Hinduism

Malay	English
Advaita	Non- Dualism
Agni	God of fire (transports sacrificial offerings to other gods)
ahimsa	non-violence
ananda	bliss, part of brahman
arati	flame
Arjuna	greatest Pandava warrior, whose charioteer is Krishna
artha	skill/ know-how/ money: develop one's professional abilities
Aryans	noble ones; entered the Indian subcontinent
Atman	true self; the self beyond all illusory ego formulations
avatara	incarnation
Bhagavad-Gita	(Song of the Lord); a portion of the Mahabharata; consists of a conversation b/w Krishna and Arjuna about the purpose of existence
bhakti yoga	liberation through loving devotion; requires one to offer thought, word, and deed to a personal god
Brahma	Vedic creator god; depicted with four heads; often seated on a lotus
Brahman	absolute reality; true foundation of reality; one and only thing in existence
brahmin	priests, educated class
cit	consciousness itself; part of Brahman
darsana	going for an audience (to see and be seen by) with a deity
Devi/Goddess	The great goddess, also called Durga; the source and summation of all female deities
dharma	duty, righteousness
Dharma Sastras/Shastras	large treaties on what is dharmic behavior. (social structure and moral duty)
dhyana	concentration and meditation
Divali	festival of lights celebrated on new moon b/w mid-october and mid-november; marks the victory of light over darkness and begins the new year for many communities
Dravidian	non-Aryans; "southerners"
Durga	the great goddess (ultimate, absolute divinity); depicted with many arms each wielding a weapon of the gods. She is sakti, the power which animates the entire cosmos
Dyaus-pitr.	sky god
forest-dweller	retirement from work and householder's life (prescribed for grandparents; wealth transferred to children); think about the meaning of life
Ganesa/Ganesha	chubby, elephant-headed son of Siva; presides over obstacles; propriated before any undertaking
Ganga	river goddess (flows down Siva's hair)
guru	one's teacher. Generally the most important mentor and guide in one's spiritual development.
Hanuman	the monkey god; he is often worshiped as a protector
Harappa	one of Indus Valley's largest excavated cities
Hare Krsna movement	western wing of a bhakti-oriented hindu group; their bhakti consists of public dancing and chanting of Krsna's name
henotheism	each god when worshiped is elevated to the highest position (no clearly defined hierarchy among the deities)
Hindu	a person who adheres to Hinduism
Hinduism	umbrella term for a wide range of religious beliefs and practices; generally acknowledges that there are innumerable ideas about the nature of God/ the Absolute, and innumerable pathways to the Divine
householder	marked by the marriage ceremony and beginning of work
Indra	god of thunder and lightning
Indus Valley Civilization	known as Harappan civilization; widespread culture; archaeological evidence of "Hindu-like" practice; "proto-shiva" and goddess images
jñana yoga	(realization/ liberation through transcendental knowledge); concentration and meditation central features
Kali	black, naked goddess, with matted hair; often regarded as female counterpart of Shiva; symbolic of the power (e.g. Time) which destroys all, even the cosmos
Kalki	Visnus 10th avatara; still to come
kama	love/ pleasure (erotic, sensual)
karma	a moral principle of "cause and effect" which determines our present and future circumstances
karma yoga	(liberation through action) traditionally meant doing one's caste duties, performing rituals, etc. Moksa possible through "non-attachment to the fruits of action"
Kauravas	evil cousins of the Pandavas; part of the Mahabharata
Krsna/Krishna	(8th avatara of Visnu) irresistible flute-playing cowherd who charms the village milkmaids (gopi)
ksatriya	kings, nobility, warriors, landlords
Laksmi	beautiful goddess clad in a red sari; consort of Visnu; depicted atop a lotus flower, showered with water from elephants; symbol of good fortune, luck, wealth, fertility.
linga	erect phallus; a stone that symbolizes hindu God Shiva
Mahatma Gandhi	(modern Indian leader); exemplified the use of Karma Yoga.
