Vedanta Terms Flashcards
Advaita
Non-dualism
Adi Shankara
Great saint from the 7th century; commentator of the Vedanta. Led the revival of Hinduism and established the Shankaracharya monasteries
Agni
Fire, digestive fire, one of the ancient Vedic deities
Amma
Mother, mother goddess
Amrit
Nectar of immortality
Ananda
Bliss
Ashram
Retreat center, hermitage
Atman
Soul
Aura
Luminous radiation, field of subtle energy surrounding a physical body
Avatar
Direct incarnation of God
Ayurveda
Science of life
Bandas
To hold, lock or embrace
Bhagavad Gita
Epic poem of 18 chapters
Bhajan
Devotional hymn
Bija
Seed
Bindu
Spot; symbol for the universe in its unmanifest form
Brahma
Creator of the universe
Brahman
The Absolute, totality, all there is
Brahmin
Highest of the Indian castes
Chaitanya
Consciousness
Dharma
Purpose in life
Darshan
To see or be in the presence of a holy person or deity
Guru
Dispeller of darkness, great teacher
Jai
Salutation; glory or victory to. Precedes the name of the person being honored
Japa
Repetition of a mantra for a specific number of times
JI
Suffix; added to the end of the name of the person being honored or respected
Jiva
Personal soul; the embodied soul which identifies itself with the mind and body
Jyoti
Light
Jyotish
Vedic science of astrology
Kundalinie
Spiritual energy lying dormant at the base of the spine which, when awakened, rises to the crown chakra
Lingam
Elliptical shape, symbol of the un-manifest form of Lord