aadheenam: Endowment, foundation, institution, establishment, estate, property. A Saivite Hindu monastery and temple complex in the South Indian Saiva Siddhanta tradition. Also known as matha or pitha, as in Kailasa Pitha. The aadheenam head, or pontiff, is called the Guru Mahasannidhanam or Aadheenakarthar.

abhaya mudra: The hand gesture common in Hindu icons, betokening "fear not," in which the fingers of the right hand are raised and the palm faces forward. See: mudra.

abhimana: "Egoism."

abhisheka: "Sprinkling; ablution." Ritual bathing of the Deity's image with water, curd, milk, honey, ghee, rosewater, etc. A special form of puja prescribed by Agamic injunction. Also performed in the inauguration of religious and political monarchs and other special blessings. See: puja.

abhyasa: "Throwing towards." Dedicated striving and practice.

ablution: Snana. A washing of the body, especially as a religious ceremony.

Absolute: Lower case (absolute): real, not dependent on anything else, not relative. Upper case (Absolute): Ultimate Reality, the unmanifest, unchanging and transcendent Parashiva -- utterly nonrelational to even the most subtle level of consciousness. It is the Self God, the essence of man's soul. Same as Absolute Being and Absolute Reality.

abstain: To hold oneself back, to refrain from or doing without. To avoid a desire, negative action or habit.

abyss: A bottomless pit. The dark states of consciousness into which one may fall as a result of serious misbehavior; the seven chakras (psychic centers) or talas (realms of consciousness) below the muladhara chakra, which is located at the base of the spine. See: chakra, loka.

acharya: "Going toward;" "approaching." A highly respected teacher. The wise one who practices what he preaches. A title generally bestowed through diksha and ordination, such as in the Sivacharya priest tradition.

actinic: Spiritual, creating light. Adjective derived from the Greek aktis, "ray." Of or pertaining to consciousness in its pure, unadulterated state.

actinodic: Spiritual-magnetic; a mixture of odic and actinic force. Actinic refers to consciousness in its pure, unadulterated state. Odic energy, the force of attraction and repulsion between people, and between people and their things, manifests as masculine (aggressive) and feminine (passive), arising from the pingala and ida currents.

adage: An old saying that has been popularly accepted as truth.

adept: Highly skilled; expert. In religion, one who has mastered certain spiritual practices or disciplines. An advanced yogi.

adharma: "Unrighteousness."The opposite of dharma. Thoughts, words or deeds that transgress divine law. Unrighteousness, irreligiousness; demerit. See: dharma, papa, sin.

adhyaya: "Chapter."

adopt: To recognize as one's own, especially an idea, principle, or even a religion and henceforth live with it and by it.

adulate: To praise, revere, admire or flatter highly.

advaita: "Non-dual; not two-fold." Nonduality or monism. The philosophical doctrine that Ultimate Reality consists of a one principal substance, or God. Opposite of dvaita, dualism. Advaita is the primary philosophical stance of the Vedic Upanishads and of Hinduism, interpreted differently by the many rishis, gurus, pandits and philosophers.

adversity: A state of misfortune, difficulty and trouble; the cause of such.

advocate: To speak or write in support of; to be in favor of.

affirmation: Dridhavachana. "Firm statement." A positive declaration or assertion. A statement repeated regularly while concentrating on the meaning and mental images invoked, often used to attain a desired result.

affirmation of faith: A brief statement of one's faith and essential beliefs.

affliction: Pain; suffering; distress.

affluence: An abundance of riches; wealth; opulence; plenty.

Agama: The tradition that has "come down." An enormous collection of Sanskrit scriptures which, along with the Vedas, are revered as shruti (revealed scripture). The Agamas are the primary source and authority for ritual, yoga and temple construction. Each of the major denominations -- Saivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism -- has its unique Agama texts.

agarbhatti: "Stick incense." (Gujarati) See: Incense.

agni: "Fire." 1) One of the five elements, panchabhuta. 2) God of the element fire, invoked through Vedic ritual known as yajna, agnikaraka, homa and havana. The God Agni is the divine messenger who receives prayers and oblations and conveys them to the heavenly spheres. See: yajna.

ahamkara: "I-maker." Personal ego. The mental faculty of individuation; sense of duality and separateness from others. Sense of "I-ness," "me" and "mine." Ahamkara is characterized by the sense of "I-ness" (abhimana), "mine-ness," identifying with the body (madiyam), planning for one's own happiness (mamasukha), brooding over sorrow (mamaduhkha) and possessiveness (mama idam). See: anava mala, ego.

ahimsa:"Noninjury," nonviolence or nonhurtfulness. Refraining from causing harm to others, physically, mentally or emotionally. Ahimsa is the first and most important of the yamas (restraints). It is the cardinal virtue upon which all others depend.

ajapa: "Non-recitation." Silent incantation of a mantra. See: japa.

ajna chakra: "Command wheel." The third-eye center. See: chakra.

akasha: "Space." The sky. Free, open space. Ether, the fifth and most subtle of the five elements -- earth, air, fire, water and ether. Empirically, the rarified space or ethereal fluid plasma that pervades the universes, inner and outer. Esoterically, mind, the superconscious strata holding all that exists and all that potentially exists, wherein all happenings are recorded and can be read by clairvoyants. It is through psychic entry into this transcendental akasha that cosmic knowledge is gathered and the entire circle of time -- past, present and future -- can be known. See: mind (universal).

akshata: "Unbroken." Unmilled, uncooked rice, often mixed with turmeric, offered as a sacred substance during puja or in blessings for individuals at weddings and other ceremonies. See: puja.

alankara: "Ornamentation." Adornment worn by the Deity.

all-pervasive: Diffused throughout or existing in every part of the universe.

amendable:  Pliable, willing, open to.

amra: "Mango."

amrita: "Immortality." Literally, "without death (mrita)." The nectar of divine bliss which flows down from the sahasrara chakra when one enters very deep states of meditation.

amritakumbha: "Pot of immortality." This emblem held by loving Ganesha contains the divine amrita that flows from the sahasrara chakra during deep meditation. It is the nectar of immortality.

ananasa: "Pineapple."

ananda: "Bliss." The pure joy, ecstasy or enstasy, of God-consciousness or spiritual experience. In its highest sense, ananda is expressed in the famous Vedic description of God: Sat-chit-ananda, "existence-consciousness-bliss" -- the divine or superconscious mind of all souls. See: God Realization.

anava mala: "Impurity of smallness; finitizing principle." The individualizing veil of duality that enshrouds the soul. It is the source of finitude and ignorance, the most basic of the three bonds (anava, karma and maya) which temporarily limit the soul. The presence of anava mala is what causes the misapprehension about the nature of God, soul and world, the notion of being separate and distinct from God and the universe. See: evolution of the soul, grace, mala, soul.

anjali mudra: "Reverence gesture." Also called pranamanjali. A gesture of respect and greeting, in which the two palms are held gently together and slightly cupped. Often accompanied by the verbal salutation namaskara, meaning "reverent salutation." See: mudra, namaskara.

ankusha: Goad, the elephant prod, symbol of Lord Ganesha's power to remove obstacles from the devotee's path, and to spur the dullards onward.

Antarloka: "Inner plane,"or "in-between world." The astral plane. See: loka.

antaryamin: "Inner controller." The conscience, the knowing voice of the soul.

anthology: A choice "flower collection" of prose or poetry excerpts.

antyeshti: "Last rites." Funeral. See: death, samskara.

anubhava: "Perception, apprehension; experience." Personal experience; understanding; impressions on the mind not derived from memory.

anugraha shakti: "Graceful or favoring power." Revealing grace. God Siva's power of illumination, through which the soul is freed from the bonds of anava, karma and maya and ultimately attains liberation, moksha. See: anava mala, grace, Nataraja.

apostate: One who has abandoned what he formerly believed in.

Appar: mg;gh "Father." Endearing name for Tirunavukarasu (ca 700), one of four Tamil saints, Samayacharyas, who reconverted Saivites who had embraced Jainism. Calling himself the servant of God's servants, he composed magnificent hymns in praise of Siva. See: Nayanar.

appellative: A name; title.

Aranyaka: "Forest treatise." Third section of each of the four Vedas. Texts containing esoteric, mystical knowledge, largely on the inner meanings and functions of the Vedic yajna, or fire ceremonies. See: Vedas.

arati: "Light." The circling or waving of a lamp -- usually fed with ghee, camphor or oil -- before a holy person or the temple Deity at the high point of puja. The flame is then presented to the devotees, each passing his or her hands through it and bringing them to the eyes three times, thereby receiving the blessings. Arati can also be performed as the briefest form of puja. See: archana, puja.

archana: A special, personal, abbreviated puja done by temple priests in which the name, birthstar and family lineage of a devotee are recited to invoke individual guidance and blessings. Archana also refers to chanting the names of the Deity, which is a central part of every puja. See: puja.

ardent: Intensely enthusiastic or devoted; warm or intense in feeling.

ardha-Hindu: "Half-Hindu." A devotee who has adopted Hindu belief and culture to a great extent but has not formally entered the religion through ceremony and taking a Hindu first and last name. Also refers to Easterners born into the faith who adopt non-Hindu names.

arduous: Difficult; requiring much labor, energy or strain.

artha: "Goal" or "purpose;" wealth, substance, property, money. Also has the meaning of utility; desire. See: dharma, purushartha.

aruhu grass: Tamil name for a common type of grass sacred to Lord Ganesha, used as an offering in archana and for making wreaths for the Deity image. Also known in Tamil as hariali, in Sanskrit it is called durva, and botanically as Cynodon dactylon. See also: durva.

Arunagirinathar: South Indian Saivite poet saint (ca 1500). Also, a title for a respected guru meaning "teacher; master."

Arya "Honorable, noble" or "respectable one; a master, lord."

asan: "Teacher; master." A title of honor for a respected guru.

ascetic: A person who leads a life of contemplation and rigorous self-denial, shunning comforts and pleasures for religious purposes.

ash: See: vibhuti.

ashtavibhuti: "Eight powers." Supernormal siddhis mentioned in numerous texts: 1) anima: to be as small as an atom; 2) mahima: to become infinitely large; 3) laghima: super-lightness, levitation; 4) prapti: pervasiveness, extension, to be anywhere at will; 5) prakamya: fulfillment of desires; 6) vashitva: control of natural forces; 7) ishititva: supremacy over nature; 8)Êkama-avasayitva: complete satisfaction. See also: siddhi.

Ashtavinayaka: "The Eight [obstacle] removers." Eight Ganesha murtis that attract thousands of pilgrims each year at eight temples in Maharashtra on the outskirts of Pune in Morgaon, Thevoor, Siddhatek, Ranjangaon, Ojhar Kshetra, Lenyadhri Cave, Mahad and Pali.

ashrama: "Place of striving." From shram, "to exert energy." Hermitage; order of life. Holy sanctuary; the residence and teaching center of a sadhu, saint, swami, ascetic or guru; often includes lodging for students. Also names life's four stages.

ashrama dharma: "Laws of life's orders." See: dharma.

astral: Of the subtle, nonphysical sphere (astral plane) which exists between the physical and causal planes. See also: astral plane.

astral body: The subtle, nonphysical body (sukshma sharira) in which the soul functions in the astral plane, the inner world also called Antarloka. The astral body includes the pranic sheath (pranamaya kosha), the instinctive-intellectual sheath (manomaya kosha) and the cognitive sheath (vijnanamaya kosha) -- with the pranic sheath dropping off at the death of the physical body. See: kosha, soul.

astral plane: From the word astral, meaning "of the stars." Belonging to the subtle, non-physical dimension also known as the Antarloka, or Second World. "Astral forces" exist in the Second World but can be felt psychically in the First. See also: loka.

astrology: Science of celestial influences. See: jyotisha.

asura: "Evil spirit; demon." (Opposite of sura, meaning "deva; God.") A being of the lower astral plane, Naraka. Asuras can and do interact with the physical plane, causing major and minor problems in people's lives. Asuras do evolve and do not remain permanently in this state. See: Naraka.

asuric: Of the nature of an asura, "not spiritual."

atala: "Bottomless region."The first chakra below the muladhara, at the hip level. Region of fear and lust. See: chakra, loka, Naraka.

atheism: The rejection of all religion or religious belief, or simply the belief that God or Gods do not exist.

atman: "The soul; the breath; the principle of life and sensation." The soul in its entirety -- as the soul body (anandamaya kosha) and its essence (Parashakti and Parashiva). One of Hinduism's most fundamental tenets is that we are the atman, not the physical body, emotions, external mind or personality. See: Paramatman, soul.

