Tara Center - Spiritual development through esoteric yoga

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T V Y

A
Acharya	A spiritually-enlightened Teacher belonging to a recognized tradition.
Addhvaryu	One of the priests designated in the Vedas to perform ceremonies. The role of the addhvaryu is to arrange the physical aspects of the ceremony, the articles used as well as the site.
Adharmic	Unrighteous
Adhyasa	"The substratum" (Brahman on which the illusory world is superimposed) .
Advaita	Non-duality. The philosophy of non-duality followed by Shri Shankaracharya and his school.
Advaita	Non-dual; without a second. This refers to the Absolute Brahman or the Vedic philosophy that expounds the theory of non-dual Brahman.
Agamin karma	There are three aspects or effects of karma called parabdha,sancita and agamin. Agamin refers to the karma that will come to fruition in future lives.
Agni	Fire. There are many meanings of the word agni, or fire, forty of which are most prominent. Depending on context, agni means a Brahmin, a man of wisdom, the fire of light, life breath; prana; heat; leader.
Agnihotra	Fire ceremony; fire offering. The true meaning of agnihotra is that in the fire of life, oblations are constantly offered.
Ahamkara	Loosely translated as ego; together, manas ,buddhi, and ahamkara comprise the inner instrument known as antahakarana.It is through this inner faculty that one identifies oneself with the objects of the world, such as "I am this body" or " That is my chair ".More strictly, in Shamkhya and Yoga philosophy it is the "I-maker". It refers to a function of mind through which pure consciousness, purusha, falsely identifies itself with non-self, material objects.
Ajapa japa	Japa without japa ; the spontaneous and constant awareness of one's mantra; constant awareness of one's mantra with every breath of life.
Ajna chakra	The centre between the eyebrows ; the seat of mind ; the centre of consciousness that receives the wisdom from the higher chakra ; sahasrara.
Akasha	Space ; one of the five tattvas or gross elements (earth, water , fire ,air ,and space).
Anahata chakra	The heart centre , associated with the air element ; the cetre located between the upper and lower hemispheres of the body ,in the region of the heart. Students of the Mishra school of Tantra perform their mental worship at this chakra.
Ananda	Joy. There are two kinds of ananda, or joy ,that a human being can experience: one is sensual joy , which is experienced by ordinary human beings ; it lasts only for a short time and creates a desire for repetition. The other joy is the highest of joys-everlasting unity with Brahman.
Anandamaya kosha	The sheath of bliss; one of the five sheaths, or koshas , that cover the effulgent Brahman or atman.
Annam	Food or the essence of food ; life sustaining energy.
Annamaya kosha	The food sheath ,the phtsical body that is nourished by and grows on food; one of the five sheaths, or koshas, that cover the effulgent Brahman or atman.
Antahkarana	The psychological apparatus ( the "inner organ") of the individual.
Anyonya bhasa	The superimpositions that make jiva , individual soul , feel that it has an identity separate from pure conscoiusness or Brahman.
Apana	Downward moving pranic force ; function of prana that tends to move downward. Also identified with exhalation.
Apara vidya	Lower knowledge, the knowledge of lower reality or the manifest world , in contrast to para vidya , the knowledge of Brahman. Apara vidya includes all of the mundane arts and sciences.
Arti	A ceremony of light.
Ashrama	A spiritual school or community.
Atharva Veda	The fourth book of the Vedas which ,in addition to spiritual wisdom, also focuses on modern sciences of the Mundaka Upanishad.
Atman	The divine element in man; the real Self .
Atman	Pure Consciousness , the pure Self ,the unchanging ,eternal Truth that is beyond the entire manifest world.
AUM	Sound that represents the Absolute Brahman . According to the Upanishads , the word AUM consists of three letters "A ,U, and M" representing waking , dreaming ,and deep sleep .After the word AUM , there comes a state of silence that represents Absolute or transcendent Reality, Brahman .
Avidya	Ignorance ,lack of knowledge ,mistaking the unreal for the real . The words avidya and maya in Vedanta philosophy refer to the force through which the universe evolves.At the individual level , it is called avidya; at the cosmic level , it is called maya .It is through this force that the pure ,infinite ,and immortal soul considers itself to be limited.

