Glossary of Sanskrit Terms Advaita The nondualistic school of Vedanta philosophy that affirms the one ness of t he individual soul, God, and the universe. Aranyakas That section of the Vedas which gives a spiritual interpretation to the ritua listic portion of the Vedas. It is also called the "forest treatises" because it was origina lly intended for ascetics who lived in the forests. Ashrama or Ashram A center of spiritual study or meditation. A retreat, hermitage, or monastery. Ashtavakra The sage who authored the Ashtavakra Samhita. Ashtavakra Samhita A classic text on Advaita Vedanta. Atman The divine Spirit in man, the Self which is one with Brahman, the all-pervadi ng divine existence, the Ground of the universe. Avadhuta Gita A classic text on Advaita Vedanta. Avatar An incarnation of God. Avidya Ignorance, individual or cosmic, which hides the nature of the supreme Realit y from our view. Badarayana Author of the Brahma Sutras. Little is known of him, though tradition ide ntifies him with Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata, who lived in India somewhere between 500 and 200 B.C. Bhagavad Gita Literally the "Song of God," the Gita is one of the most revered scrip tures of Hinduism, and consists of 700 verses. Bhakti Love of God. Bhakti yoga Union with God through the path of loving devotion. Bhasya A commentary. Brahman The absolute Reality, the Unity of all that exists, the formless, attributeless Godhead. Brahma Sutras Also known as the Vedanta Sutras. A treatise by Badarayana on Veda nta philosophy which interprets the Upanishads, and discusses the knowledge of Brah man. Buddhi Intelligence or discriminating faculty which classifies sense impressions. Chakra One of the six centers of consciousness located along the spinal column. Chandi Also known as the Devi Mahatmyam. The Chandi is a sacred Hindu scripture which praises the Divine Mother of the universe, identifying her as the ultimate Realit y. Devi Lit., "goddess." The word can refer to any female deity in Hinduism. Dharma Righteousness, truth, or religious duty. Dhruva (or Dhruba) smriti The state of constant recollectedness of God. Dhyana Meditation or prolonged concentration. Durga An aspect of the Divine Mother of the universe, the consort of Shiva. Durga is generally represented with ten arms, seated on a lion. She is the protectress of the u niverse, destroying the demons of ignorance and giving the blessings of divine love a nd knowledge. Guna Lit., "quality." In Hindu philosophy there are three gunas which constitute prakri ti, or nature: sattva, rajas, and tamas. Tamas is characterized by dullness, stupidity, i nertia; rajas by activity, restlessness, and passion; sattva by calmness, purity, and wi sdom. These three qualities are found in varying proportions in the external world an d in all created beings. Guru Spiritual teacher. Ishta The spiritual aspirant's chosen ideal of God. Ishvara The personal aspect of God; God with attributes. Janaka A famous king who was both a knower of Brahman as well as the ruler of his ki ngdom, Videha. Japa Repetition of the Lord's name, usually one 's own mantra. Jnana Knowledge of the ultimate Reality, attained through the process of reason and discrimination between the real and the unreal. Jnana yoga Path of union with the ultimate Reality through spiritual knowledge and di scrimination between the real and the unreal. Jnani One who follows the path of knowledge by discriminating between the eternal and the transitory. Kali One of the aspects of the Divine Mother of the universe. Kali was Ramakrishn a's Chosen Ideal, and he worshiped her image at the Dakshineswar temple for many years. Kali is usually shown standing on the chest of her consort, Shiva. Around her w aist she wears a garland of human arms, and around her neck a garland of human he ads. She has four arms: the lower left hand holds a human head, her upper hand grip s a saber. With one right hand she offers boons to her children, and with the other s he makes the sign that dispels fear. She deals out death as she creates and preserve s. Kali destroys ignorance, preserves world order, and gives blessings and liberation t o those who earnestly seek it. While Shiva represents the Absolute, Kali represents th e dynamic, or relative aspect of the Supreme Reality. Karma Action, both physical and mental, and the effects of action. Karma yoga Path of union with God through selfless activity. Karpanya The feeling of helplessness; self-surrender. Lokacharya, Pillai Twelfth-century Vaishnava philosopher and writer who held that Go d's grace is spontaneous; it was to be sought not onl y through bhakti, devotion, but also through total self-surrender. Glossary: A-L | M-R | S-U | V-Y Glossary of Sanskrit Terms: A-L | M-R | S-U | V-Y Madhva The twelfth-century exponent of dualistic Vedanta. He wrote commentaries o n the