Glossary - Sanskrit and Bengali

Word	Explanation
Abduction	Also called retroduction. It is the acceptance of a philosophical premise on the basis of its power to account for causation with logic and evidence. Abduction is the rational justification of a deduction. Deduction per se is the acceptance of a premise on authority. The term abduction was put forward by C.S. Peirce (1839-1914). Śrīla Pra-bhupāda termed a similar method of Vedic thought philosophical speculation. See Deduction, Induction, Logic.
Absolute	The root comes from the Latin absolutus, the perfect or the completed (derived from the verbum absolvere, to detach, to free, to acquit). The term was introduced into Western philosophy in the fifteenth century by Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464). The absolute is the ultimate, underlying and all-inclusive reality that depends upon nothing else for its existence. All other things depend upon it. The absolute is substance as it is, rather than as we perceive it. See Brahman, Reality, Relativism, Substance.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda	Śrīla Prabhupāda-(1896-1977) His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. He is the tenth generation from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The founder-ācārya, spiritual master of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Śrīla Prabhupāda was the widely-acclaimed author of more than seventy books on the science of pure bhakti-yoga, unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness. His major works are annotated English translations of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. He was the world's most distinguished teacher of Vedic religion and thought. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a fully God conscious saint who had perfect realization of the Vedic scriptures. He worked incessantly to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. He guided his society and saw it grow to a worldwide confederation of hundreds of ashrams, schools, temples, institutes, and farm communities.
Ābhāsa	a shadow.
Abhaya	one of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Abhidheya	the regulated activities of the soul for reviving his relationship with the Lord; devotional service.
Abhimanyu	the heroic son Arjuna and Subhadrā. He was killed by the Son of Duḥśāsana. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Abhiṣeka	a bathing ceremony, particularly for the coronation of a king or the installation of the Lord's Deity form.
Absolute Truth	the ultimate source of all energies.
Acala	a brother of Śakuni. He was killed by Arjuna. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Ācamana	a ritual of purification in which one sips water and simultaneously chants names of the Supreme Lord.
Ācārya	a spiritual master who teaches by his own example, and who sets the proper religious example for all human beings.
Acchha	good, 0K, all right.
Acintya-bhedābheda-tattva	Lord Caitanya's "simultaneously one and different" doctrine, which establishes the inconceivable, simultaneous oneness and difference of the Lord and His expansions.
Acintya-śakti	the inconceivable energy of the Supreme Lord.
Acintya	inconceivable.
Acit	the inert material nature; without life or consciousness
Acyutāyus	he fought on the side of Duryodhana. He and his brother Śrutāyus were killed by Arjuna. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Acyuta	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who can never fall down from His position.
Adbhuta-rasa	the indirect relationship of wonder or amazement.
Ādeśa-kārī	the actions resulting from sinful activities.
Adhama paḍuyās	degraded scholars who consider devotional activities material.
Adhama	the lowest among men.
Adharma	irreligion.
Adhīra	restless ecstasy of love for Kṛṣṇa.
Ādhibhautika-kleśa	miseries inflicted by other living entities.
Adhibhautika	(misery) caused by other living beings.
Adhibhūtam	the physical nature.
Adhidaivatam	the universal form of the Supreme Lord.
Adhidaivic powers	the administrative functions delegated by the Lord to demigods, such as control over rain, wind and sun.
Ādhidaivika-kleśa	natural disturbances caused by the demigods.
Adhidaivika	(misery) caused by nature.
Adhikārī	one who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa and is engaged in His service.
Adhiratha	foster father of Karṇa. He was a charioteer by profession. He one day found the child Karṇa floating in Ganges in a basket. His wife was barren and happily he took the child home and gave it to his wife. He was also the father of Sangramajit.
Adhirūḍha	an advanced symptom of mahā-bhāva found only in the gopīs.
Adhiyajña	the Supersoul, the plenary expansion of the Lord in the heart of every living being.
Adhokṣaja	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond material sense perception, who is not perceivable by impure material senses; Revealed knowledge. The fourth of the five stages of Vedic knowledge.
Ādhyātmika	miseries arising from one's own body and mind.
Adhyātma-cetasā	one who depends solely on Kṛṣṇa.
Adhyātmika	(misery) caused by one's own body and mind.
Ādi-līlā	the first twenty-four years of Lord Caitanya's pastimes.
Ādi-puruṣa	the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, the original person.
Aditi	the mother of the demigods.
Ādityas	the demigods who are descendants of Kaśyapa Muni's wife, Aditi.
Advaita Prabhu	Advaitācārya-an incarnation of Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, who appeared as one of the four principal associates of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.Advaitācārya.
Advaita-siddhānta	the conclusion of the monists, namely, that the Absolute Truth and the individual living entity are separate in the material state, but that when they are spiritually situated there is no difference between them.
Advaita-vāda	the philosophy of absolute oneness taught by Śaṅkarācārya, and whose conclusion is advaita-siddhānta.
Advaita-vādīs	atheistic philosophers who say all distinctions are but material illusions. Mayāvādī-one who propounds the philosophy of Śaṅkarācārya, which basically holds that God is featureless and impersonal, that devotion to a personal Godhead is false, the material creation of the Lord is also false, and the ultimate goal of life is to become existentially one with the all-pervading, impersonal Absolute.
Advaitācārya	an incarnation of Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu, who appeared as one of the four principal associates of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Advaitin	A follower of the teaching.
Advaita	Oneness (from a, not and dvaita, duality). The system of Vedānta philosophy put forward by Śaṅkarācārya is known as Advaita Vedānta. It argues for a monistic, impersonal absolute truth. See Dvaita, Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas, Śaṅkarācārya, Vedānta; nondual; without differentiation.
Āgamas	authorized Vedic literatures; also, specifically the Pañcarātras.
Agastya	the mind.
Agastya Muni	a great sage who authored many Vedic hymns and writings on Āyurvedic medicine. The son of Mitra and Varuṇa, he was born from a water jar. Once he swallowed the ocean and forced the Vindhya mountain range to prostrate itself before him. Who helped the demigods defeat the Danavas by drinking up the ocean they were hiding in. He also gave the brahmashira weapon to Drona.
Aghana	transcendental bliss that is incomplete (lit. "not concentrated").
Āgneyāstra	a powerful weapon belonging to the demigod Agni. Arjuna received this weapon from his preceptor, Droṇa.
Agnihotra-yajña	the ceremonial fire sacrifice offered to the demigod Agni performed in Vedic rituals.
Agnistoma	a sacrifice performed by a person who wants go to heaven. A minimum of sixteen priests are required for this sacrifice, which lasts five days.
Agni	the demigod who controls fire. He took the form of a brāhmaṇa and begged charity from Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. He then consumed the Khāṇḍava forest.
Agrahāyaṇa	a name for the month of Mārgaśirṣa (November/December). In contemporary Vaiṣṇavism it is known as the month of Keśava.
Ahaitukī	without cheating motivation.
Ahaitukī-kṛpā	causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord or His bonafide representative.
Ahaṁ brahmāsmi	the Vedic aphorism "I am spirit."
Ahaṁ māmeti	the false conception of "I" and "mine [SB 5.5.8]."
Ahaṅgraha-upāsanā	a Māyāvādī's worship of his own body as the Supreme; self-worship in general.
Ahaṅkāra	false ego, by which the soul misidentifies with the material body.
Āhlāda	transcendental bliss.
Ahiṁsā	nonviolence.
Aiśvarya-jñāna-yukta	emotion with an understanding of the Lord's full opulences.
Aiśvarya-līlā	the Lord's pastimes of opulence.
Aja	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is unborn.
Ājagara-vṛtti	the occupation of a python.
Ajāmila	a fallen brāhmaṇa who was saved from hell by unintentionally chanting the Lord's name at the time of death.
Ajam	unborn.
Ajita	the Supreme Lord who is unconquerable.
Ajñāta-sukṛti	pious or devotional activity performed accidentally, without knowledge of its effect.
Ajña	a description of Kṛṣṇa indicating that nothing is unknown to Him.
Akāma-bhakta	one who serves the Lord without material motive.
Akarma (naiskarma)	action for which one suffers no reaction because it is performed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; free from material desire; one who is desireless.
Ākāśa	sky.
Akhila-rasāmṛta-mūrti	Kṛṣṇa, the transcendental form of attraction for all kinds of devotees.
Akiñcana-gocara	Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is easily approached by those who are materially exhausted.
Akiñcana	one who possesses nothing in the material world.
Akrūra	an uncle of Lord Kṛṣṇa. A hero of the Yadu dynasty.
Akṣauhiṇī	a military division consisting of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 109,350 infantrymen and 65,610 horsemen.
Ākūti	one of Svāyambhuva Manu's three daughters and the wife of Ruci.
Alakāpurī	the residence ot Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods. It sits on a peak in the Himālayas.
Alambuṣa	a Rākṣasa who was killed by Ghaṭotkaca. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Ālasya	laziness, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Alāyudha	a Rākṣasa who fought on the side of Duryodhana. He was killed by Ghaṭotkaca. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Alolupa	a son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Alu	potato
Alwars	Tamil Nadu saints who were devotees of Lord Viṣṇu.
Āmalakī	a tree that Nārada Muni brought from the spiritual world to the material realm to please the Supreme Lord. Its fruits are very rich in vitamin C.
Āmānī	food that is not offered to Lord Jagannātha.
Amarakośa	a Sanskrit dictionary and thesaurus widely used in the teaching of Sanskrit.
Amarāvatī	the capital city of Lord Indra's heavenly abode. It has the power of greatly extending the life span of its residents.
Amarṣa	anger, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Amātya	the governor of the senses, the mind.
Amāvasyā	the dark-moon night, or the night of the new moon, when various sacrifices are offered to both demigods and demons.
Ambālikā	Youngest of the daughters of the King of Kāśi. She was married to Vicitravīrya. When Vicitravīrya died early, she begot Pāṇḍu by the great sage Vyāsa. (Ādi Parva in Mahābhārata)
Ambarīṣa Mahārāja	a great devotee-king who perfectly executed all nine devotional practices (hearing, chanting, etc.). A great king glorified by Narada Muni.
Ambā	Older sister of Ambikā and Ambālikā and daughter of the King of Kāśi. She was abducted by Bhīṣma during her svayaṁvara, but she wanted to marry Śālva. She did penance to please Lord Śiva and she received a benediction she could take birth in her next life as a son of King Drupada. (Ādi Parva in Mahābhārata)
Ambikā	Second daughter of the King of Kāśi. She married Vicitravīrya. Later when Vicitravīrya died, she begot Dhṛtarāṣṭra by the great sage Vyāsa. (Ādi Parva in Mahābhārata)
Amṛtatva	eternal life.
Amṛta	nectar, the food of the gods, which makes the drinker immortal.
Aṁśāveśa	partial incarnations of God.
Aṁśa	an expansion of the Supreme Lord.
Āmukha	technical term for a drama's introduction, further classified into five kinds.
Angrezi	English. The term is extended in Vrndavan to mean 'foreigner'.
Atma-hanah	killer of the soul; one who neglects spiritual life.
Anādi	since time immemorial.
Analysis	A term similar in meaning to the Sanskrit sāṅkhya. It comes from the Greek an (up) plus lyein (to loosen, to untie), meaning to resolve into its elements. Analysis is the procedure of separating a problem into its component parts in order to 1) study the parts separately, 2) study their interrelationships, or 3) study how they relate to the whole. See Elements, Sāṅkhya.
Anamra	one who offers obeisances to no one.
Ānandamaya	full of bliss in spiritual realization; Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Ānanda	spiritual, transcendental bliss.
Ananta-caturdaśī	date of the yearly festival commemorating the passing away of Haridāsa Ṭhākura.
Ananta-Śeṣa	an incarnation of the Supreme Lord in the form of His thousand-headed serpent, on which Viṣṇu rests, and who sustains the planets on His hoods.
Anantavijaya	name of King Yudhiṣṭhira's conchshell.
Ananta	unlimited.
Anapekṣa	indifference to mundane people.
Anaranya	King of Iksvaku dynasty, killed by Ravana. When dying he cursed Ravana to be killed by Rama
Anartha-nivṛtti	a stage in the progressive development of devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa in which one is freed from unwanted desires and karmic reactions; cleansing the heart of all unwanted things
Anavasara	period of a fortnight between bathing ceremony and Ratha-yātrā when the body of the Jagannātha Deity is repainted.
Āṇdal	one of the famous devotees, or Ālvārs, who lived in South India before Rāmānuja.
Aṅga Mahārāja	the father of King Vena.
Aṅga-rāga	repainting of the body of Lord Jagannātha.
Aṅgirā Ṛṣi	one of the seven sages of the first Manvantara, all of whom were born directly from Lord Brahmā. One of the Prajāpatis, he is the author of the Vedic writings on astronomy.
Anilāyāma	Prāṇāyāma-breath control used in yoga practice, especially aṣṭāṅga-yoga (one of the eight parts of the aṣṭanga-yoga system).
Aṇimā-siddhi	mystic power by which one can become as small as an atom so that he can enter into stone.
Aniruddha	a grandson of Lord Kṛṣṇa; also one of the four original expansions of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world.
Anna-prāśana	the ceremony of offering a child his first food grains; one of the ten purificatory saṁskāras.
Annamaya	(consciousness) absorbed only in food.
Annapurna	Durgā manifested in her form of supplier of food.
Anna	food grains.
Antaraṅga-sevā	service performed in one's spiritual body.
Antardhāna	Vijitāśva, the eldest son of King Pṛthu.
Antarikṣa	outer space.
Antaryāmī	the expansion of the Supreme Lord situated in everyone's heart as Supersoul, the indwelling controller.
Anthropomorphism	From the Greek nthropos (man) and morph (form, shape, figure), it is an induction of the Supreme Being's form, emotions, interests, etc. drawn from human experience: God in the image of man, instead of man in the image of God. See Induction, Mechanomorphism.
Antya-līlā	the last eighteen years of Lord Caitanya's pastimes.
Antyajas	an outcaste.
Aṇu-atma	the minute spirit soul, who is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa.
Anubhāva	bodily symptoms manifested by a devotee in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa.
Anukara	imitating.
Anumāna	Reason, thought, philosophical speculation. The second of the three Vaiṣṇava pramāṇas. See Pramāṇa, Pratyakṣa, Rationalism, Reflective thinking, Śabda.
Anurāga	subattachment in ecstatic love of God.
Anurasa	second-class type of rasābhāsa, occurring when something is derived from the original mellow.
Anusara	trying to follow in the footsteps.
Anusūyā	the wig of Atri Muni, the sage among the demigods. She is the mother of three-headed Lord Dattātreya.
Anuvinda	a King of Avanti. He and his brother, Vinda, were the brothers of Mitravindā, who was married to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Both brothers were inimical to Lord Kṛṣṇa and were killed by Arjuna. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Apāna-vāyu	one of the internal bodily airs which is controlled by the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system. The apāna-vāyu travels downwards.
Aparā prakṛti	the inferior material energy of the Lord.
Apara-vidyā	Vedic knowledge of mind and matter that includes logic, grammar, astrology, medicine, social organization, martial arts, music, dance and so on (as distinct from para-vidyā, the science of God). The karma-kāṇḍa and jñāna-kāṇḍa scriptures make up the apara-vidyā of the Vedas. See Avidyā, Jñāna-kāṇḍa, Karma-kāṇḍa, Para-vidyā; material knowledge
Aparādha	an offense.
Aparājita	one of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīmasena. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Aparasa	third-class type of rasābhāsa, occurring when something is appreciated that is far removed from the original mellow.
Aparokṣa	Direct knowledge. The third of the five stages of Vedic knowledge.
Apasmāra	forgetfulness, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Apauruṣeya	not made by man (that is, revealed by God); A term to describe the divine origin of the Vedas.
Apavarga	liberation from pavarga, the miseries of material existence.
Apavitra-anna	food that is unacceptable for a Vaiṣṇava.
Aprakaṭa-līlā	the unmanifested pastimes of the Lord.
Aprākṛta	spiritual, or anti-material, transcendental to material nature; The fifth of the five stages of Vedic knowledge.
Aprameya	immeasurable.
Apratihatā	uninterrupted.
Apsarā	a heavenly courtesan. The most beautiful women in the heavenly planets, who are expert at dancing.
Ārati	a ceremony in which one greets and worships the Lord in the Deity form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by offering Him incense, a flame in a lamp with ghee-soaked wicks, a flame in a lamp containing camphor, water in a conchshell, a fine cloth, a fragrant flower, a peacock-feather, and yak-tail wisk, accompanied by bell-ringing and chanting.
Aravindakṣa	a name of the Lord meaning one whose eyes are as beautiful as lotus petals.
Arcā-mūrti	See: Arcā-vigraha below.
Arcā-vigraha	an authorized form of God manifested through material elements, as in a painting or statue of Kṛṣṇa worshiped in a temple or home. Actually present in this form, the Lord accepts worship from His devotees.
Arcana	the procedures followed for worshiping the arcā-vigraha, the Deity in the temple; engaging all the senses in the service of the Lord.
Arcana naturae (Lat.)	The secrets of nature. See New Philosophy.
Arci	the wife of King Pṛthu.
Arbuda-arbuda	various types of śravaṇa and kīrtana of the Supreme Lord's name, quality, form and so on.
Ardha-bāhya	half-external consciousness.
Arghya	a ceremonious offering, in a conchshell, of water and other auspicious items.
Ari	impediments like disease.
Ariṣṭāsura	a demon who took the form of a bull and tried to kill Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Aristotle	Greek philosopher who taught in the fourth century before Christ (384-322 BC). Aristotle studied under Plato for almost twenty years, then went on to start his own school of thought. He was very interested in what the Bhagavad-gītā calls the field of knowledge, which he analyzed minutely according to his own system. He was less concerned with the knower of the field, the soul. He defined the soul as What it is to be for a body of the character just assigned (De anima, 412b). In other words, if an axe was a product of nature, then its characteristic body or form would be its soul. (The axe example is Aristotle's own.)
Aryama	the demigod in charge of Pitṛloka, the planet were qualified departed ancestors reside.
Ārjava	a brother of Śakuni who was killed by Irāvān. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Arjuna	the third son of Pāṇḍu and intimate friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa. After Pāṇḍu was cursed by a sage, Kuntī used a special mantra to beget children and called for the demigod Indra. By the union of Indra and Kuntī, Arjuna was born. In his previous life he was Nara, the eternal associate of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Kṛṣṇa became his chariot driver and spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to him on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra; An eternal associate of Kṛṣṇa.
Artha	economic development.
Aruṇa gems	rubies decorating Kṛṣṇa's flute.
Aryamā	the demigod in charge of Pitṛloka, the planet where qualified departed ancestors reside.
Aryan	a follower of Vedic culture. A person whose goal is spiritual advancement. He truly knows the value of life and has a civilization based on spiritual realization.
Asamanya	a king of the solar dynasty, son of Sagara, known for his cruelty.
Asaṁskṛta	unreformed.
Asāṅga	detachment from material consciousness.
Āsana	seat, or throne; a sitting posture in yoga practice.
Asat-saṅga	the association of nondevotees.
Asat	not eternal, temporary.
Ashoka	a king who spread Buddhism in India in the 3rd century BC.
Asita	an ancient authority on the Vedas.
Aśoka	a tree with long, pointed leaves. Goddess Sītā was placed under an aśoka tree after being kidnapped by Rāvaṇa.
Āśrama	one of the four spiritual orders of life-brahmacārī-āśrama, or student life; Gṛhastha-āśrama, or married life; vānaprastha, or retired life; and sannyāsa-āśrama, or the renounced order of life; the home of the spiritual master, a place where spiritual practices are executed.
Āśraya-vigraha	the manifestation of the Lord of whom one must take shelter.
Āśraya	the Transcendence, who is the source and support of all; the worshiper.
Aṣtavakra	a boy sage who won a debate in the court of King Janaka.
Aṣṭa-siddhis	the eight mystic perfections acquired through yoga practice.
Aṣṭāṅga-yoga	the eightfold system of mystic yoga, propounded by Patañjali, meant for realizing the presence of Paramātmā, the Lord in the heart.
Aṣṭakā	the eighth day after the full moon.
Aṣṭānga-yoga	(aṣṭa=eight + aṅga=part) a mystic yoga system propounded by Patañjali in his Yoga-sūtras and consisting of eight parts-yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi, progressing from moral practices to deep meditation on God.
Aṣṭāvakra	the founder of Māyāvāda philosophy, which declares that the spiritual effulgence (Brahman) is the cause of all causes.
Asuraṁ bhavam āśrita	persons who are openly atheistic.
Asura	demon, one who does not follow the principles of scripture, atheist, gross materialist. One who is envious of God, and is averse to the supremacy and service of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu.
Āśutoṣa	Lord Śiva, who is very easily satisfied when one worships him. Śiva-the guṇa-avatāra who is the superintendent of the mode of ignorance (tamoguṇa) and who takes charge of destroying the universe at the time of annihilation. He disguised himself as a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna over a boar. Lord Śiva was pleased with Arjuna and gave him a benediction of the Paśupati astra by which he could kill Jayadratha. He also gave a benediction to Aśvatthāmā that he could kill the remaining soldiers on the side of the Pāṇḍavas while they were sleeping in their tents. He is also considered the greatest Vaiṣṇava, or devotee, of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is confused by some with the Supreme Lord.
Asūyā	jealousy, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Aśvamedha-yajña	a Vedic horse sacrifice. One of eight recommended in the Vedic scriptures, it is performed by kings.
Aṣvatthāmā	the son of Droṇa. He was a friend of Duryodhana and fought on his side during the Kurukṣetra battle. He lived through the battle of Kurukṣetra, but was cursed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He killed the five sons of Draupadī when they were awakening from sleep and attempted to kill Parīkṣit when he was in the womb of Uttarā.
Āśvina	the third month of the four-month Cāturmāsya fast.
Aśvinī deities	demigods in charge of the nostrils and sense of smell.
Aśvinīkumāras	Demigods who begot Nakula and Sahadeva in the womb of Mādrī, the wife of Pāṇḍu.
Atattva-jña	one who has no knowledge of the Absolute Truth.
Atharva Veda	one of the four Vedas, the original revealed scriptures spoken by the Lord Himself, consisting primarily of formulas and chants designed to counteract the effects of disease and calamity.
Atheism	From the Greek theos (a, not and thes, God). In it most blatant form, atheism argues that God does not exist. The proof of that claim is that He is not available to our sensory inspection. Also, religious doctrines that oppose theism are not theistic, hence atheistic. As explained in the entry for theism, the Vedic account of Lord Kṛṣṇa's immanence and transcendence is the clearest demonstration of the standard definition of theism. To oppose Vaiṣṇava philosophy is therefore to court atheism. Much of what passes for religion is actually atheism in pious disguise. Atheism disguised as religion is called Deism, Semi-deism, Dualism, Henotheism, Kathenotheism, Panpsychism, Pantheism, and Polytheism. These entries, together with the entry for Theism, may be consulted for a clearer understanding.
Authoritarianism	The view that knowledge cannot be questioned, as opposed to the free spirit of inquiry.
Atibāri-sampradāya	bogus disciplic succession coming from an Orissan named Jagannātha dāsa, who was a contemporary of Lord Caitanya. Initially, he was a follower of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, but he later rejected him.
Ātma-nivedana	the devotional process of surrendering everything to the Lord.
Ātma-samarpaṇa	full surrender to Kṛṣṇa without reservation.
Ātma-tattva	spiritual science.
Ātmārāma	one who is self-satisfied, free from external, material desires.
Ātmā	the self (refers sometimes to the body, sometimes to the soul, and sometimes to the senses).
Atri Ṛṣi	one of the seven great sages born directly from Brahmā;. He is the husband of Anusūyā and father of the Lord's incarnation Dattātreya. He contributed to the knowledge of astronomy.
Augrya	violence, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Autsukya	eagerness, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Avadhūta	a very saintly and renounced person who may live outside regulative principles, having surpassed any need for them.
Avadhūta	one who is above all rules and regulations.
Avahitthā	concealment, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Avaiṣṇava	one who is not a Vaiṣṇava.
Āvaraṇātmikā	māyā's "covering" power, by which a conditioned soul feels satisfied in any condition of life.
Avara	material.
Avaroha-panthā	the descending process of receiving revealed knowledge; inductive and deductive process of knowledge.
Avatāra	literally means "one who descends." A partially or fully empowered incarnation of the Lord who descends from the spiritual sky to the material universe with a particular mission described in scriptures; When Kṛṣṇa descends from the world of spirit into the world of matter, His appearance here is called avatāra. The Sanskrit term avatāra (one who descends) is often rendered into English as incarnation. It is wrong, however, to think that Kṛṣṇa incarnates in a body made of physical elements. The Seventh and Eighth Chapters of Bhagavad-gītā distinguish at length between the material nature (apara-prakṛti), visible as the temporary substances of earth, water, fire, air and ethereal space, and God's own spiritual nature (para-prakṛti), which is invisible (avyakta), eternal (sanātana) and infallible (akṣara). When the Lord descends, by His mercy the invisible becomes visible. As He Himself states in Bg. 4.6, I descend by My own nature, appearing in My form of spiritual energy (prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā). In Bg. 4.9 He declares, janma karma ca me divyam, My appearance and activities are divine. God has many avatāras. But of all of them, that form described in Bg. 11.50 as the most beautiful (saumya-vapu) is His own original form (svakaṁ rūpam). This is the eternal form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-charming lotus-eyed youth whose body is the shape of spiritual ecstasy. SB 1.3.28 confirms that Kṛṣṇa is the original form of Viṣṇu: ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge, which means, All of the incarnations of Viṣṇu listed in the scriptures are expansions of the Lord. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All avatāras appear in the world whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also provides us with the authorized list of scheduled incarnations of Godhead, of whom the Daśāvatāra (ten avatāras) are particularly celebrated. The ten are 1) Matsya (the Lord's form of a gigantic golden fish), 2) Kūrma (the turtle), 3) Varāha (the boar), 4) Śrī Nṛsiṁha (the half-man, half-lion form), 5) Paraśurāma (the hermit who wields an axe), 6) Vāmana (the small brāhmaṇa boy), 7) Śrī Rāmacandra (the Lord of Ayodhya), 8) Śrī Baladeva (Lord Kṛṣṇa's brother), 9) Buddha (the sage who cheated the atheists), and 10) Kalki (who will depopulate the world of all degraded, sinful men at the end of the present age of Kali). There are two broad categories of avatāras. Some, like Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Rāma and Śrī Nṛsiṁha, are Viṣṇu-tattva, i.e. direct forms of God Himself, the source of all power. Others are individual souls (jīva-tattva) who are empowered by the Lord in one or more of the following seven ways: with knowledge, devotion, creative ability, personal service to God, rulership over the material world, power to support planets, or power to destroy rogues and miscreants. This second category of avatāra is called śaktyāveśa. Included herein are Buddha, Christ and Muhammed. The Māyāvādīs think that form necessarily means limitation. God is omnipresent, unlimited and therefore formless, they argue. When He reveals His avatāra form within this world, that form, being limited in presence to a particular place and time, cannot be the real God. It is only an indication of God. But the fact is that it is not God's form that is limited. It is only the Māyāvādīs' conception of form that is limited, because that conception is grossly physical. God's form is of the nature of supreme consciousness. Being spiritual, it is called sūkṣma, most subtle. There is no contradiction between the omnipresence of something subtle and its having form. The most subtle material phenomena we can perceive is sound. Sound may be formless (as noise) or it may have form (as music). Because sound is subtle, its having form does not affect its ability to pervade a huge building. Similarly, God's having form does not affect His ability to pervade the entire universe. Since God's form is finer than the finest material subtlety, it is completely inappropriate for Māyāvādīs to compare His form to gross hunks of matter. Because they believe God's form is grossly physical, Māyāvādīs often argue that any and all embodied creatures may be termed avatāras. Any number of living gods are being proclaimed within India and other parts of the world today. Some of these gods are mystics, some are charismatics, some are politicians, and some are sexual athletes. But none of them are authorized by the Vedic scriptures. They represent only the mistaken Māyāvādī idea that the one formless unlimited Truth appears in endless gross, physical human incarnations, and that you and me and I and he are therefore all together God. And since each god has a different idea of what dharma is, the final truth, according to Māyāvāda philosophy, is that the paths of all gods lead to the same goal. This idea is as unenlightened as it is impractical. When ordinary people proclaim themselves to be God, and that whatever they are doing is Vedic dharma, that is called dharmasya glāniḥ, a disturbance to eternal religious principles. Therefore Kṛṣṇa came again, 500 years ago, as the Golden Avatāra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He established the yuga-dharma, the correct form of sanātana-dharma for our time (saṅkīrtana). Lord Caitanya's appearance was predicted in SB 11.5.32: In this Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by congregational chanting of the holy names of God. See Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa.
