
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 |