Hinduism Vocabulary
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32 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 advaita | Essentially all are 'one'; one supreme Spirit; one Consciousness, non-duality |
| ardha-nari-iswara | A form of Shiva. Half man and half woman |
| aryans | nomads from Europe and Asia who migrated to India and finally settled; vedas from this time suggest beginning of caste system |
| atman | In Hindu belief, a person's essential self |
| avatar | the manifestation of a Hindu deity (especially Vishnu) in human or superhuman or animal form |
| avidya | means ignorance. one of the 4 noble truths. Suffering has a cause. It is grounded in our ignorance about reality. - we are ignorant of the impermanence of all phenomena. - we desire/cling/thirst after illusions |
| bhagavad gita | The most important work of Indian sacred literature, a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on duty and the fate of the spirit., (Hinduism) the sacred 'song of God' composed about 200 BC and incorporated into the Mahabharata (a Sanskrit epic) |
| bhakti | (Hinduism) loving devotion to a deity leading to salvation and Nirvana |
| brahma | A Hindu god considered the creator of the world. |
| brahman | Also, Brahmin. a member of the highest, or priestly, class among the Hindus, a member of the highest of the four Hindu varnas |
| brahmin | the highest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of priests |
| caste | (Hinduism) a hereditary social class among Hindus |
| cit | to call out , summon |
| darshana | viewing the statue of the deity in the temple |
| dalit | a member of a group of people in India, once known as "untouchables", who were outside the caste system; were considered lower than the lowest caste; have gained some rights under India's new constitution |
| dharma | in Hinduism, the duties and obligations of each caste , basic principle of the cosmos. |
| diwali | a New Years-type celebration in Hinduism, multi-day festival of lights |
| ganesha | Hindu god of wisdom or prophecy |
| guru | a Hindu or Buddhist religious leader and spiritual teacher |
| holi | The holiday that marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. On this holiday, the hindus go into the streets and spray each other with different colored paints in honor of Krishna. |
| ishvara | Ishvara literally means " lord of the universe." |
| jati | sub castes; were groups of people within each caste that worked together for one economic function |
| jnana | One of the three yogas in order to reach Moksha. Wisdom, Knowledge. This was normally only accomplish able by the Brahmin caste |
| kama | god of love and erotic desire |
| karma | (Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation |
| krishna | ..., in Hinduism, the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu |
| linga | a stone that symbolizes Hindu god Shiva (or Siva) |
| mantra | (Sanskrit) literally a 'sacred utterance' in Vedism |
| maya | ... |
| moksha | The Hindu concept of the spirit's 'liberation' from the endless cycle of rebirths. |
| om | a mantra used in contemplation of ultimate reality. Sound of the universe |
| puja | a Hindu ceremony of religious worship |
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