Bhagavad Gita	A celebrated text of Yoga which is part of a great epic called the Mahabharata , also called the "Song of God" .The wisdom presented in the eighteen chapters of this text is in the form of a dialogue between Krishna (the teacher) and Arjuna (the student) .
Bhakti	Love and devotion ; love for God .Bhakti is of two kinds: lower bhakti and higher bhakti .The lower bhakti consists of chanting the name of the lord , doing japa , reciting holy scriptures , serving God through one's thought , speech and action ; the higher bhakti is a state of ecstasy in which the yogi remains intoxicated in the love of the divine . Bhakti yoga is considered to be one of the major paths of yoga , since it places its main emphasis on love for God . All other disciplines are secondary to love and devotion to God.
Bharata	India.
Bhava	Emotion , mood , devotional state of mind ,feeling . This refers to the aspirant's emotional life , which in the practice of jnana or raja yoga , is controlled in order to transcend the spheres of the mind and intellect . In bhakti yoga , however , bhava is neither controlled nor suppressed , but is transformed into devotion and channelled to the Lord .
Brahma	The Creator . According to Indian philosophy , the first evolute of unmanifest Brahman , the Absolute Reality , is Brahma ,who through his sankalpa shakti brings forward all of creation . He is also the first teacher, the one who imparted the first spiritual wisdom to the sages.
Brahma vidya	Knowledge or science of Brahman ; spiritual wisdom that leads an aspirant to the realisation of Brahman consciousness . It is the knowledge of total existence , the highest Truth ; according to the Upanishads , this science subsumes the knowledge of everything else. This is why after knowing this , "the unheard becomed heard, and the unknown becomes known."
Brahmachari	A disciple who undertakes to live according to the vows of Brahmacharya.
Brahmacharya	A life of spiritual study , discipline and continence.
Brahmacharya	"Walking in Brahman ",maintaining awareness of Brahman ; controlling the senses , and celibacy . This also refers to the first stages of life , usually the first twenty five years , in which a human being devotes his timeand energy to studying and unveiling the mysteries of life here and hereafter.
Brahmaloka	The realm of Brahman.
Brahman	God the Absolute , who is Sat, Chit, Ananda.
Brahman	The absolute Reality , pure consciousness or the Truth that lies beyond names and forms . The Brahman of the Upanishads transcends the concept of God as found in most religions , being a pure witness and the only Reality.The universe emerges from Brahman and ultimately merges into Brahman . Throughout , Brahman is uninvolved and eternal - the underlying unitary Truth behind all diversities . The word Ishvara, or God , is the manifest state of Brahman . However , metaphysically, Brahman transcends the whole manifest world , including God .
Brahmana	Brahmana should not be confused with the word Brahman , from which it is derived . Brahman has two meanings : 1) it refers to a class of people who are inclined to spiritual study and practice , who devote their lives to attain Brahman realization ; 2) a group of Sanskrit texts devoted to the interpretation of Vedic hymns . In contrast to Upanishadic literature , brahmana texts provide a ritualistic interpretation and application of Vedic mantras .
Brahmapuri	The seat ,sphere ,or abode of Brahman .In yoga shastra ,sahasrara chakra is called brahmapuri.
Brahmin	During the Vedic period , this word meant "knower of Brahman" or "one who had devoted his entire life to the study of the Vedas and the realisation of Brahman ".In later periods , it referred to the priestly class in Indian society.
Buddhi	Intellect ; the faculty of discrimination . One of the aspects of the antahakarana , the inner faculty through which a human being makes decisions.

Chakra	"wheel ", or centre of consciousness . According to the Upanishads , there are seven centres of consciousness located along the spinal column: muladhara , svadisthana , manipura, anahata , vishuddha , ajna and sahasrara .
Chaturmasa	The four months of the rainy season which, according to the \|Indian calendar , are the equivalent of our period of July through October. For these four months , the wandering sadhus stay in one place to perform their practices and impart knowledge to students who come to stay with them.
Chhanda	Meter ; those texts which describe the rules and regulations in regard to the meters in which Vedic mantras are composed.
Chit	Conciousness Absolute.
Chitta	Mind . The word chitta is a general term used for mind , which includes manas (lower mind ), ahamkara (ego), and buddhi (intellect) . Sometimes it is used in the sense of the unconscious mind , the storehouse of all the subtle impressions of one's thoughts ,speech and actions .
Conches	Shells used traditionally as musical instruments.

