| ahimsa
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The term meaning nonharm or nonviolence.
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| Aryan
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The name of the warrior-dominated, patriarchal people who entered India from the northwest after 2000 B.C.E.
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| ashram
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A spiritual community.
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| Atman
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The spiritual essence of all individual human beings.
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| avatar
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An earthly embodiment of a deity.
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| Bhagavad Gita
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A spiritual classic in Hinduism that is a conversation between Arjuna and Krishna preserved in the Mahabharata.
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| bhakti
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Devotion to a deity or guru.
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| bhakti yoga
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The spiritual discipline of devotion to a deity or guru.
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| Brahman
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The spiritual essence of the universe.
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| brahmin
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Member of the priestly caste in Hinduism.
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| castes
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The major social classes sanctioned by Hinduism.
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| Devi
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"Goddess"; the Divine Feminine, also called the Great Mother.
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| dhyana
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Meditation or the experience of the mind focused only on the object of concentration.
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| Durga
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"Awe-inspiring,""distant"; a goddess that is a form of Devi.
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| Ganges
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The most sacred river in India
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| guru
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Spiritual leader.
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| Harappa culture
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The culture that flourished in the Indus valley before 2000 B.C.E.
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| hatha yoga
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The spiritual discipline of postures and bodily exercises.
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| jnana yoga
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The spiritual discipline of knowledge and insight.
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| Kali
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A form of Devi; a goddess associated with destruction and rebirth.
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| karma
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The moral law of cause and effect that determines the direction of rebirth.
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| karma yoga
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The spiritual discipline of selfless action.
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| Krishna
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A god associated with divine playfulness; a form of Vishnu.
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| mantra
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A short sacred phrase, often chanted or used in meditation.
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| maya
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"Illusion";
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| Mohandas Gandhi
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The leader of the movement toward Indian independence who advocated nonviolent methods to effect social change.
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| moksha
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"Liberation" from personal limitation, egotism, and rebirth.
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| puja
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Offerings and ritual in honor of deity.
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| raja yoga | The "royal" discipline of meditation.
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| Rama
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A god and mythical king; a form of Vishnu.
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| samadhi
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A state of complete inner peace resulting from meditation.
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| samsara
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The everyday world of change and suffering, leading to rebirth.
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| sannyasin
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A wandering holy man.
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| satyagraha
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The term that is translated variously as "reality force" or "truth force"; the term Gandhi used to describe the power of nonviolent resistance to oppressive social structures.
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| shakti
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The energies associated with the female consorts of the male deities.
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| Shiva
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A god associated with destruction and rebirth.
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| Trimurti
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"Three forms" of the divine; the three gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
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| Upanishads
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Written meditations on the spiritual essence of the universe and the self.
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| Vedas
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Four collections of ancient prayers and rituals included in Hindu sacred scripture.
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| Vishnu
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A god associated with preservation and love.
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| yoga
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A spiritual discipline; a method for perfecting oneís union with the divine.
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education