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GLOSSARY
| abhyāsa
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|
Practice. |
| ādhāra (Adhar)
|
|
Vessel, receptacle—the system of mind, life and body considered
as a receptacle of the spiritual consciousness and
force. |
|
ahaitukī bhakti
|
|
Devotion not depending on anything; absolute devotion. |
|
ājna cakra
|
|
Will centre. See cakra.
|
| anāhata
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|
See cakra.
|
| ānanda (Ananda)
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|
Bliss, delight—the divine or spiritual bliss. |
|
ānandamaya
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|
Full of delight. |
| anityamasukham
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|
Transient and
unhappy.
|
| antarātman
(Antaratman) |
|
Inner self, soul.
|
| anumantā (Anumanta)
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|
The giver of sanction. |
| aparā prakrti (Apara Prakriti) |
|
The inferior nature, Nature in the lower manifestation of the Ignorance. |
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ārādhanā (Aradhana)
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Worship of the Divine. |
| ātman (Atman)
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Self. |
| avatāra (Avatar)
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The descent of the Divine in a human form. |
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avidyā (Avidya)
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The cosmic principle of Ignorance. |
| bhakta
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|
Devotee. |
| bhakti
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|
Devotion. |
| brahman
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|
The spiritual Reality, universal and supreme. |
| brahmā (Brahma)
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|
God as Creator, one of the Trinity, |
| brahmānda (Brahmanda)
|
|
Cosmos, universe. |
| brāhmika consciousness (Brahmic Consciousness)
|
|
The absolute consciousness. |
| buddheh paratah |
|
In the higher mental planes. |
| buddhi
(Buddhi)
|
|
Intelligence. |
| caitya purusa (Chaitya Purusha) |
|
Psychic being. |
| cakra (Chakra)
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|
Centre, nodus, plexus; the seven psychological centres in the subtle body.
|
| cakra ājna
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Centre between the eye-brows. |
|
— anāhata
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Centre in the heart. |
|
— hrdpadma
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Heart-lotus; same as anāhata.
|
| — manipura
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Centre at the navel.
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— mūlādhāra
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Centre at the bottom end of the spine. |
| — nābhipadma
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Same as manipura.
|
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— sahasradala
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See sahasradala.
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| — svādhifthana
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Centre abdominal.
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| — viśuddha
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Centre in the throat.
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| damana
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Suppression. |
| devī (Devi)
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Goddess; the Supreme Power |
|
dharma (Dharma)
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The Law of being. |
|
Durgā (Durga)
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The Divine Mother as Protector and Fosterer. |
| ganeśa (Ganesh)
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The Power that removes obstacles by the force of Knowledge. |
| guna (Guna)
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|
Quality, mode of Nature. |
|
guru
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Spiritual Master. |
| guruvāda (Guruvada)
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|
The cult of the Guru. |
| hrdpadma
|
|
See cakra.
|
| joda
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Inert.
|
| jagannātha (Jagannath)
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|
The Lord of the world. |
| japa |
|
Repetition of set sounds or words or a name as
prayer or invocation. |
| jīva (Jiva) |
|
The Jivatman; the living
being. |
| jīanmukta (Jivanmukta)
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Liberated in life |
| jīvātman (Jivatman)
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The individual self. |
| jnana (Jnana)
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Wisdom; Knowledge. |
|
karma
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Action, work: the resultant force of action done in
the past, especially in past lives. |
| karma yoga
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|
The system of spiritual discipline which takes work
(dedicated to the Divine) as its basis |
| kārtikeya (Kartikeya)
|
|
The god commander of the divine host, victor over
the hostile powers. |
|
karunā
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Grace. |
| kundalinī
śakti (Kundalini Shakti) |
|
The Power that lies coiled or involved in the lowest
centre at the bottom of the spine; it is awakened by Yoga and rises
to join the Divine Power or Presence in the sahasradala (seventh centre).
|
| laya
|
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Dissolution of the individual being, merging in the
one Self-Existence. |
| līlā (Lila)
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Play (of the Divine). |
| mahākāli (Mahakali)
|
|
The Divine Mother as the Omnipotent Force. |
| manipura
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See cakra.
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| mantra
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Set words or sounds having a spiritua significance and power.
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| māyavādin (Mayavadin)
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One who
holds the world as Illusion: Illusionist. |
| moksa (Moksha) |
|
Spiritual
liberation from the sense of personal being; release from cosmic
existence.
|
| mūlādhāra |
|
See cakra.