Dakshina	Offerings made in return for spiritual teaching , or at traditional ceremonies.
Darshana	A vision , revelation , or a philosophy; to have a glance at a respected person , such as a sage .
Deva	Celestial being , a bright being . According to the Upanishads , the powers of the senses are devas since they illuminate the objects of the world and bring them into the realm of experience and awareness. Indra , the god of the devas , is the mind , which presides over the other devas ( the senses).
Devas	The lesser gods; deities presiding over the individual forces of Nature.
Devayana	The path of light, vehicle of light; the path leading to the realm of bright beings . In the Upanishads , it is also called the solar path .
Dharma	The spiritual law of righteousness .
Dharma	Duty ; virtuous deeds , righteous acts ,rules and laws that help one sustain personal as well as interpersonal well- being .
Dhyana	Meditation ; one- pointed state of mind that is not disturbed by any thought constructs.
Durga	The consort of Shiva .
Dvaisha	Aversion.
Dvaita	Duality
Dvapara yuga	The third of the four cycles of creation , in which the rituals first started and were considered the means to liberation.

Ekarshi

One sage , the only seer , the fire of knowledge.

Flute Player of Brindavan

Shri Krishna

Gandharvas	The celestial musicians .
Gayatri	The most sacred prayer of the Vedas .
Gayatri mantra	The famous mantra that first appears in the Yajur Veda , it is considered to be the mother of all of the Vedas.
Gnani	One who has known God . A spiritually enlightened Sage .
Govind	A name of Shri Krishna .
Grahasthya	Householder's life ; second stage of life .
Guhachara	That which dwells in the cave of the heart ; the inner light of atman .
Guna	Intrinsic characteristics of prakriti , primordial nature ; there are three gunas : sattva ,rajas ,and tamas .
Gura (guru deva)	Spiritual teacher . Gu means ignorance, ru means one who dispels.Thus a guru is a learned master who dispels the darkness of a student's ignorance .

Hanuman	Companion and foremost disciple of the divine incarnation Rama .
Hari	An affectionate name of Shri Krishna meaning the " divine thief " "He who steals the sins of his devotees".
Hiranyagarbha	The shining being in whom the whole universe lives in its dormant state . Hiranyagarbha is also known as Brahma , the creator .
Hota	Of the three priests to perform Vedic ceremonies , the one who offers the oblations into the fire , in the same manner that jiva , the individual self , offers all samskaras and vasanas into the fire of knowledge.
Hridayagranthi	Hridaya is the heart ,granthi is a knot ; the knot at the heart ; the knot of ignorance .Without destroying this knot , the knowledge of atman cannot be attained .

Ishta purta	Ishta denotes the deeds that the householder performs in the world , including the fire ceremony and studying the Vedas . Purta means doing charitable works selflessly for the good of others and serving others who need your help .
Ishvara	God ; inner controller ; the Lord . In Vedanta philosophy ,Brahman accompanied by maya is called Ishvara. Therefore , Ishvara is called saguna Brahman.
Ishvara pranidhana	Surrender to God . One of the components of the path of kriya yoga as outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras . However , according to bhakti yoga , surrender to God alone can lead one to the highest state of realisation.

Jagat	The Creation ; literally " the moving thing ".
Jai !	A traditional greeting .
Japa	Repetition of a name of God , or of a Mantram .
Japa	Repetition of one's mantra; constant japa is a great technique of makingthe mind one-pointed . Japa as a practice is complete in itself provided it is done with knowledge and with full devotion.
Jiva	The embodied soul .
Jiva or jivatman	The individual soul is called jivatman as long as it uses the vehicle of the mind which , in association with ignorance (avidya) , conceives itself to be limited .
Jivan - mukta	A freed jiva ; one who has attained release from the bondage of sansara during his life .
Jnana kanda	The portion of the Vedas concerning knowledge, as opposed to actions or ritual performances.Vedic literature is divided into two parts ,karma kanda and jnana kanda .Brahmana literature belongs to the karma kanda ,whereas the Upanishads belong to jnana kanda.
Jnana yoga	The path of pure intallect; it is possible only when an aspirant purifies the higher buddhi.