Brahma Sutras, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. Mahamaya The Mother of the universe, the divine will. Mahamaya veils our vision of Brahman, the absolute Reality. Yet through her grace, she rends this veil, allowing us to realize the identity of the Atman with Brahman. Mahavakya Literally, "great saying." A Vedantic formula that declares the one ness of the individual soul with Brahman. Manana The process of reasoning in which one reflects on the spiritual teacher's wo rds and meditates upon their meaning. Mantra The sacred name of God given by the guru to the disciple. Repetition of the m antra is japa. Marga Path; jnana marga, for example, is the path of spiritual knowledge, and bhakti marga is the path of devotion. Maya Maya is the power of Brahman, the creative aspect of God. It is also the cosmic illusion that creates ignorance and veils the vision of Brahman. Due to the power of maya, Brahman, the one Reality, is perceived as the manifold universe. Nididhyasana Deep meditation on the truth of Brahman. Nirvikalpa samadhi Lit., "changeless samadhi." The highest state of realization in whi ch the spiritual aspirant attains one ness with the Absolute. Om The most sacred syllable of Hinduism; the sound-symbol of Brahman. Prakriti Primordial nature; the material principle of the world which, in association wit h Purusha, creates the universe. Prakriti is one of the two ultimate realities of Sank hya philosophy. Prana In the physical body, prana is the vital breath that sustains life and manifests a s thought, bodily function, and physical action. In the cosmos, prana is the sum total of all primal energy that manifests as motion, gravitation, magnetism, etc. Prarthana Prayer. Pratyahara Withdrawal of the mind from the objects of the senses. Pravrajika Title of women who have taken final vows of renunciation, or sannyas. (Th e corresponding word for men is swami.) The term generally means a woman ascetic. Puja Ritualistic worship. Purusha One of the two ultimate realities of Sankhya philosophy. The divine Self, th e absolute Reality, pure Consciousness. Raja yoga Literally the "royal yoga," raja yoga is the path of meditation. It is the spirit ual path by which one attains union with the Absolute through control of internal an d external forces. Rajas The guna which expresses itself as restlessness, activity, and passion. Ramakrishna, Sri (1836-1886) A God-man of India who is considered by many to be a n incarnation of God. His message stressed the essential unity of all religions, the inn ate divinity of humanity, and the realization of God as the goal of life. Ramanuja The eleventh-century saint-philosopher who propagated the school of quali fied nondualism, Vishishtadvaita. Ramanuja wrote commentaries on the Brahma Sutr as and the Bhagavad Gita, along with other original treatises which advocated his phi losophy of devotion to God as the highest ideal of human life. Ramprasad Eighteenth-century Bengali mystic and poet. He composed devotional so ngs to Kali which Ramakrishna loved to sing. Rishi A seer of spiritual truth. Usually the term refers to the ancient Hindu seers to wh om the Vedas were revealed. Glossary: A-L | M-R | S-U | V-Y Glossary of Sanskrit Terms: A-L | M-R | S-U | V-Y Sadhana Spiritual discipline. Samadhi The superconscious state in which one experiences one 's identity with t he ultimate Reality. Samskara Tendencies inherited from previous births which form a person's propensiti es in this life. Sannyas Final monastic vows in which the spiritual aspirant completely renounces ev erything for the sake of realization of the ultimate Reality. Sarada Devi, Sri (1853-1920) Sri Ramakrishna's wife, also known as Holy Mother. Bot h Ramakrishna and Sarada Devi lived completely celibate lives; both were ideal mona stics and ideal householders. Sarada Devi was the embodiment of spiritual motherho od; her life was devoted to loving service and self-sacrifice. She is seen by many as a n incarnation of the Divine Mother. Satchidananda Existence (sat), Knowledge (chit), and Bliss (ananda) absolute; Brahm an, the absolute Reality. Sattva The guna which expresses itself as calmness, purity, and wisdom. Shakti God as the Mother of the universe. Shakti is the power of Brahman, the person ification of primal energy. Shankara or Shankaracharya The great Vedanta philosopher who lived in the eighth c entury A.D., and revived Advaita Vedanta in India after a thousand years of Buddhist i nfluence. Though he lived onl y thirty-two years, he organized a monastic system th at is still in existence today. His enormous literary contribution includes commentarie s on the Brahma Sutras, the principal Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita. He also wr ote his own philosophical works such as the Vivekacudamani ( the Crest-Jewel of Disc rimination) and the Upadeshasahasri.