AtmarthaPuja: "Personal worship rite." Home puja. See: puja.

atone: To make amends or reconcile. See: papa, penance, sin.

attainment: Acquisition, achievement or realization through effort. Spiritual accomplishment.

attire: Clothes, especially rich or fine apparel; finery.

Aum: Often spelled Om. The mystic syllable of Hinduism, placed at the beginning of most sacred writings. A symbol of loving Ganesha. As a mantra, it is pronounced aw (as in law), oo (as in zoo), mm. The dot above, called anusvara, represents the Soundless Sound, Paranada. In common usage in several Indian languages, aum means "yes, verily" or "hail." See also: nada.

aura: The luminous colorful field of subtle energy radiating within and around the human body, extending out from three to seven feet. The colors of the aura change constantly according to the ebb and flow of one's state of consciousness, thoughts, moods and emotions. See: mind (five states).

auspicious: Mangala. Favorable, of good omen, boding well. One of the central concepts in Hindu life. Astrology defines a method for determining times that are favorable for various human endeavors. See: jyotisha.

austerity: Self-denial and discipline, physical or mental, performed for acquiring powers (siddhis), attaining grace, conquering the instinctive nature and burning the seeds of past karmas. See: penance, tapas.

Auvaiyar: A woman saint of Tamil Nadu (ca 800 ce), a contemporary of Saint Sundarar, devotee of Lord Ganesha and Karttikeya, or Murugan, and one of the greatest literary figures in ancient India. (See Chapter 17.) Among the most famous are Atti Chudi, Konrai Ventan, Ulaka Niti, Muturai and Nalvali. Her Tamil primer is studied by children to this day. An earlier traditional date for Auvaiyar of 200 BCE is from a story about her and Saint Tiruvalluvar.

avastha: "Condition or state" of consciousness or experience." In Vedic perceptions of consciousness, avastha refers to four states of being discussed in the Mandukya Upanishad: jagrat (or vaishvanara), "wakefulness;" svapna (or taijasa), "dreaming;" sushupti, "deep sleep;" and turiya, "the fourth," state, of superconsciousness. A fifth state, "beyond turiya," is turiyatita.

avatara: "Descent." A God born in a human (or animal) body. A central concept of Shaktism, Smartism and Vaishnavism. See: incarnation, Ishta Devata, Vaishnavism.

avidya: Spiritual "ignorance." Wrongful understanding of the nature of reality. Mistaking the impermanent for the everlasting.

awareness: Sakshin, or chit. Individual consciousness, perception, knowing; the witness of perception, the "inner eye of the soul." The soul's ability to sense, see or know and to be conscious of this knowing. See: consciousness.

ayurveda: "Science of life," "science of longevity." A holistic system of medicine and health native to ancient India. The aims of ayurveda are ayus, "long life," and arogya, "diseaselessness," which facilitate progress toward ultimate spiritual goals. Health is achieved by balancing energies (especially the doshas, bodily humors) at all levels of being.

Bala Ganapati: A name and traditional murti, or image, of Ganesha meaning the "little (or young) one." He holds five kinds of sweets: banana, mango, sugar cane, jackfruit and modaka.

balasthapana: "Initial establishing." The religious rites of firmly determining and blessing the site of a new temple.

Ballaleshvara: "Lord of Ballala" [after the name of a young devotee]." The Ganesha murti enshrined at the Pali Temple of Maharashtra.

begrudgingly: Given with ill will or reluctance.

betoken: To be a token or sign of; indicate; show.

Bhagnadanta: "He of broken tusk." An epithet of loving Ganesha.

bhajana: Spiritual song. Individual or group singing of devotional songs, hymns and chants. See also: kirtana.

bhakta: "Devotee." A worshiper. One who is surrendered to the Divine.

bhakti: "Devotion." Surrender to God, Gods or guru. Bhakti extends from the simplest expression of devotion to the ego-decimating principle of prapatti, which is total surrender. Bhakti is the foundation of all denominations of Hinduism, as well as yoga schools throughout the world. See: bhakti yoga, darshana, prapatti, prasada, sacrifice, surrender, yajna.

Bhakti Ganapati: "Dear to devotees" is a popular murti, unique in that He holds a coconut and a bowl of pudding, mango and banana.

bhakti yoga: "Union through devotion." Bhakti yoga is the practice of devotional disciplines, worship, prayer, chanting and singing with the aim of awakening love in the heart and opening oneself to God's grace. Bhakti may be directed toward God, Gods or one's spiritual preceptor. Bhakti yoga is embodied in Patanjali's Yoga Darshana in the second limb, niyama (observances), as devotion (Ishvarapranidhana). See: prapatti, yajna.

bhangima: "Posture." The position of the limbs, as of a murti.

Bharata: The ancient and original name of Indian lands and the constitutional name of independent India (Bharat In Hindi). Also, Bharatavarsha "land of Bharata," a legendary monarch and sage.

Bharatkhand: "Land of Bharat," India.

bhava: Concentrated feeling, emotion, mature bhakti.

Bhuloka: "Earth world." The physical plane. See: loka.

bhumika: "Earth; ground; soil." Preface; introduction to a book. From bhu, "to become, exist; arise, come into being."

bija mantra: "Seed syllable." A Sanskrit sound associated with a particular Deity used for invocation during mystic rites.

bindu: "A drop, small particle, dot." 1) The seed or source of creation. 2) Small dot worn on the forehead between the eyebrows or in the middle of the forehead, made of red powder (kunkuma), sandalpaste, clay, cosmetics or other substance. It is a sign that one is a Hindu. Mystically, it represents the "third eye," or the "mind's eye," which sees things that the physical eyes cannot see. See also: tilaka.

blessing: Good wishes; benediction. Seeking and giving blessings is extremely central in Hindu life, nurtured in the precepts of karunya (grace), shakti (energy), darshana (encountering/seeing the divine), prasada (blessed offerings), puja (invocation), tirthayatra (pilgrimage), diksha (initiation), shaktipata (descent of grace), samskaras (rites of passage), sannidhya (holy presence) and sadhana (inner-attunement disciplines).

bond (bondage): See: evolution of the soul, mala, pasha.

boon: Varadana. A welcome blessing, a gracious benefit received. An unexpected benefit or bonus. See: blessing, grace.

bountiful: Giving abundantly and without restraint; plentiful.

Brahma: The name of God in His aspect of Creator. Saivites consider Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra to be three of five aspects of Siva. Smartas group Brahma, Vishnu and Siva as a holy trinity in which Siva is the destroyer. Brahma the Creator is not to be confused with 1) Brahman, the Transcendent Supreme of the Upanishads; 2) Brahmana, Vedic texts; 3) brahmana, the Hindu priest caste (also spelled brahmin). See: Brahman, Parameshvara.

brahmachari: "He who is moving in God." An unmarried male spiritual aspirant who practices continence, observes religious disciplines, including sadhana, devotion and service and who may be under simple vows. Also names one in the student stage (age 12 -- 24, or until marriage). See: ashrama dharma.

brahmacharini: Feminine counterpart of brahmachari.

brahmacharya: "Path to God," or "moving in God." Sexual purity -- restraint of lust and the instinctive nature. See: yama-niyama.

Brahman: "Supreme Being; expansive spirit." From the root brih, "to grow, increase, expand." Name of God or Supreme Deity in the Vedas, where He is described as 1) the Transcendent Absolute, 2) the all-pervading energy and 3) the Supreme Lord or Primal Soul. These three correspond to Siva in His three perfections. Thus, Saivites know Brahman and Siva to be one and the same God. -- Nirguna Brahman: God "without qualities (guna)," i.e., formless, Absolute Reality, Parabrahman, or Parashiva -- totally transcending guna(quality), manifest existence and even Parashakti,all of which exhibit perceivable qualities. -- Saguna Brahman: God "with qualities;" Siva in His perfections of Parashakti and Parameshvara -- God as superconscious, omnipresent, all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful. See: Parameshvara, Parashakti, Parashiva.

Brahmana: "Knower of God." 1) One of four primary sections of each Veda; concerned mainly with details of yajna, or sacrificial fire worship, and specific duties and rules of conduct for priests, but also rich in philosophical lore. 2) The first of the four varnas, or social classes, comprising pious souls of exceptional learning, including priests, educators and humanity's visionary guides. Also spelled brahmin. See: brahmin, varna dharma, Vedas.

Brahmanaspati: "Divine artisan." Lord of the Holy Word.

Brahmanda: "Egg of God," or "Cosmic egg." The cosmos; inner and outer universe. See: loka, three worlds, world.

brahmarandhra: "Door of Brahman." See: door of Brahman.

Brahma Sutra(s): "Threads (aphorisms) of the Absolute." Also known as the Vedanta Sutras, composed by Badarayana (ca 400 BCE) as the first known systematic exposition of Upanishadic thought. Its 550 aphorisms are so brief as to be virtually unintelligible without commentary. It was through interpretations of this text, as well as the Upanishads themselves and the Bhagavad Gita, that later schools of Vedanta expressed and formulated their own views of the Upanishadic tenets. See: Upanishad,Vedanta.

brahmin (brahmana): "Mature or evolved soul." The class of pious souls of exceptional learning. From Brahman, "growth, expansion, evolution, development, swelling of the spirit or soul." The mature soul is the exemplar of wisdom, tolerance, forbearance and humility.

brahminical tradition: The hereditary religious practices of the Vedic brahmins, such as reciting mantras, and personal rules for daily living.

Brihaspati: "Lord of Prayer." Vedic preceptor of the Gods and Lord of the Word, sometimes identified with Lord Ganesha. See: Ganesha.

Buddha: "The Enlightened." Usually the title of Siddhartha Gautama (ca 624 -- 544 BCE), a prince born of the Shakya clan -- a Saivite Hindu tribe in eastern India on the Nepalese border. He renounced the world and became a monk. After his enlightenment he preached the doctrines upon which his followers later founded Buddhism. See also: Buddhism.

buddhi: "Intellect, reason, logic." The intellectual or disciplined mind. It is a faculty of manomaya kosha, the instinctive-intellectual sheath. See: intellectual mind, kosha, mind (individual).

Buddhi and Siddhi: "Wisdom and attainment (or fulfillment);" names of the two symbolic consorts of Lord Ganesha.