Kali yuga	The last of the four yugas (ages) in the cycle of creation , characterised by a decline of virtues and righteousness ; faith and devotion are the means to liberation in the kali yuga .
Kalpa	A measurement of Vedic time ; a cycle divided into four yugas (ages). The characteristics of each kalpa are determined by the samskaras accumulated by human beings in the previous cycle .
Kama	Physical love.
Karma	The law of causation , especially as it relates to human action . A man reaps the fruit of his past actions performed in this or previous incarnations . He is free to modify it by his present actions which will also fructify in the future.
Karma	Action . Karma includes the law of actions and reactions , the driving forces of one's present and future . According to yoga traditions, karma that is performed with a selfish motive brings about bondage , while performing the same karma selflessly for the sake of duty alone brings freedom.
Karma - yogi	A yogi following the path of enlightened action.
Karma kanda	The portion of the Vedas concerning ritual performance , as opposed to the knowledge of Brahman .
Karma mukti	A systematic and gradual path , step by step ,to obatin liberation.
Karma yoga	Path of selflessness .The "discipline of action" in which selfless action without desire for personal gain is cultivated .In this way one gradually cuts back on the number of new impressions (the seeds of future action and of rebirth). One's actions are gradually purified as meditation is slowly brought into active life.
Karma yogi	One who has learned to do his or her duties as selfless actions and with attention constantly fixed on the centre of consciousness within.
Kaula	A school of Tantra that emphasises external rituals or uses external objects as means for spiritual achievement.
Kosha(s)	Sheath . The five levels of human existance. The five koshas or sheaths cover the effulgent Brahman or atman .They are the annamaya kosha (physical body), pranamaya Kosha (energy sheath), manomaya kosha (mental or emotional sheath), jnanamaya kosha (intellectual sheath ) and the anandamaya kosha (blissful sheath ).
Krishna	The divine incarnation whose life is described in the Shrimad Bhagavatam . His boyhood and youth were spent amidst the groves of Brindavan . He is often represented playing a flute , mystically representing his creative power .
Kriya	Action , activity , as kriya yoga - a path of action . In hatha and kundalini yoga , kriya refers to certain pranayama and cleansing techniques ; in Patanjali's system of yoga , it refers to the practice of austerity , self-study , and surrender to God.
Kunda	The cavity at the base of the spinal column , in which the primal fire ,kundalini ,resides .
Kundalini	The inner fire , the dormant fire , coiled energy . Kundalini in its dormant state resides at the base of the spine in an area called the kunda. By following a systematic discipline of pranayama, meditation and mantra japa , one prepares oneself for kundalini awakening . At the completion of preparation , with the help of a competant master , this force is awakened and led to the sahasara chakra where jivatman , the individual self , unites with Brahman .

Lingam	Sign, symbol. Lingam also refers to the oval shaped light that resides in the cave of the heart . In an external sense , it also refers to the shiva lingam .Symbolically, the shape of the individual soul is said to be like a lingam.Since Brahman is Absolute , without name or form ,it is called alingam.
Lord of Shri	Vishnu , whose consort is Lakshmi ( Shri ).
Loshta	A vessel for water.