mala	prayer beads
mantra	a sacred utterance; a syllable,word or phrase used as an aid in meditation or in ritual activities
marriage rite	Generally arranged by parents, often involving horoscopic consultations. It formally initiates men and women into the householder stage of life.
maya	a power of illusion which keeps us deluded; because of it, we don't know Brahman nor our true natures
Mohenjo-daro	one of the civilization's large cities that displays remarkable similarities to Harappa, (One of the first settlements in India)
moksha	release/ liberation
non-dualism/monism	there is only one reality or thing or substance; everything else is 'maya' or illusion
Pandavas	the five princes in the Mahabharata
polytheism	belief in multiple Gods
Prithivi	Earth goddess
puja	hindu devotional worship of deities at home or in a temple
raja yoga	(Royal yoga) objective is to silence the mind and attain self-realization (moksa); offers eight aspects (limbs) that need to be developed in order to perfect it
Rama	7th avatara of Vishnu; prince in the Ramayana; sent into exile with his wife
Ramana Maharsi	modern hindu sage; promoted inquiry (Vicara); relentless self-inquiry using the questions "Who am I?"
Ravana	(in the Ramayana) demon that kidnaps and tries to seduce Sita
rsi/rishi	seers; semi-divine sages
sacred-thread ceremony	the four stages of life begin with this ceremony; boy (8-14 yrs) is given a special thread and enters "religious life"
Sankara	influential Hindu philosopher of radical non-dualism; developed a formal monastic system for samnyasins
Sakti	strength; power
samadhi	highest states of meditative absorption; in the highest state, one attains oneness with the true self
Sanskrit	Aryans' sacred language
samnyasin	renouncer; one has one's death rituals performed; seeks to attain moksa
Sarasvati	Brahma's wife/consort/female counterpart; goddess of creativity (the arts and learning); depicted with four arms, holding prayer beads, the vedas, and lute; mount/vehicle is a Swan
samsara	("worldly existence") re-incarnation; consists of rebirth in any realm in the triple world system as any life-form
sat	Being/ existence itself; part of Brahman
Sita	Rama's wife in the Ramayana; serves as a model of the ideal Hindu wife
Siva	together with Visnu, one of the two great gods; depicted clad in animal skins, with long matted hair in topknot; possesses a third eye (wisdom eye) in middle of his forehead
smrti	"remembered"; all that is not shruti. Includes the Epics, the Puranas, and the Tantras. Particularly applied to the Dharma Shastras.
student	formal "boarding school" education (12-24 yrs) with a guru; pursue the goal of understanding dharma; no sex
Soma	sacred (hallucinogenic) plant
Shruti	('divinely heard'); this is applied exclusively by orthodox hindus to the vedic samhitas, the brahmanas,the arkanyakas, and the upanishads "revealed scriptures"
Sudra	servants, menial workers
Surya	the Sun
The Mahabharata	tale of five brothers, the pandava princes; war b/w Pandavas and Kauravas
The Ramayana	tale of prince Rama, sent into exile with his wife sita
The Laws of Manu	describe dharmic principles for the 4 classes
The Upanisads	last portion of the vedic literature; speculating on absolute reality and the individual
The Vedas	most revered texts in hinduism. status of shruti. divinely revealed. 4 vedic texts: Rig, Sama, Yajur, Atharva Vedas
The Rig Veda	collection of over 1000 hymns to the many gods and few goddesses of the Vedic pantheon.
twice-born	Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas
untouchables	barbarians/ foreigners, offspring of mixed class; performed the most "polluting" jobs
vahana	vehicle/mount
vaisya	commoners, merchants, artisans
Vedanta	philosophies that developed from speculations in the Upanisads. recieved a major boost in the 8th/9th century through sankara
Visnu/Vishnu	the other great god, besides Siva; often depicted blue. Periodically incarnates to preserve the cosmic balance; 10th avatara still to come
yajña	sacrifice
yoga	(union, to yoke); philosophies entailing body-mind practices
yoni	stone receptacle into which a linga is placed; portrayal of female reproductive organ