Sanskrit M Flashcards
Mahabharata (“Great Bharata”)
one of India’s two great ancient epics telling of the great war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas and serving as a repository for many spiritual and moral teachings
Mahatma (from maha-atman, “great self”)
an honorific title (meaning something like “a great soul”) bestowed on particularly meritorious individuals, such as Gandhi
Maithuna (“twinning”)
the Tantric sexual ritual in which the participants view each other as Shiva and Shakti respectively
Manas (“mind”)
the lower mind, which is bound to the senses and yields information (vijnana) rather than wisdom (jnana, vidya); cf. buddhi
Mandala (“circle”)
a circular design symbolizing the cosmos and specific to a deity
Mantra (from the verbal root man “to think”)
a sacred sound or phrase, such as om, hum, or om namah shivaya, that has a transformative effect on the mind of the individual reciting it; to be ultimately effective, a mantra needs to be given in an initiatory context (diksha)
Mantra-Yoga
the yogic path utilizing mantras as the primary means of liberation
Marman (“lethal [spot]”)
in Ayurveda and yoga, a vital spot on the physical body where energy is concentrated or blocked; cf. granthi
Matsyendra (“Lord of Fish”)
an early Tantric master who founded the Yogini-Kaula school and is remembered as a teacher of Goraksha
Maya (“she who measures”)
the deluding or illusive power of the world; illusion by which the world is seen as separate from the ultimate singular Reality (atman)
Moksha (“release”)
the condition of freedom from ignorance (avidya) and the binding effect of karma; also called mukti, kaivalya
Mudra (“seal”)
a hand gesture (such as cin-mudra) or whole-body gesture (such as viparita-karani-mudra); also a designation of the feminine partner in the Tantric sexual ritual
Muni (“he who is silent”)
a sage