Maha	Great .
Mahabharata	Famous epic written in Sanskrit ,consisting of 100,000 verses .
Mahavakya	Great sayings from the Upanishads that deepen the inner awareness of the aspirant .
Manas	Mind . One of the inner instruments that receive information from the external world with the help of the senses and present it to the higher faculty of intellect. This particular faculty is characterised by doubt.
Manas puja	Mental worship. Students of the Mishra school of Tantra perform their rituals not at an external altar but rather at the heart centre . Their entire worship is internal and thus is called mental worship .
Manipura chakra	The chakra that is " filled with jewels"; naval centre; the centre of the fire element ; the solar plexus .
Manomaya kosha	The mental or emotional sheath . One of the five sheaths or koshas that cover the effulgent Brahman or atman.
Mantra	There are two meanings for mantra :1) Divine seed syllables which , through constant repetition and remembrance , lead students toward higher spiritual achievement. A set of syllables , sounds, or words received from the teacher during initiation for meditation and spiritual advancement, and 2) the earliest part of Vedic literature , called mantra , or hymns , which is collected into four books , the Rig ,Yajur, Sama , and Atharva Vedas .
Mantra drastha:	Seer of a mantra .
Mantram	A sacred formula or prayer .
Maya	The creative self - conditioning power of the Lord Omniscient and Omnipresent. It is a delusive power whereby the multitudinous Universes are given a phenomenal existence , apparently evolving from the One Supreme Spirit , but not in any way affecting his nature.
Maya	The power of Brahman through which its infinity is veiled and the finite world is projected . On a cosmic level it is maya , on the individual level it is avidya .
Mishra	"Mixture or combination" ; period of transition . There are three major schools of Tantra : Kaula , Mishra ,and Samaya .Kaula employs external objects as means in its spiritual practice , and involves itself in external rituals . Samaya is a purely yogic path and does not rely on external means at all . The path of Mishra comes in between. A yogi belonging to the Mishra path internalises all external rituals and meditates at the heart centre .
Moha	Pleasurable attachment .
Moksha	Liberation; freedom from bondage . According to the Upanishads ,the final stage of liberation can be attained only through knowledge of the Absolute ,para vidya.
Muladhara chakra	The root chakra at the base of the spine ; the centre for the earth element ;the centre that is the base of worship for the Kaula school of Tantra .
Mundaka	"Shaven head" ; denotes a monk .
Mundaka Upanishad	An Upanishad belonging to the Atharva Veda that is traditionally studied by monks .
Muni	A holy Sage .

Nadi	Energy channel ; one of the subtle channels of the body.
Narayana	A name of God .
Nirguna	Without attributes ; pure transcendent Brahman , as opposed to saguna Brahman , Brahman with attributes .

Om Tat Sat

The threefold name of the Absolute , Brahman , which is traditionally placed at the beginning and end of all Shastras , and used in all prayers and spiritual undertakings .

Panchopachara puja	Worship done with five articles: water ,flowers ,incense ,the flame of a candle or ghee lamp ,and an offering . In mental worship , the above mentioned five articles are replaced by the five gross elemants of earth ,water ,fire ,air ,and space ,along with their corresponding subtle energies .
Para vidya	Knowledge of the Absolute Truth , also known as brahma vidya , knowledge of Brahman .Knowledge of beyond , the other shore, that helps the aspirant to realise the Absolute Truth and gain Liberation.
Paramananda	Highest joy , as opposed to sensory pleasure .
Paramatman	The highest Self , the Absolute Self ,Brahman ,the soul at the cosmic level ,in contrast to jivatman ,the soul at the individual level .
Paramguru	The Guru of the Guru .
Parayana	Daily spiritual reading .
Parvati	Eternal consort of Shiva ; another name of Shakti .
Pillars	In a traditional school of Yoga the Guru has four chief disciples called Pillars .
Prakriti	Primordial substance . The stuff out of which both mind and matter have been evolved .
Pramada	Inertia ,laziness or sloth ,and carelessness ,which are the prime enemies of a sadhaka .
Prana	The life force .In the yogic tradition ,the life force prana is said to be tenfold , depending on its nature and function .Of the ten , prana and apana are the most important .Prana is ordinarily identified with inhalation and exhalation .According to the Bhagavad Gita, a yogi should balance and control the movement of prana and apana in order to have control over the modifications of the mind and thus attain samadhi.
Pranamaya kosha	Energy sheath . On of the five sheaths ,or koshas ,that cover the effulgent Brahman or atman.
Pranayama	Expansion of , or voluntary control over the pranic force .Breath control;breathing exercise ; the fourth rung of raja yoga . The science of gradually lengthening and controlling the physical breath in order to gain control over the movements of prana through the subtle body in higher stages of the practice.It is the fourth of the eight steps of yoga described by Patanjali.
Prarabdha - karma	Karma which has still to fructify .
Prarabdha karma	One of the three kinds of karma : prarabdha refers to the results being obtained from karmas that one has aleady performed : the karmas that germinate and bear fruit in this lifetime.Total freedom is not possible until all prarabdha karma is exhausted.
Prasad	Consecrated food which is distributed after a traditional ceremony .
Prayoga shastras	Section of Tantric literature that describes the particular application of mantras and yantras.
Puranas	Hindu epic poems .
Purusha	Pure Consciousness ,"One who sleeps in the city of life" "That which fills all ,that which dwells in the body (puranatvat)", The cosmic Self.