Buddhism: The religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha (ca 624 -- 544 BCE). He refuted the idea of man's having an immortal soul and did not preach of any Supreme Deity. Instead he taught that man should seek to overcome greed, hatred and delusion and attain enlightenment through realizing the Four Noble Truths and following the Eightfold Path. See also: Buddha.

cajan: Rectangular panels of woven palm fronds used as roof, wall and fencing material.

camphor: Karpura. An aromatic white crystalline solid derived from the wood of camphor trees (or prepared synthetically from pinene), prized as fuel in temple arati lamps. See: arati, puja.

caste: A hierarchical system, called varna dharma (or jati dharma), established in India in ancient times, which determined the privileges, status, rights and duties of the many occupational groups, wherein status is determined by heredity. There are four main classes (varnas) -- brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra -- and innumerable castes, called jati. See also: varna dharma.

causal plane:Highest plane of existence, Sivaloka. See: loka, three worlds.

celebrant: A person who performs a religious rite.

celestial: "Of the sky or heavens." Of or relating to the heavenly regions or beings. Highly refined, divine.

ceremony: A formal rite established by custom or authority as proper to special occasions. From the Latin caerimonia, "awe; reverent rite."

chaitanya: "Spirit, consciousness, especially higher consciousness; Supreme Being."A widely used term, often preceded by modifiers, e.g., sakshi chaitanya, "witness consciousness," or bhakti chaitanya, "devotional consciousness," or Sivachaitanya, "God consciousness." See: chitta, consciousness, mind (five states).

chakra: "Wheel." A) In iconography, a disk-shaped weapon among the insignia of loving Ganesha (and of Lord Vishnu as well). It is a symbol of the sun and of the mind. Wielded as a weapon, it is the intellect divinely empowered. B) Metaphysically, any of the nerve plexuses or centers of force and consciousness located within the inner bodies of man. In the physical body there are corresponding nerve plexuses, ganglia and glands. The seven principal chakras can be seen psychically as colorful, multi-petaled wheels or lotuses. They are situated along the spinal cord from the base to the cranial chamber. Additionally, seven chakras, barely visible, exist below the spine. They are seats of instinctive consciousness, the origin of jealousy, hatred, envy, guilt, sorrow, etc. They constitute the lower or hellish world, called Naraka or patala. Thus there are 14 major chakras in all. The seven upper chakras, from lowest to highest, are: 1)muladhara (base of spine): memory, time and space; 2) svadhishthana (below navel): reason; 3) manipura (solar plexus): willpower; 4) anahata (heart center): direct cognition; 5) vishuddha (throat): divine love; 6) ajna (third eye): divine sight; 7) sahasrara (crown of head): illumination, Godliness. The seven lower chakras, from highest to lowest, are 1) atala (hips): fear and lust; 2) vitala (thighs): raging anger; 3) sutala (knees): retaliatory jealousy; 4) talatala (calves): prolonged mental confusion; 5) rasatala (ankles): selfishness; 6) mahatala (feet): absence of conscience; 7) patala (located in the soles of the feet): murder and malice.

chamara: Fly-whisk fan.

chandana: "Sandalwood" paste. One of the sacred substances offered during puja and afterwards distributed to devotees as a sacrament (prasada). See: sandalwood.

chandra: "The moon." Of central importance in Hindu astrology and in the calculation of the festival calendar. Considered the ruler of emotion.

Chintamani: "Jewel of consciousness." The Ganesha murti enshrined at the Thevoor Temple near Pune, Maharashtra.

chit: "Consciousness" or "awareness." Philosophically, "pure awareness; transcendent consciousness," as in Sat-chit-ananda. In mundane usage, chit means "perception; consciousness." See: awareness, chitta, consciousness, mind (universal).

chitta: "Mind; consciousness." Mind-stuff. On the personal level, it is that in which mental impressions and experiences are recorded. Seat of the conscious, subconscious and superconscious states and of the three-fold mental faculty called antahkarana, consisting of buddhi, manas and ahamkara. See: consciousness, mind (individual), mind (universal).

chudakarana: "Head-shaving sacrament." See: samskara.

chhuri: "Dagger." A rare weapon among Ganesha's insignia. Its sharp blade is like the "razor's edge," the narrow path spiritual aspirants must walk.

circumambulation: Pradakshina. Walking around, usually clockwise. See: pradakshina, puja.

clairaudience: "Clear-hearing." Psychic or divine hearing, divyashravana. The ability to hear the inner currents of the nervous system, the Aum and other mystic tones. Hearing in one's mind the words of inner-plane beings or earthly beings not physically present. Also, hearing the nadanadi shakti through the day or while in meditation. See: clairvoyance, nada.

clairvoyance: "Clear-seeing." Psychic or divine sight, divyadrishti. The ability to look into the inner worlds and see auras, chakras, nadis, thought forms, nonphysical people and subtle forces. The ability to see from afar or into the past or future -- avadhijnana, "knowing beyond limits."Also the ability to separate the light that illumines one's thoughts from the forms the light illumines.

clear white light: Inner light at a high level of intensity, very clear and pure. When experienced fully, it is seen to be permeating all of existence, the universal substance of all form, inner and outer, pure consciousness, Satchidananda. This experience, repeated at regular intervals, can yield "a knowing greater than you could acquire at any university or institute of higher learning." See: Siva consciousness, tattva.

cognition: Knowing; perception. Knowledge reached through intuitive, superconscious faculties rather than through intellect alone.

commitment: Dedication or engagement to a long-term course of action.

commune: To communicate closely, sharing thoughts, feelings or prayers in an intimate way. To be in close rapport.

compatible: Capable of combining well; getting along, harmonious.

compromise: A settlement in which each side gives up some demands or makes concessions; a weakening, as of one's principles.

concentration:Uninterrupted and sustained attention.

conscience: The inner sense of right and wrong, sometimes called "the knowing voice of the soul." However, the conscience is affected by the individual's training and belief patterns, and is therefore not necessarily a perfect reflection of dharma.

conscious mind: The external, everyday state of consciousness. See: mind.

consciousness: Chitta or chaitanya. 1) A synonym for mind-stuff, chitta; or 2) the condition or power of perception, awareness, apprehension. There are myriad gradations of consciousness, from the simple sentience of inanimate matter, to the consciousness of basic life forms, to the higher consciousness of human embodiment, to omniscient states of superconsciousness, leading to immersion in the One universal consciousness, Parashakti. Five classical "states" of awareness are discussed in scripture: 1) wakefulness (jagrat), 2) "dream" (svapna) or astral consciousness, 3) "deep sleep" (sushupti) or subsuperconsciousness, 4) the superconscious state beyond (turiya "fourth") and 5) the utterly transcendent state called turiyatita ("beyond the fourth"). See: awareness, chaitanya, chitta, mind (all entries).

consort: Spouse, especially of a king or queen, God or Goddess. Among the Gods there are actually no sexes or sexual distinctions, though in mythological folk-narratives, Hinduism traditionally represents these great beings in elaborate anthropomorphic depictions. Matrimony and human-like family units among the Gods are derived from educational tales intended to illustrate the way people should and should not live. See: Shakti.

contemplation: Religious or mystical absorption beyond meditation. See: raja yoga, samadhi.

contemplative: Inclined toward a spiritual, religious, meditative way of life.

contempt: Attitude that considers someone or something as low, worthless.

continence (continent): Restraint, moderation or, most strictly, total abstinence from sexual activity. See: brahmacharya.

contradiction: A statement in opposition to another; denial; a condition in which things tend to be contrary to each other.

convert: To change from one religion or philosophy to another. A person who has so changed.

covenant: A binding agreement to do or keep from doing certain things.

covet: To want ardently, especially something belonging to another. To envy.

cranial chakras: The ajna, or third-eye center, and the sahasrara, at the top of the head near the pineal and pituitary glands. See: chakra.

Creator: He who brings about creation. Siva as one of His five powers. See: Nataraja, Parameshvara.

cremation: Dahana. Burning of the dead. Cremation is the traditional system of disposing of bodily remains, having the positive effect of releasing the soul most quickly from any lingering attachment to the earth plane. In modern times, cremation facilities are widely available in nearly every country, though gas-fueled chambers generally take the place of the customary wood pyre.

creole: Any one of numerous mixed, usually subliterary, languages, such as the French creoles spoken in Louisiana or Mauritius.

crown chakra: Sahasrara chakra. The thousand-petaled cranial center of divine consciousness. See: chakra.

dadima: Pomegranate.

dakshina: A fee or honorarium given to a priest at the completion of any rite; also a gift given to gurus as a token of appreciation for their infinite spiritual blessings.

dakshinayana: "Southern way." Names the half-year, ayana, beginning with summer solstice, when the sun begins its apparent southward journey.

dana: "Generosity, giving; gift." See: yama-niyama.

danda: "Stick," or "staff of support." The staff carried by a sadhu or sannyasin, representing the tapas which he has taken as his only support, and the vivifying of sushumna and consequent Realization he seeks. Danda also connotes "penalty or sanction." This sign of authority is one of the emblems of loving Ganesha. See: sannyasin.

darshana: "Vision, sight." Seeing the Divine. Beholding, with inner or outer vision, a temple image, Deity, holy person or place, with the desire to inwardly contact and receive the grace and blessings of the venerated being or beings. Also: "point of view," doctrine or philosophy.

day of Brahma: One kalpa, or period, in the infinitely recurring periods of the universe's creation, preservation and dissolution. One day of Brahma is equal to 994 mahayugas (a mahayuga is one cycle of the four yugas: Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali). This is calculated as 4,294,080,000 years. After each day of Brahman occurs a pralaya (or kalpanta, "end of an eon"), when both the physical and subtle worlds are absorbed into the causal world. This state of withdrawal or "night of Brahma," continues for the length of an entire kalpa until creation again issues forth.

death: Death is a rich concept for which there are many words in Sanskrit, such as mahaprasthana, "great departure;" samadhimarana, dying consciously while in the state of meditation; mahasamadhi, "great merger, or absorption," naming the departure of an enlightened soul. Hindus know death to be the soul's detaching itself from the physical body and continuing on in the subtle body (sukshma sharira) with the same desires, aspirations and occupations as when it lived in a physical body. See: reincarnation.

decorum: Propriety and good taste in behavior, speech, dress, etc.

deformity: Condition of being disfigured or made ugly in body, mind or emotions.

Deity: "God." Can refer to the image or murti installed in a temple or to the Mahadeva the murti represents. See: murti, puja.

demean: To lower in status or character; degrade.

demureness: Decorousness, modesty, shyness, reserved manner.

denomination: A name for a class of things, especially for various religious groupings, sects and subsects. See: guru parampara, sampradaya.

deprivations: Forced conditions of loss or neediness.

destiny: Final outcome. The seemingly inevitable or predetermined course of events. See: karma.

deter: To keep one from doing something by instilling fear, anxiety, doubt, etc.

detractor: One who discredits, slanders or disparages someone else.

deva:"Shining one." A being inhabiting the higher astral plane, in a subtle, nonphysical body. Deva is also used in scripture to mean "God or Deity." See: Mahadeva.

Devanagari: "Divine city [script]." The alphabetic script in which Sanskrit, Prakrit, Hindi and Marathi are written. A descendant of the Northern type of the Brahmi script. It is characterized by the connecting, horizontal line at the top of the letters. See also: Sanskrit.

