Glossary

Abhyasi - Aspirant; one who practises yoga in order to achieve communion with God.

Anubhava - Intuitional perception or personal experience in the realm of Nature or God.

Agya Chakra - One of the chakras near Trikuti.

Bhakti - Devotion.

Chaitanyata - Consciousness, including subtle activity.

Chakra - Centre of super-vital force located in different parts of the body, figuratively called lotus.

Grihastha - One who leads a worldly Life, a house-holder, distinct from a sannyasi
who renounces the world and leads a solitary life in the forest.

Gunas - According to Hindu philosophy nature, as distinguished from God, possesses three qualities, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, which are called the three gunas. Sattva leads to balance or poise. It manifests in virtuous conduct and brings about happiness. Rajas leads to activity, egoism and selfishness. Tamas is inertness. It leads to inactivity, sloth or procrastination.

Indriyas - Sense organs, subdivided as jnana and karma indriyas. The former pertain to perception while the latter pertain mainly to action.

Juana - Supreme wisdom or knowledge leading to realisation.

Karma - Action.

Kshobh - State of disturbance; loss of equilibrium; stir caused by the will of God to effect creation.

Maha-Pralaya - State of complete dissolution when everything in existence merges with the Centre.

Maya - Phenomenal appearance. It is really a power of God. All manifestation or expansion which seems illusory is the display of maya.

Pralaya - State of dissolution, applied not to the whole universe but only to a part of it.

Rishi - Saint; seer; one who has realised self.

Sannyasi - One who has renounced the world and leads a solitary life of celibacy and ascetism.

Satvik- Pertaining to, or that which promotes, sattva in the body.

Shabda - Sound; inner vibration within.

Sushupti - One of the four states of consciousness. It is described as the consciousness of deep-sleep in which a man does not dream. When this state of mind is attained, a man gets in close communion with God, though he remains in a forgetful state.

Srishti era - The era of creation.

Tam - The actual state we were in when the world was born.

Trikuti - The point above the nose between the two eye brows ; one of the points of concentration.

Upadan Karan - Cause which itself results into effect. Thus it may be explained as root cause.

Vairagya - Renunciation, detachment.

Viveka Shakti - Power of discrimination.

Vrittis - Outward flow of mind; subtle desires or stimuli coming up in the mind causing action.

Yoga - A system of Hindu philosophy showing means of emancipation of the Soul from further migration: mainly subdivided as Raj Yoga and Hatha Yoga.

Yogaja - Intuitive perception of all objects.

Yogi - One who practices yoga.

 

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