The Master Glossary of Advaita Vedanta: Essential Sanskrit Terms Explained

Abhaya: The state of supreme fearlessness; offering shelter or refuge to one who seeks it.
Abheda: The state of being without difference; non-separateness or fundamental identity, realizing that there is no duality.
Abhinivesha: The firm, instinctive attachment to worldly things, bodily identification, and the inherent fear of death.
Abhishekam (Abhisheka): The sacred ritual bathing of a deity, holy image, or lingam using water, milk, or other auspicious liquids.
Abhokta: The non-experiencing one; the state of being free from the sense of being an enjoyer or experiencer.
Abhyasa: Sustained spiritual study or rigorous practice undertaken by an aspirant.
Adhar(a): The underlying support or substratum; the foundational Reality upon which all illusions and physical manifestations appear.
Adhishthana: The underlying substratum, ground, or foundational Reality upon which all illusions and physical manifestations appear.
Adhi-yoga: The Supreme Yoga; the highest form of spiritual union with the Absolute.
Adhyatma-shastra: The spiritual science or the rigorous study of the Self and non-dual philosophy.
Advaita: Non-duality or non-dualism; the philosophical school of Vedanta asserting that only Brahman exists and individual selves are merely illusory manifestations within It. It teaches the fundamental identity of the individual soul and the universal Brahman, asserting that there is only One Reality.
Agami (Karma): The new karma generated by current actions in the present life, which is carried forward as seeds to be experienced as destiny (prarabdha) in future incarnations.
Agnihotra: A traditional Vedic ritual of fire worship, involving offerings made into a sacred fire.
Aham Brahma-asmi: The great scriptural assertion “I am Brahman,” expressing the direct experiential identity of the individual and the Absolute.
Aham: ‘I’; the concept of the self or ego.
Ahamkara (Ahankara): The ego, or the false sense of “I”; the feeling of being the doer that causes one to mistakenly identify the eternal Self with the physical body and mind.
Aham-vritti: The ‘I’-thought; the limited feeling of ‘I-ness’ or the root thought from which the entire mind and universe are projected.
Ahimsa: Non-violence; the moral principle of refraining from injuring other living beings in thought, word, or deed.
Ajnana (Avidya): Ignorance; the absence of knowledge regarding the true nature of the Self, which is the root cause of worldly bondage. It causes the false identification of the eternal Self with the perishable physical body and mind.
Ajnani: An ignorant person; one who does not realize their true nature and falsely identifies the eternal Self with the perishable body and mind.
Akarma: Actionless action; action which, when performed and completed without a sense of doership, leaves no residue or binding karma in the mind.
Akarta: The non-doer; the realization that the true Self performs no actions and generates no karma.
Akasha: Space, ether, or sky; the subtlest of the five elements. It is often used to metaphorically describe the limitless, all-pervading, and undivided nature of Brahman or the Self.
Akhanda: Continuous, unfragmented, and unbroken; used to describe the indivisible nature of the Absolute Reality.
Akhandakara vritti: The uninterrupted, unbroken experience of the Self; movement in the unfragmented or whole form, transcending all divisions.
Akshara: Imperishable and indestructible; a characteristic used to describe the eternal nature of Brahman or the sacred foundational syllable Om.
Alipta: The state of being completely unattached and unaffected by worldly actions or dualities.
Alpakarta: Possessing limited capabilities; an attribute falsely ascribed to the individual soul (jiva) due to its identification with limiting adjuncts (upadhis).
Amrita: The nectar of immortality or deathless permanence.
Anamarupa: That which has absolutely no name or form, characteristic of the Ultimate Reality.
Ananda: Bliss; uninterrupted, deathless happiness. It is an essential aspect and fundamental quality of the Self, completely devoid of object-dependent pleasure.
Anandamaya kosha: The sheath of bliss; the causal body (karana sharira) corresponding to the state of deep sleep.
Anantam: Limitless or infinite; an essential characteristic of Brahman, which is truth, knowledge, and limitlessness.
Ananya bhakti: Pure, selfless, and undivided devotion flowing directly from the heart without any ulterior motives.
Anasakti: Non-involvement, detachment, or dispassion in action, wherein one performs duties without yielding to desires or the ego.
Anekatva: Plurality or the illusion of “many,” which obscures the fundamental oneness of Reality.
Annamalai: The Tamil name for Arunachala, meaning the “unattainable” or “unapproachable mountain.”
Annamaya kosha: The sheath of gross matter; the physical or gross body sustained by food.
Antahkarana: The internal organ, mind, or psyche. It is the collective faculty that comprises the intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara), mind (manas), and memory (chitta), generating perception and thought.
Antardhana: The act of disappearing from sight; vanishing into the unmanifest.
Antarmukhi manas: The inward-turned mind; the mind directed toward the investigation of the Self rather than external objects.
Anubhava: Direct, lived experience or realization of the truth, which transcends mere theoretical or scriptural knowledge.
Anubhavi: The one experiencing; the subjective experiencer of a given state or phenomenon.
Anubhavika: That which is based strictly on one’s own direct, lived experience, as opposed to borrowed theoretical knowledge.