Devi: "Goddess." A name of Shakti, used especially in Shaktism. See: Shakti, Shaktism.

devonic: Angelic, heavenly. Of the nature of the higher worlds, in tune with the refined energies of the higher chakras or centers of consciousness.

devotee: A person strongly dedicated to something or someone, such as to a God or a guru. The term disciple implies an even deeper commitment. See: guru bhakti, guru-shishya system.

dhanush: "Bow." Anything bow shaped; a weapon for shooting arrows.

dharma: "Righteousness." From dhri, "to sustain; carry, hold." Hence dharma is "that which contains or upholds the cosmos." Dharma, religion, is a complex and comprehensive term with many meanings, including divine law, law of being, way of righteousness, ethics, duty, responsibility, virtue, justice, goodness and truth. Essentially, dharma is the orderly fulfillment of an inherent nature or destiny. Relating to the soul, it is the mode of conduct most conducive to spiritual advancement, the right and righteous path. There are four principal kinds of dharma, known collectively as chaturdharma: "four religious laws:" 1) rita: "Universal law." The inherent order of the cosmos. 2) varna dharma: "Law of one's kind." Social duty. 3) ashrama dharma: "Duties of life's stages." Human or developmental dharma. The natural process of maturing from childhood to old age through fulfillment of the duties of each of the four stages of life -- brahmachari (student), grihastha (householder), vanaprastha (elder advisor) and sannyasa (religious solitaire). 4) svadharma: "Personal path, pattern or obligation." One's perfect individual pattern through life, according to one's own particular physical, mental and emotional nature.

Dharma Shastra: "Religious law book." A term referring to all or any of numerous codes of Hindu civil and social law composed by various authors. The best known and most respected are those by Manu and Yajnavalkya, thought to have been composed as early as 600 BCE. See: Smriti.

dhoti: (Hindi) A long, unstitched cloth wound about the lower part of the body, and sometimes passed between the legs and tucked into the waist. A traditional Hindu apparel for men.

Dhumravarna: "Smoke-colored." Ganesha's aspect as the conqueror of abhimana, pride.

Dhundhi Ganapati: "Ganesha, the sought after," enshrined in Varanasi, having four arms, an axe, prayer beads, tusk and a pot of gems.

dhvaja: "Flag." Part of the pageantry of Hinduism, orange or red flags and banners, flown at festivals and other special occasions, symbolize the victory of Sanatana Dharma. See: festival.

dhyana: "Meditation." See: internalized worship, meditation, raja yoga.

diaspora: From the Greek, "scattering." A dispersion of religious or ethnic group(s) to foreign countries, such as the scattering of Jews when driven out of the land of Israel, or Hindus driven from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

diksha: "Initiation." Solemn induction by which one is entered into a new realm of awareness and practice by a teacher or preceptor through the bestowing of blessings and the transmission of pranas. Denotes initial or deepened connection with the teacher and his lineage and is usually accompanied by ceremony. Initiation, revered as a moment of awakening, may be conferred by a touch, a word, a look or a thought. Most Hindu schools, and especially Saivism, teach that only with initiation from a satguru is enlightenment attainable. Sought after by all Hindus is the diksha called shaktipata, "descent of grace," which, often coming unbidden, stirs and arouses the mystic kundalini force.

dilute: To change or weaken by mixing with something else.

dipastambha: "Standing light." A standing lamp found in the temple, shrine room or home. It is made of metal, with several wicks fed by ghee or special oils. Used to light the home and in puja, part of temple and shrine altars, the standing lamp is sometimes worshiped as the divine light, Parashakti or Parajyoti. Returning from the temple and lighting one's dipastambha courts the accompanying devas to remain in the home and channels the vibration of the temple sanctum sanctorum into the home shrine. Kuttuvilaku in Tamil.

discrimination: Viveka. Act or ability to distinguish or perceive differences. In spirituality, the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, real and apparent, eternal and transient.

divisive: Causing division, especially causing disagreement or dissension.

docile: Easy to teach, tractable, obedient.

door of Brahman: Brahmarandhra; also called nirvana chakra. A subtle or esoteric aperture in the crown of the head, the opening of sushumna nadi through which kundalini enters in ultimate Self Realization, and the spirit escapes at death. Only the spirits of the truly pure leave the body in this way. Samsaris take a downward course. See: jnana, kundalini.

dormant: Sleeping; inactive; not functioning.

dossier: A comprehensive collection of documents about a subject or person.

doxology: Praising, or gloriying.

dualism: Opposite of monism. Any doctrine which holds that there are two eternal and distinct realities in the universe, e.g., God-world, good-evil.

Durga Ganapati: The "invincible," "unconquerable" fortress or stronghold. An eight-armed murti distinguished by the flag of victory, bow and arrow and strand of prayer beads.

durva: A type of grass, also called aruhu and harali, sacred to Ganesha, traditionally offered to Him in puja. Cynodon dactylon. See: aruhu grass.

dvaita-advaita: "Dual-nondual; twoness-not twoness." Among the most important terms in the classification of Hindu philosophies. Dvaita and advaita define two ends of a vast spectrum. -- dvaita: The doctrine of dualism, according to which reality is ultimately composed of two irreducible principles, entities, truths, etc. God and soul, for example, are seen as eternally separate. -- dualistic: Of or relating to dualism, concepts, writings, theories which treat dualities (good-and-evil, high-and-low, them-and-us) as fixed, rather than transcendable. -- pluralism: A form of nonmonism which emphasizes three or more eternally separate realities, e.g., God, soul and world. -- advaita: The doctrine of nondualism or monism, that reality is ultimately composed of one whole principle, substance or God, with no independent parts. In essence, all is God. -- monistic theism: A dipolar view which encompasses both monism and dualism. See: monistic theism.

Dvija Ganapati: "The twice-born." A name and traditional murti, or form, of Ganesha. He holds a scripture, a staff and a japa mala, reminding devotees of the need for disciplined striving.

Dvimukha Ganapati: The unmistakable "double-faced" murti of Lord Ganesha. He holds a noose, goad, broken tusk and a pot of gems.

earrings: Decorative jewelry worn in the ears by Hindu women and many men. Ear-piercing for earrings is said to bring health (right ear) and wealth (left ear).

ecumenical: General or universal. -- ecumenism: the principles or practices of promoting worldwide cooperation and better understanding among differing denominations, especially among Christians. From the Greek oecumene, "the inhabited world." A Christian term. The broader term interfaith is used by all religions striving for peace and harmony.

edampuri: "Left-turning." Images of Ganesha in which the trunk is turning to the Deity's left. This is the common form. Cf: valampuri.

edict: An official public order issued by an authority.

effigy:  Image, likeness, icon, statue, figure.

effulgent: Having great brightness; radiance; brilliant; full of light.

ego: The external personality or sense of "I" and "mine." Broadly, individual identity. In Saiva Siddhanta and other schools, the ego is equated with the tattva of ahamkara, "I-maker," which bestows the sense of I-ness, individuality and separateness from God. See: anava mala.

Ekadanta Ganapati: He of "single tusk" is the four-armed Ganesha murti holding axe, beads, laddu (sweet) and His broken tusk.

Ekakshara Ganapati: He of "single-syllable" ( gam) sits in lotus pose upon Mushika, offering the boon-giving gesture, abhaya mudra.

eloquent: Vivid, forceful, fluent, graceful and persuasive speech or writing.

enchantment: A magic spell; a bewitching, captivating power.

enlightened:  Having attained enlightenment, Self Realization. A jnani or jivanmukta. See: enlightenment, jnana, Self Realization.

enlightenment: For Saiva monists, Self Realization, samadhi without seed (nirvikalpa samadhi); the ultimate attainment, sometimes referred to as Paramatma darshana, or as atma darshana, "Self vision" (a term which appears in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras). Enlightenment is the experience-nonexperience resulting in the realization of one's transcendent Self -- Parashiva -- which exists beyond time, form and space. See: God Realization, kundalini, Self Realization.

enmity: Bitter attitude or adverse feelings to an enemy; hostility; antagonism.

enstasy: A term coined in 1969 by Mircea Eliade to contrast the Eastern view of bliss as "standing inside oneself" (enstasy) with the Western view as ecstasy, "standing outside oneself." A word chosen as the English equivalent of samadhi. See: raja yoga, samadhi.

entanglements: Involvements in difficulty; being tangled or confused.

ephemeral: Transient, temporary, not lasting.

epithet:  Descriptive name, or title of a Deity.

equivocal: Uncertain; undecided; doubtful.

eradicate: To "root out," destroy, get rid of.

erukku: Tamil name for flower (Botanically Calotropis) sacred to Lord Ganesha. Erukku flowers are strung together and placed 'round the crown and neck of Ganesha during worship ceremonies, especially at festival times.

esoteric: Beyond the understanding of all but a few, or the initiated.

ether: Akasha. Space, the most subtle of the five elements. See: akasha, tattva.

ethical restraints: See: yama-niyama.

ethical observances: See: yama-niyama.

ethics: The code or system of morals of a nation, people, religion, etc. See: dharma, pancha nitya karmas, punya, yama-niyama.

evil: That which is bad, morally wrong, causing harm, pain, misery. In Western religions, evil is often thought of as a moral antagonism to God. Hindus hold that evil, known in Sanskrit as papa, papman or dushta, is the result of unvirtuous acts (papa or adharma) caused by the instinctive-intellectual mind dominating and obscuring deeper, spiritual intelligence. The evil-doer is viewed as a young soul, ignorant of the value of right thought, speech and action, unable to live in the world without becoming entangled in maya. -- intrinsic evil: Inherent, inborn badness. Hinduism holds that there is no intrinsic evil, and the real nature of man is his divine, soul nature, which is goodness. See: hell, karma, papa, sin.

evolution of the soul: Adhyatma prasara. In Saiva Siddhanta the soul's evolution is a progressive unfoldment, growth and maturing toward its inherent, divine destiny, which is complete merger with Siva. In its essence, each soul is ever perfect. But as an individual soul body emanated by God Siva, it is like a small seed yet to develop. As an acorn needs to be planted in the dark underground to grow into a mighty oak tree, so must the soul unfold out of the darkness of the malas to full maturity and realization of its innate oneness with God. The soul is not created at the moment of conception of a physical body. Rather, it is created in the Sivaloka. It evolves by taking on denser and denser sheaths -- cognitive, instinctive-intellectual and pranic -- until finally it takes birth in physical form in the Bhuloka. Then it experiences many lives, maturing through the reincarnation process. Thus, from birth to birth, souls learn and mature. See: mala, moksha, samsara.

exemplify: To show by being an example of.

experience: From the Latin experior, "to prove; put to the test." Living through an event; personal involvement. In Sanskrit, anubhava. See: anubhava.

extol: To praise highly; laud.

faith: Trust or belief. Conviction. From the Latin fides, "trust." Faith in its broadest sense means "religion," "dharma." More specifically, it is the essential element of religion -- the belief in phenomena beyond the pale of the five senses, distinguishing it sharply from rationalism. Faith is established through intuitive or transcendent experience of an individual, study of scripture and hearing the testimony of the many wise rishis speaking out the same truths over thousands of years. The Sanskrit equivalent is shraddha.

fast: Abstaining from all or certain foods, as in observance of a vow or holy day. Hindus fast in various ways. A simple fast may consist of merely avoiding certain foods for a day or more, such as when nonvegetarians abstain from fish, fowl and meats. A moderate fast would involve avoiding heavier foods, or taking only juices, teas and other liquids. Such fasts are sometimes observed only during the day, and a normal meal is permitted after sunset. Serious fasting, which is done under supervision, involves taking only water for a number of days and requires a cessation of most external activities.

fellowship: Companionship. Mutual sharing of interests, beliefs or practice. A group of people with common interests and aspirations.

festival: A time of religious celebration and special observances. Festivals generally recur yearly, their dates varying slightly according to astrological calculations. They are characterized by acts of piety (elaborate pujas, penance, fasting, pilgrimage) and rejoicing (songs, dance, music, parades, storytelling and scriptural reading).