Āvega	intense emotion, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Āveśa-avatāra	a living being empowered as an incarnation of the Lord's qualities.
Āveśa	See: Śakty-āveśa.
Avidhi-pūrvaka	without properly following rules and regulations.
Avidyā-śakti	material energy, or nescience.
Avidyā	nescience, ignorance; the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord; Ignorance or non-Vedic knowledge, as opposed to apara-vidyā and para-vidyā. See Apara-vidyā, Para-vidyā.
Avyakta	unmanifested; the material creation when it is not yet manifested from the mahat-tattva.
Ayer, A.J.	British philosopher (1910-1989), a twentieth century advocate of Hume's scepticism towards religion, and one of the founders of logical positivism. In his younger years he was a phenomenalist, but later he drew back from that position. See Logical positivism.
Ayodya	a city in North India, capital of the kings of the Ikavaku (solar) dynasty. Today, it is till the chief Holy City of Lord Rama's devotees.
Ayoga	See: Viyoga.
Ayukta	the ecstatic condition of not having yet met one's lover.
Āyurveda	the section of the Vedas which expounds the Vedic science of medicine delivered by Lord Dhanvantari, the incarnation of the Supreme Lord as a physician. He was born out of the ocean of milk when it was churned by the demons and demigods in the Satya-yuga. He expounded on the three categories of medicine.
-B-
Bābājī	a person who dwells alone in one place and leads a life of meditation, penance and austerity; renounced order beyond sannyāsa, in which one chants and reads.
Baba	religious master, a term of respect.
Bāṇāsura	a thousand-armed demon slain by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Babhruvāhana	a son of Arjuna by Citrāṅgadā, the daughter of the King of Maṇipur. Babhruvāhana engaged in battle with his father over the sacrificial horse. At that time Babhruvāhana killed Arjuna. Arjuna was later brought back to life by Ulūpī, another wife of Arjuna.
Babhru	one of the Yadu warriors and servant of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Badarikāśrama	a sacred holy place of pilgrimage in the Himālayas. The Pāṇḍavas visited here during their exile in the forest. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata) It is the abode of Lord Nara-Nārāyaṇa, who sat under a badarī (plum) tree to perform austerities.
Baddha-jña	a conditioned soul who distinguishes between the Lord's body and soul.
Bagh	garden.
Bāhadbala	the King of Kosala. He joined the side of the Kauravas and was killed by Abhimanyu. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Bāhadratha	a king of Magadha, and the father of Jarāsandha.
Bahirmukha-jana	a person influenced by the external energy.
Bahūdaka	the second stage of the sannyāsa order, in which one begs from door to door.
Bāhuka	the personified sins of King Vena.
Bakāsura	a demon who was shaped like a huge duck and who tried to kill Kṛṣṇa.
Baksheesh	tip, donation, or bribe.
Bakula	a fragrant flower very pleasing to Lord Kṛṣna.
Bāla-gopāla	Deity of Kṛṣṇa as a cowherd boy.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa	Born in the 18th century in the Baleswar district of Orissa, he was initially a learned scholar of the Madhva-sampradāya. He was converted to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism and became the ardent follower of Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura. He is especially renowned for his commentary on Vedānta-sūtra called Govinda-bhāṣya; Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa was a highly renounced pure devotee. For the spiritual benefit of mankind, he presented many transcendental literatures to the world. The details of his early life are not known for sure, as he never mentioned his birth place or his family background. Historians have estimated that he was born sometime in the eighteenth century, most probably in Orissa (possibly near Remuna). At a very early age, Baladeva finished his studies of grammar, poetry, rhetoric and logic and then went on pilgrimage. During his travels he spent some time with the Tattvavādīs in South India and thus became conversant with the teachings of Śrī Madhvācārya. He became a powerful exponent of this philosophy throughout India. Later he was initiated into the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya by Rādhā-Dāmodara Deva, and went to Vṛndāvana to study under the great ācārya Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Baladeva's defeat of an assembly of Rāmānandī scholars is celebrated in Indian philosophical history. It was on this occasion that he composed the Govinda-bhāṣya commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra. Actually, it was dictated to him by the Śrī Govinda Deva Deity; hence, it is named after the Lord. The commentary so astonished the scholars that they bestowed upon Baladeva the title Vidyābhūṣaṇa (ornament of learning).
Balagaṇḍi festival	the festival during the Ratha-yātrā procession when everyone offers various opulent foods to Lord Jagannātha at Balagaṇḍi.
Balarāma (Baladeva)	the first plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. He appeared as the son of Rohiṇī and elder brother of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Also known as Balabhadra or Baladeva, present as one of the three Jagannātha deities.
Bālhīka	a son of Pratīpa. He had two brothers Devāpi and Śantanu. He was killed by Bhīmasena during the Kurukṣetra war. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Bali Māhāraja	the king of the demons who gave three paces of land to Vamanadeva, the dwarf incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu, and thereby became a great devotee by surrendering everything to Him.
Bāliśa	innocent and foolish like a child.
Ballal Sen	King of Bengal in the 12th century. He was the son of King Vijaya Sen, the founder of Navadvīpa. Ballal Sen's son was Laksman Sen, the sponsor of Jayadeva Gosvāmi, the author of Gītā-govinda.
Bandhu-ha	the killer of māyā.
Bandi	son of Varuṇa who was defeated in debate by Aṣṭavakra.
Banyan tree	a sacred tree of the fig family with self-rooting branches.
Barbaras	low caste people born from Sabala, the Surabhi cow.
Barhiṣat	See: Prācīnabarhi
Barhiṣmān	See: Prācīnabarhi
Battle of Kurukṣetra	a battle between the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas, which took place five thousand years ago and before which Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna.
Bāula community	one of the apa-sampradāyas, or unauthorized devotional groups.
Bel-phala	the fruit of the bel tree. It is especially dear to Lord Śiva and has great medicinal value. Its pulp is very soothing.
Benares	Vārāṇasī, holy city on the Ganges in northern India.
Bhadrakali	another name of Durgā.
Bhadra	one of the wives of Vāsudeva.
Bhagadatta	the King of Prāgjyotiṣapura, and the son of Narakāsura or Bhaumāsura. He was killed by Arjuna during the Kurukṣetra war. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Bhagavad-bhakti	bhakti-yoga, devotional service to the Supreme Lord.
Bhagavad-gītā	a seven-hundred verse record of a conversation between Lord Kṛṣṇa and His disciple, Arjuna, from the Bhīṣma Parva of the Mahābhārata of Vedavyāsa. The conversation took place between two armies minutes before the start of an immense fratricidal battle. Kṛṣṇa teaches the science of the Absolute Truth and the importance of devotional service to the despondent Arjuna, and it contains the essence of all Vedic wisdom. Śrīla Prabhupāda's annotated English translation is called Bhagavad-gītā As It Is; This most essential text of spiritual knowledge, The Song of the Lord, contains Kṛṣṇa's instructions to Arjuna at Kurukṣetra. It is found in the Mahābhārata. The Mahābhārata is classified as smṛti-śāstra, a supplement of the śruti-śāstra. Śruti, the core Vedic literature, includes the four Vedas (Ṛg, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva) and the Upaniṣads. Śruti advances the understanding of the absolute. Bhagavad-gītā is also known as Gītopaniṣad, or a śruti text spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Therefore, Śrīla Pra-bhupāda wrote in a letter, the Gītā should be taken as śruti. But they take it as smṛti because it is part of the smṛti (Mahābhārata). In one sense it is both śruti and smṛti. In only 700 verses, the Bhagavad-gītā summarizes all Vedic knowledge about the soul, God, sanātana-dharma, sacrifice, yoga, karma, reincarnation, the modes of material nature, Vedānta and pure devotion. See Arjuna, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṇa, Mahābhārata, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Bhagavān	the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who possesses in full the opulences of wealth, beauty, strength, knowledge, fame, and renunciation; an epithet of the Supreme Person; The Personality of Godhead, the possessor (vān) of six opulences (bhaga) in unlimited fullness: wealth (aiśvarya), strength (vīrya), fame (yaśaḥ), beauty (śriyaḥ), knowledge (jñāna), and renunciation (vairāgya). See Kṛṣṇa.
Bhāgavata jīvana	the life of a devotee.
Bhāgavata Purāṇa	Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Bhāgavata-dharma	the science of devotional service to the Supreme Lord; the religious principles enunciated by the Lord; the eternal function of the living being.
Bhāgavata-saptāha	a seven-day series of lectures on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam given by professional reciters to a paying audience.
Bhāgavata-vidhi	the devotional process of serving the pure devotee and preaching Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Bhāgavata-vidyā	transcendental knowledge of the Supreme Lord.
Bhāgavatam system	spreading of Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy by recitation and discussion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Bhāgavatas	persons or things in relationship with the Lord.
Bhāgavata	anything related to Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord, especially the devotee of the Lord and the scripture Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam;
Bhagīratha	the king who performed austerities to bring the Ganges to earth to save his ancestors.
Bhāgyavān	most fortunate.
Bhāgya	good fortune.
Bhairava	the terrifying aspect of Lord Śiva, who chopped off the fifth head of Brahmā.
Bhajana-kutira	a small hut or cottage where a Vaiṣṇava or saintly person performs his bhajana or personal mediation.
Bhajanānandī	a devotee who performs his devotional activities in seclusion, not attempting to preach; a devotee who is satisfied to cultivate devotional service for himself.
Bhajana	this term generally to indicates the service and worship of the Supreme Lord executed by Vaiṣṇavas from the neophytes up to those who are fully God-realized. The main form that this service takes is the hearing and chanting of the holy name. Otherwise, the term refers to the singing of devotional songs about Kṛṣṇa, usually accompanied by musical instruments.
Bhakta-avatāra	an incarnation of God as a devotee.
Bhakta-prāya	an "almost" devotee.
Bhakta	a devotee of the Lord; one who performs devotional service (bhakti).
Bhakti-śakti	the spiritual potency which is the essence of the pleasure potency and the eternity potency.
Bhakti-śāstras	Scriptures dealing with the science of devotion.
Bhakti-kalpataru	the desire tree of devotional service.
Bhakti-latā-bīja	the seed of the creeper of devotional service.
Bhakti-latā	devotional creeper.
Bhakti-mārga	the path of developing devotion to Kṛṣṇa.
Bhakti-rasācārya	one who knows and teaches the essence of devotional service.
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu	one of the principal works on the science of bhakti-yoga, written by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the sixteenth century, a confidential associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. All of its conclusions are elaborately supported by reference to the Vedic literatures.
Bhakti-rasa	the mellow derived from devotional service.
Bhakti-sandarbha	one of the six treatises on the science of devotional service written by Śrila Jiva Gosvāmī.
Bhakti-siddhānta-viruddha	that which is against the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda.
Bhakti-yoga	the system of cultivation of bhakti, or pure devotional service, which is untinged by sense gratification or philosophical speculation; The process of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. According to a famous verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it consists of nine aṅgas or parts: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam-arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam 1) Hearing and 2) chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, 3) remembering them, 4) serving the lotus feet of the Lord, 5) offering the Deity of the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, 6) offering prayers to the Lord, 7) serving His mission, 8) making friends with the Lord, and 9) surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. (SB 7.5.23)
Bhaktidevi	the personification of devotional service.
Bhaktisiddhānta	Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Gosvāmī Mahārāja Prabhupāda (1874-1937) the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, and thus the spiritual grandfather of the present day Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. A powerful preacher, he founded sixty four missions in India; The transcendentally empowered son of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura appeared in this world on February 6, 1874. His father was deputy magistrate of Jagannātha Purī in Orissa at this time. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had been very concerned about unauthorized pseudo-Vaiṣṇavas who were usurping the pure teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and therefore had begun a revival of the saṅkīrtana mission. Though very busy with his profession, he wrote profusely about all aspects of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He prayed constantly for someone to boldly preach his writings. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's prayers were answered in Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. When he was six months old, the Ratha-yātrā festival of chariots was held in Purī. Lord Jagannātha's chariot stopped in front of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda's house, which was on the main road between the temple and the Guṇḍicā mandira. The chariot stayed there for three days. On the third day, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta's mother brought the child out to see the Lord. The pūjārīs picked him up and put him on the cart. He crawled to the base of Lord Jagannātha, touching His lotus feet. Simultaneously a garland fell from the neck of the Lord and landed around the child. The pūjārīs exclaimed that this child was especially blessed by the Lord. The boy grew up to be a great scholar in many fields of learning. But when he reached twenty-two, he left his studies at college, vowing to never take to householder life. For three years, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura held the post of rāja-pāṇḍita (royal scholar) of the Vaiṣṇava king of Tripura. Thereafter he took initiation from Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī. Śrīla Gaurakiśora was a Vaiṣṇava renunciate who had fully absorbed himself in the worship of Kṛṣṇa at Vṛndāvana for a long time. Then he settled at the holy city of Navadvīpa on the bank of the Ganges. By this time Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura had retired from his government work and was worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa in a small house near Navadvīpa, at Godruma. Every day he gave Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam class there. Śrīla Gaurakiśora used to attend these classes. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura told his son, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, to accept Śrīla Gaurakiśora as his initiating spiritual master. He received the name Vārṣabhānavī-devī-dayitāya dāsa. Thereafter Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gave up all other activities to chant 194 rounds daily for seven years. He stayed in a kuṭira (hut) but did not take time to repair the roof; if it rained, he just used an umbrella. In 1918 he opened the first center of the Gauḍīya Mission in Ultadanga Road in Calcutta. He was then forty-four. All across India he established Lord Caitanya's teachings as the most excellent spiritual philosophy. He started his mission in the midst of war and political agitation for national liberation. He was uncompromising in his disregard of such mundane concerns. The most important thing is to invoke the spirit of devotion to the Supreme Lord; this concern lies far above any material consideration. Many leaders objected that he was diverting too many young men from India's national interests, but he paid them no heed. In this period, Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda visited Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura on the rooftop at Ultadanga Road. Śrīla Prabhupāda, at that time known as Abhay Caran De, was an adherent of Gandhi's svarāja movement. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura convinced him in just one sitting of the vital necessity of Lord Caitanya's mission over everything else. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura departed this world in 1936. Two weeks before leaving his body, he instructed Śrīla Prabhupāda to introduce the saṅkīrtana mission to the Western world. See Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda is the foremost Vaiṣṇava ācārya in the modern age. In 1896, he appeared in this world as Abhay Caran De in Calcutta, where he received an English-language education. He first met his spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, in 1922. At their first meeting, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura requested Śrīla Prabhupāda to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In 1933, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura initiated Śrīla Prabhupāda as Abhaya Caraṇāravinda dāsa. In the years that followed, he wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā, assisted the Gauḍīya Mission in its work, and in 1944 started Back to Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine, still continued by his disciples today. He received the title Bhaktivedanta in 1947 from the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Society. In the 1950's, Śrīla Prabhupāda retired from family life, accepting the vānaprastha order. Thus he was able to devote more time to his studies and writing. He came to Vṛndāvana to live humbly at the historic medieval temple of Rādhā-Dāmodara. After several years of deep absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Śrīla Prabhupāda accepted the order of sannyāsa from his Godbrother Keśava Prajña Mahārāja, in 1959. It was then that he began to work on his life's masterpiece: a multivolume translation of and commentary on the eighteen-thousand verse Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. After publishing three volumes of the Bhāgavatam in India, Śrīla Prabhupāda came to the United States in 1965. After great difficulty, with no initial financial resources, he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New York in July, 1966. The residents of that great metropolis of materialism were astounded as the youthful American followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda danced and chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra in their midst, that eternal Vedic sound echoing between the glass and steel skyscraper canyon walls. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement soon spread to San Francisco, where the Ratha-yātrā festival of the chariots was held for the first time outside of India. A group of American disciples started a branch in London, where George Harrison of the Beatles became a life-long follower of Śrīla Prabhupāda. From England the movement went to Germany, Holland, France, and other European countries. It likewise flourished in Canada, Latin America, Australia and Africa. Simultaneously, Śrīla Prabhupāda personally established several multi-million-dollar ISKCON temple and guesthouse projects in India at Bombay, Vṛndāvana, Mayapur and Hyderabad. But Śrīla Prabhupāda considered his most significant contribution to be his books, which form a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, culture and literature. Highly respected by the academic community for their authority, depth and clarity, they serve as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into more than eighty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish his works, is the world's largest publisher in the field of Vedic studies. In the twelve years after his first arrival in America up to his departure from this world in 1977, Śrīla Prabhupāda circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents. Even in his physical absence, his great mission continues to move forward. With the collapse of the Soviet Empire that Śrīla Prabhupāda predicted during his 1972 visit to Moscow, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is vigorously blossoming throughout Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Far East. ISKCON's Mayapur project is growing into a modern spiritual city on the bank of the holy Ganges. 1996, the year of Śrīla Prabhupāda's centennial, saw the opening of grand temple projects in Delhi, Bangalore and Baroda. See Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, ISKCON, Kṛṣṇa.
Bhaktivedāntas	advanced transcendentalists who have realized the conclusion of the Vedas through devotional service.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura	(1838-1915) the great-grandfather of the present-day Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the spiritual master of Śrīla Gaura-kiśora dāsa Bābājī, the father of Śrila Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, and the grand-spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was a responsible officer and a householder, yet his service to the cause of expanding the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is unique. He has written many books on the philosophy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu; Appearing in this world in 1838 and departing it in 1914, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is one of the great teachers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the disciplic succession of spiritual masters. He is famous in Bengal for having located the exact site of the birthplace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This site at Śrīdhāma Māyāpur, near the city of Navadvīpa about 90 miles north of Calcutta, had been lost for centuries due to the shifting course of the Ganges river. The Ṭhākura's discovery rapidly transformed Māyāpur into an important place of pilgimage for Kṛṣṇa devotees. The Gaura-Viṣṇupriya temple he founded in 1891 was the first of many holy places of worship now visible at Māyāpur. In 1896, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura announced the saṅkīrtana mission to the Western world by sending a copy of one of his small books Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: His Life and Precepts to McGill University in Canada. Many of his Bengali songs are available in Songs of the Vaiṣṇava ṁcāryas, published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura predicted that the saṅkīrtana movement would spread from India to the great cities of the Western world. See Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Bhaktivedanta Swami Pra-bhupāda, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa.
Bhakti	devotional service to the Supreme Lord; purified service of the senses of the Lord by one's own senses; Love and devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. The formal systematization of devotion is called bhakti-yoga. See Bhakti-yoga, Kṛṣṇa.
Bhakty-unmukhī sukṛti	pious activities that awaken one's dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Bhānumān	a prince of Kaliṅga. He fought on the side of the Kauravas and was killed by Bhīmasena.
Bhānusena	a son of Karṇa. He was killed by Bhīmasena during the Kurukṣetra war. (Karṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Bharadvāja	a great sage and the father of Droṇa.
Bharata Mahārāja	an ancient king of India and a great devotee of the Lord from whom the Pāṇḍavas descended. The son of Mahārāja Duṣyanta who renounced his kingdom and family at an early age. He became very advanced in spiritual practice, but later became attached to a pet deer causing him to take birth as a deer. In his next life, as Jaḍa Bharata, he attained spiritual perfection.
Bhārata-varṣa	a name for the earth (now for India), derived from King Bharata, a great king who was the eldest son of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva.
Bharata	half-brother of Lord Rāma, he ruled Ayodhya when Lord Rāma was in exile.
Bhāratī	Sarasvatī-goddess of learning. Wife of Lord Brahmā. She usually sits on a white swan and holds a veena (stringed instrument) in her hands.
Bhauma-ijya-dhīḥ	accepting something to be spiritual when it is actually material.
Bhāva-bhakti	the platform of purified goodness when one's heart melts in devotional service; the first stage of love of Godhead.
Bhava-roga	material miseries or diseases.
Bhava-sāgara	the ocean of repeated birth and death.
Bhāva	the stage of transcendental love experienced after transcendental affection; manifestation of ecstatic symptoms in the body of a devotee.
Bhaviṣya Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas. It was spoken by Lord Brahmā and concerns future events and religious rites and observances.
Bhaviṣya-uttara Purāṇa	the last section of the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa.
Bhāvuka	sentimental; can also mean advanced in the knowledge of spiritual rasas.
Bhayānaka-rasa	the indirect relationship of fear.
Bhaya	fear.
Bhīma	the second son of Pāṇḍu and Kuntī. Actually, his father was Vāyu, because Pāṇḍu had been cursed not being able to conceive children. By mantra Kuntī called Vāyu and Bhīma was born. He was known for his strength and strong appetite.
Bhinna-rūpa-sandhi	the meeting of contradictory ecstasies.
Bhīṣmadeva	the grandfather of the Pāṇḍavas, and the most powerful and venerable warrior on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. The noble general respected as the "grandfather" of the Kuru dynasty. He is recognized as one of the twelve mahājanas, authorities on devotional service to the Lord. He was given a boon to leave his body any time he pleased, consequently he decided to leave while laying on a bed of arrows in full view of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Bhīṣmaka	the King of Vidarbha and father of Śrīmātī Rukmiṇī.
Bhoga-mandira	the place where the Deity's food is kept.
Bhoga	material sense enjoyment; or, food before it has been offered to the Deity.
Bhogī	sense gratifier.
Bhogonmukhī	pious activities that bestow material opulence.
Bohr, Niels	Danish physicist of great fame in the twentieth century (1885-1962). He has been called the spiritual father of all quantum physicists. Einstein was not happy with Bohr's idea that the universe is as it is purely by chance. He admonished Bohr, God does not play dice. Einstein's criticisms so bothered Bohr that he sometimes used to pace back and forth while chanting Einstein ... Einstein ... Einstein ... to himself.
Bhrama	false knowledge or mistakes.
Bhṛgu	the most powerful of the sages born directly from Brahmā.
Bhṛtya	the servants of the body, namely the senses.
Bhū	the creative energy of the cosmic creation.
Bhū-dhāraṇa-śakti	the power to hold up the planets within the universe.
Bhudevī	consort of Lord Viṣṇu.
Bhukti	material enjoyment.
Bhūmi	Mother Earth
Bhūriśrava	one of the three sons of Somadatta, a King of the Kuru dynasty. He was killed by Sātyaki during the great Kurukṣetra battle. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Bhūr	the lower material planets.
Bhūti	opulence.
Bhuvaneśvara	a holy place in the district of Puri, Orissa, that is sacred to Lord Śiva and that was visited by Lord Caitanya. It is glorified in detail in the Skanda Purāṇa.
Bhuvar	the middle material planets.
Bībhatsa-rasa	the indirect relationship of abomination.
Bihar	a state in northwestern India.
Bila-svarga	the subterranean heavens.
Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura	a great devotee-author, whose works include the Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, the confidential pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Birnagar	a town just south of Krishnanagar in the West Bengal district of Nadia. In ancient times the Ganges flowed past this town making it a prosperous river port. Once, the prince Srimanta Sandagar was sailing his fleet of ships up the Ganges to Birnagar and a violent storm arose. To save himself and his fleet, he prayed to Ulācaṇḍi, a wife of Lord Śiva. The fleet was saved, and the prince instituted her worship at this site. The town of Birnagar was thus also known as Ulā-grāma, the birthplace of Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda.
Bloop	the sound of the soul falling into the ocean of material suffering; commonly used in ISKCON to describe someone who leaves the organization.
Bo (Bodhi) tree	the tree under which Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.
Brahma śāpa	a brāhmaṇa's curse.
Brahma-bandhu	one born in a brāhmaṇa family but lacking brahminical qualification.
Brahma-bhūta	the joyful state of being freed from material contamination. One in this state is characterized by transcendental happiness, and he engages in the service of the Supreme Lord; liberation.
Brahma-jñāna	knowledge of the Supreme.
Brahma-jñānī	an impersonalist scholar.
Brahma-jijñāsā	inquiry into the Absolute Truth; spiritual inquiry into one's own identity.
Brāhma-muhūrta	the auspicious period of the day just before dawn, from one and a half hours to fifty minutes before sunrise. It is especially favorable for spiritual practices.
Brahma-rākṣasa	a man-eating demon who was a fallen brāhmaṇa in his last life; the ghost of a sinful brāhmana.
Brahma-randhra	the hole in the skull through which the perfected yogī quits his body.
Brahma-saṁhitā	a very ancient Sanskrit scripture recording the prayers of Brahmā offered to the Supreme Lord, Govinda, recovered from a temple in South India by Lord Caitanya.
