pratyaksa
	Present before one’s vision or eyes

	pravritti
	Progress (constructive); upward growth

	preceptor
	An abhyasi chosen, prepared, and permitted by the Master to impart spiritual training through the utilization of pranahuti or yogic transmission

Back to top	prithvi
	The earth; earth element or principle

	pucca
	Ripe, complete

	puja
	Ripe, complete

	pujya
	Revered, respected; used as an honorific at the beginning of a great man’s name

	punya
	Righteous or meritorious action

	purushartha
	The goal of the human effort — applied at the same time to the purely human goals or the supra-human goals

	purva karma
	Past actions, and their effect

	raja yoga (raj yoga)
	Ancient system or science followed by the great rishis and saints which helped them to realize the Self or God. Usually used for meditative practices, as distinguished from hatha yoga
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	raja Dasharath
	(Surya dynasty) Father of Rama

	raja Janak
	Father of Seeta (or Sita).

	rajas
	One of the three Gunas. Leads to activity, egoism and selfishness

	Ram (Lord Rama)
	Husband of Seeta in the Indian epic story Ramayana

	Ramakrishna
	Saint who lived in Calcutta at the end of the nineteenth century and who was Vivekananda’s Master

	Ramanuja
	One of the three acharyas; founder of the Vishishta-advaita system of Vedanta Philosophy

	Ramayana
	One of the epic stories of India

	representative
	In Sahaj Marg, a term reserved for that person who is nominated by a Master as successor; the currently incarnated Master and president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission

Back to top	richa
	Cosmic recording of all thoughts and events

	Rig Veda
	One of the Vedas. The others are YAJUR veda, SAMA veda and ARTHARVANA veda

	rishi
	Saint; seer; one who has realized Self

	rudra shakti
	Destructive power; power possessed by a rudra of whom Shiva is the personification

	sadguru
	Guru capable of giving the knowledge of Truth

Back to top	sadhak
	Disciple who practices a sadhana

	sadhana
	Spiritual practice

	sadhana chatushtaya
	The four-fold spiritual practice: viveka or discrimination; vairagya or detachment; sampatti, meaning to be engrossed in it, and mumukshutva, to seek liberation

	sadhu
	Religious or spiritual person

	saguna
	With gunas or characteristics, qualities, and attributes

	saguna brahman (saguna brahma)
	God as Existence endowed of all the most subtle attributes. Determinate Absolute

	saguna ishwara
	Determinate Absolute; having the quality of Ishwara

	sahaj avastha
	Natural state or condition

	Sahaj Marg
	Natural path, simple path

Back to top	sahaj samadhi
	Natural samadhi, considered the highest samadhi: simultaneity of total external awareness with total inner emptiness or absorption

	sahasra dal-kamall
	Lotus of a thousand petals. Chakra at the top of the head

	saheb
	A respectful form of address to a man

	sakar
	Tangible form

	sakha
	Friend

	sakhaya
	Friendship

	sakti divine
	Highest energy

	sakhya bhava
	Friendly feeling

	saloya
	In the same world as another

	samaan
	Similar

Back to top	samadhan
	State of self-settledness to the Master’s will

	samadhi
	Original balance. State in which we stay attached to Reality. In Sahaj Marg, the return to the original condition, which reigned in the beginning. Babuji split the word into sama, meaning balance, and adhi, meaning original or ancient

	samarth guru (samartha guru)
	A perfect guru, who possesses all the qualities. A perfectly balanced guru

	samavastha (samatva)
	A balanced state

	samipya
	Nearness

	sampatti
	A type of human realization. In Sahaj Marg it is also the depth of the spiritual realization

	samskars (sanskars)
	Impressions; grossness

	sandhi gati
	Merging of two states

	sandhya
	Meeting point between day and night

Back to top	sang-e-benamak
	A lump of salt from which saltiness has been taken away

	sankalpa
	An act of will

	sankirtanists
	Congregational chants

	sankirtans
	One who has renounced the world and leads a solitary life of celibacy and asceticism

	sannyasi (sannyasin)
	One who has renounced the world and leads a solitary life of celibacy and asceticism

	sanskrit
	Culture; also name of the ancient language of India

	sanstha
	Spiritual tradition; organization; group

	sapta-bhumika
	Seven stages

	saraswati
	The goddess of learning

Back to top	sarupyata
	State in which we acquire the same form

	sarvamukti
	Simultaneous universal emancipation

	sarvam khalvidam bramha
	“All this is but Brahman.” A Vedic statement

	sat
	Being, Reality, Existence

	satpad (satyapad)
	In Sahaj Marg, state which is neither lightness nor darkness. It is a reflection of the reality which itself is still further

	satsangh (satsang)
	1. Spiritual assembly. 2. Being with reality

	satsanghi
	One who attends satsangh

	sattva
	One of the three gunas. Leads to balance or poise. It manifests in virtuous conduct and brings about happiness

	sattvic
	Pertaining to or that which promotes sattva in the body

	satyam
	One of the states of consciousness. Also means truth

Back to top	satyodayam
	The dawn of reality

	sarupya
	Similarity; become one with; having similar form and appearance

	sayodayam
	The dawn of reality

	sayujyata
	Close conformity; something identical; become one with

	shabda (shabd ajapa)
	Sound, inner vibration within, as opposed to japa

	shakti
	Power

	shama (sham)
	Peaceful condition of the mind leading to a state of calmness and tranquillity; the first of the shat sampatti

	shankar
	Shiva, one of the Trinity in Hinduism, the others being Brahma and Vishnu

	Shankaracharya
	Ancient saint of India, who propounded advaita

	Shastras
	Holy books (scriptures).

