Gita

Glossary

Term Definition
adharma The absence or opposition to dharma.
adhibhūt All perishable objects
adhidaiv Vairāj, Pradhān-Purush, or Prakruti-Purush—those who are involved in the process of creation.
adhiyagna Paramātmā
adhyātma see brahmabhāv.
ādhyātma-vidyā Brahmavidyā—the knowledge of Akshar-Purushottam.
agni The sacrificial fire.
agnihotra A Vedic fire ritual involving offering ghee, rice, and other oblations into a sacred fire while reciting mantras and prayers.
ahankār (1) A faculty of the mind that functions to form a sense of being or the self. (2) On a cosmic level, the antahkaran is a product of mahattattva and is of three types: sāttvik-ahankār, rājas-ahankār, and tāmas-ahankār. The remaining elements used in creation are produced from these three. (3) Arrogance or ego.
aishvarya Power, magnificence, or supremacy.
akarma Knowing or realizing Paramātmā’s magnificence and glory
ākāsh Space
antahkaran The complete mind, which comprises of four faculties, each characterized by its individual function. These four faculties include the mana, buddhi, chitt, and the ahankār. The function of the man is to generate thoughts and desires. The buddhi consolidates thoughts, makes decisions and resolutions, forms convictions, and discriminates. The chitt is responsible for repeated contemplation and focus, and the ahankār functions to form a sense of being or the self.
apān One of the five prāns, specifically the vital air (prān) that moves downwards in the body.
arth Wealth
asat (1) That which is offered or gifted or austerity or any act that is performed without faith. (2) That which was in the past, will be in the future, or exists as a cause. (3) That which tends to diminish or degrade—the body and other lifeless objects.
āsūrī (1) One who is unrighteous. (2) That which is characteristic of the unrighteous.
asūyā The disposition to find fault in the virtuous.
ātmā The ‘self’. The conscious element that makes something ‘alive’. The ‘ātmā’ refers primarily to the pure jīva of living beings and creatures. The jīva is distinct from the material body it resides in. It is also distinct from the senses and mind. More generally, it refers to that which pervades, inspires, and governs the body. It can also refer to Parabrahma and Aksharbrahma, who pervade, inspire, and govern the physical and non-physical world.
ātmabhāv Aksharbrahma—the brahmaswarūp guru, who like Paramātmā possesses the desire to liberate all.
bhakti Loving devotion and service.
bhakti-yoga Yoga in the form of loving devotion and service (bhakti).
brahmabhāv The highest spiritual state of liberated ātmās, wherein a jīva or īshwar acquires the virtues of Aksharbrahma that are instrumental for attaining liberation, allowing it to be free of māyā and offer supreme devotion to Parabrahma, forever enjoying his supreme bliss.
brahmacharya (1) Becoming engrossed in Brahman (Aksharbrahma). Brahmacarya involves engaging in activities with a constant reflection that promotes the upāsanā of Paramātmā and one’s union with Aksharbrahma. These are achieved by developing a deep connection and association with the manifest brahmasvarūpa guru and realizing that “I am one with Aksharbrahma.” (2) The practice of celibacy.
brāhman One of the four traditional social orders.
brahmarūp The highest spiritual state, wherein a jīva or īshwar acquires the virtues of Aksharbrahma that are instrumental for attaining liberation, allowing them to be free of māyā and offer supreme devotion to Parabrahma.
brahmaswarūp The form of Aksharbrahma itself.
brahmavidyā The knowledge of the two divine entities, Akshar and Purushottam. Also known as parāvidyā and adhyātmā-vidyā.
brahma-yagna The sacrificial fire of Aksharbrahma. Here, ‘brahma-yagna’ refers to the life and actions of the karma-yogī—one who has conviction in Akshar-Purushottam and performs karma only to please them.
buddhi The intellect. It is derived from the verbal root ‘budh’, meaning to know. It is one of the four aspects of the antahkaran and characterized by its functions of consolidating thought, making decisions, forming convictions, and discriminating.
buddhi-yoga (1) Conviction in Paramātmā’s present form. (2) Association with the brahmaswarūp gunātīt guru.
chakra A throwing weapon that is circular with a sharpened outer edge.
daivī (1) One who is righteous. (2) That which is characteristic of the righteous.
dakshinā Offerings donated to those who conduct a yagna, the guru, or the mandir after the completion of a yagna.
dehābhimān Identifying the body, instead of the ātmā, as one’s self.
dharma (1) Bhāgvad Dharma, the eternal dharma, which is characterized by singular conviction in Paramātmā’s present form. (2) Duty or obligation.
dhruti Fortitude
dravya-yagna Gifting responsibly acquired wealth to the deserving or offering oblations in a yagna to please Paramātmā.
dvandva-samās A Sanskrit linguistic compound in which multiple individual terms are combined to form a compound word.
ekāntik-dharma Bhāgvad Dharma, the eternal dharma, which is characterized by singular conviction in Paramātmā’s present form.
