Glossary |
Advaita |
: monism; non-duality or identity of the soul with Brahman |
Advaitism |
: doctrine of non-duality |
Advaitist |
: a believer in non-duality |
Ahimsa |
: non-violence; love |
Ananda |
: Joy; bliss |
Anekantavadi |
: a believer in many-sidedness of Reality |
Aparigraha |
: non-possession |
Ashrama |
: one of the four stages of life according to Hinduism; a hermitage; a place for disciplined community living |
Asteya |
: non-stealing |
Atman |
: spirit; soul |
Avatar |
: incarnation |
Bhajan |
: a religious song |
Bhakti |
: devotion |
Bhaktiyoga |
: the path of devotion |
Bhangi |
: a sweeper, a scavenger |
Brahma |
: the Divine Reality; the Universal Spirit |
Brahmachari |
: a celibate |
Brahmacharya |
: celibacy; pursuit in quest of god |
Chapati |
: thin flat cake made of flour; unleavened bread |
Charkha |
: a spinning wheel |
Chit |
: Knowledge |
Daridranarayan |
: God in the form of poor |
Dharma |
: religion; Duty |
Dvaitism |
: doctrine of duality |
Ganja |
: narcotic from the flower of Indian hemp |
Goonda |
: hooligan |
Goondaism |
: hooliganism |
Guru |
: a teacher, a spiritual guide |
Harijans |
: literally, the people of Hari, i.e. God; the
name which Gandhiji gave to untouchables |
Hathayoga |
: a system of yoga in which the exercises of
physical postures, poses and breathing are chiefly
treated to discipline body and mind towards
self-realization |
Hijarat |
: exodus or going away from one's native land |
Himsa |
: violence |
Jam-i-Jam |
: universal provider |
Kalma |
: basic Muslim prayer |
Kalpadruma |
: a tree supposed to grant all desires |
Kamadhenu |
: the cow of plenty, supposed to fulfill all
desires |
Kanyadana |
: giving away of daughter in marriage |
Karma |
: action |
Khaddar, Khadi |
: hand-spun and hand-woven cloth |
Kisan |
: peasant |
Mahatma |
: a great soul |
Mantra |
: a sacred formula, a sacred text used for
repetition and meditation, a sacred incantation |
Moksha |
: salvation; freedom from birth and death |
Mukti |
: salvation |
Namaz |
: Muslim prayer |
Neti, Neti |
: not this, not this |
Nirvana |
: state of salvation, i.e., of absolute bliss &
calm according to Buddihist thought |
Niyamas |
: rules; observances |
Pancha |
: arbitrator |
Panchama |
: one belonging to fifth caste, an outcaste |
Panchayat |
: village council consisting of five persons
elected by the people |
Panchayat Raj |
: administration through Panchayat, i.e. the
people |
Pariah |
: an outcaste |
Purna Swaraj |
: complete independence |
Raj |
: kingdom ; administration |
Ramanama |
: name of Rama-incarnation of God in Hindu
religion, recitation of God's name |
Rama Raj |
: Kingdom of Rama, beneficent rule |
Rishi |
: a seer |
Sadavrata |
: a place where free meals are served |
Sadhana |
: striving; practice, persistent effort |
Samadhi |
: state of ecstasy |
Sat |
: truth; that which exists |
Satya |
: truth |
Satyagraha |
: literally, holding on the truth; truth-force or
soul-force |
Satyagrahi |
: one who practices Satyagraha |
Savarna |
: belonging to one of the four castes |
Shastra |
: a scripture |
Sthitaprajna |
: a man of steady wisdom |
Swadeshi |
: literally of one's own country; insistence on
the use of goods made in one's own country, preferably
hand-made and those too of the neighbours first |
Swaraj |
: self-government, home rule, independence |
Syadvad |
: the doctrine of "May be" in Jaina philosophy;
an assertion of probability (in philosophy) |
Syadvadi |
: a believer in Syadvad |
Tabligh |
: religious propaganda and conversion |
Tapas |
: penance; religious austerity |
Tapasya |
: austerity, penance or asceticism |
Upanishadas |
: ancient philosophical writings of the Hindus |
Vaishnava |
: a devotee of Vishnu |
Varna |
: occupational division of Hindu society |
Varnadharma |
: duty enjoined by caste rules |
Varnashrama |
: four divisions of society according to
occupations and of life into four stages, viz.,
student's, householder's, forest dweller's and that of a
recluse |
Vedas |
: scriptures of the Hindus |
Yajna |
: a sacrifice |
Yogi |
: one practicing religious discipline; an ascetic |
Zamindar |
: a landlord |