First World: The physical universe, called Bhuloka, of gross or material substance in which phenomena are perceived by the five senses. See: loka.

five classical duties: See: pancha nitya karmas.

Five Letters (syllables): See: Namah Sivaya.

forehead marks: See: bindu, tilaka, tripundra.

forestall:  Prevent, hinder, obstruct, intercept.

forfeiting: Losing something due to a crime or fault or neglect of duty.

four traditional goals: Chaturvarga, "four-fold good," or purushartha, "human goals or purposes" -- duty (dharma), wealth (artha), love (kama) and liberation (moksha). See: purushartha.

funeral rites: See: cremation.

gada: "Mace." A rough-headed club, one of the insignia of Ganesha, representing His power to cast karmas back on devotees until fully resolved.

gaja: The elephant, king of beasts, representative of Lord Ganesha and sign of royalty and power. Many major Hindu temples keep one or more elephants.

Gajanana: "Elephant-faced." A popular name of Ganesha, which appears in the Mudgala Purana, as the vanquisher of lobha, greed.

Gam Mantra: The seed sound, or bija mantra, of Loving Ganesha. Bija mantras, being on one syllable, represent the essence of more complex sound combinations. Gam is the root sound within the muladhara chakra.

gana(s): "Number," hence "throng," "troop," "retinue;" a body of followers or attendants." A troop of demigods -- God Siva's attendants, devonic helpers under the supervision of Lord Ganesha. See: Ganapati, Ganesha.

Gananathas: "Lords of hosts." As a singular, Gananatha refers to Lord Ganesha. Plural, to the many divine beings who help in guiding the flow of consciousness under the direction of the Mahadevas.

Ganapati: "Leader of the ganas." A name of Ganesha.

Ganapati Upanishad: A later Upanishad on Lord Ganesha, not connected with any Veda; date of composition is unknown. It is a major scripture for the Ganapatians, a minor Hindu sect which reveres Ganesha as Supreme God and is most prevalent in India's Maharashtra state. See: Ganesha.

gandha: "Smell, odor, fragrance." Gandha is the fifth of five tanmatras, "primal substances," from which the gross elements, mahabhutas (or panchbautikas), arise in the evolution of the tattvas. Smell is the tanmatra corresponding to the earth element, prithivi. See: tanmatra.

Ganesha: "Lord of Categories." (From gan, "to count or reckon," and Isha, "lord.") Or: "Lord of attendants (gana)," synonymous with Ganapati. Ganesha is a Mahadeva, the beloved elephant-faced Deity honored by Hindus of every sect. He is the Lord of Obstacles (Vighneshvara), revered for His great wisdom and invoked first before any undertaking, for He knows all intricacies of each soul's karma and the perfect path of dharma that makes action successful. He sits on the muladhara chakra and is easy of access.

Ganesha Chaturthi: Birthday of Lord Ganesha, a ten-day festival of August-September culminating in a spectacular parade called Ganesha Visarjana. It is a time of rejoicing, when all Hindus worship together.

Ganesha Visarjana: "Ganesha departure." A parade usually occurring on the 11th day after Ganesha Chaturthi, in which the Ganesha murtis made for the occasion are taken in procession to a body of water and ceremoniously immersed and left to dissolve. This represents Ganesha's merging with the ocean of consciousness. See: Ganesha.

Ganges (Ganga): India's most sacred river, 1,557 miles long, arising in the Himalayas above Hardwar under the name Bhagiratha, and named Ganga after joining the Alakanada (where the Sarasvati is said to join them underground). It flows southeast across the densely populated Gangetic plain, joining its sister Yamuna (or Jumna) at Prayaga (Allahabad) and ending at the Bay of Bengal.

Gangetic: Near to or on the banks of the Ganges river in North India.

Garitra: "Grains." E.g., wheat or barley.

gayatri: According with the gayatri verse form, an ancient meter of 24 syllables, generally as a triplet (tercet) with eight syllables each. From gaya, "song." -- Gayatri: The Vedic Gayatri Mantra personified as aGoddess, mother of the four Vedas.

Gayatri Mantra: 1) Famous Vedic mantra used in puja and personal chanting. Om [bhur bhuvah svah] tat savitur varenyam, bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yo nah prachodayat. "[O Divine Beings of all three worlds,] we meditate upon the glorious splendor of the Vivifier divine. May He illumine our minds" (Rig Veda 3.62.10 VE). This sacred verse is also called the Savitri Mantra, being addressed to Savitri, the Sun as Creator, and is considered a universal mystic formula so significant that it is called Vedamatri, "mother of the Vedas." 2) Any of a class of special tantric mantras called Gayatri. Each addresses a particular Deity.

ghanta: "Bell." Akin to ghant, "to speak." An important implement in Hindu worship (puja), used to chase away asuras and summon devas and Gods. See: puja.

ghee: Hindi for clarified butter; ghrita in Sanskrit. Butter that has been boiled and strained. An important sacred substance used in temple lamps and offered in fire ceremony, yajna. It is also used as a food with many ayurvedic virtues. See: yajna.

Girijatmaja: "Mountain born." The Ganesha murti enshrined at the Lenyadhri Cave Temple of Maharashtra.

Goddess: Female representation or manifestation of Divinity; Shakti or Devi. Goddess can refer to a female perception or depiction of a causal-plane being (Mahadeva) in its natural state, which is genderless, or it can refer to an astral-plane being residing in a female astral body. To show the Divine's transcendence of sexuality, sometimes God is shown as having qualities of both sexes, e.g., Ardhanarishvara, "Half-woman God;" or Lord Nataraja, who wears a feminine earring in one ear and a masculine one in the other.

God Realization: Direct and personal experience of the Divine within oneself. It can refer to either 1) savikalpa samadhi ("enstasy with form") in its various levels, from the experience of inner light to the realization of Satchidananda, the pure consciousness or primal substance flowing through all form, or 2) nirvikalpa samadhi ("enstasy without form"), union with the transcendent Absolute, Parashiva, the Self God, beyond time, form and space. In Loving Ganesha, the expression God Realization is used to name both of the above samadhis, whereas Self Realization refers only to nirvikalpa samadhi. See: samadhi, Self Realization.

Gods: Mahadevas, "great beings of light." In Loving Ganesha, the plural form of God refers to extremely advanced beings existing in their self-effulgent soul bodies in the causal plane. The meaning of Gods is best seen in the phrase, "God and the Gods," referring to the Supreme God -- Siva -- and the Mahadevas who are His creation. See: Mahadeva.

goshta:  "Cow pen; niche." Also names a small alcove shrine.

grace: "Benevolence, love, giving," from the Latin gratia, "favor, goodwill." God's power of revealment, anugraha shakti ("kindness, showing favor"), by which souls are awakened to their true, Divine nature. Grace in the unripe stages of the spiritual journey is experienced by the devotee as receiving gifts or boons, often unbidden, from God. The mature soul finds himself surrounded by grace. He sees all of God's actions as grace, whether they be seemingly pleasant and helpful or not. See: prapatti.

guna: "Strand; quality." The three constituent principles of prakriti, primal nature. The three gunas are: -- sattva: "Purity," quiescent, rarified, translucent, pervasive, reflecting the light of Pure Consciousness. -- rajas: "Passion," inherent in energy, movement, action, emotion, life. -- tamas: "Darkness," inertia, density, the force of contraction, resistance and dissolution. The gunas are integral to Hindu thought, as all things are composed of the combination of these qualities of nature, including ayurveda, arts, environments and personalities. See: ayurveda, prakriti, tattva.

guru: "Weighty one," indicating an authority of great knowledge or skill. A title for a teacher or guide in any subject, such as music, dance, sculpture, but especially religion. For clarity, the term is often preceded by a qualifying prefix. Hence, terms such as kulaguru (family teacher), vinaguru (vina teacher) and satguru (spiritual preceptor). According to the Advayataraka Upanishad (14 -- 18), guru means "dispeller (gu) of darkness (ru)." See: guru bhakti, guru-shishya system, satguru.

guru bhakti: "Devotion to the teacher." The attitude of humility, love and loyality held by a student in any field of study. In the spiritual realm, the devotee strives to see the guru as his higher Self. By attuning himself to the satguru's inner nature and wisdom, the disciple slowly transforms his own nature to ultimately attain the same peace and enlightenment his guru has achieved. See: guru, guru-shishya system, satguru.

guru lineage: See: guru parampara.

guruparampara: "Preceptorial succession" (literally, "from one teacher to another"). A line of spiritual gurus in authentic succession of initiation; the chain of mystical power and authorized continuity, passed from guru to guru. Cf: sampradaya.

guru-shishya system: "Master-disciple" system. An important educational system of Hinduism whereby the teacher conveys his knowledge and tradition to a student. The principle of this system is that knowledge, especially subtle or advanced knowledge, is best conveyed through a strong human relationship based on ideals of the student's respect, commitment, devotion and obedience and on personal instruction by which the student eventually masters the knowledge the guru embodies. See: guru, guru bhakti, satguru.

Hanuman: (Hindi) "Large jawed." The powerful monkey God-King of the epic, Ramayana, and the central figure in the famous drama, Hanuman-Nataka. The perfect devoted servant to his master, Rama, this popular Deity is the epitome of dasya bhakti.

Hari: "Vishnu." See: Brahma, Vishnu.

Haridra Ganapati: "The golden one" holds four prevalent emblems: noose, goad, tusk and modaka.

hatha yoga: "Ui "Forceful yoga." Hatha yoga is a system of physical and mental exercise developed in ancient times as a means of preparing the body and mind for meditation. See: kundalini, nadi, yoga.

heaven: The celestial spheres, including the causal plane and the higher realms of the subtle plane, where souls rest and learn between births, and mature souls continue to evolve after moksha. Heaven is often used by translators as an equivalent to the Sanskrit Svarga. See: loka.

hell: Naraka. An unhappy, mentally and emotionally congested, distressful area of consciousness. Hell is a state of mind that can be experienced on the plane of physical existence or in the sub-astral plane (Naraka) after the death of the physical body. It is accompanied by the tormented emotions of hatred, remorse, resentment, fear, jealousy and self-condemnation. However, in the Hindu view, the hellish experience is not permanent, but a temporary condition of one's own making. See: asura, loka.

Heramba Ganapati: "Protector of the weak" is a five-faced murti of Ganesha. He rides a lion and gestures protection and blessing.

heritage: A tradition passed down from preceding generations.

higher nature, lower nature:Expressions indicating man's refined, soulful qualities on the one hand, and his base, instinctive qualities on the other. See: mind (five states).

Himalayas: "Abode of snow." The mountain system extending along the India-Tibet border and through Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.

Hindu: A follower of, or relating to, Hinduism. See: Hinduism.