Brahma-satra	meditating on the Supreme Lord always.
Brahma-saukhya	spiritual happiness, which is unobstructed and eternal.
Brahma-sūtra	the Vedānta-sūtra.
Brahma-tejas	the potency of a brāhmaṇa.
Brahma-upāsaka	a worshiper of the impersonal Brahman.
Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas. It contains prayers and invocations addressed to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as well as descriptions of His transcendental pastimes with Srīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the other cowherd girls of Vṛndāvana.
Brahma-vidyā	transcendental knowledge.
Brahma-yajña	studying the Vedas.
Brahmacārī	a celibate student under the care of a spiritual master. One in the first order of spiritual life; In the Vedic social order, the student class who strictly accept the vow of celibacy, in the case of brāhmaṇas, up to the age of 25, at which time they may marry or continue the life of celibacy; a celibate student of a spiritual master; A member of the first spiritual devision of life, according to the Vedic social system of four āśramas. See Gṛhastha, Sannyāsī, Vānaprastha.
Brahmacarya	celibate student life; the first order of Vedic spiritual life; the vow of strict abstinence from sex indulgence.
Brāhmaṇa thread	a multistranded thread worn by brāhmaṇas across the left shoulder and chest.
Brāhmaṇa	a member of the intellectual, priestly class; a person wise in Vedic knowledge, fixed in goodness and knowledgeable of Brahman, the Absolute Truth; One of the four orders of occupational life, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. The brāhmaṇas are the intellectual class and their occupation is hearing Vedic literature, teaching Vedic literature, learning deity worship and teaching deity worship, receiving charity and giving charity.
Brāhmaṇī	the wife of a brāhmana.
Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas. It was revealed by Lord Brahmā and contains knowledge about this brahmāṇḍa, or spherical universe and future millennia.
Brahmāṇḍa-bhramaṇa	wandering up and down throughout the universe.
Brahmāṇḍa	the material universe.
Brahmaṇya-deva	the Supreme Lord, who is the protector of brahminical culture.
Brahmajyoti	the impersonal bodily effulgence emanating from the transcendental body of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, which constitutes the brilliant illumination of the spiritual sky; From Kṛṣṇa's transcendental personal form of eternity, knowledge and bliss emanates a shining effulgence called the brahma-jyotir (light of Brahman). The material prakṛti, the jīvas who desire to enjoy matter, and kāla (time), are situated within this brahma-jyotir, which is pure existence devoid of difference and activity. It is the impersonal Brahman of the Mayavādīs, and the Clear Light of some Buddhist sects. For many mystics and philosophers the world over, the brahma-jyotir is the indefinable One from which all things emerge in the beginning and merge into at the end. The brahma-jyotir is Kṛṣṇa's feature of sat (eternality) separated from cit (knowledge) and ānanda (bliss). See Brahman, Buddhism, Impersonalism, Life after death, Māyāvāda philosophy, Modes of nature, Mysticism, Sac-cid-ānanda, Vedānta.
Brahmaloka	the highest planet of the universe, that of the demigod Lord Brahmā.
Brahmānanda	the spiritual bliss derived from impersonal Brahman realization.
Brahman	(1) the infinitesimal spiritual individual soul; (2) the impersonal, all-pervasive aspect of the Supreme; (3) the Supreme Personality of Godhead; (4) the mahat-tattva, or total material substance; This Sanskrit term comes from the root bṛh, which means to grow or to evolve. In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14, Brahman is described as tajjalān, as that (tat) from which the world arises (ja), into which it returns (la), and by which is is supported and lives (an). Impersonalists equate Brahman with the brahma-jyotir. But in its fullest sense, Brahman is the vastu, the actual substance of the world: 1) Viṣṇu as the Supreme Soul (paraṁ brahman), 2) the individual self as the subordinate soul (jīva-brahman), and 3) matter as creative nature (mahad-brahman). Viṣṇu is accepted by all schools of Vaiṣṇava Vedānta as the transcendental, unlimited Puruṣottama (Supreme Person), while the individual souls and matter are His conscious and unconscious energies (cid-acid-śakti). See Absolute, Brahmajyoti, Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas, Kṛṣṇa, Life after death, Modes of nature, Supersoul, Vedānta, Viṣṇu.
Brahmarṣi	a title meaning "sage among the brāhmaṇas."
Brahmāstra	a nuclear weapon produced by chanting a mantra, more powerful than many atomic bombs. It could be used only on a person of equal or superior strength. This weapon was given by Droṇa to Arjuna.
Brahmavādīs	impersonalists among the transcendentalists; those who are absorbed in the thought of impersonal Brahman.
Brahmā	the first created living being and secondary creator of the material universe. Directed by Lord Viṣṇu, he creates all life forms in the universes. He also rules the mode of passion. Twelve of his hours equals 4,320,000,000 earth-years, and his life span is more than 311 trillion of our years; The first living being in the universe, Brahmā was born not of a womb but the lotus that grows from Lord Viṣṇu's navel. He is the forefather and guru of the demigods, the giver of the Vedas, and the director of the vaikṛta or secondary phase of cosmic creation by which all species of plants, animals, human beings and demigods come into existence. Thus he takes charge of the creative rajo-guṇa, just as Śiva takes charge of the destructive tamo-guṇa. Brahmā is usually a jīva, though rarely, when there is no qualified jīva to assume this post, the Supreme Lord expands Himself as Brahmā. See Demigods, Modes of nature.
Brajmandal (Vraja-mandala)	The circular area which encompasses Braj and designated by the pilgrimage path through the area's sacred sites, each a scene of one of Krsna's exploits.
Brajbhasah	dialect of local spoken language in the Vṛndāvana area.
Bran	the tough outer pericarp layer of the wheat grain. It is removed together with the germ during milling to produce flour. It is a rich source of protein, B vitamins, phosphorus, and, of course, fibre.
Bṛghu	the leader of the sages in the universe.
Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas, or Vedic historical scriptures.
Bṛhaspati	the spiritual master of King Indra and chief priest for the demigods.
Brijbāsi	inhabitant of Vṛndāvana.
Bubhukṣus	those who desire to enjoy the material world.
Buddha	incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, the founder of Buddhism who lived during the 5th century B.C., and appeared to bewilder atheists and dissuade them from performing unnecessary animal sacrifices; Two thousand five hundred years ago, Lord Viṣṇu sent forth an empowered jīva known as the Buddha (the Enlightened One). Assuming the guise of Siddhārtha Gautama, he took birth in Kapilavastu (present-day Nepal) as the son of King Śuddhodana. At age twenty-nine he renounced the world and embarked upon a mission to preach ahiṁsā (nonviolence) and śūnyatā (extinction of the self). He especially opposed the prevailing karma-mīmāṁsā philosophy of his time, which distorted Vedic knowledge and promoted unnecessary animal sacrifice. The Buddha's teaching rests on four principles: 1) material existence is duḥkha, miserable. 2) There is samudāya, a cause of material existence. 3) Because there is a cause, there is also nirodha, a way to remove material existence. 4) That way is mārga, the path of righteousness that the Buddha himself exemplified. But as he circumvented the distortion of Vedic sacrifice in leading people away from the sin of animal slaughter, he denied the Vedas, the soul, and God. After the Buddha's disappearance, many schools of Buddhism came into being. See Avatāra (Śaktyāveśa), Buddhism.
Buddhi	Discernment, intelligence; in Greek dinoia. According to SB 3.26.30, it has five functions: saṁśaya (doubt), viparyāsa (misapprehension), niścaya (correct apprehension), smṛti (memory), and svāpa (sleep, dreaming). See Intellect.
Buddhism	Vaiṣṇava Vedāntist ācāryas such as Rāmānuja, Madhva and Baladeva have analyzed four types of Buddhist doctrine. These four are held, respectively, by schools known as the Sautrāntikas, Vaibhāṣikas, Yogācāras and Mādhyamikas. The first doctrine views mind and matter as having real but momentary existencei.e. with each moment, the reality of mind and matter changes. The second views matter as being knowable only through the mind; mind and the matter known through it are momentarily real. The third views matter as unreal, mind as absolute, and the perception of matter as momentary imagination. The fourth, known as Śūnyavāda, views the previous three doctrines as useless attempts at explaining what cannot be put into words. See Buddha, Māyāvāda philosophy, Nirvāna, Scepticism, Six systems, Voidism.
Buddhi-yoga	(buddhi-intelligence + yoga-mystic elevation) another term for bhakti-yoga (devotional service to Kṛṣṇa), indicating that it represents the highest use of intelligence by surrendering it to the will of the Supreme Lord. Action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is buddhi-yoga, for that is the highest intelligence.
-C-
Caitanya Mahāprabhu, (1486-1534)	Lord Kṛṣṇa in the aspect of His own devotee. He appeared in Navadvīpa, West Bengal, and inaugurated the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord to teach pure love of God by means of saṅkīrtana. Lord Caitanya is understood by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas to be Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself; The Golden Avatāra of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who descended into the material world 500 years ago at Śrīdhāma Māyāpur. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu inaugurated the yuga-dharma of saṅkīrtana. Together with His associates Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa, Lord Caitanya is worshiped by the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas as the Pañca-tattva (five-fold Absolute Truth). Within the Pañca-tattva, Mahāprabhu is the īśa-tattva, the Supreme Lord. Nityānanda is the prakāśa-tattva, the feature of īśvara who controls the kriyā-śakti, out of which the kāla and karma potencies expand. Advaita is the avatāra-tattva, the incarnation. Gadadhara is śakti-tattva, a feature of the original, spiritual prakṛti. Śrīvasa is jīva-tattva. See Avatāra, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, Īśvara, Saṅkīrtana.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta	translated as "the character of the living force in immortality," it is the title of the authorized biography of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu written in the late sixteenth century and compiled by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, presenting the Lord's pastimes and teachings. Written in Bengali, with many Sanskrit verses as well, it is regarded as the most authoritative book on Lord Caitanya's life and teachings; Written by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, this biography of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the single most important text of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Caitanya-caritāmṛta means the immortal character of the living force. It is the postgraduate study of spiritual knowledge, and so is not intended for the novice. Ideally, one begins with Bhagavad-gītā and advances through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Although alI these great scriptures are on the same absolute level, for the sake of comparative study Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is considered to be on the highest platform. See Bhagavad-gītā, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Caitanya	living force.
Caitya-guru	the Supersoul, the expansion of Kṛṣṇa who is seated as the spiritual master within the heart of the living being.
Cakita	a position in which the heroine appears very afraid although she is not at all afraid.
Cakora	a bird that drinks only water from the Śvāti Nakṣatra.
Cakra (Sudarśana)	the disc weapon of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu. On the top of Viṣṇu temples there is usually a cakra.
Cakravākī	the female counterpart of the cakra bird. When the male cakra bird and the female cakravākī bird are separated, they make mournful sounds during the night.
Cakravyūha	a formation of soldiers in the form of a cakra. This formation was considered impenetrable, and only the most capable warriors could penetrate it. Abhimanyu was killed while fighting in this formation. His father, Arjuna, taught him how to enter, but he did not know how to exit the gigantic formation.
Cakra	one of six centers of vital energy located in the body; the wheel of Viṣṇu on top of temples.
Cāmara	a yak-tail fan used in Deity worship.
Camasa Ṛṣi	one of the nine Yogendras.
Campaka-puṣpa	a yellowish and very fragrant flower from the campaka tree. This flower is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Camphor	a pure white crystalline powder derived from steam of the camphor tree, Cinnamomum camphera, which is found in China and India.
Cāṇakya Paṇḍita	the brāhmaṇa advisor to King Candragupta responsible for checking Alexander the Great's invasion of India. He is a famous author of books containing aphorisms on politics and morality.
Caṇḍakauśika	a muni who blessed King Bāhadratha, the King of Magadha, with a child. The child was born in two halves from each of the King's queens. The two halves were thrown in the forest where they were joined by a witch named Jara. The child was later named Jarāsandha.
Caṇḍāla	an outcaste or untouchable; dog-eaters, the lowest class of human beings.
Candana-yātrā	a twenty-one day festival held throughout India in the summer season. During Candana-yātrā devotees anoint the Deities of the Lord with sooting sandalwood paste.
Candana	a cosmetic paste made from sandalwood; used in Deity worship.
Candraśekhara Ācārya	a great householder devotee of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Candragupta	a king of the Maurya dynasty in India. His armies repelled Alexander the Great's advance into India.
Candraloka	the moon planet.
Candra	the demigod who rules the moon.
Cāpalya	impudence, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Capātī	a flat bread made from whole-wheat flour.
Cāraṇaloka	the heavenly planet of the Cāraṇa demigods.
Caraṇāmṛta	remnants of water and other liquids used for bathing the Deity and then been mixed with yogurt and sugar.
Carlyle, Thomas (1795-1881)	a Scottish historian and social critic who was an important philosophical moralist of the early Victorian age. He was opposed to empiricism, mechanism and materialism.
Cārvāka Muni	the originator of hedonistic philosophy.
Cārvāka	a Rākṣasa, who was a close friend of Duryodhana. He took the form of a brāhmaṇa and tried to condemn Yudhiṣṭhira as an enemy of the people. He was recognized by the brāhmaṇas who then chanted mantras turning him into ashes.
Catur-hotra	the four kinds of fire sacrifices prescribed in the Vedas for purification of fruitive activities.
Cātur-varṇyam	the four occupational divisions of society (brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras).
Catur-vyūha	the quadruple expansions of Kṛṣṇa who predominate over the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
Caturdaśī	the fourteenth day of the waxing and waning moon.
Cāturmāsya	the four months of the rainy season in India, when sannyāsīs do not travel. Devotees observe special vows of austerity during this time.
Catuḥ-ślokī	the four verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [SB 2.9.33/34/35/36], spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa to Brahmā, that summarize the entire philosophy of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Catuḥsana	the four Kumāras.
Causa (Lat.)	Reason or motive for something happening (in Gr. aitai). Aristotle proposed four causes to explain how creation occurs: causa materialis (the material cause), causa formalis (the formal cause), causa efficiens (the efficient cause), and causa finalis (the final cause).
Causal Ocean	the ocean in which all the universes are floating. See: Kāraṇa Ocean.
Cedirāja	the king of Cedi; also known as Śiśupāla. Lord Kṛṣṇa killed him because of his blasphemy.
Cekitāna	a warrior of the Yadu dynasty. He was killed by Duryodhana during the Kurukṣetra war. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Cetana	a conscious living entity.
Chadar	cotton or wool cloth worn on the upper half of the body, also worn by temple priests during worship.
Chaitya	Buddhist temple. Buddhist hall of worship.
Chakra	disc weapon of Lord Viṣṇu.
Chalo, Chalo	let's go, let's go.
Chamara	a yak-tail wisk or fan.
Chandas	the different meters of Vedic hymns.
Chāndogya Upaniṣad	one of the principal Upaniṣads, philosophical portions of the Vedas.
Chandra	the moon-god of the moon.
Channāvatāra	a concealed incarnation in disguise.
Channa	chick peas (garbanzo beans)
Channing, William Ellery (1780-1842)	an American theologian, founder of the Unitarian movement in New England. He believed in both rationality and mysticism. He concluded that in order for man to have a relationship with God He must be a person.
Chappals	sandals.
Chaukidar (chowkidar)	night watchman; guard.
Chauvinism	A term derived from the name of a legendary French soldier, Nicolas Chauvin, chavinism originally meant fanatical patriotism, but lately means a prejudiced belief in the superiority of one's own group; for example, male chauvinism.
Choti (coti)	Shikha; a tuft of hair worn at the back of the head of the braj area and by male Vaisnavisas.
Choko	Used in Mexican, Chinese, and Indonesian cooking, this delicate, pale-green, pear-shaped vegetable, which is related to the gourd family, originally came from Mexico, where it is known as chayote. When buying chokos, look for young tender ones with pale, green, almost translucent skin. The spikes on the skin should be short and soft. Chokos add a subtle flavour and an apple-like texture to any dish.
Cholas	South Indian rulers from the Tamil Nadu area.
Choli	sari blouse.
Chonki	a low wooden table.
Chos	Greek term for gap or chasm, derived from chainein, gape. In Greek philosophy, chos is the confused, formless and undifferentiated state of primal matter; the condition of the universe before reason appeared and brought the world into order. The Sanskrit equivalent is pradhāna, the unmanifest material nature. See Modes of nature.
Choultry	dharmashala in the south; pilgrim accommodation.
Christ	See Avatāra (Śaktyāveśa).
Cid-vilāsa	spiritual pleasure.
Cintāmaṇi	a spiritual mystically potent gemstone ("touchstone"), found in the transcendental realm. It fulfills all the desires of one who possesses it. When applied to a metal transforms it into gold.
Cintā	anxiety, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Cira-loka-pālas	permanent governors of the universe.
Circulus vitiosus (Lat.)	A vicious circle, i.e. the fallacy of proving a proposition from another which depends on the first for its own proof. See Fallacy, Logic.
Cit	alive and conscious; the indiviual living beings; unlimited knowledge.
Cit-śakti	(cit-knowledge + sakti-potency) internal or enlightening knowledge potency of the Supreme Lord.
Cit-kaṇās	particles of spirit; the living entities.
Citrabāhu	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Citrabāna	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Citracāpa	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Citragupta	the personal secretary of Yamarāja, who is the lord of death. He records the living entities' pious and evil deeds.
Citrāṅgada	one of the sons of Mahārāja Śantanu by Satyavatī. He was killed by a Gandharva of the same name.
Citrāṅgadā	one of the wives of Arjuna. She was the daughter of the King of Maṇipura. Their son's name was Babhruvāhana.
Citrāṅga	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Śalya Parva in Mahābhārata)
Citraka	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Citraketu	a member of the royal order who became fully enlightened in spiritual knowledge.
Citrasena	a Gandharva leader who was a friend of Arjuna and a son of Viśvā-vasu. He received a weapon of fire from Arjuna, and helped the Pāṇḍavas when Duryodhana tried to embarrass them at Dvaitavana.
Citrasena	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Citravarma	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Cogito ergo sum (Lat.)	I think, therefore I am. The famous maxim of Descartes that conveys his certitude about his own existence.See Descartes.
Consciousness	This term is derived from the Latin conscire, to know or be aware of. The equivalent Sanskrit term is cetana. Consciousness is the irreducible symptom of the self. It knows, it feels, and it wills. There are many theories about the relation of consciousness to matter (see Mind/body problem), but all of them are conceived in the conscious mind. Take away consciousness and theories are impossible. Then what is the use of speculation about dead matter as the source of consciousness? Subtle mind, intelligence and false ego are imposed upon consciousness by the three modes of nature. Similarly, due to these modes, wakefulness, dreaming and swoon occur against the background of consciousness. But though the modes cover it, consciousness remains essentially pure, eternally. In the liberated state, consciousness displays a non-material mind, intelligence, pure ego and perfect form. There are two orders of consciousness: vibhu and aṇu. The first is the level of God's consciousness, which is all-pervading. God knows everything in totality and everything in particular. His consciousness is never influenced by matter, although matter cannot exist apart from His consciousness. The aṇu (limited) order of consciousness belongs to the jīva. Because it is limited, matter can cover it, unless the jīva remains under the shelter of the Supreme Consciousness. See Ecstasy, False ego, Gross body, Intellect, Jīva, Mind, Mind/body problem, Modes of nature, Soul, Subtle body, Supersoul.
Contradiction	This term is formed from the Latin contra (against) and dicere (speak); hence, a statement that speaks against itself is contradictory. In Aristotilian logic, contradictions are violations of the second of the Three Laws of Thought: 1) The Law of Identity if a thing exists, it exists. If it does not exist, it does not exist. Whatever is, is. 2) The Law of Noncontradiction something cannot be itself and not be itself at the same time. Nothing can both be and not be. 3) The Law of the Excluded Middlesomething that exists is real and true, and something that does not exist is unreal and not true. There is no middle ground between these two positions. Things must either be or not be.
Cratylus	Athenean philosopher, a contemporary of Socrates and Plato. Cratylus taught a radical form of scepticism. He was a disciple of Heraclitus, whose most famous aphorism is You cannot step in the same river twice. Cratylus amended that aphorism, making it You cannot step into the same river once. He believed there is no point even to speak, because as we speak we and the world change, rendering all that we say into useless babble about nothing real. See Scepticism.
Crore	ten million; one hundred lakhs.
Cyavana	a son of Bhṛgu Muni and the author of a text on astronomy. He is one of the seven great sages of the second Manvantara.
-D-
Dacoit	a thief, particularly an armed robber.
Daihika	the bodily necessities of life.
Dainya	meekness, vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Daityas	demons; a race of demons descending from Diti.
Daiva-varṇāśrama	the social system given by God for the upliftment of mankind; Varṇāśrama-dharma-the system of four social and four spiritual orders established in the Vedic scriptures and discussed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Daivī māyā	the Lord's divine deluding potency, the material energy.
Daivī prakṛti	see: Yogamāyā; Daivi in Sanskrit means divine, and prakṛti means nature. This term refers to the original spiritual nature, out of which matter (guṇa-māyā), personified as goddess Durgā, manifests (see Bg. 7.14). The word daivi is closely related to deva, God. Daivi-prakṛti is therefore nature that is abhinna, not separate from God. A synonym for daivi-prakṛti is para-prakṛti (superior nature, see Bg. 7.5). Śrīla Prabhupāda explained the daivi-prakṛti to be the person of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī: ... Just like we are trying to be under the guidance of Rādhārāṇī, daivi-prakṛti. Prakṛti means woman, and daivi means transcendental woman. (SB lecture in Los Angeles, August 19, 1972) See Prakṛti, Rādhārāṇī.
Dākṣāyaṇī	a name of Sati
Dākṣāyaṇī	Satī, daughter of Dakṣa and wife of Lord Śiva.
Dakṣa	one of the sons of Brahmā and a chief progenitor of universal population; The Sanskrit word dakṣa literally means expert. A son of Brahmā, Dakṣa was expert in kāmya-karma, activities full of lusty desire. As a prajāpati or progenitor of living beings, he had the facility for unlimited sexual intercourse. Blinded by pride in the course of performing Vedic sacrifices, he offended Śiva. After a great fight with Śiva's ghostly associates, Dakṣa's head was replaced with that of a goat. Then Dakṣa gave up his life because of his degraded condition. Attaining a new demigod form, Dakṣa followed the same path as before and offended Nārada Muni.
Dakṣiṇā	a disciple's gift to his spiritual master upon initiation, collected by begging and given as a token of gratitude.
Dakṣiṇā	right-wing group of gopīs, who cannot tolerate womanly anger.
Dālbhya Muni	an ancient sage and grammarian.
Damayantī	the queen of King Nala who burnt a hunter to ashes by her curse when he attempted to molest her.
Dama	controlling the senses and not deviating from the Lord's service.
Dāmodara	a name for Śrī Kṛṣṇa meaning "one who is tied around the waist with rope." This name refers to the Lord's pastime of allowing Mother Yaśodā to bind Him.
Dānavas	the sons born to Kasyapa Prajapati by his wife danu; a race of demons.
Dāna	charity, one of the six duties of a brāhmaṇa.
Daṇḍa-bhaṅga-līlā	the pastime of Lord Nityānanda breaking the staff of Lord Caitanya.
Daṇḍavats	respectful prostrated obeisances offered to an elevated personality, such as one's spiritual master or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word literally means "like a pole."; falling flat like a rod.
Daṇḍa	a staff carried by those in the renounced order of life, sannyāsīs.
Dārī sannyāsī	a bogus tantric sannyāsī who keeps women.
Daridra-nārāyaṇa	"poor Nārāyaṇa," an offensive term used by Māyāvādīs to equate poor men with the Supreme Lord.
Darśana	the act of seeing and being seen by the Deity in the temple or by a spiritually advanced person. A verbal noun meaning the act of beholding or seeing. It also translates as 'audience'. When one goes to the temple of the Lord to have His audience and to behold Him, one is said to have the Lord's darśana; This Sanskrit term literally means a vision. It may mean a vision of something difficult to see (e.g. Brahmā's vision of Vaikuṇṭha), or knowledge of something difficult to know (e.g. Vedānta-darśana). See śaḍ-darśana, Six systems.
Darwin, Charles	British naturalist of the nineteenth century (1809-1882) who presented the world his version of the theory of evolution in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection; or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (1859). In fact, the theory that living forms in earlier times were not what they are now, but were simpler organisms that evolved in complexity, was proposed by Anaximander (610-546 BC), who studied fossils in a cliffside. His theory was rejected in ancient Greece, but was revived in the nineteenth century, principally by Darwin. All areas of modern Western thought continue to be influenced by Darwinism. Philosophers and scientists have grown increasingly divided over his theory. One section of scientists argues there is no certain law of evolution it happened completely by chance. Another section holds that the evolutionary process is encoded in some sort of cosmic algorithm. A recent trend in philosophy, called postmodernism, views Darwinism as simply a matter of historical interpretation: it is a metaphor for capitalism and a white male-centered power structure. There is a growing feeling that the ideas of Darwin, like those of Marx and Freud, are obsolete. See Saṁsāra.
Dāruka	the charioteer of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Darwaza	door, gateway.
Dāsa	servant; term used as addition to the name of a newly initiated disciple, meaning servant of Kṛṣṇa.
Daśa-vidhā-saṁskāra	ten Vedic rituals performed one by one, from the time of conception until death, for the purification of human beings.
Daśamī	the day before Ekādaśi, when one prepares to observe the sacred fast.
Daśaratha	the father of Lord Rāmacandra.
Daśārha	the founder of one branch of the Yadu clan.
Daśāvatāra-stotra	the introduction to Jayadeva Gosvāmī's Gītā-govinda.
Dasendriya	the ten sense organs: ear, eye, tongue, nose, skin, hands, legs, speech, anus and genitals.
Dāsya-rasa	the servitor relationship with the Lord.
Dāsya-rati	See: Dāsya-rasa
Dāsya	the devotional process of rendering service to the Lord.
Dasyu-dharma	the occupational duty of rogues and thieves.
Dattātreya	an combined incarnation of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva of the Supreme Lord who appeared as the son of Anusuyā by Atri Muni to teach the path of mystic yoga.
Dāvānala	a forest fire; often refers to the self-kindled fire of material existence.
Davies, Paul	British-born professor of mathematical physics at the University of Adelaide in Australia. He is the author of some twenty books on science.
Dayitā-patis	leaders of the dayitās; they come from the brāhmaṇa caste.
Dayitās	servants who carry the Deity of Lord Jagannātha to His chariot.
Deduction	A form of reason that comprehends the cause of an effect from authoritative testimony or a priori knowledge. See Abduction, ṁroha/Avaroha, Hypothetico-deduction, Induction, Logic.