Raga	Desire under the form of attachment .
Raja yoga	Royal path ;the eightfold path of yoga as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.
Rajas	The principle of activity , passion or desire .
Rajas	One of the three gunas that compose the universe and all in it : The rajastic aspect refers to the human aspect in man ,in contrast to the animal and divine aspects in him.The rajastic guna is characterised by vibration ,activity, and motion.
Rama	The divine incarnation whose story is told in the Ramayana .
Rama Tirtha	A great saint of modern India . A brilliantly clever man , he renounced the Chair of Mathematics at the University of Punjab , Lahore , in order to follow the spiritual path .
Rig Veda	The earliest section of the Vedas ,also known as Rigveda Samhita.The other three ,the Yajur ,Sama ,and Artharva Vedas ,derive more than half of their contents from the Rig Veda.This is the section that concerns itself with the mantras ,along with the rules for their pronunciation and recitation.
Rishi	Seer of a mantra.
Rishis	The classical sages of India who compiled the Vedas .
Rudraksha	Seeds of a tree which grows in Northern India , often used as beads for making rosaries .
Rukmini	The Chief Queen of Shri Krishna .

Sacred Thread	A traditional emblem worn by members of the Brahmin caste .
Sadhana	Practice ,spiritual endeavor .Literally, "accomplishing" or "fulfilling". Sadhana is the word for a student's sincere efforts along a particular path of practice toward self- realisation.
Sadhu	A monk or saint in Hindi tradition .
Sadhya	A species of being that exists between humans and Gods.
Saguna (Brahman)	Brahman with attributes:Brahman combined with maya, also known as Ishvara, or God .This is a lower form of Brahman , in contrast to the highest which is nirguna Brahman ,Brahman without attributes ,or pure ,transcendental reality.
Sahasrara chakra	The crown chakra ; the thousand- petalled lotus , located at the crown of the head.
Sakama puja	Worship performed with a desire to attain some particular fruit , done for worldly motives; this puja yields success in the world , but not on the path of spirituality.
Sakshatkara	The state of "seeing Truth face-to-face".
Sama Veda	The second book of the Vedas .Most of the mantras of the Sama Veda are taken from the Rig Veda .The difference between them lies in the method of recitation .The Sama Veda is the origin of Indian classical music.
Samadhi	Spiritual ecstasy ; revelation ; God vision .
Samadhi	Spiritual absorption ; the eighth rung of raja yoga.The state in which the yogi is aware of the process of meditation ,and the meditator ,is samadhi with seed .When the yogi merges into unitary consciousness ,it is samadhi without seed.
Samaya	This is considered to be the highest of the three schools of Tantra; the aspirants in this school perform internal worship using pranayama ,meditation ,and contemplation ,rather than external rituals.
Samsara	"That which continues without beginning or end",the cycle of ignorance ,desire ,action, and longing to reap the fruits of the actions.
Samskara	Subtle impressions of one's own past karmas ,or actions.The innermost wall of the city of life is constructed by the samskaras that hold the aspirant's attachments and pleasure-seeking desires.
Sanatana dharma	Eternal law as described in the Vedas and Upanishads.
Sanchita karma	Collected or stored . This refers to the impressions of karma , stored in the form of vasanas , that have not yet started to produce fruit . When these karmas ripen to the stage of producing fruit , they are called prarabdha karma.
Sannyasa	Renunciation . The fourth and final stage of the four stages of life.
Sannyasin	A monk who has given up the pleasure of illusion.
Sansara	Relative experience within the world of time - space and causation - the cycle of reincarnation .
Sanyasa	Renunciation .
Sat - Chit - Ananda	Existence - Consciousness - Bliss . The three attributes of Brahman , the Absolute .
Sat - sang	A spiritual meeting .
Satsanga	The company of saints and sages , which strengthens the aspirant's awareness of Brahman.
Sattva	The principle of purity , harmony and illumination .
Sattva	A guna (attribute of prakriti); one of the gunas that compose the universe and all in it; the sattvic aspect refers to the divine aspect in man , in contrast to the animal and human aspects in him. Sattva guna is characterised by purity , luminosity, lightness , harmony , and the production of pleasure.
Satya yuga	The first of the four yugas (ages) in a cycle of creation.In the satya yuga , knowledge was the means to liberation.