Back to top	shat
	Six

	shat sampatti
	Six forms of spiritual attainments in the third Vedantic Sadhana

	shatchakras
	The six chakras or plexuses, symbolically denoted as lotuses, situated in the subtle body. They are: 1. Muladhara, or root chakra, at the perineum 2. Svadhidhtana, at the genitals 3. Manipuraka, navel 4. Anahata, heart 5. Vishudha, throat 6. Ajna, center of the eyebrows

	shikar (sikhar)
	Crown, top, summit

	shithali
	One which endows with coolness

	shraddha
	Faith; devotion with faith

	shramdan
	An offering of physical labor

	shrishti
	Era of Creation in the Indian calendar

	siddhis
	Capacity to do miracles; powers

Back to top	siddhopaya
	Readily accessible. Also, ready means

	sikhar
	Crown, top

	sitting
	A session of meditation, usually lasting from 30 minutes to an hour, in which the Master or a preceptor meditates with a group or an individual for the purpose of cleaning and transmission

	sruti
	The basis of each musical note. Also, the Vedas, or revealed scripture

	sthitaprajna
	One who is established in the Self. Alternatively, one whose consciousness in merged in the Self

	sthula sharir (sthool sharir)
	Gross body

	sukshma sharir (sooksma sharir)
	Astral body, subtle body

	sudarshan chakra
	Lord Krishna’s finger wheel

	suddha sattva body
	Pure body

Back to top	supatra
	Well-deserving person

	sushupti
	One of the four states of consciousness. It is described as the consciousness of deep sleep in which a man does not dream. When this state of mind is attained, a man gets in close communion with God, though he remains in a forgetful state

	svar
	One of the states of consciousness

	svadisthana chakra
	The chakra located at the level of the genital organs

	svadhyaya
	Study of holy scriptures combined with practice

	Swami Vivekananda
	See Vivekananda

	swami
	A Hindu priest. Saint

	tam
	The actual state we were in when the world was born. Real state of being

Back to top	tamas
	One of the three gunas. Inertness. It leads to inactivity, sloth or procrastination

	tanum swam vivernute
	"Reveals its own form"

	tapah
	One of the states of consciousness

	tapasya (tapas)
	Ascetic practices to purify the soul and attract Divine grace. Literally means “heat,” and indicates the heat generated by the friction of intense spiritual practice

	tarka
	Reasoning

	tattvas
	Elements or principles in Hindu cosmology. (See pancha bhutas)

	thas
	Condition of total grossness

	tilak
	Pigment mark on the forehead.

	titiksha
	State of fortitude or forbearance.

Back to top	trikuti
	The point above the nose between the two eyebrows; one of the points of concentration

	turiya
	Fourth state of consciousness, the other three being: 1. Jagrat, the waking state, 2. Svapna, the dreaming state, 3. Sushupti, deep sleep.

	turiya avastha
	Fourth state of the soul, when it becomes one with God

	turiyatita
	Beyond the turiya condition

	upadam karan
	Cause which itself results in effect. Thus it may be explained as root cause. See kshobh
Back to top
	upadesh
	Sermon. Instruction

	upadeshak
	Instructor, advisor.

	upanayanam
	Opening of the higher eye

	upanishads
	Vedantic part of the Vedas (Jnana Kanda)

	uparati
	Self-withdrawal

	upasana (upasna)
	Devotional practice

	utsav
	Religious celebration

	uttarayana
	Six month’s of the sun’s northern path

	vairagya
	Renunciation, detachment

Back to top	vasanas
	Past impressions

	vasu
	Another name for Krishna. Also refers to cosmic functionary below the Dhruva, an elevated person who performs the lowest level of godly work entrusted to him

	vayu (vaya)
	Air or air principle

	vayu nadi
	The air nadi

	vedas
	Ancient Indian scriptures, in which a superior knowledge is revealed

	vidya
	Knowledge; science

	vijnanamaya kosha
	Sheath of knowledge

	vikshepa (vikshep)
	Distraction, confusion

	vikshipta
	Refers to the tendency which drives the mind away from sacred thoughts and brings about the haunting of numerous irrelevant ideas at the time of meditation

Back to top	vikrakta
	Recluse

	virat
	Cosmic

	virat desh
	See BRAHMANDA MANDAL

	virat roop
	Cosmic form

	viryam
	Virility; strength

	visesa
	Specific object or quality

	Vishnu
	One of the Hindu trinity, God as preserver

	vishuddha chakra
	One of the six chakras or plexuses, situated at the base of the throat

	vishvarup darshana
	Vision of the Lord’s Cosmic form

	viveka
	Discernment; discrimination

Back to top	viveka shakti
	Power of discrimination

	vivekachudamanai
	A text written by Adi Shankaracharya

	Vivekananda (Swami Vivekananda)
	A great saint of India who lived in the early twentieth century, and was a disciple of Ramakrishna

	vrittis
	Outward flow of mind; subtle desires or stimuli coming up in the mind causing action; mental tendencies

	vyavahara
	Connection between people; behavior

	yajnas
	Religious rituals, sacrifices

Back to top	yaksha
	A class of semi-divine beings; a living supernatural being

	yaksha prasna
	Series of questions asked by a yaksha to Dharma Putra in the Mahabharata

	yama
	1. Self interdiction. Vow of abstinence of violence, falsity, robbery, unchastity, and tendency to acquire. 2. Lord of Death

	yatra
	Voyage; journey; pilgrimage; the inner spiritual process

	yoga
	A system of Hindu philosophy showing means of emancipation of the soul from further migration

	yogaja
	Intuitive perception of all objects. One who is born from the yoga practice

	yogi (yogin)
	One who practices yoga; one who achieves union with the Absolute

	yuj (yuja, yujya)
	To join or unite; to yoke