Anugraha: Divine grace or the blessing of the Guru, essential for dispelling the darkness of ignorance.
Anvaya: The positive philosophical method of seeing similarities, affirming that everything in the universe is fundamentally a manifestation of Brahman.
Aparoksha: Direct, immediate perception or realization of the Self. It signifies an experiential understanding that transcends indirect, theoretical knowledge.
Aparokshanubhuti: Immediate or direct experiential realization of Self-knowledge, bypassing indirect intellectual abstraction and sensory perception.
Apavada: The philosophical refutation or removal of false knowledge and limiting adjuncts to reveal the underlying Absolute Reality.
Aprakrita: Celestial, unworldly, or non-physical; often used by dualists to describe heavenly bodies, a concept Advaita considers ultimately illusory.
Aprameya: That which is beyond all worldly proofs, measurements, or objective verification.
Apratarkya: That which is beyond logic, inference, or the grasping power of the intellect.
Arati (Karpoora Arati): A ritual of worship involving the waving of lights or sacred camphor before a deity, a holy image, or a Guru.
Artha: Wealth or property; one of the traditional goals of human life that is considered acceptable only if pursued within the boundaries of moral duty (Dharma).
Arupa manas: A mind that is entirely free from forms, images, or conceptual constructs.
Asana: A yogic posture or physical seat adopted by a spiritual seeker for meditation.
Asanga: The state of being entirely unattached or perfectly free from limiting adjuncts (upadhis).
Asat: Non-existence, the unreal, or that which is other than pure Being; the illusory world of multiplicity.
Ashanti: The absence of peace; inner agitation caused by worldly desires and ego-identification.
Ashram: A secluded religious abode or spiritual center where a Guru and his disciples live, learn, and practice together.
Asmita: The ego or the ingrained, deeply rooted sense of “I-ness”.
Asura: A demon, evil spirit, or celestial enemy of the gods representing ignorance and negative forces.
Atma-jnani: One who has experientially realized the true Self (Atman) and remains anchored in that knowledge.
Atman (Atma): The true Self; the formless, immortal, and quality-less witnessing awareness. It remains constant despite the changing states of the body and mind, and is fundamentally identical to Brahman.
Atma-Prakash: The self-luminous Light of the Self, which requires no external source to shine and illuminates the mind.
Atmaram: One who rejoices solely in the Self; finding complete and lasting happiness within rather than in external objects.
Atma-swarupa: The true, fundamental nature or form of the Atman.
Atma-vichara: Self-enquiry; the direct spiritual path of introspective investigation into the nature of the Self. It primarily involves persistently asking “Who am I?” to trace the ego back to its source and dissolve it.
Atyantika swarupa: The one continuous, infinite reality that remains when all transient forms are negated.
Avadhuta: An ascetic who has attained divine knowledge and completely renounced all worldly attachments, social customs, and physical coverings.
Avarana: The covering or veiling power of illusion that hides the true, limitless nature of the Self.
Avarta: A whirlpool; utilized as a metaphor for being caught in the turbulent, inescapable cycles of worldly existence.
Avastha: A state of consciousness. In Vedanta, it traditionally refers to the three changing states of waking (jagrat), dream (svapna), and deep sleep (sushupti), which are transcended by the fourth state (turiya).
Avyaya: Beyond change, decay, or exhaustion; the immutable nature of the Supreme.
Ayushya: Life span; the allotted duration of an individual’s physical existence in a particular body.
Baddha: One who is in bondage; an individual who has not realized the Self and remains trapped by worldly attachments and desires.
Bahiranga: The outer circle or exterior; referring to external, superficial practices as opposed to inward, direct investigation.
Bahirmukhi manas: The outward-turned mind; the mind entangled in the external, objective world.
Bandha (Bandhana): Worldly bondage; the state of suffering and delusion caused by attachment and constantly thinking in terms of “I” and “mine”.
Bhagavan: The Lord, or the Radiant One; a title of reverence used for God as a personal creator. It is also used as a title for a fully realized sage, such as Sri Ramana Maharshi, who is recognized as having merged with the Absolute.
Bhagavata Purana: One of the principal traditional scriptures (Puranas) of Hinduism, often cited by sages for its spiritual teachings and stories of Avatars.
Bhajan: Devotional singing or songs of devotion performed during worship.
Bhakti: Devotion and love directed toward a personal God or the Sadguru. True devotion ultimately demands the complete surrender of one’s ego.
Bhasa: Mere appearance, illusion, or phantom; something that seems to exist but lacks fundamental reality.
Bhava: A profound feeling, emotion, or specific mental attitude, particularly referring to the devotional attitude held towards God or the Guru.
Bhava-roga: The “disease” of becoming an individual soul (jiva) and suffering in the cycle of birth and death.
Bheda buddhi: The concept or perception of differences and separation, which arises entirely from ignorance.
Bheda: Difference, separation, or the illusory feeling of separateness from the Absolute.
Bhoga: The experience of worldly joys and sorrows; sensory enjoyment or suffering undergone by the individual soul.
Bhogya(m): That which is enjoyed or experienced; the object of enjoyment or suffering.