Deism	A term first used by the Calvinists in the seventeenth century, deism is the belief in God as the first cause of the universe, who created the laws by which the universe is governed, but who is in no way immanent in His creation. God's maintenance of the world means nothing more than the permanence of natural laws. Nature follows a regular course. The sole purpose of the world is to be the habitat of mankind. The deists opposed mystical and supernatural interpretations of scripture; human reason is the true measure of scriptural understanding. Many of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America (e.g. Adams, Jefferson and Paine) were of deistic inclination. See Atheism, Semi-deism, Theism.
Deity of the Lord	the authorized form of Kṛṣṇa worshiped in temples.
Deity	As Lord Kṛṣṇa appears in the sound of His holy name, so also He appears within the arcā-avatāra, His incarnation as the Deity worshiped in the temple. The central focus of every ISKCON temple around the world is the worship of Kṛṣṇa's Deity form as represented in stone, metal, wood or as painted pictures. Through ceremonial services (pūjā) conducted according to Vedic tradition, the devotees fulfill the Lord's injunction in Bg. 9.27: Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me. This pūjā purifies the minds and senses of the devotees and connects them to Kṛṣṇa in an attitude of love. Māyāvādīs decry service to the Deity as idol worship. They argue that God is not present within the Deity, because He is everywhere. But if He is everywhere, then why is He not within the Deity as well? Moisture is also everywhere, even within the air. But when one needs a drink of water, he cannot get it from the air. He must drink the water from where water tangibly avails itself to be drunk: from a faucet, a well, or a clear stream. Similarly, although God is everywhere, it is in His Deity form that He makes Himself tangibly available for worship. See Avatāra, Kṛṣṇa.
Demigods	universal controllers and residents of the higher planets; The Sanskrit equivalent is deva or devata. Demigods are jīvas whom the īśvara empowers to represent Him in the management of the universe. The first of the demigods is Brahmā. Indra is the demigod of rain, Sūrya of the sunshine, Candra of the moonshine, Varuṇa of water. There are thirty-three million demigods in all. They live in the upper regions of the universe called svarga, or heaven. Less intelligent people worship the demigods through karma-kāṇḍa rituals to get material blessings in this life, and to be granted entrance into svarga in the next life. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa condemns demigod worship as being avidhi-pūrvaka, against the true purpose of the Vedas. See Tri-loka.
Demons	impious beings who do not follow the instructions of the Lord.
De omnibus est dubitandum (Lat.)	Doubt is everything. See Scepticism.
Descartes, Ren	French rationalist philosopher of the seventeenth century (1596-1650), called the father of modern philosophy. He broke free of Scholasticism, the Christian re-interpretation of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy that had long held sway in European schools. Descartes is an important founder of the modern scientific attitude. He viewed the material world as a mechanism wholly describable by numerical values. Modern science, more Cartesii (after the manner of Descartes), tries to describe everything in terms of mathematics. Descartes strongly believed that science can help mankind become masters and possessors of nature. Through scientific advancement we might rid ourselves of an infinity of maladies, both of body and mind, and even perhaps the enfeeblement brought on by old age, if we had sufficiently ample knowledge of their causes, and of all the remedies provided for us by nature. Convinced that his revolutionary approach to knowledge would at least free himself from an infinity of maladies, Descartes wrote at age forty-two that he would be surprised if he lived less than over a hundred years. Unfortunately, he died at age fifty-four. See Cogito ergo sum, Rationalism.
Deul	In Orissan temples it corresponds to the vimana or towered sanctum. It is a cubical inner apartment where the main Deity is located. with tower over it
Deva	See Demigod.
Devakī-nandana	Kṛṣṇa, the joy and darling son of Devakī.
Deva-dāsīs	professional dancing and singing girls trained to dramatize Vaiṣṇava ideology; they are called māhārīs in Orissa.
Deva-gaṇa	a type of demigod.
Devaśayanī	the Ekādaśī that occurs when the demigods go to sleep.
Devadatta	the conch of Arjuna which was obtained by Maya Dānava from Varuṇa.
Devahūti	the daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu who was the wife of Kardama Muni and the mother of the Lord's incarnation Lord Kapila.
Devaki	the mother of Lord Kṛṣṇa. She was the daughter of King Devaka and a wife of Vasudeva's. When Kṛṣṇa appears in the material world, He first sends some of His devotees to act as His father, mother, etc.
Devala	an ancient authority on the Vedas.
Devāpi	the brother of Mahārāja Śantanu.
Devarṣi	a title meaning "sage among the demigods."; usually refers to Nārada Muni.
Deva	a demigod or godly person.
Devī-dhāma	the material world, under the control of the goddess Devī, or Durgā.
Devotional service	the process of worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa by dedicating one's thoughts, words and actions to Him with love.
Devotthānī	the Ekādaśī that occurs when the demigods awaken from sleep.
Dhāma	abode, place of residence; usually refers to the Lord's abodes.
Dhanañjaya	a name for Arjuna meaning "he who attains great wealth by conquest." This name refers to Arjuna's collecting vast wealth for Yudhiṣṭhira's Rājasūya sacrifice.
Dhanur Veda	a Vedic treatise on the science of warfare.
Dhanvantari	the incarnation of the Supreme Lord who is the father of medical science.
Dharā-maṇḍala	the earth planet.
Dhāraṇā	fixed concentration, prior to full meditation (dhyāna).
Dharma-śāstras	religious scriptures that prescribe regulations of social organization and religion.
Dharma-dhvajī	a hypocrite, especially one who accepts sannyāsa but again becomes agitated by senses.
Dharma-kalaṅka	See: Dharma-dhvajī.
Dharmaśālā	buildings usually found in holy places in India which provide free or cheap rooming for pilgrims and mendicants.
Dharmakṣetra	a holy place of pilgrimage.
Dharmānvekṣamāṇah	strictly according to religious principles.
Dharmaputra	another name for King Yudhiṣṭhira.
Dharmarāja	a name for Yudhiṣṭhira, the first son of Pāṇḍu, or for Yamarāja, the lord of death. It means "the king of religiosity."
Dharmaḥ kaitavaḥ	cheating religions.
Dharma	religious principles; one's natural occupation. The capacity to render service, which is the essential quality of a living being. The occupational eternal duty of the living entity, regarded as inseparable from the soul himself; The Sanskrit term dharma is variously translated as duty, virtue, morality, righteousness, or religion, but no single English word conveys the whole meaning of dharma. The Vedic sage Jaimini defined dharma as a good which is of the nature of a command that leads to the attainment of the highest good. In Bg. 18.66, Lord Kṛṣṇa commands us to give up all other dharmas and surrender to Him. This is the paro-dharma, or supreme command (good, duty, virtue, etc.) of the Vedas.
Dharmī	one who abides by Vedic law, or religious principles.
Dhṛṣṭaketu	the son of Śiśupāla. He took the side of the Pāṇḍavas during the Kurukṣetra war and was killed by Droṇa.
Dhaumya	the younger brother of Devala, and the priest of the Pāṇḍavas.
Dhenukāsura	a mystic demon who took the form of a donkey and was killed by Kṛṣṇa.
Dhīra	one who is undisturbed by the material energy in all circumstances; ecstasy of sober love for Kṛṣṇa.
Dhobi	a man who washes clothes.
Dhoti	a long cotton cloth, traditionally worn by lndian men, that covers the lower half of the body.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna	the fire born son of King Drupada, who arranged the military phalanx of the Pāṇḍavas on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and the brother of Draupadī. He was born to kill Droṇa, and did so by severing his head. He was later killed by Aśvatthāmā while awaking from sleep.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra	the father of the Kauravas. He was born of the union of Vyāsa and Ambikā. He was born blind because Ambikā closed her eyes during conception, out of fear of the sage. He was reputed to have the strength of ten thousand elephants. The uncle of the Pāṇḍavas whose attempt to usurp their kingdom for the sake of his own sons resulted in the Kurukṣetra war. Bhagavad-gītā was related to Dhṛtarāṣṭra by his secretary as it was being spoken on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.
Dhṛti	perseverance or endurance; forbearance, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Dhruva Mahārāja	a great devotee who at the age of five performed severe austerities and realized the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He received an entire planet, the Pole Star.
Dhruvaloka	the polestar, which is a spiritual planet within the material universe and is presided over by Dhruva Mahārāja.
Dhūmāyitā	the stage exhibited by a devotee when only one or two transformations are slightly present and it is possible to conceal them.
Dhūpa-ārati	ceremony of offering incense and a flower to the Deity.
Dhvajastambha	flagstaff
Dhyāna	meditational yoga.
Dīkṣā-guru	the spiritual master who initiates according to the regulations of the śāstras.
Dīkṣā	spiritual initiation.
Dilīpa	the son of Aṁśumān and father of Bhagiratha. He was born in the sun dynasty and was an ancestor of Lord Rāmacandra's.
Dinoia	Greek term for discernment or intellect, similar to the Sanskrit buddhi. See Intellect.
Dīpta	the stage exhibited by a devotee when four of five ecstatic symptoms are manifest.
Discernment	See Buddhi, Dinoia, Intellect.
Diti	a wife of Kaśyapa Muni, and the mother of the demons Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu.
Divya Desam temples	108 important Viṣṇu temples sung about by the 12 Alwar devotees of Tamil Nadu.
Divyonmāda	transcendental madness in separation from Kṛṣṇa.
Diwan-i-am	Hall of Public Audience
Diwan-i-khas	Hall of Private Audience.
Dola-yātrā	the swing festival of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
Dosas	a very large, thin pancake. made of fermented rice flour. They are often wrapped round a spiced potato filling and are then called masala dosa.
Dosa	one of the three constituents of the body, according to Ayurveda. They are kapha (mucus), pitta (bile), and vāyu (air) .
Draupadī	the daughter of King Drupada, and wife of the Pāṇḍavas. She was born from a sacrificial fire to be the wife of Arjuna. She was won by Arjuna at her svayaṁvara. She was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Dravida	South India.
Draviḍa-rāja	devotional service or a person eligible to act in devotional service.
Dravya	Matter, material (physical) objects, material possessions.
Dṛḍha-vrata	firm determination.
Droṇācārya	the martial preceptor of the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas. The military teacher of Arjuna and the other Pāṇḍavas and the commander-in-chief of the Kurus, who was obliged to fight the Pāṇḍavas on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. He was the son of the great sage Bharadvāja. He wife was Kāpī, and his son was Aśvatthāmā. He was killed by Dhṛṣṭadyumna during the great Kurukṣetra war.
Drupada	the King of Pāñcāla, and the father of Draupadī and Dhṛṣṭadyumna. He was involved in a quarrel with Droṇa over half his kingdom. He engaged a sage name Yāja in a sacrifice to get a son who could kill Droṇa and a daughter who could marry Arjuna. Thus Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Draupadī were born. In the battle of Kurukṣetra he was killed by Droṇa.
Dhrupad	a musical style that means 'fixed verse'.
Dualism	From the Latin dualis, containing two. There are two types of dualism in Western thought: metaphysical and religious. Metaphysical dualism is covered under the entry for the Mind/body problem. As a religious term, it was introduced in 1700 by Thomas Hyde in his work The Ancient Persian Religions. He characterized as dualism the conflict between the two principle gods of Zoroastrianism, the good Ormazd and the evil Ahriman. Zoroastrian dualism strongly influenced Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All three adhere to a doctrine of eternal struggle between God and Satan. But dualism, in the words of philosopher G.C. Nayak, is not an attempt to solve the problem of evil within the theistic concept. (From Evil and the Retributive Hypothesis, 1993, p. 44) Hence, none of the above religions, insofar as they are dualistic, can be considered truly theistic. See Atheism, Dvaita, Metaphysics, Mind/body problem, Problem of Evil, Theism.
Duḥśala	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Duḥśalā	the only daughter of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī. She was married to Jayadratha.
Duḥśāsana	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Duḥsaṅga	bad association.
Durādhāra	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durbar	royal court, meeting place.
Durdharṣaṇa	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durgā-śakti	the material energy.
Durgā-maṇḍapa	the place in a house where mother Durgā is worshiped.
Durgā	Lord Śiva 's wife in a fierce form, riding a tiger. The goddess is empowered by the Supreme Lord to preside over the material nature and bewilder the souls situated there into misconceiving themselves to be their material bodies and enjoyers and controllers of the mundane creation. She is very powerful, superseded only by Lord Viṣṇu Himself, and is the external manifestation of the Lord's internal potency, Yoga-māyā. Once a fallen soul takes to the path of God consciousness, she continues to offer various material allurements so as to test his sincerity and determination to serve the Lord. Once the Lord accepts the struggling soul she can no longer influence that soul and it is thus liberated.
Durjaya	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durmarṣaṇa	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durmukha	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durvāsā Muni	a partial incarnation of Lord Śiva, a powerful mystic yogī, famous for his fearful curses. He is known for being easily angered. He granted a benediction to Kuntī that she could call any demigod and conceive children. Duryodhana once pleased Durvāsā and asked for a benediction that he and his thousands of disciples would visit Yudhiṣṭhira at a time when Draupadī had already eaten from her copper pot. The idea was that Durvāsā would become angry and curse the Pāṇḍavas. The plan back fired because Lord Kṛṣṇa saved the situation. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durvigāha	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durvimocana	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durviṣaha	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Durvirocana	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Duryodhana	the first born and chief of the evil-minded one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and chief rival of the Pāṇḍavas. He was a wicked asura by birth. He became envious of the Pāṇḍavas and tried in many ways to kill them. It was for the sake of establishing Duryodhana as king of the world that the Kurus fought the Battle of Kurukṣetra. He was killed by Bhīma when the later broke his thighs on the last day of the battle of Kurukṣetra.
Duṣkarṇa	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Duṣkṛtam	miscreants who do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
Duṣkṛtī	a miscreant.
Duṣparājaya	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Śalya Parva in Mahābhārata)
Duṣpradharṣaṇa	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Śalya Parva in Mahābhārata)
Duṣṭa-damana-śakti	the power to cut down rogues and demons.
Dvādaśī	the twelfth day after the full or new moon, thus the day after Ekādaśī, when one breaks one's fast by eating grains.
Dvaipāyana	Vyāsadeva (Vyāsa)-the literary incarnation of God, and the greatest philosopher of ancient times. The son of Parāśara, and the compiler of the original Vedic scriptures, including the eighteen Purāṇas, Vedānta-sūtra, the Mahābhārata, and the Upaniṣads. He played a very important part in guiding the Pāṇḍavas during crucial times. He gave the vision of the battle of Kurukṣetra to Sañjaya so that he could relate it to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He is still living in this world.
Dvaita	Duality. It is also the name of a system of Vedānta established by Madhvācārya. See Advaita, Dualism, Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas, Madhva, Vedānta.
Dvaitādvaita-vāda	the Vedānta philosophy taught by Nimbarkācārya. This philosophy posits a simultaneous oneness and difference between the tiny spirit souls and the Supreme Lord. Later, Lord Caitanya gave further development to this idea as acintya-bhedābheda-vāda.
Dvaitavana	a forest where the Pāṇḍavas lived during their exile in the forest.
Dvāpara-yuga	the third age of the cycle of a mahā-yuga. It lasts more than 864,000 years.
Dvāra	the doors of the body, such as the eyes and ears.
Dvārakādhīśa	the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, Lord of the city of Dvārakā.
Dvārakā	the island kingdom of Lord Kṛṣṇa, lying off India's west coast, where He performed pastimes five thousand years ago. The capital city of the Yadus. Lord Kṛṣṇa had this city built to protect the Yadus from the attacks by the demons. It is an island situated off the eastern part of India, which is now known as Gujarat. When Lord Kṛṣṇa left this world, the ocean enveloped the whole city.
Dvi-parārdha	the duration of Brahmā's life, 311 trillion 411 billion years.
Dvija-bandhus	unworthy sons of the twice-born.
Dvija-bandhu	See: Brahma-bandhu
Dvija	a brāhmaṇa, or twice-born person.
Dvīpa	island; planet.
Dvivida gorilla	a huge, apelike demon killed by Lord Balarāma.
Dwarapala	the doorkeeper sculptures by the doorways of Hindu and Buddhist temples.
Dxa (Gr.)	Opinion, as opposed to factual knowledge (nesis).
-E-
Ecstasy	For a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, freedom from birth and death is gained by purifying consciousness and desires until the ecstasy of pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness is achieved. As the term ecstasy indicates (Gr. kstasis, standing outside [the body]), God consciousness transports the soul beyond identification with the material body. After the steady practice of the nine methods of bhakti-yoga awakens love of Kṛṣṇa in the devotee's heart, Kṛṣṇa appears before the devotee. At that time all the senses of the devotee (the eyes, nose, ears, tongue, sense of touch) become the receptacles of the auspicious qualities of Kṛṣṇa: His supreme beauty, fragrance, melody, youthfulness, tastefulness, munificence and mercy. The Lord reveals first His beauty to the eyes of the devotee. Due to the sweetness of that beauty, all the senses and the mind take on the quality of eyes. From this the devotee swoons. To console the devotee, the Lord next reveals His fragrance to the nostrils of the devotee, and by this, the devotee's senses take on the quality of the nose in order to smell. Again the devotee swoons in bliss. The Lord then reveals His sonorous voice to the devotee's ears. All the senses become like ears to hear, and for the third time the devotee faints. The Lord then mercifully gives the touch of His lotus feet, His hands and His chest to the devotee, and the devotee experiences the Lord's fresh youthfulness. To those who love the Lord in the mood of servitude, He places His lotus feet on their heads. To those in the mood of friendship, He grasps their hands with His. To those in the mood of parental affection, with His hand He wipes away their tears. Those in the conjugal mood He embraces, touching them with His hands and chest. Then the devotee's senses all take on the sense of touch and the devotee faints again. In this way, the devotee attains his rasa (spiritual relationship) with Kṛṣṇa. See Bhakti-yoga, Live after death, Rasa.
Eddington, Arthur Stanley	British astronomer and mathematician (1882-1944) who proved Einstein's theory of relativity. He was an advocate of phenomenalism. See Phenomenalism.
Egalitarianism	The view that all humans are socially, politically and in some schools, economically equal. According to the Vedic understanding, all humans and in fact all living beings are spiritually equal. But due to the rule of the three modes of nature over the universe, material equality is impossible.
Einstein, Albert	German-born physicist (1879-1955), certainly the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. In a book entitled Sidelights on Relativity, he wrote: As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality. See Relativity theory. Elements From the Latin elementa, the first principles of things. Some ancient Greek philosophers proposed four elements: water, air, fire and earth. This idea dominated European thought until the seventeenth century. To Arjuna, Lord Kṛṣṇa says there are five gross and three subtle material elements (see Bg. 7.4). The five include the four counted by the Greeks, plus ākāśa or ethereal space. The three subtle elements are mind, intelligence and false ego, which are manifestations of the three guṇas (modes), goodness, passion and ignorance respectively. To Uddhava, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, I personally approve of that knowledge by which one sees the combination of nine, eleven, five and three elements in all living entities, and ultimately one element within those twenty-eight. (SB 11.19.14) The nine are material nature, the living entity, the mahat-tattva, false ego, and the five objects of sense perception (sound, touch, form, taste and aroma). The eleven are the five karmendriya or working senses (the voice, hands, legs, genitalia and rectum) plus the five jñānendriya or knowledge-acquiring senses (the ears, touch, eyes, tongue and nostrils), along with the coordinative sense, the mind. The five are the physical elements of earth, water, fire, air and ākāśa or sky, and the three are the modes of material nature (guṇas). The one within all twenty-eight elements is the Supersoul. See Analysis, Gross body, Modes of nature, Subtle body, Supersoul.
Ekacakra	a village where the Pāṇḍavas stayed after the burning of the palace of lac. It was here that Bhīma killed the Rākṣasa Baka.
Ekādaśī	a special day for increased remembrance of Kṛṣṇa, which comes on the eleventh day after both the full and new moon. Abstinence from grains and beans is prescribed. Directly presided over by Lord Hari, Ekādaśī is a holy test day for Vaiṣṇavas. One should utilize this day for fasting and increasing one's devotion to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa by intensifying their chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and other devotional activities.
Ekadaṇḍa	the staff, made of a single rod, carried by a sannyāsī of the Māyāvāda (impersonalist) school.
Ekalavya	the son of Hiraṇyadhanus, the King of the Niṣadhas. He approached Droṇa to learn the science of archery, but was refused because of his low birth. He later built a deity of Droṇa and thus learned the science of archery. However, Droṇa did not approve of this process and asked for his thumb as dākṣiṇā. Ekalavya submitted and cut off his thumb. He then found he did not have the same skill as before. Ekalavya was latter killed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882)	an American poet, lecturer and essayist who was the leading member of the Transcendentalists, a group of New England idealists. His view was an eclectic one, and he was much influenced by his studies of Vedic thought.
Epistemology	This term comes from the Greek epistme (knowledge) and lgos (the study of). Epistemology is one of the four main branches of philosophy (besides ethics, logic and metaphysics). It asks questions regarding knowledge: What is knowledge? Where does it come from? How is it formulated, expressed and communicated? Is sense experience necessary for all types of knowledge? What part does reason play in knowledge? Is there knowledge derived only from reason? What is the difference between belief, knowledge, opinion, fact, reality, error, imagining, conceptualization, idea, truth, possibility and certainty? See Ethics, Logic, Metaphysics, Ontology, Philosophy.
Ethics	This is one of the four main branches of philosophy (besides epistemology, logic and metaphysics). Ethics (also called moral philosophy) asks questions like: what sort of life is good? Which goals are worthy? Whose intentions are respectable? How are right and wrong defined? How to choose between right and wrong? See Epistemology, Logic, Metaphysics, Philosophy.
Evādat	offering prayers to the Supreme Person (Arabic).
Evolution	See Darwin, Saṁsāra.
Existentialism	A rationalist trend of many theoretical shades. It was started in the nineteenth by the Danish Christian thinker Sṭren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), and the German critic of Christianity, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). But it is usually identified with the twentieth century French atheist Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980). In Sartre's version, existence is the essence of everything. In other words, the ultimate meaning of a thing is that it simply is. An individual is nothing other than his or her power of choice. The universe has no rational direction or scheme. It is meaningless and absurd. Therefore individuals have complete freedom of choice. See Rationalism.
Experientia (Lat.)	Trial, knowledge resulting from observation. Root of the English term experience. The Sanskrit equivalent is pratyakṣa, sense perception; the Greek equivalent is empeira. See Pratyakṣa.
Experimentum (Lat.)	Trial, test, action undertaken to discover or test something. Root of the English term experiment. An experimentum fructiferum is a fruitive experiment designed to produce a particular effect or useful purpose. An experimentum luciferum is a experiment of light meant to uncover nature's occult qualities. See New Philosophy, Occult.
-F-
Fallacy	An error in reasoning. An argument is called fallacious if it does not follow the formal structures and rules of logic. It is also fallacious if it is not adequately supported and/or does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that the proponent of the argument wants to establish. An example is begging the question (petitio principi). This is also known as circular reasoning, by which one arrives at a conclusion from statements that are themselves questionable and have to be proved. For instanceMajor premise: Genuine yogīs live in the forest and only eat fruit. Minor premise: This monkey lives in the forest and only eats fruit. Conclusion: This monkey is a genuine yogī. See Circulus vitiosus, Infinite regress, Logic.
False ego	the conception that "I am this material body, mind or intelligence."; False ego In Sanskrit, it is termed ahaṅkāra. False ego is a soul's wrong identification with matter in two ways: I (as, for instance, I am this body) and mine (this land is mine). The primal stage of the false ego is tāmasa-buddhi, intelligence in ignorance. This occurs when the original consciousness of the spirit soul comes into contact with the mahad-brahman, the unmanifest prakṛti. From out of tāmasa-buddhi, the three modes make their appearance. These take shape as the mind (mode of goodness), the senses (mode of passion) and the sense objects (mode of ignorance). The ahaṅkāra identifies the self with these, according to the predominance of one mode over another (the three modes constantly compete with one another to control the living entity). Thus a person in goodness identifies with the mind. A person in passion identifies with the senses. A person in ignorance identifies with the sense objects. But all these are the result of the intelligence being absorbed in primal ignorance: ignorance of Kṛṣṇa. In the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa says to Uddhava that the false ego is cid-acin-mayaḥ, that which encompasses both spirit and matter, because it binds the cid (conscious soul) to the acid (unconscious matter). The cultivation of the innate goodness of the mind is the essence of the Vedic method of yoga, summarized by Kṛṣṇa as follows. The mind can be controlled when it is fixed on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Having achieved a stable situation, the mind becomes free from polluted desires to execute material activities; thus as the mode of goodness increases in strength, one can completely give up the modes of passion and ignorance, and gradually one transcends even the material mode of goodness. When the mind is freed from the fuel of the modes of nature, the fire of material existence is extinguished. Then one achieves the transcendental platform of direct relationship with the object of his meditation, the Supreme Lord. (SB 11.9.12) See Buddhi, Consciousness, Intellect, Mind, Modes of nature, Soul, Subtle body, Supersoul.
Feminism	The promotion of the rights of females in human society.
Feyerabend, Paul Karl	Austrian-born American philosopher of science who is a self-professed intellectual anarchist (1924-1994). According to him, the mark of creativity in science is the proliferation of theories.
Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas	There are four Vaiṣṇava schools (sampradāyas) of Vedānta. These are 1) the Śrī Sampradāya, whose ācārya is Rāmānuja; 2) the Brahmā Sampradāya, whose ācārya is Madhva; 3) the Rudra Sampradāya, whose ācārya is Viṣṇusvāmī, and 4) the Kumāra Sampradāya, whose ācārya is Nimbārka. Opposed to these is the non-Vaiṣṇava Vedāntist school of Śaṅkarācārya. Every Vedāntist school is known for its siddhānta or essential conclusion about the relationships between God and the soul, the soul and matter, matter and matter, matter and God, and the soul and souls. Śaṅkarācārya's siddhānta is Advaita, nondifference (i.e. everything is one, therefore these five relationships are unreal). All the other siddhāntas support the reality of these relationships from various points of view. Rāmānuja's siddhānta is Viśiṣṭādvaita, qualified nondifference. Ma-dhva's siddhānta is Dvaita, difference. Viṣṇusvāmī's siddhānta is Śuddhādvaita, purified nondifference. And Nimbārka's siddhānta is Dvaita-advaita, difference-and-identity. The Bengali branch of Madhva's sampradāya is known as the Brahmā-Madhva-Gauḍīya Sampradāya, or the Caitanya Sampradāya. In the 1700's this school presented Indian philosophers with a commentary on Vedānta-sūtra written by Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa that argued yet another siddhānta. It is called acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, which means simultaneous inconceivable oneness and difference. In recent years this siddhānta has become known to people from all over the world due to the popularity of the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. Acintya-bhedābheda philosophy maintains the same standpoint of difference as Madhva's siddhānta on the five-fold relationship of God to soul, soul to matter, matter to matter, matter to God and soul to soul. But acintya-bhedābheda-tattva further teaches the doctrine of śakti-pariṇāma-vāda (the transformation of the Lord's śakti), in which the origin of this five-fold differentiation is traced to the Lord's play with His śakti or energy. Because the souls and matter emanate from the Lord, they are one in Him as His energy yet simultaneously distinct from Him and one another. The oneness and difference of this five-fold relationship is termed acintya or inconceivable because, as Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in his purport to Bg. 18.78, Nothing is different from the Supreme, but the Supreme is always different from everything. As the transcendental origin and coordinator of His energies, God is ever the inconceivable factor. See Advaita, Dvaita, Māyāvādī philosophy, Six systems, Vedānta, Vedānta-sūtra.