Savikalpa - samadhi	"Samadhi - with - seed" :a contemplative state in which the distinction of the subject and the object of meditation still remains . This distinguishes it from the higher or "seedless" samadhi .
Shabda Brahman	Brahman that manifests in the form of sound , shabda.
Shadashopachara puja	A worship that uses sixteen articles or ingredients. In internal worship , these sixteen articles are the five elements, the ten senses , and the mind.
Shakti	Divine force ,power of Brahman, creative force of the Absolute Truth .
Shankara Acharya	The famous Shankaracharya during his short life established four great monastries in the North , South , East and West of India . These are still in existence , and the Abbot of each is known as the Shankara Acharya .
Shankaracharya	The greatest of Indian philosophers , and the foremost exponent of the Advaita or non - dualistic school of Vedanta .
Shanti	Spiritual peace.
Shastra	A scripture , or revealed Text .
Shiva	God in his aspect as Destroyer of the Universe ; also the Lord of Yogis and the Destroyer of ignorance .Supreme Consciousness without any attributes.
Shraddha	Faith; devotion combined with reverence . Faith is a divine quality and an essential aspect of one's spiritual practice.Such faith does not rely on the knowledge of the scriptures; rather it comes through spontaneous experience from within .Faith that samadhi is the only worthy goal and that one has chosen the way of self-realisation.
Shraddha Ceremony	A traditional ceremony performed for the peace of a departed soul .
Shruti	Revealed knowledge , the Vedas.
Siddhi	Accomplishment, perfection , achievement .In practicing yoga , as one progresses toward the centre of consciousness , several supernatural capacities unfold , which can be very attractive and distracting. The goal of yoga is to not become caught by the siddhis , but to go beyond.
So - hum	"I am He". A mystical expression of the identity of God and the real Self of man.
Soma	An aspect of life-sustaining energy; that which fuels the fire of life. In the Upanishads , soma is said to drip from sahasrara chakra ; it is imbibed by the coiled energy- kundalini shakti- at muladhara , intoxicating her.
Stotra	A verse .
Surya	The sun ; solar energy .
Sushumna	The central energy channel or nadi that runs along the spinal column from the baseto the brahmarandra , at the crown of the head.
Svadhisthana chakra	The sexual power centre.
Svadhyaya	Self study , study of the Self , study by oneself , constant japa of the mantra received from a teacher, contemplating the meaning of the mahavakyas, the great sentences of the Upanishads.
Swami (ji)	Monk or devotee, adept of the spiritual order of swami

Tamas	One of the attributes of primordial nature , prakriti.Energy that tends to move downward.Its qualities are stability, stagnation, dullness, inertia, darkness, stasis, stupor.
Tantra	A particular school of yoga that is practised in three succesive stges:Kaula ,Mishra, and Samaya. In Kaula, external objects and tools are used for spiritual enhancement, Mishra is a school of transition wherein an aspirant tries to internalise the external means , Samaya is purely an internal , yogic path in which the yogi meditates on sahasrara, the crown chakra.
Tantra shastra	Tantric literature .
Tantras	Post - Upanishadic texts taken as authoritative by some later devotional sects .
Tapas	Loosely translated as austerities or penance , the word tapas literally means to shine , to glow , and heat. In a spiritual tradition , this word refers to the discipline that helps one to attain control over one's senses and mind , become vibrant , and overcome one's weaknesses.It is certainly different from penance or even austerity which , in religious contexts , usually implies self-mortification.The basic purpose of tapas is to transcend the pairs of opposites such as heat/cold and pleasure/pain , and at a physical level , unfold the hidden potentials of body , mind and senses in order to become more creative in life.
Tat Twam Asi	"That thou art" . A great Vedic dictum signifying the identity of the soul and God .
Tattva	Element. There are five elements:earth,water,fire,air and space.
Treta yuga	The second of the four yugas (ages) in a cycle of creation , characterised by the performance of tapas as a means to liberation.
Turiya	The fourth, highest , transcendent state of consciousness, transcending the ordinary states: waking, dreaming and deep sleep. This refers to the experience of samadhi or the state of spiritual illumination ..
Tyaga	Renouncing , giving up , non-attachment.