Bhuma (Bhuman): Perfection, the Supreme, or the Infinite; the state wherein one sees no other, hears no other, and knows no other.
Bhumika: A stage of knowledge or spiritual development; often referring to the seven stages of enlightenment (Jnana bhumikas).
Bodha: Knowledge, awareness, or spiritual awakening.
Brahma Sutras: A highly revered collection of aphorisms compiling Vedanta philosophy, representing the synthesis of the Upanishads’ insights.
Brahmakara vritti: The thought of Brahman; the mind turned inward towards the Absolute, eventually dissolving into it.
Brahma-muhoorta: The early morning hours before sunrise, considered the most auspicious time for spiritual practice and meditation.
Brahman: The impersonal, Absolute Reality in Hinduism. It is the eternal, limitless, and unconditioned substrate of the universe, utterly devoid of all dualities, forms, and attributes.
Brahmanishtha: One who is firmly and permanently established in the constant awareness of Brahman.
Brahma-randhra: The tiniest of apertures located in the crown of the head, through which the silent, primordial sound or the flame of beingness can be felt.
Brahma-sthiti: The state of resting firmly in Brahman; abiding in the Ultimate Reality.
Brahma-swarupa: The true, authentic, and perfect nature of Brahman, completely independent of all limiting adjuncts.
Brahma-vid: A knower of Brahman; one who has realized the Supreme and is identical to Brahman Itself.
Brahma-vid-vara: The best among the knowers of Brahman, characterized by having achieved complete non-attachment to the material world.
Brahma-vid-varishtha: The supreme among the knowers of Brahman; one who is firmly and permanently established in the highest transcendental state.
Brahma-vid-variya: The most excellent among the knowers of Brahman, defined by the exalted state of non-perception of objects.
Buddhi: The intellect; the discerning and distinguishing faculty of the mind used for logical reasoning and spiritual discrimination.
Chaitanya: Pure consciousness, life force, or spiritually awakened awareness. It is the vitalizing principle that illuminates the mind and enlivens the body.
Chakra: A center or plexus of subtle psychic-spiritual energy within the physical body.
Charana tirtha: Sacred water that has been used to wash the feet of the Guru or a saint, revered for its purifying grace.
Chidabhasa: Reflected consciousness; the unreal, reflected light of awareness that creates the illusion of the individual jiva.
Chidakasha: The mental ether or the expanse of awareness; the mental space of time, perception, and recognition.
Chidvyoman: The wide, boundless expanse of pure consciousness.
Chinmaya: The fullness of consciousness; the state of being completely saturated with pure awareness.
Chinmudra: The hand pose of enlightenment or spiritual instruction, symbolizing the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Reality.
Chinta: A thought or idea; the mental modifications that arise and obscure the stillness of the Self.
Chintamani: A mythological, mystical jewel that possesses the power to fulfill all of its possessor’s desires.
Chit: Absolute Consciousness or pure awareness; the knowing principle that forms the foundation of reality.
Chitananda: Consciousness-Bliss; the state of pure awareness inherently united with supreme, unending joy.
Chit-jada-granthi: The false knot or link between pure Consciousness (Chit) and the inert physical body (jada) created by the ego.
Chitta: The individual consciousness, inner mind, or memory bank. It is the aspect of the mind where latent impressions and tendencies are stored.
Chitta-shuddhi: Cleansing or purification of the mind, often achieved through selfless action and devotion.
Daharakasha: The tiny space or ether within the spiritual Heart where the Atman is realized.
Dakshina: A traditional offering or gift, sometimes monetary, given by a disciple to the Guru out of profound reverence.
Dakshinamurti: An aspect of Lord Shiva manifesting as the universal Guru, depicted as a youth facing south, who teaches the highest truth through profound Silence.
Dama: The practice of self-control or establishing tranquility over the senses.
Dareshana: The craving, attachment, or intense desire for a spouse.
Darshan: The act of seeing or beholding a holy person, deity, or sage, which confers a transmission of spiritual grace or blessing.
Deha: The physical or gross body.
Deha-Buddhi: The intellect or ingrained mental habit that mistakenly identifies the eternal Self with the physical body.
Dehatma-buddhi: The deeply ingrained, ignorant feeling or conviction that “I am this physical body”.
Dehavasana: The latent mental tendency or subconscious attachment to the physical body and its survival.
Dharana: The practice of one-pointed concentration of the mind; the sixth step in the classical eightfold path of Raja Yoga.
Dharma: The eternal moral law, natural duty, or the righteous order of existence.
Dhyana: Meditation or uninterrupted contemplation. In its truest form, it transcends the triad of meditator, meditation, and the object of meditation.
Dhyana-yoga: The path of meditation or uninterrupted contemplation used to root out body-identification.
Digambara: “Clothed in the directions of space”; a naked ascetic who has entirely cast off societal norms and physical coverings.
Diksha: Formal spiritual initiation bestowed by a Guru upon a disciple.
Divya chakshus: The Divine Eye or the eye of Wisdom, representing absolute spiritual vision that transcends physical sight.