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| nābhipadma
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|
See cakra.
|
| nirvāna
(Nirvana)
|
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Spiritual extinction of the separate individual
self. |
| om |
|
The primal sound representing the supreme spiritual reality.
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| parā prakrti
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The higher or divine Nature. |
| pātāla (Patala)
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The nether world. |
| prakrti (Prakriti)
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Nature, the active and executive Energy as
distinguished from the witnessing and sustaining soul or conscious
being. |
| pralaya |
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The dissolution of the cosmos; any dissolution of
the created things. |
| prāna
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Life. |
| prārabdha karma
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The chain of action already set in motion. |
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purusa (Purusha)
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The soul or conscious being
supporting the action of Nature.
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| purusottama (Purushottama)
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The Supreme Being. |
|
rādhā (Radha) |
|
The personification of the absolute love for the
Divine (from the highest spiritual to the most material part of the
being.) |
| rajas
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One of the three gunas, fundamental qualities or modes of Nature; the kinetic principle in Nature characterised by desire, action and passion.
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| rājasika (Rajasic)
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Full of the quality of rajas, the kinetic principle.
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raksasa (Rakshasa)
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Power of Darkness. |
| rāksasi māyā (Rakshasi Maya) |
|
Illusions created by the Powers of Darkness. |
|
ripus (Ripus) |
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(The vital) enemies; passions. |
| śakti (Shakti)
|
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The Divine Power, the Conscious Force of the Divine.
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|
śama (Shama)
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Quiet, rest—the principle of calm and peace in the
higher or divine Nature. |
|
śiva (Shiva) |
|
(1) God, as destroyer, the
third of the Trinity.
(2) The Lord of Renunciation and of supreme good.
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| śunya
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Void. |
| saccidānanda (Sachchidananda) |
|
The Supreme Reality as self-existent Being,
Consciousness and Bliss. |
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sahasradala |
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The thousand-petaled lotus, the seventh centre at the crown of the head.
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| samarpana (Samarpana)
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Entire self-giving, surrender, dedication. |
|
samatā |
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Equality. |
| samskaras (Sanskaras) |
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Fixed mental formations; impressions of past habits,
experiences stored up in the subconscious parts. |
| sattva (Sattwa)
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One of the three gunas, fundamental qualities or modes of Nature; the principle of light and harmony in Nature.
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| sādhaka (Sadhak)
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One who practises the discipline of Yoga. |
| sādhanā (Sadhana) |
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The discipline of Yoga as a means of realisation; practice of the Yoga. |
| sāttvika (Sattwic) |
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Full of the quality of sattva, the principle of light and harmony.
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| siddhi
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Realisation, fulfilment; also, an occult power gained by Yoga.
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| suksma deha
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The subtle body. |
| svabhāva (Swabhava)
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Self-nature. |
| svādhisthāna |
|
See cakra.
|
| swarūpa
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(Own) essential form. |
| tamas
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One of the three gunas, fundamental qualities or modes of Nature; the principle of obscurity and inertia in Nature.
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| tantra
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A path of
spiritual discipline based upon the principle of Consciousness
Power (conceived as the Mother) as the supreme Reality.
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| tapas
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Energy of Consciousness-—the principle of spiritual
power and force in the higher or divine Nature. |
| tapasyā (Tapasya)
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Spiritual effort by concentration of the energies in
a spiritual discipline or process. |
| tāmasika (Tamasic)
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Full of the quality of tamas, the principle
of obscurity and inertia in Nature. |
| trātaka
(Tratak)
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Focussing the eyes upon a single point, to make the consciousness one-pointed.
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| vairāgya
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Detachment; turning away from life. |
| vedānta (Vedanta)
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The system of philosophy and spiritual discipline in accordance with the
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| |
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"Book of Knowledge" that forms the Jatter portion of the Vedas (the Vedas are the ancient Indian Scriptures)—the earlier portion being known as the "Book of Works."
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| vijnāna (Vijnana)
|
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(1) Knowledge as comprehension
as opposed to Prajnana or apprehending knowledge.
(2) Gnosis, Supermind.
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| viśuddha
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Lit. pure. See cakra.
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| yoga |
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Union with the Divine; the discipline by which one enters through an awakening into an inner and higher consciousness.
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yoga-śakti (Yoga-Shakti)
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The Power that comes with the awakening of the inner
and higher consciousness. |
| yoga-siddhi
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Fulfilment or realisation of the aims of the Yoga.
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