Uddhava	The chief friend and counsellor of Krishna .
Udgata	One of the three priests in the Vedic ceremonies; the one whose function was to recite the mantras.
Upanishads	The last phase of the development of Vedic literature. The section of Vedic literature that emphasizes the path of knowledge.

Vairagya	Renunciation . The spiritual quality of indifference to the pains of opposites - pleasure and pain , hardship and comfort , and so on .
Vairagya	Dispassion ; control over desires for worldly and other-wordly pleasures ; state of being devoid of or free from attraction to objects reflecting into and colouring the mind ; renunciation , disinterest in the world,.Vairagya (dispassion) and abhyasa (practice) are the single qualities of achievement on the yogic path.
Vaisvadeva	All the Gods , shining beings of the universe , a group of Gods.
Vanaprastha	Forest dwellers. The stage inlife between grahasthya(householder) and sannyasa (renunciation).In this stage , an aspirant prepares himself for final renunciation.
Vasudeva	A name of God personified : literally "God of the Real" - the Real Indweller , the Supreme Self . Also the name of Shri Krishna's father .
Vayu	Air ; vital energy; breath. Vayu also refers to practices related to pranayama.
Vedap	Knowledge ; revealed scriptures ; mantras that the seers received in their deep maditation ; the sourcebook of knowledge. Knowledge in the Vedas is considered to be revealed wisdom , experienced by the great sages in deep meditation.For many centuries the sages imparted the knowledge of the Vedas orally to their close disciples.Finally the great sage Vyasa committed the Vedas to writing , organising them into four classes on the basis of topic and practical application.These four sections are now known as the Rig, Samur,Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. The Upanishads are the last portions of these four books of the Vedas.
Vedanta	The system of Indian philosophy that expounds the theory of non-dualism. The philosophy of the Vedas , contained in the Upanishads .
Vedanta Sutras	First systematic written record of the Vedas as a philosophy , compiled by Vyasa.
Vedas	The revealed scriptures of Hinduism .
Vichara	Contemplation , right thinking , discrimination.
Vidya	Knowledge. There are two kinds of vidya: para vidya, higher knowledge of Brahman , and apara vidya , the lower knowledge of the manifest aspect of reality.
Vijnanamaya kosha	Sheath of intellect ; the intellectual aspect of one's personality. One of the five sheaths or koshas that cover the effulgent Brahman or atman.
Vina	A stringed instrument .
Virat purusha	The great cosmic being.
Vishayananda	Sensory pleasure , as oposed to the paramananda or joy derived from samadhi.
Vishnu	God , the Preserver and Sustainer of the Universe .
Vishuddha chakra	Throat centre ; centre of the space element.
Vritti	A technical term meaning a modification of the mind . An idea or thought complex. .Mental life is composed of a succession of such thoughts continually rising into consciousness from the unconscious region , where they remain latent as sanskaras, impressions .
Vyasa	The famous sage and philosopher who is considered to be the author of all the Puranas , the Brahma Sutras and who also first compiled and organised Vedantic mantras .According to some scholars , Vyasa is the name of a tradition or institution devoted to philosophical and spiritual studies.

Yajna	Ritual ceremony.
Yajur Veda	The section of the Vedas that is devoted mainly to ritual ceremonies and external worship.
Yati	A renunciate .
Yoga shastra	Yogic literature .
Yuga	A measurement of time consisting of several thousand years.