-G-
Gadādhara-prāṇanātha	Lord Caitanya, the life and soul of Gadādhara Paṇḍita.
Gadādhara	a name for the Personality of Godhead meaning "He who wields a club [in one of His four hands];" an intimate associate of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Gadāira Gaurāṅga	Lord Caitanya, the Lord Gaurāṅga of Gadādhara Paṇḍita.
Gada	a brother of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Lord Baladeva. He was born to Vasudeva's wife Rohiṇī.
Gadā	the club held by Lord Viṣṇu.
Gajendra	the king of the elephants. He was saved from a crocodile by Lord Viṣṇu and awarded liberation.
Gamcha	an item of cloth, worn casually, usually around the waist.
Gāṇḍīva	the famous bow of Arjuna gifted to him by Varuṇa before the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest. (Ādi Parva in Mahābhārata)
Gandhamādana	a mountain situated east of Mount Meru. Renowned for its fragrant forests, it forms the boundary between Ilāvṛta-varṣa and Bhārata-varṣa.
Gāndhāra	a province in ancient India believed to be the present day Afghanistan.
Gāndhārī	the saintly and faithful wife of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and mother of one hundred sons. The daughter of King Subala of Gāndhāra. She was a great devotee of Lord Śiva from her childhood. Lord Śiva blessed her with a benediction she could have one hundred sons. Śrīla Vyāsadeva also blessed her with the same benediction. She was married to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who was blind. When she found out that her future husband was blind, she voluntarily blindfolded herself for the rest of her life. She is considered one of the most chaste women of all time.
Gandharvas	the celestial demigod dancers, singers, and musicians of the heavenly planets.
Gaṇeśa	the demigod in charge of material opulence and freedom from misfortune. He is the son of Lord Śiva and Pārvatī, and is the scribe who wrote down the Mahābhārata. He has an elephant head. He has a rat for a carrier.
Gaṅgā	the famous and holy Ganges river of India, which runs throughout the entire universe. She originates from the spiritual world, and descended when Lord Vāmanadeva kicked a hole in the top of the universe. One is recommended to bathe in the Ganges for purification. She married Mahārāja Śantanu and begot the famous devotee and warrior, Bhīṣmadeva
Gauda-desa	the holy lands of Lord Caitanya's birthplace.
Gāñjā	marijuana.
Garbha-gṛha	inner sanctuary or altar room that contains the main Deity of the temple. The literal meaning is "womb chamber."
Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra	the Vedic ceremony of purification to be performed by parents before conceiving a child.
Garbhodaka Ocean	the body of water that fills the bottom part of each material universe.
Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu	the second Viṣṇu expansion, who enters each universe and from whose navel grows a lotus upon which Lord Brahmā appears. Brahmā then creates the diverse material manifestations.
Garga Muni	the family priest for the Yadu dynasty.
Garh	fort.
Gari	vehicle.
Garuda	Lord Viṣṇu's eternal carrier, a great devotee, the son of Aditi and Kaśyapa who takes the form of an eagle and is the bird carrier of Lord Viṣṇu. He is often found atop a pole facing the entrance of Viṣṇu temples. The emblem of Garuḍa is always on the chariot of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Garuḍa Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas, or Vedic historical scriptures.
Garva	pride, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Gauḍa-deśa	Bengal.
Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi	the places in Bengal where Lord Caitanya stayed.
Gauḍas	pullers of Lord Jagannātha's car.
Gauḍīya Maṭha	a Vaisnava institution, originally with 64 temples in India and elsewhere, founded by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākura for propagating the sacred teachings of Lord Caitanya throughout India and the world. It was first established in 1918 as the Śrī Bhaktivinoda Āsana. In 1919 he re-established it as the Viśva-vaiṣṇava-rāja-sabhā, an institution originally established by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and re-instituted by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. The organization ultimately came to be known as the Gauḍīya Maṭha. Its influenced waned after the passing of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya	the authorized Vaiṣṇava disciplic succession of bona fide spiritual masters coming through Śrīla Madhvācārya and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; the followers in that tradition.
Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇava	specifically, a Vaiṣṇava born in Bengal, or, more generally, any Vaiṣṇava who follows the pure teachings of Lord Caitanya; The name gauḍīya refers to the region of Bengal and Bangladesh. A Vaiṣṇava is a devotee of Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. Hence, a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava is a practicioner of the form of Vaiṣṇavism associated with Bengal, as started by Caitanya Mahāprabhu some 500 years ago. See Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa, Vaiṣṇava, Viṣṇu.
Gaudiya Vaisnava Sampradaya	the Bengal Vaisanava sect founded by Caitanya Maha-prabhu in the late fifteenth century. Lord Caitanya's immediate disciples, the six Gosvamis, inititated the resurection of Vrndavana.
Gaura-Hari	Radha and Krsna combined into one form as the Golden Avatar.
Gaura mantra	mantra composed of the four syllables gau-ra-aṅ-ga.
Gaura Pūrṇimā	the appearance day of Lord Caitanya.
Gaura-gopāla mantra	mantra composed of the four syllables rā-dhā-kṛṣ-ṇa.
Gauracandra	(gaura-golden; candra-moon) a name of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu denoting His appearance to be like that of a golden moon.
Gaurāṅga-nāgarīs	the name of a particular sahajiyā sect.
Gaurakṛṣṇa	see: Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī	the disciple of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura who was the initiating spiritual master of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
Gaurasundara	the beautiful, golden-complexioned Lord, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Gaurava-dāsya	condition when the devotee takes the form of giving protection to the Lord; category of dāsya-rasa.
Gaurava-sakhya	the mellow of friendship in awe and veneration.
Gaura	of fair complexion.
Gautama Muni	one of the seven sons born from Lord Brahma's mind. He belongs to the family of Aṅgirā Ṛṣi and is the author of Nyāya-śāstra, the science of logic, which explains that the combination of atoms is the cause of everything.
Gāyatrī	a sacred mantra that a brāhmaṇa chants silently three times a day at sunrise, noon and sunset to attain the transcendental platform; the Vedic mantra that delivers one from material entanglement.
Gayā	a famous holy place on the bank of the Phalgu River in the state of Bihar, where many pilgrims go to offer worship on behalf of their forefathers. The imprint of the lotus feet of the Lord are enshrined there, and it was there that Lord Caitanya met and was initiated by Isvara Purī. Lord Buddha attained here nirvāṇa. This is one of the four places in India where many pilgrims come to offer oblations to deparated ancestors.
Ghana	transcendental bliss that is complete (lit. "concentrated").
Ghara-bhāta	rice prepared at home, not offered to Lord Jagannātha in His temple.
Ghaṭa-paṭiyā	Māyāvāda philosophy, which sees no distinctions, stating that everything is one.
Ghaṭotkaca	the son of Bhīma by Hidimbī, a Rākṣasa woman. He played a very important role in the Kurukṣetra war. He was killed by Karṇa with the Śakti weapon of Indra.
Ghat	steps that lead down to holy river, lake or kuṇḍa.
Ghee	clarified butter
Ghṛta	ghee.
Giriśa	Śiva-the guṇa-avatāra who is the superintendent of the mode of ignorance (tamoguṇa) and who takes charge of destroying the universe at the time of annihilation. He disguised himself as a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna over a boar. Lord Śiva was pleased with Arjuna and gave him a benediction of the Paśupati astra by which he could kill Jayadratha. He also gave a benediction to Aśvatthāmā that he could kill the remaining soldiers on the side of the Pāṇḍavas while they were sleeping in their tents. He is also considered the greatest Vaiṣṇava, or devotee, of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is confused by some with the Supreme Lord.
Giridhārī (Govardhana)-silā	stones from Govardhana Hill in Vṛndāvana. Worship of these stones was inaugurated by Lord Caitanya and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. On the basis of statements from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Caitanya established the non-difference of Govardhana Hill and Kṛṣṇa. By such worship Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī got the direct darśana of the Lord.
Girivraja	the capital city of Jarāsandha.
Giri	hill.
Glāni	a feeling that one is in a faulty position, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Godāsa	servant of the senses.
Godhead	the ultimate source of all energies.
Godown	warehouse, storage room.
Goldsmith, Oliver (1730-1774)	an Anglo-lrish author who was famed as an essayist, poet, novelist, playwright, biographer and historian. One of his major poems is "The Deserted Village".
Goloka Vṛndāvana (Kṛṣṇaloka)	the highest spiritual planet in the kingdom of God, Lord Kṛṣṇa's personal abode.
Good and evil	See Problem of evil.
Goodness	See Modes of nature (Sattva-guṇa).
Goonda (guṇḍa)	hired thug.
Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī	one of the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, who directly followed Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and systematically presented His teachings, born at the beginning of the 16th century near Śrī Raṅgam in South India. He met Lord Caitanya as a child when the Lord stayed with his father, Vyenkata Bhaṭṭa, during the four-month rainy season. On the order of Lord Caitanya he journeyed to Vṛndāvana to join the other Gosvāmīs. While on pilgrimage he obtained twelve śālagrama-śīlās. Later, a Dāmodara śilā manifested Himself as the beautiful Rādhā-ramaṇa Deity, Who is worshiped to this day with great eclat. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa assisted Sanātana Gosvāmī in his writing.
Gopāla	a name of Kṛṣṇa as a young boy; the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, who protects the cows.
Gopī-candana	type of clay used for tilaka. Sacred earth from a pond near Dvārakā, used by devotees in making auspicious markings on the body.
Gopīśvara	Śiva-the guṇa-avatāra who is the superintendent of the mode of ignorance (tamoguṇa) and who takes charge of destroying the universe at the time of annihilation. He disguised himself as a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna over a boar. Lord Śiva was pleased with Arjuna and gave him a benediction of the Paśupati astra by which he could kill Jayadratha. He also gave a benediction to Aśvatthāmā that he could kill the remaining soldiers on the side of the Pāṇḍavas while they were sleeping in their tents. He is also considered the greatest Vaiṣṇava, or devotee, of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is confused by some with the Supreme Lord.
Gopīs	the cowherd girls of Vraja, who are generally the counterparts of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's hlādini-sākti, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. They assist Her as maidservants in her conjugal pastimes with the Supreme Personality of Godhead; Gopāla Kṛṣṇa's cowherd girl friends, who are His most surrendered and confidential devotees.
Gopijana-vallabha	the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is dear to the gopīs.
Gopuram (gopura)	highly carved soaring towers over the gates of the temples
Gosāñi	other name for Gosvāmī.
Goṣṭhy-ānandī	a Vaiṣṇava who is interested in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Gosvāmī-viddhi	"the way of the Gosvāmīs," i.e., transcendental devotional service.
Gosvāmī	a person who has his senses under full control: the title of a person in the renounced order of life, sannyasa. (go-senses + svamī-master) master of the senses.
Govardhana-śilā	a stone from Govardhana Hill in Vṛndāvana; it is as worshipable as Kṛṣṇa Himself.
Govardhana-dhārī	Kṛṣṇa, the lifter of Govardhana Hill.
Govardhana	a large hill dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. Kṛṣṇa held it up for seven days to protect His devotees in Vṛndāvana from a devastating storm sent by Indra.
Govinda dāsa Ṭhākura	the author of several important Vaiṣṇava songs.
Govinda	name the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. "One who gives pleasure to the land, the cows and the senses."
Grāmya-karma	mundane activities.
Grāmya-kathā	talk concerning family life.
Grāmya-kavi	a poet who writes only about the relationship between man and woman.
Granthika	a name used by Nakula during the last year of the Pāṇḍavas' exile in the kingdom of Virāṭa.
Gṛha-vrata	one who is attached to living in a comfortable home although it is actually miserable; one attached to the material duties of family life.
Gṛham andhakūpam	the "blind well" of family affection.
Gṛhamedhi	envious materialistic householder who lives only for sense gratification.
Gṛha	home. For spiritual cultivation one requires an undisturbed place or the good association of devotees.
Gṛhastha	householder stage of life. One who lives in God conscious married life and raises a family in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; regulated householder living according to the Vedic social system; the second order of Vedic spiritual life.
Gross body	The body that grows on food is known in Sanskrit as the sthūla-śarīra, the gross body. It is a combination of the gross material elements moved about by the soul under the spell of the three modes of material nature. This body is ever-changing, transformed by birth, growth, maturity, reproduction, old age, and death. The living entity who rides within the heart of the body attempts to find satisfaction through sense happiness. But sense happiness is inseparable from sense distress. By Vedic knowledge, the body can be engaged in acts of sacrifice that liberate the soul from the duality of happiness and distress. The body of a pure devotee, who keeps himself always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, loses its ordinary material qualities, just as a piece of iron loses its usual qualities when it is kept within fire. As the iron becomes fiery, similarly the body of a pure devotee is spiritualized. See Ecstasy, Elements, Modes of nature, Soul, Subtle body.
Gujarat	a province in northwestern India.
Guṇa-avatāras	incarnations who control material qualities; the presiding deities of the three modes of nature. Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva.
Guṇa	See Modes of nature.
Guṇa-māyā	the material world.
Guṇas	the three modes, or qualities, of material nature: Brahmā controls passion, Viṣṇu goodness, and Śiva ignorance.
Guṇātīta	Nirguṇa-without material qualities; uncontaminated by the three modes of material nature.
Guṇḍicā-mārjana	washing and cleansing the Guṇḍicā temple.
Gurdwara	Sikh religious complex, which usually includes a temple and guest house.
Guru-avajñā	disobeying the instructions of the spiritual master.
Guru-dakṣiṇā	a disciple's gift to his spiritual master, collected by begging and given as a token of gratitude.
Guru-kṛpā	the mercy of the spiritual master.
Guru-kula	a school of Vedic learning. Boys begin at five years old and live as celibate students, guided by a spiritual master.
Guru-pūjā	worship of the spiritual master.
Guru	spiritual master; one of the three authorities for a Vaiṣṇava. Literally, this term means heavy. The spiritual master is called guru because he is heavy with knowledge. See Sādhu, Śāstra.
Guru-bhai	god-brother
-H-
Hādīka	the father of Kṛtavarmān.
Haihayas	a dynasty of demoniac kings destroyed by Lord Paraśurāma.
Hamlyn, David W.	Professor of Philosophy at Birbeck College, University of London. He is the author of a number of books on philosophy and the editor of Mind magazine.
Hanumān	the great famous monkey devotee of Lord Rāmacandra. The eleventh portion of Rudra. He is the brother of Bhīma and the son of the wind-god, Vāyu, and Añjana, the daughter of Gautama Ṛṣi. The story of how Bhīma and Hanumān met is told in the Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata. Hanumān gave a benediction to Bhīma that he would ride on the flagstaff of Arjuna's chariot and strike terror into the Kaurava troops with earth trembling battle cries. He served the Supreme Lord in His incarnation as Lord Rāmacandra and assisted Him in defeating the demon Rāvaṇa.
Hara	a name of Lord Śiva-the guṇa-avatāra who is the superintendent of the mode of ignorance (tamoguṇa) and who takes charge of destroying the universe at the time of annihilation. He disguised himself as a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna over a boar. Lord Śiva was pleased with Arjuna and gave him a benediction of the Paśupati astra by which he could kill Jayadratha. He also gave a benediction to Aśvatthāmā that he could kill the remaining soldiers on the side of the Pāṇḍavas while they were sleeping in their tents. He is also considered the greatest Vaiṣṇava, or devotee, of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is confused by some with the Supreme Lord.
Harā	Rādhārāṇī-Lord Kṛṣṇa's most intimate consort, who the personification of the internal, pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa. She appeared in this world as the daughter of King Vṛsabhānu and Kirti-devī and is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. The most favorite consort of Kṛṣṇa in Vrindavana, situated on Lord Kṛṣṇa's left on altars and pictures.
Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra	a sixteen-word prayer composed of the names Hare, Kṛṣṇa, and Rāma: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare is the personal form of God's own happiness, His eternal consort, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa, "the all-attractive one," and Rāma, "the all-pleasing one," are names of God. This prayer means "My dear Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa, please engage me in Your devotional service." The Vedas recommend the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra as the easiest and most sublime method of awakening one's dormant love of God; the great chant for deliverance. These names have been particularly recommended for chanting in this age; The chanting of this mantra is the most recommended means for spiritual progress in this age of Kali, as it cleanses the mind and enables one to transcend the temporary designations of race, religion, and nationality and to understand one's true identity as an eternal spiritual being. In other words, simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa one can directly experience self-realization and lead a blissful life. See Kali-yuga, Mantra.
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa	the ritual and devotional practices of the Gauḍīya-vaiṣṇava-sampradāya, codified into twenty chapters by Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī and Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. The work represents extensive scriptural research and includes a Sanskrit commentary written by Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī called Dig-darśiṇī Tika.
Hari-cakra	Kṛṣṇa's Sudarśana weapon, the wheel.
Hari-kathā	topics of Lord Hari, Kṛṣṇa.
Hari-kīrtana	the chanting of the names of Lord Hari (Kṛṣṇa); Saṅkīrtana-yajña-the sacrifice prescribed for the Age of Kali, namely, congregational chanting of the name, fame and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana	congregational chanting of the holy names of the Supreme Lord.
Hari-vaṁśa	the appendix to the Mahābhārata. It is a summary of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes by Śrīla Vyāsadeva.
Haribol	"Chant the holy name."
Hariścandra	the twenty-eighth king in the Tretā-yuga. He appeared in the dynasty of the sun as the son of Triśaṅku, and he is celebrated in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa as the pious king who satisfied Viśvāmitra Muni by sacrificing his kingdom, wife, and son.
Haridāsa Ṭhākura	although born in a Muslim family, he was a confidential associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was so absorbed in the nectar of the Holy Name that he chanted day and night, and it was his regular practice to chant 300,000 names of the Lord daily. Lord Caitanya made him the nāmācārya (teacher of chanting of the holy name).The Muslim government and caste-conscious Hindus attempted to persecute him, but all of their efforts failed, as he was under the direct protection of the Lord.
Haridvāra (Hardwar)	a famous place of pilgrimage in the northern foothills of the Himālaya Mountains. This is where . Ajāmila went for purlfication, where Prajāpati Dakṣa performed his sacrifice and lost his daughter Satī, and where some drops of nectar falling from the hand of Mohinī-mūrti, the Lord's incarnation as a woman, landed. Because these drops of nectar fell, there is a Kumbha-melā every twelve years here. Nowadays the town is known as Haradwara, meaning "the gateway to Lord Śiva."
Harināma-yajña	congregational chanting of the holy names of the Supreme Lord, the recommended sacrifice for this age.
Hari	the Supreme Lord, who removes all obstacles to spiritual progress; Lord Viṣṇu, the seeing the Deity of the Lord.
Harṣa	jubilation, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Haryakṣa	see: Hiraṇyākṣa
Hastināpura	the ancient capital city of Bhārata-varṣa, or India. The Sanskrit word hasti means elephants and in this city there were many elephants kept. It occupies a portion of what is today called New Delhi; The capital city of the Pāṇḍavas. When Dhṛtarāṣṭra wanted to give the Pāṇḍavas half of the kingdom, this part was given.
Hāsya-rasa	the indirect relationship of laughing.
Haṭha-yoga	the practice of postures and breathing exercises for achieving purification and sense control.
Hathi	elephant
Hawking, Stephen	Famous British physicist (*1942) who believes the riddle of the origin of the universe can be solved by mathematics. Hawking is a positivist. See Logical Positivism, Positivism.
Hayaśīrṣā	the horse-headed incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He spoke the Vedas to Lord Brahmā.
Hayagriva	Lord Kṛṣṇa's horse-headed incarnation, who returned the stolen Vedas to Brahmā.
Heavenly planets	the higher planets of the universe, residences of the demigods.
Hell	hellish planets within this universe meant for the punishment and rectification of the sinful.
Henotheism	This term comes from the Greek hens, one, plus thes, God. Henotheism is a form of polytheism. It postulates that there are many gods, one of which rules the others, as Indra rules the demigods. The ruling god, however, is neither absolute nor eternal. He is just for the time being more powerful than the other gods. Max Mūller mistakenly thought the Vedic religion was henotheistic: the Vedas present many gods, and when any one of them is worshiped, that god or goddess becomes the highest deity of the Vedas. See Atheism, Demigods, Polytheism, Theism.
Herā-pañcamī festival	celebration of the coming of the goddess of fortune to the Guṇḍicā temple.
Hiḍimba	a Rākṣasa who fought with Bhīma and was killed. This incident is mentioned in the Ādi Parva of the Mahābhārata.
Hiḍimbī	the sister of Hiḍimba. She later married Bhīma and begot a son named Ghaṭotkaca.
Himavān	the great mountain on the northern side of India. The Pāṇḍavas stayed for some time in this region.
Hindu	a newly-concocted name for members of various social and religious groups of India.
Hinduism	This term is derived from the name of a river in present-day Pakistan, the Sindhu, Sind or Indus. Beginning around 1000 AD, invading armies from the Middle East called the place beyond the Sindhu river Hindustan and the people who lived there the Hindus. (Due to the invaders' language, the s was changed to h.) In the centuries that followed, the term Hindu became acceptable even to the Indians themselves as a general designation for their different religious traditions. But since the word Hindu is not found in the Vedic scriptures upon which these traditions are based, it is quite inappropriate. The proper term is Vedic Dharma. See Dharma.
Hing	asafoetida
Hiraṇmaya-mahat-tattva	the total material energy.
Hiraṇyadhanus	the father of Ekalavya, and the King of the Niśadhas, forest dwellers.
Hiraṇyakaśipu	a powerful demon and great atheist who tormented his son Prahlāda Mahārāja, a great devotee, and was killed by Kṛṣṇa in His incarnation as Nṛsiṁha-deva (the half man-half lion form of Lord Viṣṇu).
Hiraṇyākṣa	the demoniac son of Kaśyapa who was killed by Lord Varāha.
Hiraṇyavarman	a king of Daśārṇa. His daughter was married to Śikhaṇḍī.
Hlādinī śakti	Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency.
Holī	a major Hindu holiday celebrated on the last day of the bright fortnight of the month of Phalgun (February-March). This festival is said to be one of Kṛṣṇa's favorates. The most popular activity is ther throwing of colored water and powder by participants on each other.
Hotravāhana	the maternal grandfather of Ambā. He recommended to Ambā that she approach Paraśurāma to influence Bhīṣma to marry her.
Hoysala	South Indian dynasty that ruled part of South India.
Hṛṣīkeśa	a name of Kṛṣṇa meaning "the master of all senses."
Hṛta-jñāna	bereft of intelligence.
Humanism	Humanism grew into a distinct ideological movement during the Renaissance as a reaction against feudalism and medieval theology. It proclaims freedom of the rational individual, opposes religious asceticism, and promotes man's rights to pleasure and the satisfaction of earthly desires and requirements. It is dedicated to fostering the ethical and creative development of the individual without reference to God or other concepts of the supernatural. In the nineteenth century, humanism took the shape of a secular religion; a prominent humanist of that time was Karl Marx. Today, the term is commonly used to mean a set of entirely non-religious beliefs and values. See Marxism, Relativism.
Hume, David	Along with Locke and Berkeley, Hume (1711-1776) is classified as one of the three principle British empiricist philosophers. He taught that knowledge is comprised of sense data; there is no a priori knowledge; existence is identical to our own ideas; there is no objective connection between cause and effect, and there is no mind, self, or spiritual substance apart from a bundle of sense impressions and ideas in our heads. See Empiricism.
Hypothetico-deduction	A method of reasoning widely used in the Western world for a very long time. An example from history is found in De Stella Martis by Kepler, who was puzzled by the problem of the shape of the orbit of Mars. Unable to figure it out by empirical observation, Kepler decided to simply suppose that the orbit was elliptical. Following this hypothesis, he worked out positions for the planet that corresponded well with its observed positions. Thus his hypothesis was not formed on the basis of previous observations, as it would have been had Kepler followed the empirical method. Rather, it was devised by speculation. The observations were then deductively brought into line with that speculation. See Abduction, Deduction, Induction.
-I-
Idea	The Greek term ida means form or pattern. An idea is anything that is contained in consciousness as an item of thought or awareness. It is usually taken to mean a mental image of something. It may also mean the essence of a thing; a general notion; an imagination; a belief, opinion or doctrine, or an ideal.
Idealism	Theoretically, the opposite of materialism. But like materialism, idealism is a very broad category of philosophy containing many shades of theory. It is sometimes called mentalism or immaterialism. Idealists believe the universe is the embodiment of a mind. All reality is mental, and matter does not exist. The external world is not physical. Famous idealist philosophers are Berkeley, Hegel, Kant, and Plato. See Materialism, Mind/body problem.
Ideology	From the Greek ida and lgos, ideology in classical times meant the science of ideas. Nowadays it means the system of ideas that constitutes a dogma: the ideology of fascism, for instance. See Idea.
Idhmavāhat	the devotee who approaches the spiritual master. Idhma refers to wood that is taken to burn as fuel for a fire. A brahmacārī is supposed to take this idhma to ignite the fire used in performing sacrifices. By spiritual instruction a brahmacāri is trained to ignite a fire and offer oblations in the morning. He is supposed to go to the spiritual master to take lessons on transcendental subject matter, and the Vedic injunction is that when approaching the spiritual master one must carry with him fuel to perform yajñas, or sacrifices. The exact Vedic injunction is as follows: tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet-samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham " To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth." "To learn transcendental subject matter, one must approach the spiritual master. In doing so, he should carry fuel to burn in sacrifice. The symptom of such a spiritual master is that he is expert in understanding the Vedic conclusion, and therefore he constantly engages in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12) By serving such a bona fide spiritual master, gradually a conditioned soul becomes detached from material enjoyment and invariably makes progress in spiritual realization under the direction of the spiritual master. Those who are misled by the illusory energy are never interested in approaching a spiritual master to make life successful.