Gandharva(s) Celestial beings who perform music, song, and dance in the heavenly realms.
ghee Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from cream (traditionally made by churning the topmost layer of yogurt), skimming any impurities from the surface, then pouring and retaining the clear liquid fat while discarding the solid residue that has settled to the bottom. It is offered as oblations in a yagna through the medium of agni (the sacrificial fire).
gnan (1) Knowledge. (2) Wisdom. (3) Knowledge that is instrumental to scriptural study.
gnan-yagna (1) Joining oneself with Aksharbrahma and realizing Paramātmā. (2) Conveying scriptural teachings to others to encourage further reflection on the magnificence of Paramātmā.
gnan-yoga Yoga in the form of knowledge (jñāna).
gomukh A type of traditional trumpet.
guna The three gunas of māyā refer to the three qualities: sattva (sattvaguna), rajas (rajoguna), and tamas (tamoguna).
gunātīt Transcending the gunas. As an adjective it qualifies something or someone as being beyond or uninfluenced by māyā. It is often used to describe Parabrahma and Aksharbrahma and can also be used to describe liberated ātmās.
havis An offering given into the sacrificial fire (yagna).
hotru One who offers oblations within the sacrificial fire (yagna).
īshwar One of the five eternal entities. Īshwars or īshwarātmās have been eternally bound by māyā and are sentient. They are stronger than the jīvātmās, yet extremely weak in comparison to Aksharbrahma and Parabrahma. In more general terms, it may refer to a deity or god or a ruler.
jap-yagna A yagna that is focused on reciting a ritual mantra.
jīva (jīvātmā) The ‘self’. The conscious element that makes something ‘alive’. The ‘jīvātmā’ refers primarily to the ātmā of living beings and creatures. The jīvātmā is distinct from the material body it resides in. It is also distinct from the senses and mind. More generally, it refers to that which pervades, inspires, and governs the body.
kām (1) Desire. (2) Pleasure.
karan Objects and other causal instruments that are useful to fulfill action.
karma An action, work or deed, or its effect and consequence.
karma-yoga (1) Yoga in the form of action (karma). (2) The art of transforming karma into liberating bhakti. This transformation occurs by cultivating conviction in Akshar-Purushottam and performing karma only to please them.
karma-yogī One who practices karmayoga.
kartā The doer. The performer of action or karma.
kshar Beings other than Aksharbrahma and Parabrahma.
kshatriya One of the four social orders that is traditionally associated with the roles of warriors and rulers.
kshem The preservation of what is already acquired, specifically the continued preservation of one’s attainment of Paramātmā’s present form.
kshetra (1) The land or field. (2) The body. (3) The universe.
kshetragna (1) The knower of this body, the ātmā, who discerns between the body and the ātmā. (2) Paramātmā.
kush-grass A type of grass that is often spread over sacred and sacrificial areas during ritual performances.
mahattattva The major element. It is the first of the entities produced by Pradhān-Purush.
manu The title or name of the progenitors of humankind.
māyā Māyā, also known as prkruti, is an instrument or power of Parabrahma that is used as the substance of creation and the cause of ignorance. It is insentient, eternal, and characterized by the three gunas and darkness.
mrudang A type of traditional drum.
mukta The liberated jīvātmā or īshwarātmā (the self).
muni (1) A wise person. (2) A sage.
narak The infernal realms.
pāp Wrongdoing
Paramātma-yoga See yoga.
pradhān (1) Aksharbrahma. (2) Māyā or materiality. (3) The base materialistic and worldly natures.
prakruti (1) See māyā. (2) Aksharbrahma. (3) The base materialistic and worldly natures.
prān(s) The vital air(s) that reside in the body.
prasād Food or other items offered to God or guru during worship. After an offering is made, prasād is received as a blessed gift from the Divine. It is considered sacred and imbued with God’s and the guru’s blessings and grace. The prasād is a symbol of divine love and compassion that is available to all who seek it through devotional and spiritual practice.
