key words Flashcards
ātman
“self”
or self existence essence of individuals
avatāra
“descent”
descent forms or incarnations of visnu but more widely to any manifestation of a deity in a particular physical form
Bhagavadgītā
An episode of seven hundred verses embedded in book six of the great Sanskrit poem Mahābhārata
bhakti
“worship”. “devotion”, “participation”
religious attitudes and practices predicated on total devotion to a supreme deity
Brahmā
Brahma is a Hindu god, referred to as “The Creator” within the Trimurti, the triple deity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva. He is associated with creation, knowledge and Vedas.
brahman/brāhmaṇa
Brahman is a supreme, universal spirit that is eternal and unchanging and is displayed as being present throughout the entire universe
- all living beings carry a part of Brahman within them. This divine spark is known as the atman , or soul, and it is immortal.
darshan
form of hindu worship and central to any extended form of puja
meeting of devotee and dietys eyes
dharma
‘truth’ ‘order’ ‘duty’ ‘order’
Durgā
A name given to the most prominent, fierce form of Devī,
warrior goddess
Kālī
name of fierce and terrible form of Devi
master of death, time and change
Kṛṣṇa (Krishna)
one of major hindu gods, regarded by his devotees as the supreme diety
some scholars refer to as the ‘composite’ god
Liṅga
mark, sign, phallus of siva
most often rendered today as a cylindrical form, set into an oval, round, or square base.
Mahābhārata
one of two ancient Indian/sanskrit epics
Mīmāṃsā
Mīmāṁsā is a Sanskrit word that means “reflection” or “critical investigation” and thus refers to a tradition of contemplation which reflected on the meanings of certain Vedic texts
one of six systems of `Indian philosophy
mokṣa
ultimate soteriological goal of an individual’s ritual, ethical, or devotional striving/ various forms of enlightenment, liberation/emancipation
prakṛti
the female of the two fundamental principles which constitute reality
ultimate cause of all material existence
prasād(a)
free choice or action of a deity to favour a devotee with the means to liberation or liberations itself
food and water offered to a deity during worship
belief deity partakes of and returns offering by consecrating it
pūjā
‘worship’
‘pūjā’ denotes the ritual worship of a deity in the form of an image
Purāṇas
huge body of narrative religious texts
contain narratives from creation to destruction
some are discourses on cosmology
puruṣa
male person/ supreme being
totality of things/essence of the individual
Rāmāyaṇa
What is Ramayana in Hinduism?
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic which follows Prince Rama’s quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of Ravana with the help of an army of monkeys.
renouncer (saṃnyāsin)
member of the three higher varnas and has renounced external Vedic ritual and the life of the householder in order to dedicate himself to the pursuit of moksa
Śakti (Shakti)
‘energy’/ ‘power’ personified as a feminine principle
either as male consort or independent goddess or devi
Sāṃkhya
One of six darshans (philosophies) intimations of a fundamental dualism between male spirit and female matter
dualism of matter (prakriti) and the eternal spirit (purusha).
Śiva
One of the three great deities of medieval and subsequent Hinduism; destroyer
mūrti
The image, icon, or concrete form of a deity
Upaniṣads
The Upanishads are the philosophical-religious texts of Hinduism
fourth layer of vedic literature
Vaiśeṣika
one of six darshanas
foundational texts attempts to identify the fundamental constituents of the material universe.
varṇa
The principle by which, according to Brahmanical ideology, society is ideally ranked in a complementary hierarchy of four ‘classes’ or varṇas (brahmins, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras), differentiated by particular social functions assigned by birth
Vedānta
one of six darshanas
Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, the speculations and philosophies contained in the Upanishads, specifically, knowledge and liberation
Vedas
primary sacred text
body of sanskrit texts
Viṣṇu (Vishnu)
One of the three great deities of medieval and subsequent Hinduism
preserver and protector of the universe
yoga
one of six darshanas
usually paired with samkhya
goal is the state of blissful liberation
closer to brahman
yoni
A stylized representation of female genitalia, representing the Goddess and/or female power (śakti)
consort of shiva
Nyāya
one of six darshanas
‘reasoning’ , ‘logic’, ‘method’
Pārvatī
Hindu goddess of power, nourishment, harmony, devotion, and motherhood. She is Devi in her complete form.