Ignorance	See Modes of nature (Tamo-guṇa).
Ikṣvāku	the son of Manu who was king of the earth in ancient times and to whom Manu spoke Bhagavad-gītā.
Ikṣvāku	the son of the sun-god, Vivasvān, and the first king of the earth planet.
Ilāvṛta-varṣa	the original name of this earth planet, before it became known as Bharata-varṣa.
Impersonal monism	Māyāvāda-the impersonal philosophy first propounded by Śaṅkarācārya, which proposes the unqualified oneness of God and the living entities (who are both conceived of as being ultimately formless) and the nonreality of manifest nature; the philosophy that everything is one and that the Absolute Truth is not a person; See Brahmajyoti, Buddhism, Māyāvādī philosophy, Personalism, Voidism.
Indra-nīla	gems decorating Kṛṣṇa's flute.
Indraloka	the planet where Lord Indra resides.
Indraprastha	Hastināpura-the ancient capital city of Bhārata-varṣa, or India. The Sanskrit word hasti means elephants and in this city there were many elephants kept. It occupies a portion of what is today called New Delhi; The capital city of the Pāṇḍavas. When Dhṛtarāṣṭra wanted to give the Pāṇḍavas half of the kingdom, this part was given.
Indra	the chief demigod of heaven and presiding deity of rain, and the father of Arjuna. He is the son of Aditi.
Indriya-saṁyama	curbing one's senses.
Induction	A form of reason that guesses the nature of a cause from the perception of an effect. See Abduction, ṁroha/ Avaroha, Deduction, Empiricism, Logic, Phenomenalism.
Infinite	regress From the Latin regressus ad infinitum (similar in meaning to the Sanskrit anavasthā), infinite regress is the fallacy that occurs when someone argues that a material thing is the ultimate cause. Any material cause must depend upon a remoter material cause. That cause must depend upon an even more remote material cause, and so on ad infinitum (into infinity). Thus arguments for material causation never reach a logical end. See Fallacy, Logic.
Intellect, intelligence	The power of discrimination, in Sanskrit called buddhi, in Greek dinoia. Intelligence is as natural to the jīva as taste is to water or smell is to earth: As there is no separate existence of the earth and its aroma or of water and its taste, there cannot be any separate existence of intelligence and consciousness. (Kapiladeva, SB 3.27.18) Buddhi manifests within each living entity as the ability to distinguish between forms in the field of perception, and as the sense of direction. The mind (manaḥ) imputes emotional values to form and direction (painful, pleasurable, etc.). The false ego (ahaṅkāra) lays claim to the field of perception (this is mine etc.). Intelligence, being originally spiritual, can rise above the influence of mind and false ego by buddhi-yoga, as explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Nārada Muni tells Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira in SB 7.14.38: O King Yudhiṣṭhira, the Supersoul in every body gives intelligence to the individual soul according to his capacity for understanding. Therefore the Supersoul is the chief within the body. The Supersoul is manifested to the individual soul according to the individual's comparative development of knowledge, austerity, penance and so on. Since buddhi is awarded to all living entities by the Supersoul according to their knowledge and austerity, when a living entity surrenders completely to Kṛṣṇa, he is awarded pure intelligence. Surrendering completely to Kṛṣṇa entails surrendering to the spiritual master by renouncing the emotional values of the mind and the claims of the false ego. When original intelligence is covered by ignorance, it is called tāmasa-buddhi. This is the beginning of the material existence of the soul. In Bg. 10.10 Lord Kṛṣṇa says that buddhi-yoga, the respiritualization of the intelligence, is accomplished by prīti-pūrvakam, the method of loving devotion. See Consciousness, False ego, Mind, Modes of nature, Soul, Subtle body, Supersoul. Ipse dixit (Lat.) He himself has said it. A kind of proof, after the answer that disciples of Pythagoras, an ancient Greek sage, used to give whenever an opponent called the certitude of the sage's doctrine into question. This proof is rejected by modern philosophers. See Śabda.
Irāvān	the son of Arjuna by Ulūpī. He was killed by the Rākṣasa, Alambuṣa, during the Kurukṣetra battle.
Īśa	the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Īśa-tattva	the Supreme Lord.
Īśānukathā	scriptural information about the Lord and His devotees.
Īśāvasya	(īśa-the Lord + vasya-control) the concept that everything is owned and controlled by the Lord and should be used in His service.
ISKCON	the abbreviation for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness; the Hare Krishna Movement. The society was founded in New York, 1966, by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who came by boat, the Jaladuta from Calcutta in 1965, with just forty rupees and a trunk full of books. Sumati Morarji kindly donated his passage; Śrīla Prabhupāda-(1896-1977) His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. He is the tenth generation from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The founder-ācārya, spiritual master of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Śrīla Prabhupāda was the widely-acclaimed author of more than seventy books on the science of pure bhakti-yoga, unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness. His major works are annotated English translations of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. He was the world's most distinguished teacher of Vedic religion and thought. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a fully God conscious saint who had perfect realization of the Vedic scriptures. He worked incessantly to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. He guided his society and saw it grow to a worldwide confederation of hundreds of ashrams, schools, temples, institutes, and farm communities; Acronym for the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, the branch of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's saṅkīrtana mission established by Śrīla Prabhupāda in New York in 1966. ISKCON is a worldwide nonsectarian movement dedicated to propagating the message of the Vedas for the benefit of mankind. Over the years ISKCON has steadily grown in popularity and influence, and today it is widely recognized by theologians, scholars and laymen as a genuine and important spiritual movement. The hundreds of ISKCON centers throughout the world enable full-time members to live in close association, following the principles of Vedic life, and also provide a place where interested visitors can learn about the philosophy and culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and participate in its various functions. The basis of the movement is the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantraHare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. The devotees experience divine ecstasy in singing these holy names of God to the accompaniment of musical instruments. The ISKCON devotees, as a prerequisite for the serious pursuit of spiritual life, abstain from meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling. The Kṛṣṇa conscious life style is based on the principles of simple living and high thinking. The devotees rise very early, about 3:30 a.m., and spend the morning hours in meditation and study. During the day, some devotees go out to public places to distribute the Society's books and its official journal, Back to Godhead magazine. In addition to book distribution, devotees engage in a variety of activities, including teaching, artistic pursuits, farming and business. See Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra, Kṛṣṇa.
Īśopaniṣad	one of the 108 principal Vedic scriptures known as the Upaniṣads.
Iṣṭā	the performance of public welfare activities such as digging wells or planting trees.
Īśvara	a controller. Kṛṣṇa is parameśvara, the supreme controller; One of the five tattvas, or Vedic ontological truths: the supreme controller of all living and nonliving energy. In Bg. 18.61-62, Lord Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna: īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā tam eva śaraṇaṁ gaccha sarva-bhāvena bhārata tat-prasādāt parāṁ śāntiṁ sthānaṁ prāpsyasi śāśvatam. The Supreme Lord (īśvara) is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy. O scion of Bharata, surrender unto Him utterly. By His grace you will attain transcendental peace and the supreme and eternal abode. And Cc., Ādi-līlā 5.142 states: ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya yāre yaiche nācāya, se taiche kare nṛtya. Lord Kṛṣṇa alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants. They dance as He makes them do so. The īśvara has full control over the jīva, prakṛti, kāla and karma. The jīva has the power to choose whether to surrender to the īśvara or not. If he does surrender, he is freed from bondage within prakṛti, kāla and karma. If he does not, he is bound by them in the cycle of birth and death (saṁsāra). See Avatāra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa, Modes of nature, Supersoul, Tattva.
Itihāsa	a historical account.
-J-
Jaḍa Bharata	Bharata Mahārāja in his final birth as a renounced brāhmaṇa. He gave wonderful spiritual instruction to Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa.
Jāḍya	invalidity, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Jagad-īśa	the Supreme Lord, who is the proprietor of all the universes.
Jagad-guru	the spiritual master of the whole world.
Jagad-rūpa (Virāṭ-rūpa, Viśva-rūpa)	The universal form of īśvara, in which jīva, prakṛti, kāla and karma are revealed as energies of the Supreme. This form was shown by Lord Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna in the Eleventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. See Īśvara, Kṛṣṇa.
Jagāi and Mādhāi	two great debauchees whom Lord Nityānanda converted into Vaiṣṇavas.
Jagamohana	the area directly in front of the central altar of an Orissan temple.
Jagannātha Purī	place of pilgrimage on the east coast of India where the deity of Jagannātha is worshiped
Jagannātha	the Supreme Lord, who is Lord of the universe. A particular Deity form of Lord Krṣṇa, seemingly fashioned from wood and brightly painted, which has been worshiped for many centuries in Jagannātha Purī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to daily visit Lord Jagannātha and see Him in a mood of intense separation, in the mood of Rādhārāṇī, who was parted from her beloved Kṛṣṇa most of her days.
Jagannatha Misra	Kṛṣṇa's eternal father, Nada Maharaj of Kṛṣṇa-lila.
Jāgara	the ecstatic symptom of wakefulness.
Jagat	the material universe.
Jajmani	system of patron-client relationships.
Jana-nivāsa	name for Kṛṣṇa indicating that He is the ultimate resort of all living entities.
Jaiminī	the atheistic propounder and philosopher of Karma-mimāṁsā philosophy, and author of the Karma-mīmāṁsā-sūtras, which explain the Vedas in ritualistic terms, and advocate material work as the purpose of life. He theorized that if fruitive activity is performed nicely, then God is obliged to give the results.
Jains	religious sect based on impersonalist ideas.
Jāmbavatī	the daughter of Jāmbavān. She is one of the eight principal queens of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Janaka Mahārāja	considered one of the mahājanas, the great self-realized king of Mithilā, and the father of Sītā-devī, consort of Lord Rāmacandra.
Janaloka	a heavenly planet.
Janamejaya	the son of King Parīkṣit.
Janārdana	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who is the original abode and protector of all living beings".
Janas	see: Janaloka above
Jaṅgama-nārāyaṇa	moving Nārāyaṇa.
Janmāṣṭamī	the celebration of Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance in the material world; the eighth lunar day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadra (August-September). The festival of Kṛṣṇa's birthday.
Japa	the soft recitation of the Kṛṣṇa's holy names as a private meditation, with the aid of 108 prayer beads.
Jarāsandha	the King of Magadha. He was killed by Bhīma. (Sabhā Parva in Mahābhārata)
Jarā	old age.
Jaṭāsura	a Rākṣasa who disguised himself as a brāhmaṇa and tried to kidnap Draupadī and four of the Pāṇḍavas except for Bhīma. Bhīma challenged him and killed him in single combat.
Jaṭāyu	a devotee of Lord Rāmacandra who was the king of the vultures, and the brother of Sampāti. He fought with the demon Rāvaṇa when the latter kidnapped Sītā, the consort of Lord Rāmacandra.
Jāta-karma	a purificatory ceremony performed at the birth of a child.
Jaya and Vijaya	two doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha who were cursed on account of offending the four Kumāra Ṛṣis, and who thus both had to take birth three times in the material world as great demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa in Satya-yuga, Rāvaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa in the next yuga, Tretā-yuga, and Śiśupāla and Dantavakra at the end of Dvāpara-yuga.
Jayadeva Gosvāmī	a great Vaisnava poet and author of Gita-govinda.
Jayadratha	the King of Sindhu. He was killed by Arjuna in the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Jāyanteyas	nine great sages, sons of King Bharata, who were also known as the nine Yogendras.
Jayatsena	the son of Jarāsandha. He took the side of Duryodhana in the Kurukṣetra war and was killed by Abhimanyu. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Jaya	a son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra who was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Jāyā	intelligence.
Jaya	an exclamation meaning "All victory to you!" or "All glories to you!"
Jhulana yatra	the swing festival beginning on the third day of the month of Shravan (July-August) and lasting for a fortnight. The swings, usually made from gold or silver, are hung in temples on which the Deities are swung during kirtan by the guests and Vaisnavas.
Ji	honorific suffix added to almost any name as a term of endearment
Jīmūta	a wrestler who was killed by Bhīma during a wrestling match in the kingdom of Virāṭa.
Jīrṇa-sarpa	the fatigued air of life.
Jitendriya	one who has conquered the senses.
Jīva (jīvātmā)	the living entity, who is an eternal soul, individual but part and parcel of the Supreme Lord; One of the five tattvas, or Vedic ontological truths: the living entity, or individual soul. See Soul, Tattva.
Jīva Gosvāmī	one of the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana and the nephew of Rupa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs. His father, Anupama, died when the boy was very young. He grew up absorbed in the worship of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Lord Caitanya instructed him in a dream to proceed to Navadvīpa, and there he toured that sacred place in the association of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. He then went to Benares to study Sanskrit, and from there to Vṛndāvana to be under the shelter of his uncles. He became a disciple of Rūpa Gosvāmī and wrote eighteen major works on Vaiṣṇava philosophy, comprising more than 400,000 verses. He is considered by many philosophers and Sanskritists to be the greatest scholar who ever lived.
Jīva Jago	wake up sleeping souls.
Jīva-bhūta	the living force within matter. Jīva (jīvātmā)-the living entity, who is an eternal soul, individual but part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.
Jīva-hiṁsā	envy of other living entities.
Jīva-māyā	the living entities.
Jīva-tattva	the living entities, atomic parts of the Supreme Lord.
Jīvan-mukta	a person who is already liberated even while living in his present body.
Jñāna-śakti	the power to distribute transcendental knowledge.
Jñāna-kāṇḍa	the division of the Vedas dealing with empirical speculation in pursuit of truth; also, such speculation itself; the portions of the Vedas containing knowledge of Brahman, or spirit.
Jñāna-mārga	the cultivation of knowledge.
Jñāna-yoga	the process of approaching the Supreme by the cultivation of knowledge; the predominantly empirical process of linking with the Supreme, which is executed when one is still attached to mental speculation.
Jñāna	knowledge. Material jñāna does not go beyond the material body. Transcendental jñāna discriminates between matter and spirit. Perfect jñāna is knowledge of the body, the soul and the Supreme Lord.
Jñānī	one who is engaged in the cultivation of knowledge (especially by philosophical speculation). Upon attaining perfection, a jñānī surrenders to Kṛṣṇa; This Sanskrit term is related in both form and meaning to the English word know via the Greek word gnsis. In Vedic terminology, there is jñāna and vijñāna. Jñāna refers to the knowledge of the self as not the body, whereas vijñāna refers to knowledge of the self's relationship to the Supreme Self.
Jnānagamya	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who is understood through knowledge of the Vedas."
Jñāna-kāṇḍa	The path of philosophical speculation. One of the three departments of Vedic knowledge, jñāna-kāṇḍa is taught by the Kumāras. See Apara-vidyā, Karma-kāṇḍa, Upāsanā-kāṇḍa.
Jñānendriya	The five knowledge-acquiring senses: the ears, the skin, the eyes, the tongue and the nostrils.
Jvalitā	the stage exhibited by a devotee when more than two or three transcendental transformations are manifest and it is possible to conceal them with difficulty.
Jyotir-linga	one of the 12 selfmanifested Śiva-lingas
Jyotiḥ-śāstra	the Vedic science of astronomy.
-K-
Kabandha	a son of Śrī. Indra once stuffed his legs and head into his belly as a punishment. Indra foretold that until his long arms were cut off by Lord Rāma (which later occurred), Kabandha would not achieve peace.
Kacchapī-vīṇā	the stringed instrument of Rādhārāṇī.
Kaḍāra	the ointment of Lord Jagannātha, the remnants of which were used by Lord Caitanya.
Kadru	wife of Kasyapa and mother of the race of serpents.
Kailasa	the home of Lord Śiva in the Himalayas.
Kaiśora	Kṛṣṇa's age from the eleventh to the fifteenth year.
Kaitava-dharma	cheating religion.
Kaivalyam	the state of realization of one's constitutional position as part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, which is preliminary to manifestation of activities on the platform of devotional service.
Kaivalya	the impersonal liberation of merging into the spiritual effulgence of Brahman emanating from the Lord.
Kajjala	a preparation of lampblack used to darken the edges of the eyelids; kohl.
Katha	stories and discussion on religious themes, especially from the purunas.
Kāka	crow.
Kālakanyā	the invalidity of old age.
Kala namak	Black salt-a reddish-gray variety of salt with a distinct "hard-boiled egg-yolk" flavour. Black salt or kala namak, as it is known in Indian cuisine, is a major ingredient in the spice blend chat masala. Sprinkle black salt in Scrambled Curd. It is available at Indian grocers.
Kāla-sarpa	the snake of time.
Kalā	a form of the Lord that is an expansion of the Lord's original form.
Kala	eternal time.
Kālī	Durgā-Lord Śiva 's wife in a fierce form, riding a tiger. The goddess is empowered by the Supreme Lord to preside over the material nature and bewilder the souls situated there into misconceiving themselves to be their material bodies and enjoyers and controllers of the mundane creation. She is very powerful, superseded only by Lord Viṣṇu Himself, and is the external manifestation of the Lord's internal potency, Yoga-māyā. Once a fallen soul takes to the path of God consciousness, she continues to offer various material allurements so as to test his sincerity and determination to serve the Lord. Once the Lord accepts the struggling soul she can no longer influence that soul and it is thus liberated.
Kali-yuga	the "Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy " The fourth and last age in the cycle of a mahā-yuga. This is the present age in which we are now living. It began 5,000 years ago and lasts for a total of 432,000 years. It is characterized by irreligious practice and stringent material miseries. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the age is personified as an evil black man who tries to kill a helpless cow and bull. The four legs of the cow represent the four principles of religiosity-namely, truth, cleanliness, mercy and austerity. The bull represents religion itself; The most recommended process of spiritual upliftment in this age is saṅkīrtana, the congregational glorification of the Lord through chanting His holy name. See Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra, ISKCON, Saṅkīrtana, Time.
Kaliṅga	a province in ancient India.
Kāliya	the many-headed serpent chastised by Lord Kṛṣṇa for poisoning a section of the Yamunā River.
Kali	the black intense form of Lord Śiva's wife. She wears a necklace of skulls. Demigoddess to whom worshipers may offer meat. Durgā-Lord Śiva 's wife in a fierce form, riding a tiger. The goddess is empowered by the Supreme Lord to preside over the material nature and bewilder the souls situated there into misconceiving themselves to be their material bodies and enjoyers and controllers of the mundane creation. She is very powerful, superseded only by Lord Viṣṇu Himself, and is the external manifestation of the Lord's internal potency, Yoga-māyā. Once a fallen soul takes to the path of God consciousness, she continues to offer various material allurements so as to test his sincerity and determination to serve the Lord. Once the Lord accepts the struggling soul she can no longer influence that soul and it is thus liberated.
Kalki	He is the tenth incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu. He arrives on a white horse at the end of Kali-yuga to annihilate all the remaining atheists.
Kalmaṣa	sin.
Kalpa-avatāras	līlā-avatāras appearing in each day of Brahmā.
Kalpa-vṛkṣa	wish-fulfilling trees.
Kalpa	Brahmā's daytime, 4,320,000,000 years.
Kāma-dhenus	desire-fulfilling cows in Vṛndāvana.
Kāma-gāyatrī	a Vedic hymn which is composed of twenty-four and a half syllables.
Kāma-lekha	exchanges of letters between a young boy and young girl concerning their awakening of attachment for one another.
Kāmadhenu	spiritual cows, in the spiritual world, which yield unlimited quantities of milk.
Kamaṇḍalu	the water-pot carried by sannyāsīs.
Kāma	lust; the desire to gratify one's own senses; Desire, especially material desire and sexual desire; lust, as opposed to prema. See Prema.
Kāma	a high fever.
Kāmbhoja	a province situated in the north western part of India.
Kāmpilya	the capital of King Drupada.
Kaṁsa	a demoniac king of the Bhoja dynasty and maternal uncle of Kṛṣṇa. The son of Ugrasena. He imprisoned his father and took charge of the kingdom. He killed the first six children of Devakī. Kaṁsa was killed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Kaṇāda	the propounder of Vaiśeṣika philosophy, which states that atoms are the original cause of the creation.
Kāṇaphāṭā-yogīs	beggars similar to gypsies who wear ivory earrings.
Kāṇḍas	three divisions of the Vedas.
Kaṇika	a brāhmaṇa minister of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He advised the King to kill his enemies by any means. (Ādi Parva in Mahābhārata)
Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī	a neophyte devotee in lowest stage of Vaiṣṇava life.
Kaṅka	the name Yudhiṣṭhira used during the last year of exile in the kingdom of Virāṭa.
Kant, Immanuel	German rationalist philosopher, born in Kṭnigsberg (now Kaliningrad) in 1724. He laid down what are known as the regulative principles of modern science, such as the law of the conservation of matter and the principle of causality. Kant gave the world the theory that the universe was formed out of a cloud of dust. He died in 1804. See Idealism, Rationalism.
Kanyākumārī	the virgin maiden; another name of the wife of Lord Śiva.
Kapha	mucus, one of the three major elements of the gross body.
Kṛpī	the sister of Kṛpācārya and the wife of Droṇa. Her son was Aśvatthāmā.
Kapila	an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who appeared in Satya-yuga as the son of Devahūti and Kardama Muni and expounded the devotional Sāṅkhya philosophy, the analysis of matter and spirit, as a means of cultivating devotional service to the Lord. (There is also an atheist named Kapila, but he is not an incarnation of the Lord.)
Kāraṇa Ocean	the corner of the spiritual universe in which Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu lies down to create the entirety of material universes.
Karaṇāpāṭava	imperfection of the material senses.
Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu	Mahā-Viṣṇu, the expansion of the Supreme Lord from whom all material universes emanate. He lies within the Causal Ocean and breathes out innumerable universes.
Karaṅga	waterpot carried by sannyāsīs.
Karatālas	hand cymbals used in kīrtana.
Kardama Muni	the father of Lord Kapila and one of the chief forefathers of the population of the universe.
Karhai	a deep, rounded pan with handles on both sides, used for deep-frying or pan-frying.
Karma-bandhana	bondage to the reactions of fruitive activities.
Karma-bandha	the bondage of fruitive activities.
Karma-kāṇḍa	the division of the Vedas which deals with fruitive activities performed for the purpose of gradual purification of the grossly entangled materialist; The path of fruitive work. One of the three departments of Vedic knowledge, karma-kāṇḍa is taught by Dakṣa. See Apara-vidyā, Jñāna-kāṇḍa, Upāsanā-kāṇḍa.
Karma-kāṇḍīya	relating to karma-kāṇḍa.
Karma-mīmāṁsā	one of the six main Vedic philosophies. It states that the subtle laws of nature reward or punish one according to how one acts, without reference to an independent God; A doctrine of fruitive work taught by sage Jaimini. One of the six systems of Vedic philosophy. See Six systems.
Karma-niṣṭhas	those who consider devotional service to be fruitive activities.
Karma-tyāga	the giving of the results of karma to the Supreme Lord.
Karma-vīra	a successful fruitive worker.
Karma-yoga	action in devotional service; the path of God realization through dedicating the fruits of one's work to God.
Karmātmaka	one whose mind is colored with fruitive activity.
Karma	1. material action performed according to scriptural regulations; 2. action pertaining to the development of the material body; 3. any material action which will incur a subsequent reaction; 4. the material reaction one incurs due to fruitive activities; This Sanskrit word means 'action' or, more specifically, any material action that brings a reaction binding us to the material world. According to the law of karma, if we cause pain and suffering to other living beings, we must endure pain and suffering in return; One of the five tattvas, or Vedic ontological truths: the activity or work which the embodied living entity performs with the karmendriya, as well as the resultant reaction. The soul receives the due reaction to work by taking his next birth in a subhuman species, or the human species, or a superhuman species. Or the soul may be liberated from birth and death altogether. All this depends upon whether the karma performed within this lifetime is ignorant, passionate, good or transcendental. Karma dedicated in sacrifice as directed by Vedic injunctions raises the quality of a human being's work. Sacrifice culminates in activity dedicated only to Lord Kṛṣṇa's service. Such transcendental karma is called naiṣkarma. See Liberation, Life after death, Reincarnation, Saṁsāra, Supersoul, Tattva.
Karmendriya	The five working senses or organs of action: the mouth (with the double function of speaking and eating), the hands, the legs, the genitalia and the rectum.
Karmendriyas	the working senses.
Karmīs	fruitive laborers.
Karmī	one engaged in kārma (fruitive activity); a materialist.
Karṇa	the eldest son of Kuntī before her marriage to Pāṇḍu. She had received a mantra from Durvāsā Muni that she could call any deva and conceive children. In her innocence she called Sūrya, the sun-god and conceived Karṇa. She was forced to abandon the child out of fear of her relatives. Karṇa was then raised by Adhiratha and Rādhā. He fought against the Pāṇḍavas and was killed by Arjuna in the battle of Kurukṣetra.
Kārṣṇas	the members of Lord Kṛṣṇa's family.
Kathenotheism	From the Greek kth'n, one by one, plus thes, a god. A kathenotheist worships one god after another among a pantheon of gods, at intervals throughout the year. These gods are supposed to represent different facets of the absolute. See Atheism, Theism.
Kārttika	the name of a Vedic month occurring around October-November of the solar calendar, in which the Dāmodara form of Lord Kṛṣṇa is worshiped.
Kārttikeya	the younger son of Lord Śiva and Pārvatī. He is the presiding deity of warfare. Also known as Subrahmanya or Skanda.
Karuṇa-rasa	the indirect relationship of compassion.
Kāśamdi	a kind of pickle.
Kāśī	one of the oldest sacred places of learning in India. The Purāṇic name of the modern city of Benares in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the place of Lord Śiva and generally the followers of Lord Śiva live there. Ambā, Ambikā and Ambālikā were abducted by Bhīṣma from this city. This was the site of Lord Caitanya's famous conversion of the leading impersonalist scholar of the day, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī.
Kaśyapa	a great saint who was the father of many demigods and also of the Supreme Lord's incarnation Vāmanadeva; one of the seven mental sons of Lord Brahmā.
Kaṭha Upaniṣad	one of the 108 Vedic scriptures known as Upaniṣads.
Kathakali	Keralan religious dance.
Kātyāyanī	the material energy personified. She is also known as Durgā and Kālī and by many other names.
Kauḍis	small conchshells.
Kaunteya	the son of Kuntī (usually refers to Arjuna).
Kaupīna	the thick belt and underwear worn by saintly persons.