Hinduism (Hindu Dharma): India's indigenous religious and cultural system, followed today by nearly one billion adherents, mostly in India but with large populations in many other countries. Also called Sanatana Dharma ("Eternal Religion") and Vaidika Dharma, ("Religion of the Vedas"). Hinduism is the world's most ancient religion and encompasses a broad spectrum of philosophies ranging from pluralistic theism to absolute monism. It is a family of myriad faiths with four primary denominations: Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. These four hold such divergent beliefs that each is a complete and independent religion. Yet, they share a vast heritage of culture and belief -- karma, dharma, reincarnation, all-pervasive Divinity, temple worship, sacraments, manifold Deities, the guru-shishya tradition and a reliance on the Vedas as scriptural authority.

holy ash: Vibhuti. See: tilaka, tripundra, vibhuti.

hundi: "Collection box," from hun, "to sacrifice." A strong box inside Hindu temples into which devotees place their contributions.

icchha shakti: "Desire; will." See: Shakti, trishula.

icon: A sacred image, usually of God or one of the Gods. English for murti. See: murti.

ida nadi: "Soothing channel." The feminine psychic current flowing along the spine. See: kundalini, nadi, pingala.

ikshukanda: "Sugar cane."

ikshukarmuka: "Sugar cane bow." A weapon or emblem held by loving Ganesha.

immanent: Indwelling; present and operating within. Relating to God, immanent means present in all things and throughout the universe, not aloof or distant.

immolate: Sacrifice. Offer as sacrifice.

implore: To ask, beg, beseech or entreat earnestly or pathetically.

incarnation: From incarnate, "made flesh." The soul's taking of repeated physical birth. In some schools, notably Vaishnavism, God is believed to incarnate in human form to help humanity. This is called avatara. See: avatara, reincarnation.

incense: Dhupa. Substance that gives off pleasant aromas when burned, usually made from natural derivatives such as tree resin. A central element in Hindu worship rites, waved gently before the Deity as an offering, especially after ablution. Hindi terms include sugandhi and lobana. A popular term for stick incense is agarbatti (Gujarati). See: puja.

individuality: Quality that makes one person or soul other than, or different from, another. See: ahamkara, anava mala, ego, soul.

Indra: "Ruler." Vedic God of rain and thunder, warrior king of the devas.

indriya: "Agent, sense organ." The five agents of perception (jnanendriyas), hearing (shrotra), touch (tvak), sight (chakshus), taste (rasana) and smell (ghrana); and the five agents of action (karmendriyas), speech (vak), grasping, by means of the hands (pani), movement (pada), excretion (payu) and generation (upastha). See: kosha, soul, tattva.

Indus Valley: Region of the Indus River, now in Pakistan, where in 1924 archeologists discovered the remains of a high civilization which flourished between 5000 and 1000 BCE. There, a seal was found with the effigy of Siva as Pashupati, "Lord of Animals," seated in a yogic posture. Neither the language of these people nor their exact background is known. They related culturally and carried on an extensive trade with peoples of other civilizations far to the West, using sturdy ships that they built themselves. For centuries they were the most advanced civilization on Earth. See: Saivism.

initiation (to initiate): Entering into; admission as a member. In Hinduism, initiation from a qualified preceptor is considered invaluable for spiritual progress. Usually the beginning of more advance learning.See: diksha.

instinctive: "Natural or innate." From the Latin instinctus, "staff," "prick;" a participle of instigere, "impelling," "pricking," "instigating." The drives and impulses that order the animal world and the physical and lower astral aspects of humans -- for example, self-preservation, procreation, hunger and thirst, and the emotions of greed, hatred, anger, fear, lust and jealousy.

instinctive mind: Manas chitta. The lower mind, which controls the basic faculties of perception and movement as well as ordinary thought and emotion. Manas chitta is of the manomaya kosha. See: mind (three phases).

intellect: The factulty of reason and understanding; power of thought; mental acumen. See: buddhi, intellectual mind.

intellectual mind: Buddhi chitta. The faculty of reason and logical thinking. It is the source of discriminating thought, rather than the ordinary, impulsive thought processes of the lower or instinctive mind, called manas chitta. Buddhi chitta is of the manomaya kosha. See: buddhi, mind (individual).

internalize: To take something inside of oneself.

internalized worship: Yoga. Worship or contact with God and Gods via meditation and contemplation rather than through external ritual. This is the yogi's path, preceded by the charya and kriya padas. See: meditation, yoga.

intrinsic: Inward, essential; inherent. Belonging to the real nature of a being or thing. -- intrinsic evil: See: evil.

intuition (to intuit): Direct understanding or cognition, which bypasses the process of reason. Intuition is a far superior source of knowing than reason, but it does not contradict reason. See: cognition, mind (five states).

invincible: That which cannot be overcome; unconquerable.

invocation (to invoke): A "calling or summoning," as to a God, saint, etc., for blessings and assistance. Also, a formal prayer or chant. See: mantra.

ipso facto: "By the fact itself." A result accomplished by the deed itself, e.g. in some faiths declaring oneself apostate means ipso facto excommunication.

Iraivan: "Worshipful one; divine one." One of the most ancient Tamil epithets for God. See: San Marga Sanctuary.

Iraivan Temple: See: San Marga Sanctuary.

Isha: "Ruler, lord or sovereign."

Ishta Devata: "Cherished or chosen Deity." The Deity that is the object of one's special pious attention.

Itihasa: "So it was." Epic history, particularly the Ramayana and Mahabharata (of which the famed Bhagavad Gita is a part). This term sometimes refers to the Puranas, especially the Skanda Purana and the Bhagavata Purana (or Shrimad Bhagavatam). See: Mahabharata, Ramayana, smriti.

jagrat: "Wakefulness." The state of mind in which the senses are turned outward. Conscious mind. One of four states of consciousness, avasthas, described in the Mandukya Upanishad. See: avastha, consciousness.

jaya: (jai) "Victory!"

Jainism: (Jaina) An ancient non-Vedic religion of India made prominent by the teachings of Mahavira ("Great Hero"), ca 500 BCE. The Jain Agamas teach reverence for all life, vegetarianism and strict renunciation for ascetics. Jains focus great emphasis on the fact that all souls may attain liberation, each by his own effort. Their great historic saints, called Tirthankaras ("Ford-Crossers"), are objects of worship, of whom Mahavira was the 24th and last. Jains number about six million today, living mostly in India.

jambira: "Lime."

jambu: "Rose apple."

japa: "Recitation." Practice of concentrated repetition of a mantra, often while counting the repetitions on a mala or strand of beads. It is recommended as a cure for pride and arrogance, anger and jealousy, fear and confusion. It fills the mind with divine syllables, awakening the divine essence of spiritual energies.

japa mala: "Garland for incantation." A strand of beads for holy recitation, japa, usually made of rudraksha, tulasi, sandalwood or crystal.

jatakarma: "Rite of birth." See: samskara.

jatamukuta: "Crown of matted hair."

jati: "Birth; genus; community or caste." See: varna dharma.

jiva: "Living, existing." From jiv, "to live." The individual soul, atman, during its embodied state, bound by the three malas (anava, karma and maya). The jivanmukta is one who is "liberated while living." See: atman, evolution of the soul, purusha, soul.

jnana: "Knowledge; wisdom." The matured state of the soul. It is the wisdom that comes as an aftermath of the kundalini breaking through the door of Brahman into the realization of Parashiva, Absolute Reality. Jnana is the awakened, superconscious state (karana chitta). It is the fruition of the progressive stages of charya, kriya and yoga in the Saiva Siddhanta system of spiritual unfoldment. See: God Realization, samadhi, Self Realization.

jnana pada: "Stage of wisdom." Also names the knowledge section of each Agama. See: jnana, pada.

jnana shakti: "Knowing power." The universal force of wisdom. See: Shakti, trishula.

jnanendriya: "Agent of perception." See: indriya.

jurisdiction: A sphere of authority; the territorial range of authority.

jyoti: "Light."

jyotisha: From jyoti, "light." "The science of the lights (or stars)." Hindu astrology, the knowledge and practice of analyzing events and circumstances, delineating character and determining auspicious moments, according to the positions and movements of heavenly bodies. In calculating horoscopes, jyotisha uses the sidereal (fixed-star) system, whereas Western astrology uses the tropical (fixed-date) method.

kadaliphala: "Banana fruit."

Kailasa: "Crystalline" or "Abode of bliss." The four-faced Himalayan peak in Western Tibet; the earthly abode of Lord Siva. Associated with Mount Meru, the legendary center of the universe, it is an important pilgrimage destination for all Hindus as well as for Tibetan Buddhists. Kailasa is represented in Shaktism by a certain three-dimensional form of the Shri Chakra yantra (also called kailasa chakra).

Kailasa Parampara: "Crystaline lineage." Aspiritual lineage of siddhas, a major stream of the Nandinatha Sampradaya, proponents of the ancient philosophy of monistic Saiva Siddhanta, of whom Sivaya Subramuniyaswami is the current representative. See also: Yogaswami.

kalasha: "Pot;" "pitcher," "jar." In temple rites, a pot of water, kalasha, topped with mango leaves and a husked coconut represents the Deity during special pujas. Kalasha also names the pot-like spires that adorn temple roofs.

Kali Yuga: "Dark Age." The Kali Yuga is the last age in the repetitive cycle of four phases of time the universe passes through. It is comparable to the darkest part of the night, as the forces of ignorance are in full power and many of the subtle faculties of the soul are obscured. See: yuga.

kalpavriksha: "Wish-fulfilling tree." An important symbol in Hindu theology.

kama: "Pleasure, love; desire." Cultural, intellectual and sexual fulfillment. One of four human goals, purushartha. See: purushartha.

kamandalu: Small water vessel, such as that carried by sannyasins.

kapittha: "On which monkeys dwell." The wood apple tree, Limonia acidissima, native to the dry plains of India and Ceylon and cultivated along roads and edges of fields and occasionally in orchards. The kapittha fruit, also known as elephant apple, monkey fruit and kath bel, is tough shelled, astringent and renowned for its ayurvedic potencies.

karanaloka: "The causal plane," also called Sivaloka, existing deep within the Antarloka at a higher level of vibration, it is a world of superconsciousness and extremely refined energy. See: loka.

karanda mukuta: "Basket-shaped crown." A headdress or crown shaped like a conical basket with the narrow end upwards, often topped with a series of smaller flattened spheres, worn by the Deities.

karma: "Action, deed." One of the most important principles in Hindu thought, karma refers to 1) any act or deed; 2) the principle of cause and effect; 3) a consequence or "fruit of action" (karmaphala) or "after effect" (uttaraphala), which sooner or later returns upon the doer. What we sow, we shall reap in this or future lives. Selfish, hateful acts (papakarma or kukarma) will bring suffering. Benevolent actions (punyakarma or sukarma) will bring loving reactions. Karma is a neutral, self-perpetuating law of the inner cosmos, much as gravity is an impersonal law of the outer cosmos. Karma is threefold: sanchita, prarabdha and kriyamana. -- sanchita karma: ("Accumulated actions.") The sum of all karmas of this life and past lives. -- prarabdha karma: ("Actions begun; set in motion.") That portion of sanchita karma that is bearing fruit and shaping the events and conditions of the current life, including the nature of one's bodies, personal tendencies and associations. -- kriyamana karma:("Being made.") The karma being created and added to sanchita in this life (or in the inner worlds between lives) by one's thoughts, words and actions. See: mala, moksha, sin, soul.

karma yoga: "Union through action." Selfless service. See: yoga.

karmendriya: "Agent of action." See: indriya.

karnavedha: "Ear-piercing." See: samskara.

karpura: "Camphor." The white resinous exudation of the camphor tree burned in arati lamps during puja. See: arati.

Karttikeya: Child of the Pleiades, from Krittika, "Pleiades." Second son of Siva, the brother of Ganesha. A great Mahadeva worshiped in all parts of India and the world. Also known as Murugan, Kumara, Skanda, Shanmukhanatha, Subrahmanya and more, He is the God who guides that part of evolution which is religion, the transformation of the instinctive into a divine wisdom through yoga. He holds the holy vel of jnana shakti,His Power to vanquish ignorance.

karuna: "Compassionate; loving, full of grace."

Kauai: Northernmost of the Hawaiian islands; 555 sq. mi., pop. 50,000.