Drishti: Seeing, vision, or perception; the subjective perspective through which reality is viewed.
Drishti-srishti vada: The theory of simultaneous creation; the viewpoint that the world is created simultaneously with the perceiver’s perception of it, rather than existing independently.
Drishya: The seen; the object of perception, representing the entirety of the phenomenal world.
Dukha-bandhana: The severe bondage of suffering inherent in worldly attachment and the cycle of rebirth.
Dvaita: Duality or dualism; the philosophical doctrine maintaining that the creator and the individual soul are fundamentally separate entities.
Dwija: “Twice-born”; referring to one who has undergone formal spiritual initiation, marking the birth of spiritual awareness.
Ekagrata: One-pointed, unbroken concentration of attention on a single thought or object.
Ekarupa: The same, unchanging Reality that maintains a single, uniform state beneath all transient appearances.
Ekatva: Absolute oneness; the realization that no secondary entity exists apart from the singular Self.
Garbhagriha: The innermost sanctum of a Hindu temple, where the image of the primary deity is installed.
Gopuram: The monumental, ornate gateway tower of a South Indian Hindu temple.
Grihastha: A householder; the second stage in the traditional life of a Hindu, reconciling family duties with spiritual growth.
Gunas: The three fundamental qualities or attributes—sattva (purity), rajas (activity), and tamas (inertia)—that constitute primary nature (Prakriti) and govern the phenomenal world.
Guru: A true spiritual teacher or preceptor who has realized the Self. The Guru dispels the darkness of ignorance and is fundamentally identical to God and the Self.
Guru-gamya-marga: The spiritual path that is exclusively led and guided by the Grace and instruction of the Guru.
Guru-kripa: The Grace of the Guru, which acts as the primary catalyst for destroying the disciple’s ignorance.
Hatha Yoga: A system of yoga emphasizing physical practices, postures, and breath control aimed at maintaining a healthy body for prolonged meditation.
Hetu: The cause or origin of a particular effect or manifestation.
Hiranyagarbha: The “Golden Womb” or cosmic mind; it represents the subtle body of God or the universe containing a multitude of thoughts in a latent state.
Hita-shatru: An enemy who pretends to be your well-wisher; often used metaphorically for the ego or worldly attachments.
Hridaya granthi: The “knot of the Heart”; the false link or psychological entanglement between the pure, formless Self and the physical body.
Hridayam: The spiritual Heart; not the physical organ, but the ultimate seat of Consciousness and the true Self within the individual.
Idam: “This”; a term commonly used in Vedanta to refer to the manifested, objective world, as opposed to the subjective “I”.
Indriyas: The senses or sense organs through which the mind interacts with and perceives the external world.
Ishna: Cravings, desires, or intense longings for worldly objects, wealth, or progeny.
Ishta-devata: A personal God or a specific form of the Divine chosen by a devotee as an object of worship or meditation.
Ishvara: God; the Supreme Lord and Creator of the universe. It represents the manifested, personal aspect of Brahman endowed with attributes.
Jada: Inert, insentient, or inanimate nature; that which is entirely devoid of knowledge and consciousness.
Jagrat: The waking state of consciousness. In this state, the individual identifies with the gross body and perceives the external phenomenal world.
Jagrat-sushupti: Wakeful deep sleep; a state of consciousness with full awareness of “I am” but completely devoid of thoughts.
Japa: The spiritual discipline of silently or audibly repeating a sacred mantra or the divine name of God.
Jiva: The individual soul or empirical self. Trapped in illusion, the jiva falsely claims the body and mind as “I” and “mine,” causing worldly bondage.
Jiva-bhava: The false, limiting notion or idea that “I am a bound, individual soul (jiva).”
Jiva-Brahma-aikya-jnana: The ultimate experiential knowledge that the individual soul (jiva) and the universal Creator (Brahman) are fundamentally identical.
Jivanmukta: A realized being who has attained ultimate spiritual liberation (Moksha) while still living and functioning within a physical body.
Jivanmukti: The state of spiritual liberation achieved while still living and functioning within the physical body.
Jivatman: The individual self or empirical soul, which through ignorance believes itself separate from the Universal Self.
Jnana (Gnyana/Gyana): True, absolute spiritual knowledge or wisdom. It is the direct realization of the transcendental and formless Absolute, destroying the illusion of duality.
Jnana-marga: The path of knowledge or wisdom; the direct path of inquiry leading to self-realization.
Jnani: A fully realized sage or knower of Truth. A Jnani has experientially recognized their identity with the Self and remains unaffected by worldly dualities.
Kailasa: The mythical Himalayan abode of Lord Shiva; considered the ultimate spiritual heaven for devotees.
Kaivalya: The state of absolute oneness or the ‘One only’ state; isolation from all dualities.
Kalpana: Imagination, fantasies, or the creative projections of the mind.
Kama: Sensual desire, lust, or the craving for worldly enjoyment.
Kamadhenu: The mythical, wish-fulfilling cow of plenty that emerged from the churning of the cosmic ocean.
Kanthabharana: An ornament worn around the neck; used metaphorically for a seeker anxiously searching externally for the Self that is already right there.