Kauravas	the descendants of King Kuru who fought against the Pāṇḍavas in the Battle of Kurukṣetra.
Kaustubha gem	a jewel worn by Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, on His chest.
Kavacī	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Karṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Kavi-karṇapūra Gosvāmī	a noted sixteenth-century author of Sanskrit poems and plays. He is one of the leading followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Kāyastha caste	a Hindu community who are expert in managing business and government affairs; they are very reliable and faithful servants.
Kekaya	a province in ancient India. Five princes from this country joined with Yudhiṣṭhira in the battle of Kurukṣetra, and they were killed by Droṇa. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Keśa-avatāras	the false story of the incarnations of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma from respective black and white hairs of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.
Kesava Kasmir	learned scholar in Caitanya-lila.
Keśava	the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, who has fine, long black hair.
Kesava Gaudiya Matha	This temple was established by Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, the sannyasa-guru of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The presiding Deities are Sri Sri Radha-vinoda-vihari.
Kevalādvaita-vādīs	Māyāvādī philosophers.
Kevala	devotional platform of seeing the unlimited potency of Kṛṣṇa but still considering oneself equal with Him; pure, uncontaminated emotion.
Keśī	a demon who attacked the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana in the form of a wild horse but was killed by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Khāḍi	cotton cloth.
Khājā	a kind of light sweetmeat.
Khāṇḍavaprastha	another name for Indraprastha. The forest in the part of the Kuru kingdom was devoured by Agni with the help of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.
Khaṇḍa	a valley between two mountains; a section of a book.
Khasādayaḥ	classes of lowborn men.
Khaṭvāṅga	a saintly king who is famous for attaining unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness just moments before his death.
Khetari	birthplace and residence of the great Vaiṣṇava Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and site of a magnificent festival and Deity installation in which thousands of devotees took part, located in the West Bengal district of Rajasahi.
Kīcaka	brother-in-law of King Virāṭa. He was killed during the last year of the Pāṇḍavas exile in the kingdom of Virāṭa. When he lusted after Draupadī, he was killed by Bhīma.
Kikaṭa	the present state of Gaya, in north-central India.
Kindama	a sage who was killed by Pāṇḍu in the forest. Kindama had taken the form of a deer and was enjoying sex with his wife. Pāṇḍu, thinking the deer fit for sacrifice, killed the deer and its mate. Before leaving his body, Kindama cursed Pāṇḍu to die while he was enjoying his wife.
Kinnaras	minor demigods inhabiting the heavenly planets. They can change their form at will.
Kirāta	a mountainous region near modern Udaipur, Rajasthan, where Arjuna did penance. Lord Śiva took the form of a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna.
Kirīṭī	another name for Arjuna.
Kirmīra	a fierce Rākṣasa and the brother of Baka. He was killed by Bhīma during their exile in the forest. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata)
Kīrtana	glorification of the Supreme Lord. Narrating or singing the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His Holy Names; the devotional process of chanting the names and glories of the Supreme Lord; A related Sanskrit word is kīrti (fame). Hence, kīrtana means to glorify, and saṅkīrtana means to glorify congregationally, the fame of the Supreme Lord. Saṅkīrtana is the yuga-dharma, or the main occupation and attribute of the present age (Kali-yuga). See Bhakti, Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-mantra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Saṅkīrtana; Kṛṣṇa Literally, the all-attractive Lord; the main Sanskrit name of the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the source of all incarnations, and no one is equal to Him or greater than Him. The Vedas glorify His partial incarnations (which include the demigods), His impersonal Brahman effulgence, His almighty Nārāyaṇa feature with four hands, and at last His superexcellent pastimes as the most sublime youth who herds millions of cows in the forest of Vṛndāvana and dances with millions of cowherd girls (gopīs). There is nothing to compare with this, the two-armed form of the Lord, blackish like a rain cloud, with reddish lotus eyes and a world-enchanting smile. In the material world the owner of the body is called the soul, and the body is called a material designation. In the spiritual Vaikuṇṭha world, however, there is no such distinction. The owner of the body is not different from the body, for both are pure spirit. The divine body of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Vaikuṇṭha is the first and the cynosure of all spiritual forms. He is eternal, and His appearance within the material world as an avatāra is perpetual. Kṛṣṇa is personally Bhagavān, the possessor of six opulences in unlimited fullness: wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge, fame and renunciation. Semi-personally and impersonally, Kṛṣṇa is represented by the Supersoul and the brahma-jyotir Besides all-attractive, the name Kṛṣṇa also means the whole of existence and He who stops birth and death. Kṛṣṇa has unlimited other names like Govinda, Gopāla, Mukunda and Hari. These holy names are nondifferent from Him and indicate the forms He displays in His various pleasure pastimes. See Avatāra, Bhagavān, Bhakti, Brahmajyoti, Brahman, Deity, ISKCON, Īśvara, Līlā, Rādhārāṇī, Supersoul, Spiritual world, Viṣṇu.
Kiśora-gopāla	Kṛṣṇa as a young boy.
Kitava	a great cheater.
Kleśa-ghnī	description of devotional service indicating that it reduces or nullifies all kinds of suffering.
Kosala	a prosperous kingdom in ancient India. Bhīmasena conquered this country for Yudhiṣṭhira before the Rājasūya sacrifice.
Koṭī	ten million.
Kovil	temple in Tamil Nadu.
Kratu	one of the seven great sages who were born directly from Lord Brahmā.
Krishnanagar	a town that is the government headquarters of a sub-division of the West Bengal district of Nadia. It is about ten miles east of Śrī Māyāpura.
Kriyā-hīna	devoid of spiritual behavior.
Kriyā-vidhāna	injunctions for Vedic rituals.
Krodha	anger.
Kṛpā-siddha	one who as attained perfection by the mercy of superior authorities.
Kṛpā-siddhi	perfection attained simply by the blessings of the Lord or a great devotee.
Kṛpācārya	the son of Śaradvān. He was a brāhmaṇa by birth, but was inclined to the duties of a kṣatriya. He learned the Dhanur Veda from his father, and taught the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the sons of Pāṇḍu what he had learned from his father. Due to politics he took the side of Duryodhana during the battle of Kurukṣetra. He later became the teacher of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
Kṛpaṇa	a miserly man who wastes his life by not striving for spiritual realization.
Krpā-siddihi	perfection attained simply by the blessings of a great devotee or transcendentalist.
Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana	another name of Śrīla Vyāsadeva.
Kṛṣṇa-ākarṣiṇī	description of pure devotional service indicating that it gradually attracts Kṛṣṇa toward the devotee.
Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha	bereft of one's relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa-bhakta	a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa-bhakti	devotion to Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa-dāsa	servant of Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa-karma	doing all work for the sake of Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa-kathā	discussions or topics spoken by or about Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana	the chanting of Kṛṣṇa's name and pastimes.
Kṛṣṇa-līlā	the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa-pāriṣada	associates of the Lord.
Kṛṣṇa-prasādam	Prasāda, or prasādam-"the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa." Food prepared for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa and offered to Him with love and devotion. Because Kṛṣṇa tastes the offering, the food becomes spiritualized and purifies anyone who eats it. See also: Mahā-prasādam
Kṛṣṇa-prema-dhana	the treasure of love for Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa-viraha	the feeling of spiritual separation from Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmi	author of the immortal Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, considered the greatest work on the life and philosophy of Lord Caitanya. He composed it in his nineties, despite bodily infirmity. This book is especially revered by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. He was ordered by Lord Nityānanda in a dream to go to Vṛndāvana where he studied the Gosvāmī literature under the direction of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.
Kṛṣṇāliṅgita-vigraha	the spiritual master, who is always embraced by Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇā	another name of Draupadī.
Kṛṣṇa	the original, two-armed form of the Supreme Lord, who is the origin of all expansions.
Kṛṣṇe matir astu	greeting of Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs meaning "Let your attention be on Kṛṣṇa."
Krṣnaloka	the planet in the spiritual world where Krṣna resides. See also: Goloka Vṛndāvana
Kṛta-yuga	Satya-yuga.
Kṛtavarmā	a king of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, and the son of Hādīka. He took the side of Duryodhana during the battle of Kurukṣetra. He was killed during the fratricidal war of the Yadus.
Kṣattā	a name of Vidura.
Kṣara	perishable.
Kṣatradeva	the son of Śikhaṇḍī. He was killed by Lakṣmaṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.
Kṣatradharman	one of the sons of Dhṛṣṭadyumna. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.
Kṣatrañjaya	one of the sons of Dhṛṣṭadyumna. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.
Kṣatravarman	one of the sons of Dhṛṣṭadyumna. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.
Kṣatriya	third of the four orders of the varṇāśrama system. A warrior who is inclined to fight and lead others. The administrative or protective occupation according to the system of four social and spiritual orders.
Kṣepaṇa	subordinate ecstatic symptoms, including dancing and bodily contortions; a division of anubhāva.
Kṣetra-sannyāsa	vow to leave household life and live in a place of pilgrimage devoted to Lord Viṣṇu.
Kṣetrajña	one who is conscious of the body. Both the soul and the Supersoul are kṣetrajña, for the individual soul is conscious of his own particular body and the Supersoul is conscious of the bodies of all living beings.
Kṣetra	field of activities, the body of the conditioned soul.
Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu	the Viṣṇu expansion of the Supreme Lord who enters within each atom and between each atom of the universe and enters the heart of every living entity. He is also called the Supersoul.
Kṣīracorā	Gopīnātha Deity who stole condensed milk for Mādhavendra Purī.
Kṣudhā-tṛṣṇā	hunger and thirst.
Ku-viṣaya	sense gratificatory activities performed under sinful conditions.
Kuśa	an auspicious grass used in Vedic rituals and sacrifices.
Kulaśekhara	a great devotee-king and the author of Mukunda-mālā stotra, prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Kulācala	the place where there is no disturbance.
Kumāras	four learned ascetic sons of Lord Brahmā appearing eternally as children, who became great devotees of the Lord and great authorities on devotional service; Four sons of Brahmā, named Sanat, Sanandana, Sanaka and Sanātana, who are incarnations of the jñāna-śakti (power of knowledge) of Lord Viṣṇu. They live for the entire duration of universal time, but appear as children of only 5 years. One of the four Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas is called the Kumāra Sampradāya. They are its original founders.
Kumbha-melā	a fair held every twelve years at Prayāga for spiritual upliftment; attended by people from all over India.
Kumbhaka-yoga	complete stoppage of the air currents within the body as part of the eightfold mystic process.
Kumbha	pitcher.
Kumera	a variety of sweet potato with a rich, orange colour, popular in New Zealand.
Kuṇḍadhāra	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Kuṇḍaja	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Kuṇḍalī	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Kuṇḍa	small lake or pond.
Kuṇḍodara	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Kuṅkuma	a sweetly-flavored reddish cosmetic powder which is thrown on the bodies of worshipable persons, also used by married women to decorate their foreheads.
Kuntī	the mother of the Pāṇḍavas and Lord Kṛṣṇa's aunt in the Mahābhārata. She was the daughter of Śūrasena and the sister of Vasudeva. She was adopted by King Kuntībhoja and later married King Pāṇḍu. Her other name is Pṛthā.
Kuntibhoja	a king of the Yadu dynasty, and the foster father of Kuntī. He took the side of the Pāṇḍavas during the Kurukṣetra war.
Kurara	a type of osprey (female kurarī).
Kūrma Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas. It describes the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa's tortoise incarnation.
Kūrma	the Supreme Lord's incarnation as a tortoise.
Kurta	Indian shirts pullover.
Kurukṣetra	a holy place due to the penances of King Kuru. It was here that the great Mahābhārata war was fought; situated about ninety miles north of New Delhi where Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, five thousand years ago. It is a place of pilgrimage.
Kurus	all of the descendants of King Kuru, but specifically the 100 sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The Pāṇḍavas were also descendants of King Kuru, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra wished to exclude them from the family tradition; enemies of the Pāṇḍavas.
Kuru	the founder of the dynasty in which the Pāṇḍavas, as well as their archrivals, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, took birth.
Kutārkikas	false logicians.
Kuṭīcaka	the first stage of the sannyāsa order. The kuṭīcaka lives in a hut nearby his village, and his family brings him food.
Kuṭi-nāṭi	duplicity or fault-finding.
Kuṭṭamita	happy within the heart, but externally angry and offended.
Kuṭumbinī	intelligence.
Kuvera	one of the important demigods in heaven, and the treasurer of wealth. He benedicted the Pāṇḍavas during their exile in the forest; father of Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva.
-L-
Laghima-siddhi	mystic ability to make one's body very light
Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta	a book by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī describing Kṛṣṇa, His incarnations and His devotees.
Lakh	one hundred thousand, written as 1,00,000.
Lakṣmaṇa	a very brave son of Duryodhana. He was killed by Abhimanyu during the battle of Kurukṣetra.
Lakṣmaṇa	a younger brother of Lord Rāmacandra's. An incarnation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, He accompanied Rāma and Sītā in Their exile.
Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa	the transcendental couple of Lord Kṛṣṇa in His four-armed form and the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī.
Lakṣmī-vijayotsava festival	the pastime of Lakṣmī's victory during the Ratha-yātrā festival.
Lakṣmī	the goddess of fortune and the eternal consort of the Supreme Lord as Lord Nārayaṇa, who resides in the unlimited spiritual realm of Vaikuṇtha.
Laksman Sen	King of Bengal in the 12th century. His grandfather, Vijaya Sen, founded the city of Navadvīpa in 1063 on the eastern bank of the Ganges. Laksman Sen was crowned king in 1178, and he made Navadvīpa his capital. The ruins of his kingdom can still be found in the villages of Bamanpukur and Māyāpura. He was a great patron of learning and sponsored the famous Jayadeva Gosvāmī, author of Gītā-govinda.
Laṅkā	the golden city of Rāvaṇa, situated some eight hundred miles south of India, in Ceylon.
Laos	Galangal-there are two varieties of galangal-greater and lesser. Both are closely related, although the lesser is more important. Greater galangal (Alpinia galanga), native to Indonesia, is related to ginger. Its large, knobby, spicy roots taste rather like ginger and are used in Indonesian cooking. Lesser galangal (Alpinia officinarum) is the rhizome of a plant native to China. Its roots have a pepper-ginger flavour and are used in many Indonesian and Malaysian dishes. In Indonesia it is also known as laos. Laos or galangal can occasionally be obtained fresh from Chinese or Indonesian shops. Peel and slice it before use. If unavailable, substitute fresh ginger. Laos powder is also used, especially in Indonesian cooking. It is less hot and more bitter than fresh laos. Use very sparingly or substitute slices of fresh ginger.
Galangal
Lāphrā-vyañjana	combination of green vegetables, often mixed with rice.
Lassi	a sweet or salty yogurt drink.
Laukika	Ordinary, mundane or commonplace; nonscriptural, as opposed to śāstramūlaka. See Śāstramūlaka.
Lgos (Gr.)	Reason, argument, word, speech, or knowledge of something. In Greek philosophy, lgos has three aspects of meaning: structured thought, structured speech and the structured appearance of the world. See Logic.
Liberation	freedom from the material concept of life; being situated in one's constitutional position as an eternal servant of God; In Sanskrit, mokṣa or mukti. Vedic culture guides mankind through four stages of value development: dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), kāma (sense gratification) and mokṣa (liberation of the soul from birth and death). Beyond even mokṣa, taught Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is the fifth and unsurpassed stage, love of God (prema). See Ecstasy, Life after death, Karma, Nirvāna, Prema.
Life after death	All the great religions of mankind teach that this present life is meant to cultivate a life in the hereafter. Among the various sects of Judaeo-Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, two paths of cultivation can be discerned: 1) the path of elevation, and 2) the path of salvation. The elevationists aim for an elevated state of material happiness in the afterlife. Their hope is to join their family and friends in the celestial realm known as heaven in the Bible and svarga in the Vedas. The Bhagavad-gītā warns that although life in heaven is much longer than on earth, it is not eternal: When they have thus enjoyed vast heavenly sense pleasure and the results of their pious activities are exhausted, they return to this mortal planet again. Thus those who seek sense enjoyment by adhering to the principles of elevation achieve only repeated birth and death. (Bg. 9.21) Salvationists, on the other hand, aim to be saved from their mortality. They often speak of salvation as the surrender of the mortal self to the eternal light that is Nirvāna, Brahman or God. Some speak of salvation as a state of unbroken prayerful contemplation upon a personal deity. These are descriptions of impersonal Brahman and Paramātmā realization. Impersonal Brahman, as explained in the brahma-jyotir entry, is the formless effulgence of Kṛṣṇa's personal form. Mystics and yogīs who are able to negate their minds' attachments to the world of material form may lose themselves within this formless light. Paramātmā is Kṛṣṇa's form as the Supersoul, who dwells within the hearts of all living beings as the overseer and permitter (see Bg. 13.23). Paramātmā realization is semi-personal, because the salvationist's relationship to the Supersoul in the heart remains passive. More than wanting to serve God, the salvationist wants to be saved from death and rebirth. Thus impersonal Brahman and semi-personal Paramātmā realization are incomplete. The complete realization is the realization of the Personality of Godhead through bhakti-yoga. The most fortunate salvationists can attain only the śānta-rasa (passive relationship in awe and reverence). The four higher rasas are reserved for Kṛṣṇa's pure devotees. By flooding the senses with eternal nectar from the original, pure source of pleasure God Himself love of Kṛṣṇa completely liberates the devotee from attraction to temporary material sense pleasures. Thus the consciousness of the soul completely takes shelter of its original position as an eternal associate of the Lord in the spiritual world. As long as he or she still possesses a physical body, the fully Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee is called jīvan-mukta, liberated while still within the material world. When he or she gives up the physical body, the fully Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee remains forever with Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world. This is videha-mukti, liberation that transcends the material world altogether. See Bhakti-yoga, Brahmajyoti, Brahman, Karma, Liberation, Nirvāna, Prema, Rasa, Reincarnation, Saṁsāra, Supersoul.
Līlā-avatāras	innumerable incarnations, like Matsya, Kurma, Rāma and Nṛsiṁha, who descend to display the spiritual pastimes of the Personality of Godhead in the material world.
Līlā-śakti	Kṛṣṇa's internal potency, the energy that helps to enact His pastimes.
Līlā	a transcendental pastime" or activity performed by God or His devotee; The endlessly expanding spiritual activities and pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. See Kṛṣṇa.
Liṅgam	phallic symbol which is used in the worship of Lord Śiva.
Liṅga-śarīra	See Subtle body.
Liṅga	the subtle body: mind, intelligence and false ego.
Lobha	greed.
Locana dāsa Ṭhākura	a great Kṛṣṇa conscious spiritual master.
Logic	This is one of the four main branches of philosophy (besides epistemology, ethics and metaphysics). Logic is the study of reasoning systematic thought expressed in language (speech) that accounts for what we know in this world. Through logic the experience of the world is made intelligible. See Epistemology, Ethics, Fallacy, Lgos, Metaphysics, Nyāya, Philosophy.
Logical positivism	A twentieth century development of positivism and empiricism. Its basis is the theory of verification, which claims the only valid truth is that which is proven by the modern scientific method. Language should emulate mathematical logic in order to express this truth. Metaphysical statements and values are meaningless. One of its founders is the British philosopher A.J. Ayer. See Empiricism, Positivism.
Loka-pāla	a generic term for the deity presiding over one of the directions: Indra for the east, Agni for the southeast. Yama for the south, Sūrya for the southwest, Varuṇa for the west, Vāyu for the northwest, Kuvera for the north, and Candra for the northeast.
Loka-pratāraka	a pretender.
Lokāyatikas	a class of philosophers, akin to the Buddhists, who existed when Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke Bhagavad-gītā and who accept that life is a product of a mature combination of material elements.
Loka	planet.
Lomaśa	a sage who guided the Pāṇḍavas during their exile in the forest. He took them to many places of pilgrimage. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata)
Lorry	truck.
-M-
Mad elephant offense	offense against the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava.
Madana-mohana-mohinī	Rādhārāṇī, the enchanter of the enchanter of Cupid.
Madana-mohana	the name of Kṛṣṇa which means "He who charms Cupid."
Mādana	a category of highly advanced ecstasy in which the lovers meet together and there is kissing and many other symptoms.
Madana	Cupid, the demigod who incites lusty desires in the living beings.
Mada	madness, a vyabhicāri-bhāva; also, intoxication.
Mādhāi	see: Jagāi and Mādhāi
Mādhava	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who appeared in the Madhu dynasty." It is also a name for the Yadu dynasty; also a name of Kṛṣṇa comparing Him to the sweetness of springtime or the sweetness of honey.
Mādhukarī	a saintly mendicant who takes a little food from each householder's place like a bee gathering honey; a system of begging adopted by a mendicant.
Madhupati	name of Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā.
Madhura-rasa	see: Mādhurya-rasa. below.
Mādhurya-bhaktas	devotees engaged only in conjugal love.
Mādhurya-līlā	Lord Kṛṣṇa's pastimes of conjugal love with His eternal associates.
Mādhurya-rasa	the spiritual relationship in conjugal love which the Supreme Lord and His devotee reciprocate as lovers.
Mādhurya-rati	see: Mādhurya-rasa. above.
Madhusūdana	a name of Kṛṣṇa, "killer of the Madhu demon."
Madhvācārya	a great thirteenth-century Vaiṣṇava spiritual master, who preached the theistic philosophy of pure dualism. The founder of the dvaita school of Vedānta philosophy. He wrote a number of works which refuted the impersonal philosophy of Śaṅkarācārya. He appeared in the 13th century in Udipī, in South India. He took sannyāsa at the age of twelve, traveled all over India and had the personal darśana of Śrīla Vyāsadeva in the Himalayan abode of Badarikāśrama and presented his commentary on Bhagavad-gītā before that venerable sage. He also received a śālagrama-śīla called Aṣṭamūrti from Vyāsa. He was very powerful both physically and intellectualy, and was considered to be an incarnation of Vāyu, the wind god.
Madhva	Also known as Ānandatīrtha and Pūrṇaprajña, ācārya Ma-dhva re-established the Brahmā Sampradāya in the thirteenth century AD. He is considered to be the avatāra of Vāyu and Hanumān. A prolific writer and undefeatable in debate, he established Dvaita Vedānta in direct opposition to Śaṅkarācārya's Advaita Vedānta. Śrīla Jīva Go-svāmī acknowledged Madhva's works as an inspiration for his own writings on acintya-bheda-abheda philosophy. See Advaita, Dvaita, Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas, Śaṅkarācārya, Vedānta.
Madhya-līlā	the pastimes Lord Caitanya performed during the middle part of His manifest presence, while He was traveling throughout India; the portion of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta recounting those pastimes.
Madhyama-adhikārī	devotee who worships the Lord with firm faith, makes friends with His devotees, preaches to the innocent, and avoids atheists; Madhyama-bhāgavata
Madirā	a wife of Vasudeva.
Madirekṣaṇā	refers to one whose eyes are so attractive that one who observes them becomes maddened by her. In other words, madirekṣaṇā means a very beautiful young girl. According to Jīva Gosvāmī, madirekṣaṇā means the personified deity of bhakti. If one is attracted by the bhakti cult, he becomes engaged in the service of the Lord and the spiritual master, and thus his life becomes successful. Vaidarbhī, the woman, became a follower of her husband. As she left her comfortable home for the service of her husband, a serious student of spiritual understanding must give up everything for the service of the spiritual master. As stated by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: if one wants actual success in life, he must strictly follow the instructions of the spiritual master. By following such instructions, one is sure to make rapid progress in spiritual life. This statement by Viśvanātha Cakravartī is in pursuance of the following injunction from the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ "Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed." (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23) ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ "No one can understand Kṛṣṇa as He is by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him." (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234) bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram "One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God."
These are Vedic instructions. One must have full faith in the words of the spiritual master and similar faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then the real knowledge of ātmā and Paramātmā and the distinction between matter and spirit will be automatically revealed. This ātma-tattva, or spiritual knowledge, will be revealed within the core of a devotee's heart because of his having taken shelter of the lotus feet of a mahājana such as Prahlāda Mahārāja.6.23]: yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ"Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed." In the Chāndogya Upaniṣad it is said, ācāryavān puruṣo veda: "One who approaches a bona fide spiritual master can understand everything about spiritual realization."
Mādrī	the co-wife (with Kuntī) of King Pāṇḍu. She conceived Nakula and Sahadeva from the Aśvinī Kumāra demigods. She entered the fire with her husband.
Magadha	a province of ancient India; also the capital city of King Jarāsandha.
Māgha-melā	a yearly fair held during the month of Māgha at Prayāga for spiritual upliftment.
Mahā-bhāgavata	a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord in the highest stage of devotional life; Uttama-adhikārī-a first-class devotee who is expert in Vedic literature and has full faith in the Supreme Lord; he can deliver the whole world; The Sanskrit term bhagavata refers to a devotee of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. A mahā-bhagavata is a great or first-class Vaiṣṇava devotee.
Mahā-bhāva	the highest stage of love of God.
Mahābhārata	An important and famous itihāsa (historical) scripture belonging to the smṛti section of the Vedic scriptures. The Mahābhārata narrates the history of the great Kuru dynasty of kṣatriyas (warriors) that was annihilated by the Kurukṣetra war. Contained within the Mahā-bhārata is the Bhagavad-gītā. See Bhagavad-gītā.
Mahā-bhūtas	The five material elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether. See Elements.
Mahā-dvādaśī	the day after Ekādaśī, celebrated instead of Ekādaśi because of astronomical overlapping. Lord Kṛṣṇa calls it Ekādaśī if a fast is observed on that day.
Mahā-lakṣmī	Lakṣmī-the goddess of fortune and the eternal consort of the Supreme Lord as Lord Nārayaṇa, who resides in the unlimited spiritual realm of Vaikuṇtha.
Mahā-mahā-prasādam	the remnants of food left by a pure Vaiṣṇava.
Mala	string of 108 beads made from Tulsasi wood used for chanting or Japa-the soft recitation of the Kṛṣṇa's holy names as a private meditation, with the aid of 108 prayer beads.
Mahā-mantra	the great chanting for deliverance: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare; is the great mantra composed of the principal names of Godhead in their vocative forms. This maha-mantra is found in the Purāṇas and Upaniṣads and is specifically recommended for chanting in this age of Kali as the only means of God realization. Lord Caitanya personally designated it as the mahā-mantra and practically demonstrated the effects of the chanting.
Mahā-māyā	the material nature; the external potency of the Supreme Lord, which bewilders the conditioned living entities. She is personified as Durgā-devī; the illusory, material energy of the Supreme Lord.
Mahā-paṇḍita	a very learned person.