Kauai Aadheenam: Monastery-temple complex founded by Sivaya Subramuniyaswami in 1970; international headquarters of Saiva Siddhanta Church.

kavacha: "Armor; covering." A decorative mask-like casing, usually made of silver or gold, that adorns the face, hands or entire Deity image.

kavadi: A penance offered to Lord Murugan-Karttikeya, especially during Tai Pusam, consisting of carrying in procession a heavy, beautifully decorated wooden object from which pots of milk hang which are to be used for His abhisheka. The penitent's tongue and other parts of the body are often pierced with silver spears or hooks. See: penance.

keshanta: "Beard-shaving." See: samskara.

khadga: "Sword." A powerful symbol in Hindu iconography, depicting the power of the Gods to aid devotees in overcoming human weaknesses.

khetaka: "Shield." As a religious emblem, it represents protection, divine security and the upholding of dharma.

kirtana: "Praising." Devotional singing and dancing in celebration of God, Gods and guru. An important form of congregational worship in many Hindu denominations. See: bhajana.

kolam: Traditional household and priestly art of "drawing" intricate decorative patterns at the entrance to a home or temple or at the site of a religious ceremony. Known as rangoli in Sanskrit. Kolam designs are made with rice powder mixed to a watery paste, and sometimes with flowers and various-colored powdered pulses.

konrai: The Golden Shower tree, Cassia fistula; symbol of Siva's cascading, abundant, golden grace.

kosha: "Sheath; vessel, container; layer." Philosophically, five sheaths through which the soul functions simultaneously in the various planes or levels of existence. -- annamaya kosha: "Sheath composed of food;" the physical or odic body. -- pranamaya kosha: "Sheath composed of prana (vital force);" also known as the pranic or health body, or the etheric body or etheric double. -- manomaya kosha: "Mind-formed sheath;" the lower astral body (from manas, "thought, will, wish"); the instinctive-intellectual sheath of ordinary thought, desire and emotion. -- vijnanamaya kosha: "Sheath of cognition;" the mental or cognitive-intuitive sheath, also called the actinodic sheath. -- anandamaya kosha: "Body of bliss;" the intuitive-superconscious sheath or actinic-causal body. Anandamaya kosha is not a sheath in the same sense as the four outer koshas. It is the soul itself, a body of light, also called karana sharira, causal body, and karmashaya, holder of karmas of this and all past lives. Anandamaya kosha is that which evolves through all incarnations and beyond until the soul's ultimate, fulfilled merger, vishvagrasa, in the Primal Soul, Parameshvara. Then anandamaya kosha becomes Sivamayakosha, the body of God Siva.

kraal: An enclosure for livestock (Afrikaans); the herd itself.

Krishna: "Black." Also related to krishtih, meaning "drawing, attracting." One of the most popular Gods of the Hindu pantheon. He is worshiped by Vaishnavas as the eighth avatara, incarnation, of Vishnu. He is best known as the Supreme Personage depicted in the Mahabharata, and specifically in the Bhagavad Gita. For Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Krishna is the Godhead.

kriya: "Action." In a general sense, kriya can refer to doing of any kind. Specifically, it names religious action, especially rites or ceremonies. In yoga terminology, kriya names involuntary physical movements caused by the arousal of the kundalini. See: pada.

kriya pada: "Stage of religious action; worship." The stage of worship and devotion, second of four progressive stages of maturation on the Saiva Siddhanta path of attainment. See: pada.

kriya shakti: "Action power." The universal force of doing. See: Shakti, trishula.

krodha: "Anger." The emotion of the second chakra below the muladhara, called vitala. Scripture describes it as one of the gates to hell.

kshatriya: "Governing; sovereign." The social class of lawmakers, law-enforcers and the military. See: varna dharma.

kshetra: "Place," "field."A property or region; often naming a sacred place.

Kshipra Ganapati: A name and traditional murti, or form, of Ganesha. "He who is immediate" (or quick). He holds a kalpavriksha sprig and a pot of gems.

Kshipra Prasada Ganapati: "The quick rewarder" presides from a kusha-grass throne holding pomegranate, noose, goad and more.

kukarma: "Unwholesome acts" or the fruit therefrom. See: karma, papa.

kulaguru: "Family preceptor or teacher." The kulaguru guides the joint and extended family, particularly through the heads of families, and provides spiritual education. He may or may not be a satguru.

Kularnava Tantra: A leading scripture of the Kaula school of Shaktism. It comprises 17 chapters totaling 2,058 verses which focus on ways to liberation, with notable chapters on the guru-shishya relationship.

Kumara: "Virgin youth; ever-youthful." A name of Lord Karttikeya as a perpetual bachelor. See: Karttikeya.

kumbha: "Water vessel," Another name for kalasha, a pot of water on which a husked coconut is nested on five mango leaves to represent the Deity; integral to certain sacred Hindu rites.

kumari: "Ever youthful." A young virgin girl, particularly age 10-12.

kumbhabhisheka: "Water-pot ablution." The formal consecration of a new temple and its periodic reconsecration, usually at twelve-year intervals, following renovation, extensive cleaning and renewal. The rites culminate with the priests' pouring sanctified water over the temple spires, which resemble an inverted pot, or kumbha.

kundalini: "She who is coiled; serpent power." The primordial cosmic energy in every individual which, at first, lies coiled like a serpent at the base of the spine and eventually, through the practice of yoga, rises up the sushumna nadi. As it rises, the kundalini awakens each successive chakra. Nirvikalpa samadhi, enlightenment, comes as it pierces through the door of Brahman at the core of the sahasrara and enters! See: chakra, samadhi, nadi.

kunkuma: "Saffron; red." The red powder, made of turmeric and lime, worn by Hindus as the pottu, dot, at the point of the third eye on the forehead. Names the saffron plant, Crocus sativus, and its pollen.

kuttuvilaku: A standing lamp (dipastambha in Sanskrit) found in the temple, shrine room or home. See: dipastambha.

laddu: A sweet made with milk, flour and sugar in South India, and with chickpea flour, ghee and sugar in North India.

Lakshmi: "Mark or sign," often of success or prosperity. Shakti, the Universal Mother, as Goddess of wealth. The mythological consort of Vishnu. Usually depicted on a lotus flower. Prayers are offered to Lakshmi for wealth, beauty and peace. -- Dhanya Lakshmi: "Bestower of wealth." See: Goddess, Shakti.

Lakshmi Ganapati: A name and traditional murti, or form, of Ganesha. "Lord of abundance." Flanked by Wisdom and Achievement (Buddhi and Siddhi) and holds a green parrot, shukhi.

Lambodara: "Large belly." A name of Lord Ganesha cited in the Mudgala Purana as the conqueror of krodha, anger.

left-handed: Vama marga. A term describing certain tantric practices in which the instincts and intellect are transcended and detachment is sought through practices and behavior contrary to orthodox social norms. See: tantra, tantric, tantrism.

liberation: Moksha, release from the bonds of pasha, after which the soul is liberated from samsara (the round of births and deaths). In Saiva Siddhanta, pasha is the three-fold bondage of anava, karma and maya, which limit and confine the soul to the reincarnational cycle so that it may evolve. Moksha is freedom from the fettering power of these bonds, which do not cease to exist, but no longer have the power to fetter or bind the soul. See: mala, moksha, reincarnation, Self Realization.

lila: "Play." Ease or facility in doing. A term used to describe God's Divine cosmic drama of creation, preservation, dissolution, concealment and revelation.

liturgy: The proper, prescribed forms of ritual.

lobha: "Greed." One of the principal obstacles on the path, counteracted by dana (selfless giving) and aparigraha, greedlessness. See: Gajanana.

loka: "World, habitat, realm, or plane of existence." From loc, "to shine, be bright, visible." A dimension of manifest existence; cosmic region. Each loka reflects or involves a particular range of consciousness. The three primary lokas are 1) -- Bhuloka: "Earth world." The world perceived through the five senses, also called the gross plane, as it is the most dense of the worlds. Sometimes referred to as the First World. 2) -- Antarloka: "Inner" or "in-between world." Known in English as the subtle or astral plane, the intermediate dimension between the physical and causal worlds, where souls in their astral bodies sojourn between incarnations and when they sleep. Also referred to as the Second World. 3) -- Sivaloka: "World of Siva," and of the Gods and highly evolved souls. The causal plane, also called Karanaloka, existing deep within the Antarloka at a higher level of vibration. It is a world of superconsciousness and extremely refined energy, the plane of creativity and intuition, the quantum level of the universe where souls exist in self-effulgent bodies made of actinic particles of light. It is here that God and Gods move and lovingly guide the evolution of all the worlds and shed their ever-flowing grace. Its vibratory rate is that of the vishuddha, ajna and sahasrara chakras and those above. Also referred to as the Third World. See: three worlds.

lustration: Ritual cleansing.

macrocosm: "Great world or universe." See: microcosm-macrocosm, three worlds.

madhukumbha: "Honey vessel."

madhyama vak: "Intermediate word." See: vak.

Madurai: City in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu; home of one of the world's most magnificent Saivite temples, called Meenakshi-Sundaresvara.

maha: An adjective or prefix meaning "great."

Maha Ganapati: "The great one." A classical murti accompanied by one of His shaktis. He holds a pomegranate, blue lily and a pot of gems.

Mahabharata: "Great Epic of India." The world's longest epic poem. It revolves around the conflict between two royal families, the Pandavas and Kauravas, and their great battle of Kurukshetra near modern Delhi in approximately 1424 BCE. Woven through the plot are countless discourses on philosophy, religion, astronomy, cosmology, polity and economics as well as many stories illustrative of simple truths and ethical principles. The Bhagavad Gita is one section of the work. The Mahabharata is revered as scripture by Vaishnavites and Smartas. See: Bhagavad Gita.

Mahadeva: "Great shining one; God." Referring either to God Siva or any of the highly evolved beings who live in the Sivaloka in their natural, effulgent soul bodies. God Siva in His perfection as Primal Soul is one of the Mahadevas, yet He is unique and incomparable in that He alone is uncreated, the Father-Mother and Destiny of all other Mahadevas. He is called Parameshvara, "Supreme God." He is the Primal Soul, whereas the other Gods are individual souls. See: Gods, Parameshvara, Siva.

mahakarana: The Great Causality." See: vak.

mahaparashu: "Great axe."

mahapralaya: "Great dissolution." Total annihilation of the universe at the end of a mahakalpa. It is the absorption of all existence, including time, space and individual consciousness, all the lokas and their inhabitants into God Siva, as the water of a river returns to its source, the sea. Then Siva alone exists in His three perfections, until He again issues forth creation. During this incredibly vast period there are many partial dissolutions, pralayas, when either the Bhuloka and/or the Antarloka are destroyed.

maharaja: "Great king." Indian monarch. Title of respect for political or (in modern times) spiritual leaders.

Maharashtra: Central state of modern India whose capital is Mumbai (Bombay). Area 118,717 square miles, population 63 million.

mahasamadhi: "Great enstasy." The death, or dropping off of the physical body, of a great soul, an event occasioned by tremendous blessings. Also names the shrine in which the remains of a great soul are entombed. -- Mahasamadhi daynames the anniversary of a great soul's transition. See also: cremation, death.

mahatala: "Vast netherworld." The sixth lowest astral world. Region of consciencelessness. See: chakra.

mahatma: "Great soul." Honorific title given to people held in high esteem, especially saints. See: atman.

mahavakya: "Great saying." A profound aphorism from scripture or a holy person. Most famous are four Upanishadic proclamations: Prajanam Brahma ("Pure consciousness is God" -- Aitareya U.), Aham Brahmasmi ("I am God" -- Brihadaranyaka U.), Tat tvam asi ("Thou art That" -- Chhandogya U.) and Ayam atma Brahma ("The soul is God" -- Mandukya U.).