Karana sharira: The causal body; the state of dark void corresponding to deep sleep, characterized by complete ignorance and forgetfulness.
Karana: Cause; the origin or source of a particular effect.
Karma Yoga: The path of selfless, disinterested action performed purely out of duty, without any attachment to the fruits or results.
Karma: Action or work, as well as the moral consequences and destiny generated by those actions over lifetimes.
Karma-kanda: The portion of the Vedas dealing with rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonial actions aimed at specific results.
Karmendriya: An organ of action (e.g., hands, feet, speech, excretory, and reproductive organs).
Kartru: The doer, agent of action, or creator; an identity falsely assumed by the ego.
Kevala Kumbhaka: The sudden, effortless retention or cessation of breath, occurring without the active process of inhalation or exhalation.
Kevala Nirvikalpa Samadhi: A temporary state of trance-like concentration where the mind is fully absorbed in the Self, but the ego returns upon waking.
Kevala samadhi: A temporary state of samadhi in which the activities of the mind and body are fully suspended, but from which the ego eventually returns upon waking.
Khanda: Division, fragment, or part; the opposite of Akhanda (the unbroken whole).
Kinchitjna: Possessing limited knowledge; a false attribute of the jiva due to its limiting adjuncts.
Klesha: Affliction, suffering, or distress inherent in worldly existence.
Kosha: A sheath or covering that hides the true Self. The texts commonly describe five such layers (e.g., annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya, anandamaya) representing the gross, subtle, and causal bodies.
Krama mukti: Gradual liberation attained step-by-step over time, often moving through higher celestial realms before final dissolution.
Krama srishti: The theory of gradual creation, positing that the universe evolved systematically over stages.
Krodha: Anger or rage.
Kshetra: A field, the physical body, or a sacred place of spiritual pilgrimage.
Kshipta: An active, scattered, or highly distracted state of the mind.
Kutastha: The immutable, unchangeable, and eternal soul that remains at the summit of existence.
Laghu: Light, easy, or simple.
Lakshana: A sign, mark, or indicating characteristic used for philosophical definition.
Lakshya: The target, aim, or intended goal upon which spiritual attention is rigidly focused.
Lakshya-artha: The implied or intended meaning of a word or text, as opposed to its direct, literal interpretation.
Laukika: Worldly or pertaining to the mundane, phenomenal world.
Laya: Dissolution, absorption, or the temporary suspension of the mind’s activities. It is often mistaken for true realization (Sahaja Samadhi) but is only a temporary state of mental quietude.
Lila (Leela): The divine play or sport; the phenomenal world viewed as the spontaneous, effortless manifestation of the Absolute.
Linga (Lingam): A vertical stone pillar often used as a symbol of Shiva or the formless Absolute Reality.
Linga sharira: The subtle body, consisting of the mind, intellect, and vital energies.
Loka: A world, a realm of existence, or that which is seen and perceived.
Loka-vasana: The subtle, binding attachment to the respect, praise, or opinions of people in the world.
Madhya / Madhyama: The center or intermediate state; specifically, the middle stage in the manifestation of sound/speech before it becomes audible.
Mahabhootas: The five great, primary components or elements (earth, water, fire, air, space) from which the gross universe is constructed.
Mahakarana: The prime causal body, characterized by pure knowledge, the “I Amness,” or unqualified awareness.
Maha-karta: The “great doer”; a term designating the mind, as it is perpetually busy and engaged in worldly action.
Mahamauna: Absolute silence; the supreme state where even the thought “I am awareness” subsides.
Maha-mrityu: The great death; the ultimate dissolution and annihilation of all creation.
Mahasamadhi: The moment a fully enlightened sage consciously leaves the physical body.
Maha-sattva: Supreme Harmony; the purest, most highly elevated aspect of being.
Mahat-tattva: The great principle; the supreme consciousness or ultimate reality.
Mahavakya: “Great sayings” from the Upanishads that express the profound experiential truth of the identity between the individual soul and Brahman. An example is “Tat Tvam Asi” (You are That).
Malina: Impure; stained by ignorance, desires, or worldly attachments.
Manana: The process of deep, intellectual reflection and pondering upon the spiritual teachings heard from the Guru to assimilate their truth.
Manas: The mind; the thinking faculty responsible for producing thoughts, doubts, and the identification with objects.
Manasa-pooja: Mental worship or offering performed entirely within the mind.
Manolaya: The temporary quieting, involution, or suspension of the mind, which is often mistaken by seekers for true realization.
Manomaya kosha: The mental sheath covering the Atman, composed of the mind and its faculties.
Manonasha: The complete and final extinction or destruction of the mind/ego, leading to permanent liberation.
Mantra japa: The discipline of silently or audibly repeating a sacred word or mantra to purify the mind.
Mantra: A sacred word, syllable, or formula containing spiritual power. It is used for repetition to purify the mind and connect with the Divine.
Maya: The cosmic illusion or deceptive power inherent in Brahman. It projects the appearance of the phenomenal world from nothing and conceals the underlying non-dual Reality.