pret(s) Restless, hungry spirits who have died with a strong attachment to the material world.
punarāvartī That from which one returns.
purush (1) A person or being. (2) A mukta (a liberated jīvātmā or īshwarātmā (self)).
rājarshi A sage-like ruler
rajas (rajoguna) One of the three qualities (gunas) of māyā.
rājasī Being characterized by rajoguna.
rākshas(es) Demonic beings.
sānkhya Discernment resulting from realizing the metaphysical elements, their qualities and natures, and their distinctions.
sānkhya-yoga a devotee of Paramātmā who possesses an affinity for understanding philosophical truths (tattvagnān).
sansār The world, which causes one to endure the cycle of birth and death.
sanyās (1) The practice of submitting all things to Paramātmā’s present form. (2) Detachment. (3) Renunciation.
sanyāsī (1) One who practices sanyās-yoga. (2) One who performs obligatory karma without expecting the fruits of action.
sanyās-yoga Yoga in the form of the detachment (sanyās).
sat (1) Strength, knowledge or wisdom, vitality, and other virtues that the illustrious possess. (2) The state of one who performs yagnas, austerities, and charity. (3) That which is present or in the state of being. (4) Unchanging.
sattva (sattvaguna) One of the three qualities (gunas) of māyā.
sāttvikī (sāttvik) Being characterized by sattvaguna.
sevā Offering service to the Divine without the expectation of return.
shrāddh A ritual that one performs to pay homage to and honor one’s ancestors.
shravan-bhakti A form of devotion that involves listening to spiritual discourses.
shūdra One of the traditional four social orders.
Siddha(s) A group of enlightened beings who have achieved high physical and spiritual perfection.
smruti Sacred texts that support Vedic revelations and injunctions.
soma The juice of a sacred plant that is an essential offering in Vedic sacrifices.
sthit-pragna One who possesses unwavering conviction in Paramātmā’s present form.
swādhyāy-yagna Studying the scriptures to further reflect on Paramātmā’s magnificence.
swarg A heavenly realm where pious ātmās go to enjoy the fruits of their merits. In time, they are reborn in this world. The cycle of rebirth continues until an ātmā attains final liberation and the divine abode Akshardhām.
swarūp-nishthā Conviction in Paramātmā’s present form.
swasti An expression of well-being.
tamas (tamoguna) One of the three qualities (gunas) of māyā.
tāmasī Being characterized by tamoguna.
tamogunī A person in whom tamoguna predominates.
tapo-yagna Practicing austerities to please Paramātmā.
tyāg Renunciation
tyāgī (1) One who practices renunciation. (2) A renunciant. (3) One who has foregone the desire for the fruits of their actions.
upāsanā Literally meaning sitting near. The term is derived from the prefix ‘upa’, meaning near, affixed to the verbal root ‘āsa’. It refers to the philosophical framework outlining the fundamental principles of a doctrine. It also includes the understanding of ontological realities, the practice of worship, and devotional servitude.
vaishvānar the fire that resides within the stomach and aids in digesting food.
vaishya One of the traditional four social orders.
vāyu The elemental air or wind.
vibhūti That in which Parabrahma’s glory and magnificence is exhibited.
vignān (1) Knowledge. (2) Wisdom. (3) Brahmavidyā—the knowledge of Aksharbrahma and Parabrahma. (4) Instruction or wisdom that leads to liberation. (5) The knowledge of the glory and magnificence of Paramātmā’s present form. (6) Wisdom that helps one attain brahmabhāv.
virāt Immense. Within the Gītā, ‘virāṭa’ is used to describe Paramātmā’s form.
vishwarūp Paramātmā’s immensely glorious form.
yagna (1) A sacrificial rite involving an offering that is typically performed in front of a sacred fire and is often accompanied by reciting Vedic mantras. (2) The sacrificial fire.
Yaksha(s) A class of generally benevolent but sometimes mischievous beings who are the custodians of earthly treasures.
yoga (1) Conviction in Paramātmā’s present form. (2) The attainment of that which is not attained—specifically, the attainment of Paramātmā’s present form.
yoga-buddhi An intellect that is has conviction in Paramātmā’s present form.
yoga-māyā Parabrahma’s divine powers.
yoga-yagna Fully concentrating the mind on Paramātmā’s present form.
yogī One who practices yoga.