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Hindu Terms
Basic Hindu terms (Dharma, Veda, etc.)
31
Religious Studies
Undergraduate 2
07/01/2009

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Term
Dharma
Definition
Religion: Its meaning encompasses matters of duty, natural law, social welfare, ethics, health, and transcendental realization; it is a holistic approach to social coherence and the good of all, corresponding to the order in the universe.
Term
Veda
Definition
Knowledge: the Vedas are religious texts referred to as the foundations of Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma. Not the work of humans, these are said to be the breath of the eternal as heard by sages.
Term
Sanskrit
Definition
This is the ancient language in which the Vedas were written and is believed to be the language of Brahman.
Term
Rig Veda
Definition
Includes Samhitas. Earliest of the Vedas, is a collection of hymns of praise in worship of the deities.
Term
Brahmanas
Definition
Second of the Vedas, gives directions about performances of ritual sacrifices to the deities. Explains the symbolic correspondence between the microcosm of the ritual process and the real world in which rituals are performed.
Term
Aranyakas
Definition
Forest Treatises: Collection of teachings from the sages used by recluses for meditation in the forests.
Term
Upanishads
Definition
Last of the Vedas consisting of teachings from highly realized spiritual masters. Explains the personal transitions that result from psychic participation in the ritual process.
Term
Ramayana and Mahabharata
Definition
Epics which tell the stories of the gods and heroes of old who provide models for the Hindu way of life.
Term
Bhakti
Definition
Devotion to one's god.
Term
Rishis
Definition
Sages.
Term
Vyasa
Definition
Collectors/writers who composed Sanskrit version of the teachings.
Term
Fire Sacrifices
Definition
Center piece of vedic worship, accompanied by hymns and offerings to the gods to be conveyed by Agni, the god of fire.
Term
Brahman
Definition
Universal breath; the absolute, the supreme reality.
Term
Soma
Definition
legendary oil drawn from a particular mountain plant which served as an especially meaningful offering to the gods.
Term
Atman
Definition
Spark of the divine that is reflected in all living things.
Term
Reincarnation
Definition
Notion of continual existences from life to life. It's always better to come back as a human to enhance spiritual enhancement. Coming back as a beetle would slow you a bit.
Term
Karma
Definition
Action and its consequence. Every act we make and every thought/desire shape our future experiences. Karma is a strong ethical teaching, emphasizing the importance of purity with focus on far-reaching consequences of wrongful actions.
Term
Samsara
Definition
Karma-regulated wheel of birth, death, re-birth, death, re-birth, death, etc...
Term
Moksha
Definition
liberation from the limitations of space, time and matter through the realization of the immortal absolute. Requires mane lifetimes of upward striving to reach this transition from earthly miseries.
Term
Castes
Definition
Clear division of social classes/labor among four major occupational groups.

BRAHMINS - The priestly order and highest of the castes.

KSHATRIYAS - The nobility, including kinds, warriors, and vassals. Duty was to guard and preserve society.

VAISHYAS - Economic class including merchants and farmers.

SHUDRA - Manual laborers and artisans.

UNTOUCHABLES - Not seen as one of the caste orders, but considered outcasts. Responsible for removing wastes and bodies.
Term
Guru
Definition
Titles given to venerable religious guides. Not self-declared teachers, but they have a charismatic draw. They are sought out by followers.
Term
Shaktipat
Definition
The power conveyed in a guru by a glance, word, or thought. Said to be blissful or ecstatic.
Term
Yoga
Definition
To be yoked in a spiritual discipline on a path to ultimate reality.
Term
Deva
Definition
Is the word for the gods; means shining or auspicious.
Term
Avatara
Definition
Incarnations or appearances of the divine in material form.
Term
Bhagavad Gita
Definition
Is the Song of God known in India as Gita.
Term
Chakra
Definition
Refers to particularly important spiritual centers within the human body.
Term
Kundalini
Definition
The process, through meditation and other means, of moving spiritual energy from the lower chakras at the base of the spine upward toward the highest "crown" chakra atop the head.
Term
Nadi
Definition
Is a system of channel connecting the various chakras through which the kundalini is to travel.
Term
Mantra
Definition
Sacred sounds recited in worship and meditation, the most famous of which is "OM"
Term
Puja
Definition
A form of ritual worship focused on a god or goddess.
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