Mahodara: "Big-bellied." Ganesha's aspect as the dispeller of moha, infatuation or delusion.

mala: "Impurity." An important term in Saivism referring to three bonds, called pasha -- anava, karma, and maya -- which limit the soul, preventing it from knowing its true, divine nature. See: liberation, pasha.

mala: "Garland." A strand of beads for holy recitation, japa, usually made of rudraksha, tulasi, sandalwood or crystal. Also a flower garland.

mamata: "Egoity, self-interest, selfishness."

manas: "Mind; understanding." The lower or instinctive mind, seat of desire and governor of sensory and motor organs, called indriyas. Manas is termed the undisciplined, empirical mind. Manas is characterized by desire, determination, doubt, faith, lack of faith, steadfastness, lack of steadfastness, shame, intellection and fear. It is a faculty of manomaya kosha, the lower astral or instinctive-intellectual sheath. See: awareness, indriya, instinctive mind, kosha, mind (individual).

mandapa: From mand, "to deck, adorn." Temple precinct; a temple compound, open hall or chamber. In entering a large temple, one passes through a series of mandapas, each named according to its position, e.g., mukhamandapa, "front chamber." In some temples, mandapas are concentrically arranged. See: temple.

mandira: "Abode." A temple or shrine; sanctuary. See: temple.

Mandukya Upanishad: A "principal" Upanishad (belonging to the Atharva Veda) which, in 12 concise verses, teaches of Aum and the four states (avastha) of awareness: waking (vishva), dreaming (taijasa), dreamless sleep (prajna) and transcendent, spiritual consciousness (turiya).

manipura chakra: "Wheeled city of jewels." Solar-plexus center of willpower. See: chakra.

Manikkavasagar: "He of ruby-like utterances." Tamil saint who contributed to the medieval Saivite renaissance (ca 850). He gave up his position as prime minister to follow a renunciate life. His poetic Tiruvasagam, "Holy Utterances" -- a major Saiva Siddhanta scripture (part of the eighth Tirumurai) and a jewel of Tamil literature -- express his aspirations, trials and yogic realizations.

mansahari: "Meat-eater." Those who follow a non-vegetarian diet. See: meat-eater, vegetarian.

mantra: "Mystic formula." A sound, syllable, word or phrase endowed with special power, usually drawn from scripture. Mantras are chanted loudly during puja to invoke the Gods and establish a force field. To be truly effective, such mantras must be given by the preceptor through initiation.

marga: "Path; way." From marg, "to seek." See: pada.

Markali Pillaiyar: A month-long, December-January (Markali) festival to Ganesha in the form of Lord Pillaiyar, the Noble Child. Worship, prayer and other spiritual disciplines are commenced during this special period of sadhana, and the home is cleaned thoroughly each day.

materialism (materialistic): The doctrine that matter is the only reality, that all life, thought and feelings are but the effects of movements of matter, and that there exist no worlds but the physical. See: worldly.

materialist: One who believes that physical comfort, pleasure and wealth are the only or the highest goals of life; that matter is the only reality.

matrikakshara: A syllable of the Sanskrit alphabet (numbering 51). From matrika, "little mother," and akshara, "imperishable," immutable," hence "syllable."

matsarya: "Jealousy."

maya: "Consisting of; made of," as in manomaya, "made of mind."

maya: From the verb root ma, "to measure," "to limit," "give form." The principle of appearance or manifestation of God's power or "mirific energy," "that which measures." The substance emanated from Siva through which the world of form is manifested. Hence all creation is also termed maya. It is the cosmic creative force, the principle of manifestation, ever in the process of creation, preservation and dissolution. See: loka, mind (universal).

mayura: "Peacock." The vahana, or mount, of Lord Karttikeya, symbolizing effulgent beauty and religion in full glory. The peacock is able to control powerful snakes, such as the cobra, symbolizing the soulful domination of the instinctive elements -- or control of the kundalini, which is yoga. See: Karttikeya, vahana.

Mayureshvara: "Peacock Lord." The Ganesha murti enshrined at the Morgaon Temple south of Pune, Maharashtra.

meandering: Tortuous, winding back and forth.

meat-eater: Mansahari. Those who follow a nonvegetarian diet. See: vegetarianism.

meditation: Dhyana. Sustained concentration. Meditation describes a quiet, alert, powerfully concentrated state wherein new knowledge and insights are awakened from within as awareness focuses one-pointedly on an object or specific line of thought. See: raja yoga, yoga.

mediumship: Act or practice of serving as a channel through which beings of inner worlds communicate with humans. See: folk-shamanic, trance.

menses: A woman's monthly menstruation period, during which, by Hindu tradition, she rests from her usual activities and forgoes public and family religious functions.

mentor: One who advises, teaches, instructs, either formally or informally.

merge: To lose distinctness or identity by being absorbed. To unite or become one with.

merger of the soul: See: evolution of the soul, vishvagrasa.

metabolism: The system of physical and chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. The life processes, consisting of anabolism (the changing of food into living tissue) and catabolism (the degeneration of living tissue).

microcosm-macrocosm: "Little world" or "miniature universe" as compared with "great world." Microcosm refers to the internal source of something larger or more external (macrocosm). In Hindu cosmology, the outer world is a macrocosm of the inner world, which is its microcosm and is mystically larger and more complex than the physical universe and functions at a higher rate of vibration and even a different rate of time. The microcosm precedes the macrocosm. Thus, the guiding principle of the Bhuloka comes from the Antarloka and Sivaloka. Consciousness precedes physical form. In the tantric tradition, the body of man is viewed as a microcosm of the entire divine creation. "Microcosm-macrocosm" is embodied in the terms pinda and anda. See: quantum, tantra, tattva.

millennium: A period of 1,000 years. millennia: Plural of millennium.

mind (five states): A view of the mind in five parts. -- conscious mind (Jagrat chitta, "wakeful consciousness"): The ordinary, waking, thinking state of mind in which the majority of people function most of the day. -- subconscious mind (Samskara chitta, "impression mind"): The part of mind "beneath" the conscious mind, the storehouse or recorder of all experience (whether remembered consciously or not) -- the holder of past impressions, reactions and desires. Also, the seat of involuntary physiological processes. -- subsubconscious mind (Vasana chitta, "mind of subliminal traits"): The area of the subconscious mind formed when two thoughts or experiences of the same rate of intensity are sent into the subconscious at different times and, intermingling, give rise to a new and totally different rate of vibration. This subconscious formation later causes the external mind to react to situations according to these accumulated vibrations, be they positive, negative or mixed. -- superconscious mind (Karana chitta): The mind of light, the all-knowing intelligence of the soul. At its deepest level, the superconscious is Parashakti, or Satchidananda, the Divine Mind of God Siva. -- subsuperconscious mind (Anukarana chitta): The superconscious mind working through the conscious and subconscious states, which brings forth intuition, clarity and insight. See: chitta, consciousness, samskara.

mind (individual): At the microcosmic level of individual souls, mind is consciousness and its faculties of memory, desire, thought and cognition. Individual mind is chitta, "mind, consciousness" and its three-fold expression is called antahkarana, "inner faculty," composed of: 1) buddhi ("intellect, reason, logic," higher mind); 2) ahamkara ("I-maker," egoity); 3) manas ("lower mind," instinctive-intellectual mind, the seat of desire).

mind (three phases): A perspective of mind as instinctive, intellectual and superconscious. -- instinctive mind (Manas chitta): the seat of desire and governor of sensory and motor organs. -- intellectual mind (Buddhi chitta): the faculty of thought and intelligence. -- superconscious mind (Karana chitta): the strata of intuition, benevolence and spiritual sustenance. Its most refined essence is Parasakti, or Satchidananda, all-knowing, omnipresent consciousness, the One transcendental, self-luminous, divine mind common to all souls. See: consciousness, mind (five states).

mind (universal): In the most profound sense, mind is the sum of all things, all energies and manifestations, all forms, subtle and gross, sacred and mundane. It is the inner and outer cosmos. Mind is maya. It is the material matrix. It is everything but That, the Self within, Parashiva. See: chitta, consciousness, maya.

mirific: "Wonder-making, magical, astonishing."

mleccha: "One who speaks indistinctly (like a foreigner)." A foreigner or barbarian, one who does not conform to Hindu culture; a non-Hindu.

moda: "Arrogance." Ganesha's aspect as the conquerer of mamata, egoity.

modaka: "Sweets." A round lemon-sized sweet made of rice, coconut, sugar, etc. It is a favorite treat of Ganesha. Esoterically, it corresponds to siddhi (attainment or fulfillment), the gladdening contentment of pure joy, the sweetest of all things sweet. See: Ganesha.

modakapatra: "Bowl of sweets." The modaka, loving Ganesha's favorite sweet, represents all good things, especially moksha, liberation.

moha: "Infatuation, delusion."

moksha: "Liberation." Release from transmigration, samsara, the round of births and deaths, which occurs after karma has been resolved and nirvikalpa samadhi -- realization of the Self, Parashiva -- has been attained. Same as mukti. See: kundalini, liberation.

monastic: A monk or nun (based on the Greek monos, "alone"). A man or woman who has withdrawn from the world and lives an austere, religious life, either alone or with others in a monastery. (Not to be confused with monistic, having to do with the doctrine of monism.) A monastery-dweller is a mathavasi, and sadhu is a rough equivalent for mendicant. See: sannyasin.

monism: "Doctrine of oneness." 1) The philosophical view that there is only one ultimate substance or principle. 2) The view that reality is a unified whole without independent parts. See: advaita.

monistic: Expressive of the belief that reality is of one kind or substance.

monistic theism: Advaita Ishvaravada. Monism is the doctrine that reality is a one whole or existence without independent parts. Theism is the belief that God exists as a real, conscious, personal Supreme Being. Monistic theism is the dipolar doctrine, also called panentheism, that embraces both monism and theism, two perspectives ordinarily considered contradictory or mutually exclusive, since theism implies dualism. Monistic theism simultaneously accepts that 1) God has a personal form, 2) that He creates, pervades and is all that exists, and 3) that He ultimately transcends all existence and that the soul is, in essence, one with God. See: advaita, theism.

monotheism: "Doctrine of one God." Contrasted with polytheism, meaning belief in many Gods. The term monotheism covers a wide range of philosophical positions, from exclusive (or pure) monotheism, which recognizes only one God (such as in Semitic faiths), to inclusive monotheism, which also accepts the existence of other Gods. Generally speaking, the denominations of Hinduism are inclusively monotheistic in their belief in a one Supreme God and in their reverence for other Gods, or Mahadevas.

mridanga: A kind of Indian drum, barrel-shaped and two-headed.

mrigi mudra: "Deer gesture." The right hand is held in the shape of the profile of a deer's head: the thumb, second finger and third finger touching to form the upper jaw, and the first and fourth fingers kept straight, forming the ears. During puja a flower is held in this mudra (in the "deer's mouth," facing outward) to sprinkle water and waft food essences toward the Deity.

mudgara: "A hammer or mallet." An emblem of arts and crafts, also a weapon in Hindu iconography.

mudra: "Seal." Esoteric hand gestures which express specific energies or powers. Usually accompanied by precise visualizations, mudras are a vital element of ritual worship (puja), dance and yoga. Among the best-known mudras are: 1) abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness), in which the fingers are extended, palm facing forward; 2) anjali mudra (gesture of reverence); 3) jnana mudra (also known as chin mudra and yoga mudra), in which the thumb and index finger touch, forming a circle, with the other fingers extended; 4) dhyana mudra (seal of meditation), in which the two hands are open and relaxed with th