Moksha (Mukti): Ultimate liberation and emancipation from the cycle of birth and death, worldly bondage, and suffering. It culminates in supreme bliss and unity with the Self.
Mouna (Mauna): Supreme Silence. It is not merely the absence of speech, but the transcendent, thought-free experience of the Self, which is the ultimate truth of Brahman.
Mula-avidya: Primal, root ignorance that serves as the foundational cause for the illusion of individuality and the world.
Mula-maya: The root or primary illusion; the initial impulse, conceptual boundary, or original awareness of “I am” from which all other illusions spring.
Mumukshu: A spiritual aspirant who possesses an intense, burning yearning for liberation.
Nada: A subtle mystic sound or internal sound-light experienced in advanced stages of meditation.
Nadi: A yogic nerve, channel, or psychic current in the subtle body through which vital energy flows.
Namaskar (Namaskaram): The act of prostration or respectfully joining the palms before God or a Guru, representing the physical surrender of the ego.
Nanu: The Kannada word for ‘I’ that falsely includes the body, sense organs, and mind, as opposed to the pure ‘I’ (Tanu).
Navaratri: The “nine nights” festival in Hinduism, traditionally celebrating the Divine Mother.
Neti-Neti: Literally “not this, not this”. It is the analytical path of negation used to strip away false identifications with names, forms, and bodies to reach the eternal Truth of the Self.
Nididhyasana: Uninterrupted contemplation; the practice of firmly fixing the mind on the single thought of being the Atman to root out body-identification.
Nija-pada: The true state of being; the original, uncontaminated state of the Self.
Nirakara upasana: The advanced spiritual practice of meditating upon the formless aspect of Brahman.
Nirguna upasana: Meditation focused exclusively on the Supreme Reality completely devoid of any attributes or qualities.
Nirguna: Without attributes, qualities, or form. It represents the unconditioned, absolute state of Reality, free from phenomenal existence.
Nirlep: Utterly unattached; free from any binding residue or stain of karma.
Nirodha: Control, restraint, or suppression of the mental modifications (vrittis) to achieve stillness.
Nirvikalpa Samadhi: The highest state of trance-like concentration where the mind is fully absorbed in the Self, free of all modifications, doubts, and thoughts.
Nishkama karma: Selfless action; activities or duties performed without any desire for personal gain or attachment to the fruits of the action.
Nitya: Eternal, permanent, and ever-present; a defining characteristic of the Ultimate Reality.
Nivritti marga: The path of withdrawal, renunciation, and turning the mind inward toward the Self, away from worldly actions.
Nivritti: Complete withdrawal from worldly desires; the cessation of the mind’s outgoing modifications to turn inward.
Niyama: Law, rule, or regulation; specifically, the ethical observances of internal and external purity in classical yoga.
Omkar(a): The sacred primordial sound “Om”, embodying both the unmanifested and manifested Reality before the formation of words.
Padam: Literally “foot”; often used metaphorically as a reverent synonym for the supreme state of the Self or the Guru’s Grace.
Panchikarana: The mixing, compounding, or combining of the five primary elements to form the gross physical universe.
Papa: Sin; the negative karmic consequences or fruits generated by bad actions and immoral desires.
Para: Supreme, transcendent, or beyond; also designates the highest, completely unmanifest stage of speech.
Paraa Bhakti: Supreme, absolute devotion where the devotee completely merges into and becomes indistinguishable from the object of devotion.
Parabrahman: The Supreme Absolute Reality; the ultimate, stateless state existing beyond space, time, consciousness, and all attributes.
Para-dharma: A dharma or duty that is alien to the Atman; the worldly duties falsely assumed by the ego.
Parama-pada: The highest, ultimate state of spiritual realization and peace.
Paramartha: The highest spiritual truth, the ultimate reality, or the paramount spiritual duty to know oneself.
Paramarthika: The absolute, ultimate, and unconditional Reality, as opposed to the relative or empirical world.
Paramatman: The Supreme Self; the eternal Absolute state that is fundamentally identical to the Universal Brahman.
Paratpara: “Beyond the beyond”; the ultimate Reality that is completely out of reach for the sense organs, mind, and intellect.
Para-Vastu: The supreme substance; the only reality that actually exists, beyond all illusions.
Para-vidya: Higher spiritual learning or the supreme knowledge of the Absolute Reality.
Paricchinna: Finite or limited; referring to the illusory boundaries placed upon the limitless Self.
Paroksha: Indirect, theoretical, or borrowed knowledge obtained from books or teachers, rather than direct experiential realization.
Pashyanti: The initial, subtle stage of the manifestation of speech and thought, where truth is contemplated before verbalization.
Paurusha: Valour, manliness, or vigorous personal effort utilized in spiritual practice.
Phala: The fruit, consequence, or moral result of an action.
Pippilika marg: The “ant’s way”; the slow, step-by-step traditional path of prolonged meditation towards realization.
Pongal: A traditional South Indian dish made of rice, lentils, and ghee, often offered to God as Prasad.
Pradakshina (Giri-pradakshina): The devotional act of circumambulating (walking clockwise around) a holy person, a sacred image, or a holy mountain like Arunachala.
