Hinduism Vocabulary

HINDUISM VOCABULARY

Sanatana Dharma

Hinduism is referred to by its adherents as Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is a Sanskrit phrase meaning “the eternal law.”

The Vedas

The Vedas (‘knowledge’) are a large body of texts that originated in ancient India. The Vedas are written in Vedic Sanskrit (oldest layer of Sanskrit literature), and are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. They are composed of four collections of hymns, detached poetical portions, and ceremonial formulas. They are called Rig – Veda, Sama – Veda, Yajur – Veda, and the Atharva – Veda.

Upanishads

They are philosophical texts of the Hindu religion. There are around 200, the first dozen or so are referred to as principal, main, or old Upanishads. The oldest Upanishads date back to the pre – Buddhist era of India.

Bhagavad Gita

Otherwise simply known as ‘Gita.” The text consists of a conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna taking place on the battlefield before the start of the Kurukshetra war. Lord Krishna relays yogic and vedantic philosophies to Arjuna.

Ramayana

Tells the story of a man, Rama whose wife is abducted by the demon king. The story explores the reasons and lessons of human existence and concept of dharma (the principle/law that orders the universe)

Atman

Philosophical term used within Hinduism. Identifies the soul whether in global sense (world's soul) or in individual sense (of a person own soul). It’s the eternal soul with “layers” that one must shed to reach Nirvana.

Avatar

Refers to a descent of a deity (an incarnation of a deva (god) from heaven to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being, and is mostly translated as “incarnation” in English, but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation”

Bhajans

Any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine. Anecdotes and episodes from scriptures, the teachings of saints and descriptions of gods have all been the subject of Bhajans.

Brahman

Everything and the ultimate reality, encompassing everything we know, nature of Brahman is described as being transpersonal, personal and impersonal by different philosophical schools.

Brahma

Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti

Trimurti

concept in Hinduism where cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified as Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva the destroyer or transformer. The three deities also called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity.”

Vishnu

The preserver and restorer, the creator and destroyer of all existences, one who supports, sustains, and governs Universe

Shiva

God that takes back or destroys, keeps the balance in life ,the Destroyer or transformer of the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine

Darshan

vision from the divine

Gunas

3 qualities of energy
Tamas: dullness/ignorance
Rajas: energy/passion

Sattva

light and clarity, to lead the right path. Living awareness, it’s a term of power due to its purity and meaning and has become the representation for many peaceful social movements, particularly those centered on social justice, environmentalism and vegetarianism.
Guru

has great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others

Ishta-Devata

the form of God one chooses to worship, is a term stating a worshipper's favorite deity

Krishna

the Deity of enjoyment in life, close to Vishnu like the preserver, worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives. Some traditions recognize Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu, other traditions within Krishnaism consider him to be the Supreme Being.

Rita

Universe is divided into Sat(being) and Asat(non-being). Rita governs Sat

Akriti

Any truth worth setting up as the foundation of your religion, the truth must ultimately come from beyond space and time, and it has to be true forever.

Law of Karma

The belief states that our actions in this life influence our status in our next life, Karma is the law of cause and effect. There are three kinds of karma.

Maya

The deity of illusion that things are not connected. There is no division between all things in the Universe. Everything is one and connected.

Moksha

To free oneself from the cycle of death and rebirth into Nirvana

Murti

refers to an image which expresses a Divine Spirit (murta), means "embodiment.” A murti is a representation of a divinity, made usually of stone, wood, or metal, and is used to worship divinity.




Puja

It’s a religious ritual performed by Hindus as an offering to various deities, distinguished persons, or special guests. It’s done on a variety of occasions and settings, from daily puja done in the home, to temple ceremonies and large festivals.

Samsara

“the continuous flow,” the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth, (reincarnation).

Smriti

Second source of reference on dharma besides Sruti. Composed after the Vedas and is the reference for traditions of dharma (holy laws of the Universe)

Varna

the name for the original social division of Vedic people into four groups (which are subdivided into thousands of jatis)

Jati

Hindu caste or distinctive social group consisting of thousands throughout India

Yoga

Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness to attain a state of spiritual insight. This is achieved 4 different ways.

- Bhakti
o spiritual love and devotion to God. Nothing else matters, and feeling a spiritual connection with God is the goal
- Jnana
o letting go of emotions and thoughts and being able to focus and let go
- Karma
o Union through action. Acting without being attached to the outcome. This sharpens an individual’s actions and decisions.
- Raja
o bringing the mind and emotions into balance, so attention can be focused on the Lord