Hinduism Vocabulary

Question 1

artha

Answer 1

Material success and social prestige, one of the four goals of life

Question 2

Atman

Answer 2

The eternal self, which the Upanishads identify with Brahman; often lowercase: the eternal Self or soul of an individual that is reincarnated from one body to the next and is ultimately identified with Atman

Question 3

avatar

Answer 3

An incarnation, or living embodiment, of a deity, usually of Vishnu, who is sent to earth to accomplish a divine purpose; Krishna and Rama are the most popular avatars.

Question 4

Bhagavad-Gita

Answer 4

A short section of the epic poem Mahabharata in which the god Krishna teaches the great warrior Arjuna about bhakti marga and other ways to God; Hinduism’s most popular sacred text.

Question 5

bhakti marga

Answer 5

The most popular of the three Hindu paths to salvation, em­phasizing loving devotion to one’s chosen god or goddess.

Question 6

Brahman

Answer 6

The eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe, beyond[…]”

Question 7

brahmin

Answer 7

The highest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of priests

Question 8

caste system

Answer 8

Traditional division of Hindu society into various categories; there are four main varnas, or classes: brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, and shudra; each class con­tains numerous subgroups, resulting in more than three thousand categories.

Question 9

dharma

Answer 9

Ethical duty based on the divine order of reality; one of the four goals of life

Question 10

jnana marga

Answer 10

One of three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing knowing the true nature of reality through learning and meditation.

Question 11

kama

Answer 11

Pleasure, especially of sensual love; one of the four goals of life.

Question 12

karma

Answer 12

The moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one’s reincarnation.

Question 13

karma marga

Answer 13

One of three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasiz­ing performing right actions according to dharma.

Question 14

kshatriya

Answer 14

The second of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of war­riors and administrators.

Question 15

maya

Answer 15

Cosmic illusion brought about by divine creative power.

Question 16

moksha

Answer 16

Liberation or release of the individual self, atman, from the bondage of samsara; salvation; one of the four goals of life.

Question 17

monism

Answer 17

The doctrine that reality is ultimately made up of only one essence.

Question 18

Rig Veda

Answer 18

A collection of 1,017 Sanskrit hymns composed about 1500 BC or earlier; Hinduism’s oldest sacred text.

Question 19

samadhi

Answer 19

A trancelike state in which self-consciousness is lost, and the mind is absorbed into the

Question 20

shudra

Answer 20

The lowest of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of servants and laborers

Question 21

Upanishads

Answer 21

A collection of over two hundred texts composed between 900 and 200 BC that provide philosophical commentary on the Vedas.

Question 22

Sankhya

Answer 22

One of the six classic schools of orthodox religion

Question 23

sannyasa

Answer 23

the life stage of reincarnation

Question 24

sati

Answer 24

widow throwing herself onto her husband

Question 25

shudra

Answer 25

member of the worker cast

Question 26

vaishya

Answer 26

The third of the four classes of the caste system, traditionally made up of producers, such as farmers, merchants, and artisans.

Question 27

Vedanta

Answer 27

A system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, “the path of knowledge,” holding that all reality is es­sentially Brahman; most notable advocate is the medieval Hindu philosopher Shankara.

Question 28

Samsara

Answer 28

the cycle of death and rebirth

Question 29

Yoga

Answer 29

A system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, “the path of knowledge,” seeking to free the eternal self from the bondage of personhood, culminating in the experience of samadhi; lowercase: physical and psycho­logical techniques for spiritual advancement.”