Prajna: The higher awareness or the state of individual consciousness present during deep, dreamless sleep.
Prajnana: Total, perfect Consciousness; absolute Wisdom or direct Knowledge of the Self.
Prakriti: The causal matter, cosmic substance, or primary nature. It serves as the original uncaused cause of phenomenal existence and is animated by Purusha.
Pralaya: The total dissolution, absorption, or un-manifestation of the world/universe at the end of a cosmic cycle.
Pramana: The means of valid knowledge or the basis of proof in philosophical inquiry.
Prana: Vital breath or life-force energy that animates and sustains the physical body and mental functions.
Prarabdha (Karma): The specific portion of a person’s past karma that has begun to bear fruit and must be exhausted as destiny in the present lifetime.
Prasad: Blessed food or objects returned to a devotee after being ceremonially offered to God or a Guru, serving as a vehicle of divine grace.
Pratyaksha: Direct, immediate perception or lived experience.
Pravritti marga: The path of active engagement, outward turning of the mind, and action in worldly life.
Puja: Ceremonial worship of God or a Guru, often involving offerings of flowers, water, and light to express deep devotion.
Purna (Poornam): Full, complete, and infinite perfection; lacking nothing.
Purusha: The cosmic Spirit, eternal Self, or pure consciousness residing in the heart of all things. It is independent of matter (Prakriti) and functions as the ultimate witness.
Purushartha: The four traditional goals of human life: dharma (duty), artha (wealth), kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation).
Rajas (Rajo-guna): The quality or mode of nature characterized by passion, restlessness, egoic ambition, and constant activity.
Rakshana: Protection; specifically referring to the divine protection shielding the earnest seeker.
Rishi: A seer or sage of ancient times who intuitively heard or realized the sacred scriptural truths.
Sadanubhava: The constant, unbroken experience of the Eternal Reality.
Sadashiva: The eternally prosperous, constantly blissful state of the Supreme Lord.
Sad-Chit: The transcendental condition for universal potentiality; pure Existence-Consciousness before manifestation.
Sadhaka: A spiritual aspirant or seeker actively engaged in practicing spiritual disciplines to attain liberation.
Sadhana: Spiritual practice; the specific disciplines, meditations, and methods adopted by a seeker to achieve realization.
Sadhana: Spiritual practices, disciplines, or methodologies actively undertaken by an aspirant to achieve self-realization and liberation.
Sadhu: A holy person, ascetic, or earnest spiritual seeker who has renounced worldly attachments to dedicate themselves wholly to spiritual practice.
Saguna: With qualities or attributes; representing the manifested, conditioned aspect of Brahman or God that can be conceptualized by the mind.
Sahaja Nirvikalpa Samadhi: The permanent and natural state of unbroken self-awareness, maintained effortlessly even while functioning in the world.
Sahaja samadhi: The natural, effortless state of unbroken self-awareness and boundless peace, maintained continuously even while functioning normally in the worldly life.
Sahaja-avastha: The natural state; the condition of resting exactly as you inherently are without any forced effort or conceptualization.
Sajujya mukti: The highest form of liberation where the individual completely merges and dissolves into the Ultimate.
Sama-bhava: The attitude of universal equality; looking at all beings and events alike as manifestations of the One.
Sama-tatva: The common, underlying principle that unites all diverse manifestations in the universe.
Samatva: Equanimity, evenness of mind, or the practice of viewing all beings and events equally as manifestations of the Spirit.
Samsara: The endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; the realm of phenomenal existence and its inherent suffering.
Samskara: Deeply ingrained innate mental tendencies, habits, or subconscious impressions carried over from past experiences.
Sanchita karma: The vast storehouse of accumulated karma from previous births that has not yet begun to bear fruit in the present life.
Sandhya: The transitional time of twilight; spiritually representing the space of effortless knowing between thoughts, or meditating on the Gayatri mantra.
Sanga: Association, company, or connection, typically referring to the spiritual or worldly company one keeps.
Sankalpa: Will, intention, or thought; the faculty of the mind to choose, make decisions, or formulate desires.
Sannyasa: The formal renunciation of all worldly attachments, family ties, and material possessions; the final stage of traditional Hindu life.
Sannyasin: A monk or ascetic who has formally renounced the world to dedicate themselves exclusively to the spiritual quest.
Sarvajna: The all-knowing one or omniscient; an attribute of Ishvara.
Sarvashakta: The all-powerful or omnipotent; an attribute of the Supreme Creator.
Sat: Pure Existence, Absolute Reality, or Truth; the transcendental aspect of the Supreme Principle.
Satchitananda (Sat-Chit-Ananda): Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. It defines the three-fold fundamental nature of the Self and the absolute perfection of Brahman.
Satsang: Association with the wise, saints, or realized masters; keeping company with the Truth.
Sattva (Sattva-guna): The quality or mode of nature characterized by purity, clarity, light, and harmony.
Sattva: The mode or quality of purity, clarity, harmony, and light; the highest of the three gunas.
Satya-kama: One who deeply yearns for the Supreme Truth and casts aside worldly attachments to find it.
Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram: The ultimate reality characterized conceptually as True, Good (Auspicious), and Beautiful.
Shakti: Power or energy; the divine dynamic force that manifests, sustains, and destroys the universe.
Shanti: Supreme peace or inner tranquility attained through the realization of the Self.
Shastra: Sacred scriptures, traditional texts, or the spiritual science of truth.
Shastra-vasana: The attachment to endless learning and scriptural study, which eventually becomes a distraction and an obstacle to direct realization.
Shishya: A dedicated disciple or student who seeks instruction and faithfully serves their Guru.
Shraddha: Earnestness, deep faith, or sincere trust in the spiritual teachings and the guidance of the Guru.
Shravana: The act of attentively and reverently hearing the Truth from the Guru; the foundational first stage of the path of Knowledge.
Shreyas: That which is truly good or spiritually beneficial in the long run, even if it may not be immediately pleasant to the ego.
Shruti: “That which is heard”; the Vedas, which are recognized as direct, authoritative divine revelations.
Shuddhi: Total purification of the mind and heart, rendering the internal instrument fit for self-realization.
Shunya: Absolute void or emptiness; occasionally used as a synonym for Brahman to indicate the complete absence of all phenomenal concepts.
Siddha: A perfected being; a fully realized sage who has achieved the ultimate spiritual goal.
Siddhi: Supernatural or psychic powers acquired through specific practices; it can also refer to ultimate spiritual attainment.
Siddhi: Supernatural or psychic powers acquired through yogic practices, which are ultimately considered distractions on the path to realization.
Soham: The sacred assertion “I am He” (I am Brahman), expressing the fundamental identity of the individual and the Absolute.
Sphurana: Pulsation, throbbing, or sudden vibration; specifically used to describe the continuous, underlying emanation of the “I-I” awareness in the Heart.
Sthita-prajna: One who is firmly and unshakeably established in transcendental wisdom and continuous Self-knowledge.
Sthula sharira: The gross physical body made of the five elements.
Sukha: Worldly happiness, comfort, or temporary pleasure.
Sukshma sharira: The subtle body, comprised of the mind, intellect, and vital energies.
Sushumna: The central and most important subtle nerve channel (nadi) in the yogic system, running through the spinal column.
Sushupti: The state of deep, dreamless sleep where the ego vanishes and only fundamental ignorance or causal void remains.
Sutra: A concise aphorism or brief thread of spiritual knowledge that typically requires a commentary for full comprehension.
Sutratma: The connecting link between all beings; the thread-like supporter of the manifested worlds, synonymous with Pure Consciousness.
Swayambhoo: That which manifests spontaneously on its own, without being created or shaped by anyone; self-existent.
Tamas (Tamo-guna): The quality or mode of nature characterized by darkness, inertia, dullness, and profound ignorance.
Tantra: A spiritual methodology or textual tradition focused on utilizing Divine energy (Shakti) and creative power for realization.
Tanu: The Kannada word for the real ‘I’, representing pure awareness completely stripped of the body, mind, and sense organs.
Tapa: Austerity, focused penance, or deep meditation intended to burn away ignorance and attachments.
Tattva: An essential principle, element, or truth; the core quality or essence of reality.
Turiya: The “fourth” state of consciousness. It is the superconscious state of enlightenment that transcends and underlies the three ordinary states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.
Upadhi: A limiting adjunct or superimposition; the false additions (like body, mind, and titles) that hide the boundless Self.
Upanishad: The concluding, highly philosophical portions of the Vedas that contain the direct teachings on Brahman and Atman.
Vachaspati: “Lord of Speech”; identified by the masters as the state of consciousness where the knowledge ‘I am’ is fully present, encompassing the animal and human kingdoms.
Vachya-artha: The direct or literal meaning of a word or text, as opposed to its implied meaning (lakshya-artha).
Vairagya: Complete dispassion, detachment, or freedom from worldly desires and attachments.
Vanaspati: “Lord of the Plants”; identified with the plant kingdom and the latent, dormant state of being.
Vasanas: Latent mental tendencies, habits, or subtle impressions carried over from past actions that drive future desires.
Vichara: Inquiry; specifically referring to Atma-Vichara or Self-inquiry, the direct investigation into the nature of “Who am I?”.
Vihangama marg: The “bird’s way”; the direct, instant path of immediate understanding and realization taught by some masters, bypassing prolonged meditation.
Vijnana: Supreme or absolute knowledge; the realization that exists between and beyond worldly knowledge and ignorance.
Vijnanamaya kosha: The sheath of the intellect, composed of the discerning faculty and ego.
Vijnanatma: The ignorant, illusory self that falsely believes it is the subjective experiencer and the doer of actions.
Vishranti: Absolute rest and complete relaxation leading to the total forgetfulness of the world, experienced temporarily in deep sleep or permanently in Samadhi.
Vitteshana: The intense craving or psychological desire for wealth and material riches.
Viveka: Spiritual discrimination; the discerning ability to distinguish between the eternal, real Self and the transient, unreal world.
Vritti: A thought wave or mental modification; the continuous vibrations or activities of the mind that obscure the Self.

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