Mahā-prasādam	sanctified food that consists of remnants from the plate offered directly to Kṛṣṇa in His Deity form.
Mahat	Literally, very great, this word is often used in the Vedic scriptures to signify the immeasurability of material nature.
Mahat-tattva	The first stage of creation, in which the ingredients of subsequent creations are displayed within material nature. The ingredients appear when the three modes of material nature are activated by the glance of Mahā-Viṣṇu. See Modes of nature, Prakṛti, Viṣṇu.
Mahapuri	one of the pilgrimage cities in India where residence brings salvation. The seven maha-puris are Mathura, Ayodhya, Hardwar, Varanasi, Kanchi, Ujjain, and Dwarka.
Mahā-pūrṇa	the highest level of perfection.
Mahā-puruṣa	the Supreme Lord, who is the supreme enjoyer.
Mahā-ratha	a powerful warrior who can single-handedly fight against ten thousand others.
Mahā-snāna	a vast bath with ghee and water used to bathe the Deity.
Mahā-vadānyāvatāra	Lord Caitanya, the most magnanimous incarnation.
Mahā-vākya	transcendental sound vibration.
Maha-Viṣṇu	the expansion of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu reclining on Ādi-Sesa, from whom all material universes emanate; See Supersoul, Viṣṇu.
Mahābhārata-tatparya-nīrṇaya	Madhvācārya's commentary on the Mahābhārata.
Mahābhārata	an ancient, Sanskrit, epic history of Bhārata, or India composed by Krṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsadeva, the literary incarnation of Godhead, in 100,000 verses. The essence of all Vedic philosophy, the Bhagavad-gītā, is a part of this great work. Maha-bhārata is a history of the earth from its creation to the great Kurukṣetra war fought between the Kuru and Pāṇdava factions of the Kaurava dynasty, which took place about five thousand years ago. The battle was waged to determine who would be the emperor of the world: the saintly Yudhiṣthira, a Vaiṣṇava king, or the evil-minded Duryodhana, the son of Dhrtarastra.
Mahābhuta	(mahā-great + bhuta-element) the five great material elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether.
Mahādeva	Lord Śiva-the guṇa-avatāra who is the superintendent of the mode of ignorance (tamoguṇa) and who takes charge of destroying the universe at the time of annihilation. He disguised himself as a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna over a boar. Lord Śiva was pleased with Arjuna and gave him a benediction of the Paśupati astra by which he could kill Jayadratha. He also gave a benediction to Aśvatthāmā that he could kill the remaining soldiers on the side of the Pāṇḍavas while they were sleeping in their tents. He is also considered the greatest Vaiṣṇava, or devotee, of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is confused by some with the Supreme Lord.
Mahājana	one of the twelve great self-realized souls, authorized agents of the Lord whose duty is to preach the cult of devotional service to the people in general; one who understands the Absolute Truth and throughout his life behaves likes a pure devotee.
Mahākāśa	(lit., the greatest sky of all) the space occupied by Goloka Vṛndāvana.
Mahal	palace or house.
Mahāprabhu	supreme master of all masters; Lord Caitanya.
Mahārāṇī	wife of the king or the ruler in her own right.
Mahārāja	king, ruler, sannyasi (renounced order of life)
Mahāraurava	a hell wherein animal killers are sent.
Maharloka	a heavenly planet.
Mahātmā	a "great soul" an exalted devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, free from material contamination. one who factually understands that Kṛṣṇa is everything and who therefore surrenders unto Him.
Maheśvara	the supreme proprietor. Śiva-the guṇa-avatāra who is the superintendent of the mode of ignorance (tamoguṇa) and who takes charge of destroying the universe at the time of annihilation. He disguised himself as a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna over a boar. Lord Śiva was pleased with Arjuna and gave him a benediction of the Paśupati astra by which he could kill Jayadratha. He also gave a benediction to Aśvatthāmā that he could kill the remaining soldiers on the side of the Pāṇḍavas while they were sleeping in their tents. He is also considered the greatest Vaiṣṇava, or devotee, of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is confused by some with the Supreme Lord.
Mahendra	Lord Indra, the King of heaven.
Mahiṣa	buffalo demon who was killed by Durgā.
Mahodara	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Maidan	open square or park.
Maināka	this mountain was the son of Himavan during the Satya-yuga, when mountains had wings. Its wings were clipped, and it was placed in the ocean by Indra.
Maitreya Muni	the great sage who spoke Śrīmād-Bhagāvātām to Vidura, who gave advice to the Pāṇḍavas during their exile in the forest. He cursed Duryodhana that Bhīma would fulfill his vow.
Makara-dhvaja	"The sex-god is called Makara-dhvaja." SB 3.28.32. See also: Cupid
Mālā	chanting with beads.
Malayadhvaja	a nice devotee who is like sandalwood.
Malina-aṅgatā	the ecstatic symptom of uncleanliness.
Mallikā	a sweet-scented flower of Vṛndāvana.
Mālyavān	a great demon.
Mamatā	an intimate attachment between the servitor and the served in devotional service.
Mānasa-gaṅgā	a sacred river that flows in Vṛndāvana along part of the base of Govardhana Hill.
Mānasarovara	a lake north of India, near Mount Kailāsa.
Mānā	standard of measurement for rice and grain.
Māna	when the lover feels novel sweetness by exchanging hearty loving words but wishes to hide his feelings by crooked means.
Mandapam (mandapa)	halls of the temple, often with many pillars. They are one or more entrance porches or halls that lead to the vimana or inner sanctum.
Mandarācala	the mountain used by the demigods and demons to churn the ocean of milk and thus extract nectar.
Mandir	temple
Maṅgala-arati	the daily predawn worship ceremony honoring the Deity of the Supreme Lord.
Maṇimān	a Yakṣa who was killed by Bhīmasena. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata)
Maṇimā	an address used for respectable persons in Orissa.
Manīṣā	intelligence.
Mañjarī	the small, purplish flowers of the tulasī plant. Mañjarīs, along with tulasī leaves, are offered only to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They must be fresh.
Manjughoṣā	a society lady of the heavenly planets.
Manomaya	(consciousness) absorbed in mental activity.
Mantra	(man-mind + tra-deliverance) a pure sound vibration when repeated over and over delivers the mind from its material inclinations and illusion. A transcendental sound or Vedic hymn, a prayer or chant; Combining the Sanskrit terms manas (mind) and trayate (to deliver), a mantra is a spiritual sound that frees consciousness from illusion. The Vedic scriptures are composed of many thousands of mantras. Mahā-mantra means great mantra; it is a synonym for the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Manu-saṁhitā	the scriptural lawbook for mankind, written by Manu, the administrative demigod, and father of mankind.
Manuṣya-gaṇa	mankind.
Manu	Svayambhuva Manu, a demigod son of Brahmā who is the original father and lawgiver of the human race; also, a generic name for any of the fourteen universal rulers also known as Manvantara-avataras, who appear in each day of Lord Brahmā. Their names are 1) Svayambhuva; 2) Svārociṣa; 3) Uttama; 4) Tāmasa; 5) Raivata; 6) Cākṣusa; 7) Vaivasvata; 8) Savarṇi; 9) Dakṣa-sāvarṇi; 10) Brahma-sāvarṇi; 11) Dharma-sāvarṇi; 12) Rudra-sāvarṇi; 13) Deva-sāvarni; 14) Indra-sāvarṇi.
Manvantara-avatāras	the incarnations of the Supreme Lord who appear during the reign of each Manu (306,720,000 years); used as a standard division of history.
Manvantara	the duration of each Manu' s reign
Marakata-maṇi	an emerald.
Maratha	ruling group from Maharashtra in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Mārga	road.
Marīci	one of the great sages born directly from Lord Brahmā.
Māriṣā	the society girl of the heavenly planets sent by Indra to seduce the sage Kaṇḍu.
Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi	an ancient sage who narrated the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, which, describes the nature of Krṣṇa. He beheld the Lord lying down on a Banyan leaf during the period of universal devastation
Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa	the Purāṇa of Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi.
Markaṭa-vairāgya	false renunciation; literally, the renunciation of a monkey.
Martya-loka	the "world of death," the earth.
Martya	a description of Kṛṣṇa indicating that because of His affection for His devotees He appears like an ordinary human being.
Marudloka	the planet of the Maruts, associates of King Indra.
Maruts	the demigod associates of King Indra, the gods of the air. They number forty-nine and are sons of Diti.
Marxism	The rationalist political and economic doctrine of the nineteenth century German social revolutionary Karl Marx (1818-1883). Marx is considered to be a materialist, but his materialism is special. He believed the material (especially economic) facts of a society determine its mental aspects: social laws, religion, culture and other patterns of thought. In short, Marx believed the material determines the mental. But materialism is actually the belief that the material is the mental. Marx was much influenced by the idealist Hegel, whose philosophy of history predicted the progressive development of human consciousness towards knowledge of the absolute. Marx translated that notion of progress into economic terms. But the historical end he foresaw for humanity perpetual communisms idealistic, not materialistic. According to materialism, nothing is perpetual except primordial matter. Phenomena are ever-changing. Hence, no social system can be permanent. Theorist of economy that he was, Marx was not able to provide for his wife and children. He and his family were supported by his fellow revolutionary Friedrich Engels, a rich man's son. See Humanism, Idealism, Materialism, Rationalism.
Maryādā-laṅghana	a violation of the regulative principles.
Masjīd	a mosque.
Mātā Śacī	the mother of Lord Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the daughter of Nilāmbara Cakravartī and the wife of Śrī Jagannātha Miśra.
Mātali	the charioteer of Indra. He took Arjuna to the heavenly planets. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata)
Mata	mother.
Materialism	A very broad category of philosophy containing many shades of theory. The main points are that everything in existence is only matter in motion. According to some materialists, mind exists, but only as an effect of matter in motion. Other materialists say mind has no existence at all. All agree there is no God, there is no first cause or prime mover and that life is not eternal. All phenomena change, eventually pass out of existence, returning back again to a primordial eternal material ground in an eternal retransformation of matter. Marxists claim to be materialists, but the doctrine taught by Karl Marx has idealistic tendencies. See Idealism, Marxism, Mind/body problem, Scepticism.
Maṭha	a temple of the Lord with an attached residence or āśrama for brahmacārīs (celibate students) and sannyāsīs (renunciants) to live; monastery.
Mathurā	Lord Kṛṣṇa's abode, and birth place, surrounding Vṛndāvana. At the end of Lord Kṛṣṇa's manifest līlā, Vajra, His grandson, was put in charge of this sacred city. Lord Krsṇa displayed His pastimes after leaving Vṛndāvana. It is also the name of the district where Vraja (Vṛndāvana) is located.
Matiar	peas.
Mati	attention, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Mātsarya	envy.
Matsya	the fish incarnation of the Supreme Lord.
Maugdhya	assuming the position of not knowing things although everything is known.
Mauṣala-līlā	the pastimes of the annihilation of the Yadu dynasty and Lord Kṛṣṇa's disappearance.
Maya Dānava	the architect of the demons.
Māyā-śakti	Māyā-illusion; an energy of Krṣna's which deludes the living entity into forgetfulness of the Supreme Lord. That which is not, unreality, deception, forgetfulness, material illusion. Under illusion a man thinks he can be happy in this temporary material world. The nature of the material world is that the more a man tries to exploit the material situation, the more he is bound by māyā's complexities.
Māyā-sukha	material happiness, which is illusory and temporary.
Moha-illusion.
Māyā-vaśa	subjected to the influence of the illusory energy.
Māyādhīśa	the Lord of all energy.
Māyāvāda	the impersonal philosophy first propounded by Śaṅkarācārya, which proposes the unqualified oneness of God and the living entities (who are both conceived of as being ultimately formless) and the nonreality of manifest nature; the philosophy that everything is one and that the Absolute Truth is not a person.
Mayāvādī	one who propounds the philosophy of Śaṅkarācārya, which basically holds that God is featureless and impersonal, that devotion to a personal Godhead is false, the material creation of the Lord is also false, and the ultimate goal of life is to become existentially one with the all-pervading, impersonal Absolute.
Māyā	Māyāvāda philosophy. Māyāvāda in Sanskrit means doctrine of illusion. In India, the philosophies of the Buddha and of Śaṅkarācārya are called Māyāvāda. The second grew out of the first. The fundamental principles accepted by both are the following: 1) name, form, individuality, thoughts, desires and words arise from māyā or illusion, not God; 2) māyā cannot be rationally explained, since the very idea that anything needs explaining is itself māyā; 3) the individual self or soul is not eternal, because upon liberation it ceases to exist; 4) like māyā, the state of liberation is beyond all explanation. The main difference between the two is that Śaṅkarācārya's Māyāvāda asserts that beyond māyā is an eternal impersonal monistic reality, Brahman, the nature of which is the self. Buddhism, however, aims at extinction (nirodha) as the final goal. Of the two, Śaṅkarācārya's Māyāvāda is more dangerous, as it apparently derives its authority from the Vedas. Much word-jugglery is employed to defend the Vedic origins of Śaṅkarācārya's Māyāvāda. But ultimately Māyāvādīs dispense with Vedic authority by concluding that the Supreme cannot be known through śabda, that the name of Kṛṣṇa is a material vibration, that the form of Kṛṣṇa is illusion, and so on. The Śaṅkarites agree with the Buddhists that nāma-rūpa (name and form) must always be māyā. Therefore Vaiṣṇavas reject both kinds of Māyāvāda as atheism. Buddhists generally do not deny that they are atheists, whereas the Śaṅkarite Māyāvādīs claim to be theists. But actually they are monists and pantheists. Their claim to theism is refuted by their belief that the Supreme Self is overcome by māyā and becomes the bound soul. Śaṅkarācārya's Māyāvāda is similar in significant ways to the Western doctrine of solipsism. Like solipsism, it arrives at a philosophical dead end. The questions that remain unanswered are: If my consciousness is the only reality, why can't I change the universe at will, simply by thought? And if my own self is the only reality, why am I dependent for my life, learning and happiness upon a world full of living entities that refuse to acknowledge this reality? See Brahmajyoti, Brahman, Buddhism, Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas, Monism, Pantheism, Śaṅkarācārya, Scepticism, Solipsism, Six systems.
Māyā	illusion; an energy of Krṣna's which deludes the living entity into forgetfulness of the Supreme Lord. That which is not, unreality, deception, forgetfulness, material illusion. Under illusion a man thinks he can be happy in this temporary material world. The nature of the material world is that the more a man tries to exploit the material situation, the more he is bound by māyā's complexities; This is a Sanskrit term of many meanings. It may mean energy; yoga-māyā is the spiritual energy sustaining the transcendental manifestation of the spiritual Vaikuṇṭha world, while the reflection, mahā-māyā, is the energy of the material world. The Lord's twofold māyā bewilders the jīva, hence māyā also means bewilderment or illusion. Transcendental bewilderment is in love, by which the devotee sees God as his master, friend, dependent or amorous beloved. The material bewilderment of the living entity begins with his attraction to the glare of the brahma-jyotir. That attraction leads to his entanglement in the modes of material nature. According to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, māyā also means that which can be measured. This is the feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa's prakṛti that captures the minds of scientific materialists. The Vaiṣṇava and Māyāvāda explanations of māyā are not the same. See Māyāvāda philosophy, Modes of nature, Spiritual world.
Mechanomorphism	In Contemporary Scientific Mythology (1957), Stephen Toulmin wrote: We are inclined to suppose that myths must necessarily be anthropomorphic, and that personification is the unique road to myth. But this assumption is baseless; the myths of the twentieth century, as we shall see, are not so much anthropomorphic as mechanomorphic. In mechanomorphism, God or the total universe is conceived in terms of mythical machines. See Anthropomorphism.
Mela	fair, festival.
Menakā	the famous society girl of the heavenly planets who seduced the sage Viśvāmitra.
Meru	a mountain, the golden peak of Himavan, seat of Lord Śiva, abode of the demigods. Also called Maha-meru.
Metaphysics	This is one of the four main branches of philosophy (besides epistemology, ethics and logic). Metaphysics inquires into reality beyond sense perception. It typically holds sense perception to be illusory. The term metaphysics comes from the Greek phrase, t met t physik, the things past the physics. See Epistemology, Ethics, Logic, Philosophy.
Method	In philosophy, method is what must be done to attain knowledge. In Vedic language, method corresponds to vidhi (injunction), which together with artha-vāda (explanation) and mantra (transcendental chants) forms the very substance of knowledge itself.
Mezze	Middle Eastern hors d'oeuvres or appetizers. Mezze is essentially a Lebanese creation but has spread throughout the Middle East. Delicious vegetarian mezze included in this book are fresh, round Middle Eastern Breads (Pita) and dips such as Chickpea and Sesame Dip (Hummus), Lebanese Eggplant Dip (Babagannonj, and Syrian Yogurt Cheese Labreh). Lebanese Bulgur Wheat Salad (Tabbouleh) invariably appears on the mezze banquet table, as do varieties of Stuffed Vine Leaves (Dolmades), along with simple items such as slices of cucumber, olives, fresh raw or blanched vegetables, nuts, whole cooked chickpeas, and lemon wedges.
Mīmāṁsakas	atheistic philosophers who say that even if God exists He is obliged to reward us the fruits of our work. From karma-mimāṁsā philosophy of Jaiminī-the atheistic propounder and philosopher of Karma-mimāṁsā philosophy, and author of the Karma-mīmāṁsā-sūtras, which explain the Vedas in ritualistic terms, and advocate material work as the purpose of life. He theorized that if fruitive activity is performed nicely, then God is obliged to give the results.
Mīmāṁsā	see:above
Mind	Some prominent theories of the mind are the following: 1) it is an eternal transmigrating soul; 2) it is a product of the action of the soul upon the body; 3) it is a non-material substance totally unlike the body; 4) it is a succession of mental events; 5) it is a by-product of the body; 6) it is a function of the form of the body, as vision is to the form of the eye; 7) it is function of the organism as a whole; 8) it is the behavior patterns of the body; 9) it is identical to the brain; 10) it is matter in motion. None of these theories exactly correspond to the Vedic version, and some are completely materialistic. The Vedas state that the seed of the mind is the desire of the soul. If desire is pure, the mind that develops out of it is spiritual. If desire is impure, then what develops is subtle matter in the mode of goodness. The development of the mind of the living entity is governed by the Supersoul (Aniruddha). According to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the functions of the mind are saṅkalpa-vikalpa (acceptance and rejection; see SB 11.2.38). See Consciousness, False ego, Intellect, Mind/body problem, Modes of nature, Soul, Subtle body, Supersoul. Mind/body problem Throughout history, philosophers of the East and West have offered speculations about the exact nature of the relationship between the mind and the body. They can be grouped under the following headings: 1) Dualism: mind/body as two substances, mental and material. 2) Logical Behaviorism: mind as the logic of the body's behavior. 3) Idealism: mind/body as one substance, mind. 4) Materialism: mind/body as one substance, matter. 5) Functionalism: mind as the functions of input, processing, output, analogous to the functions of a computer. 6) Double aspect theory: mind/body as aspects of a substance that is neither mental nor physical. That substance is supposed by different philosophers to be the totality of everything, or a neutral monistic stuff, or the fundamental concept person, of which mind and matter are aspects. 7) Phenomenology: mind/body as a problem of experience, rather than a problem of theory. The mind/body duality is really a problem of the materialistic soul's intention toward matter, from which all dualities arise. The mind and body of the bound soul are material. The mind and body of the liberated soul are spiritual. See Consciousness, Dualism, False ego, Gross body, Idealism, Intellect, Logic, Materialism, Mind, Modes of nature, Phenomenology, Soul, Subtle body, Supersoul.
Mirabai	poetess, author of popular devotional songs.
Miśra-sattva	mundane goodness.
Mithila	capital of the kingdom of Videha, ruled by King Janaka, fathet of Sita. Modern Janatput, Nepal.
Mitra	the demigod who controls death.
Mleccha	someone lower than a śūdra.
Mlecchas	uncivilized humans, outside the Vedic system of society, who are generally meat-eaters.
Modes of nature	There are three guṇas, or modes of material nature: goodness (sattva-guṇa), passion (rajo-guṇa) and ignorance (tamo-guṇa). They make possible our mental, emotional and physical experiences of the universe. Without the influence of the modes, thought, value judgement and action are impossible for the conditioned soul. The English word mode, as used by Śrīla Prabhupāda in his translations of Vedic literature, best conveys the sense of the Sanskrit term guṇa (material quality). Mode comes from the Latin modus, and it has a special application in European philosophy. Modus means measure. It is used to distinguish between two aspects of material nature: that which is immeasurable (called natura naturans, the creative nature) and that which seems measurable (called natura naturata, the created nature). Creative nature is a single divine substance that manifests, through modes, the created nature, the material world of physical and mental variety. Being immeasurable (in other words, without modes), creative nature cannot be humanly perceived. Created nature (with modes) seems measurable, hence we do perceive it. Modus also means a manner of activity. When creative nature acts, it assumes characteristic modes of behavior: creation, maintainance and destruction. Bhagavad-gītā (14.3-5) presents a similar twofold description of material nature as mahat yoni, the source of birth, and as guṇa prakṛti, that which acts wonderfully through modes. Material nature as the source of birth is also termed mahad-brahman, the great or immeasurable Brahman. Mahad-brahman is nature as the divine creative substance, which is the material cause of everything. Material cause is a term common to both European philosophy (as causa materialis) and Vedānta philosophy (as upadāna kāraṇa). It means the source of ingredients that make up creation. We get an example of a material cause from the Sanskrit word yoni, which literally means womb. The mother's womb provides the ingredients for the formation of the embryo. Similarly, the immeasurable creative nature provides the ingredients for the formation of the material world in which we live, the seemingly measurable created nature. The clarity of this example forces a question: what about the father, who must impregnate the womb first before it can act as the material cause? This question is answered by Kṛṣṇa, the speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā, in verse 14.4: ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, I am the seed-giving father. In Vedānta philosophy, this factor of causation is termed nimitta-mātram (the remote cause). It is important to note that by presenting creation as the result of the union of two causes (the material and the remote), the Bhagavad-gītā rejects the philosophy of Deus sive natura, the identity of God and nature. In short, though creative nature may be accepted as the direct cause of creation, it is not the self-sufficient cause of creation. The seed with which Kṛṣṇa impregnates the womb of creative nature is comprised of sarva-bhūtānām, all living entities (Bg. 14.3). And Bg. 14.5 explains that when Kṛṣṇa puts the souls into the womb of material nature, their consciousness is conditioned by three modes, or tri-guṇa. The modes are three measures of interaction between conscious spirit and unconscious matter. The modes may be compared to the three primary colors, yellow, red and blue, and consciousness may be compared to clear light. The conditioning (nibhadnanti: they do condition) of consciousness upon its entry into the womb of material nature is comparable to the coloration of light upon its passing through a prism. The color yellow symbolizes sattva-guṇa, the mode of goodness. This mode is pure, illuminating, and sinless. Goodness conditions the soul with the sense of happiness and knowledge. The color red symbolizes the rajo-guṇa, the mode of passion, full of longings and desires. By the influence of passion the soul engages in works of material accomplishment. The color blue symbolizes tamo-guṇa, the mode of ignorance, which binds the soul to madness, indolence and sleep. As the three primary colors combine to produce a vast spectrum of hues, so the three modes combine to produce the vast spectrum of states of conditioned consciousness that encompasses all living entities within the universe. See Kṛṣṇa, Threefold miseries.
Moghul	the Muslim dynasty of Indian Emperors starting from Babur.
Mohana	highly advanced ecstasy in which the lovers are separated; divided into udghūrṇā and citra-jalpa.
Moha	bewilderment, a vyabhicāri-bhāva; illusion.
Mohinī	the incarnation of the Supreme Lord as a most beautiful woman. She distributed the nectar produced from the churning of the ocean of milk. She was also pursued by Lord Śiva.
Monism	From the Greek mnos, single. It is generally taken to mean the doctrine of oneness argued by Māyāvādī philosophers, that reality is without variety and matter is an illusion. Vaiṣṇavas explain monism differently: all things in the universe occur out of the activity of one fundamental essence or substance, the Supreme Lord. See Atheism, Māyāvāda philosophy, Theism.
Mokṣa-kāmī	one who desires liberation.
Mokṣākāṅkṣī	see: Mokṣa-kāmī above
Mokṣa	liberation from material bondage; See Liberation.
Mokṣonmukhī	pious activities that enable the living entity to merge into the existence of the Supreme.
Monolith	a monument, statue or temple carved out of a single stone.
Monotheism	The doctrine that there is only one God (from Gr. mnos, only, alone, plus thes, God). See Atheism, Theism.
Monsoon	rainy season from June to October.
Moṭṭāyita	awakening of lusty desires by the remembrance and words of the hero.
Mṛdaṅga	a two-headed clay drum used for kīrtana performances and congregational chanting.
Mṛttikā	clay derived from wet earth.
Mṛtyu	death personified, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Mūḍha	a fool or rascal; asslike person.
Muhammed	See Avatāra (Śaktyāveśa).
Muhūrta	a period of forty-eight minutes.
Mukta-puruṣa	a liberated soul.
Mukti-devī	the demigoddess who is the personification of liberation.
Mukti-pāda	the Supreme Lord under whose feet exist all kinds of liberation.
Mukti	liberation of a conditioned soul from material consciousness and bondage.
Mukunda	the name of Kṛṣṇa meaning "the giver of liberation."
Mūla-mantra	a short Sanskrit incantation uttered before one offers an item of worship to the Deity of Kṛṣṇa or His expansions.
Mukunda-datta	Madhukantha, famous singer of Vrajabhumi
Mukut	a crown or tiara worn by the Deity.
Mumukṣu	one who desires liberation from the material world.
Muni-putra	the son of a sage.
Muni	a sage or self-realized soul.
Muraripu (Muradviṣa)	the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, the killer of the demon Mura
Murāri	Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of the demon Mura.
Mūrti	form of the Lord or His devotee.
Mysticism	From the Greek mystes, one initiated into the mysteries or secrets of higher knowledge. Andrew Weeks, a scholar of this subject, points out the difficulty of coming to clear terms with what mysticism actually is: The concept of mysticism is controversial and ambiguous in its core. There is no agreement among scholars on the question of who ought to be classified as a mystic. (from German Mysticism, 1993, p. 3) St. John of the Cross, a Christian mystic, wrote: In order to arrive at that which thou knowest not, Thou must go by a way that thou knowest not. In order to arrive at that which thou possesseth not, Thou must go by a way that thou possesseth not. As Śrīla Prabhupāda once said, Mystical means misty. See Brahmajyoti, Ecstasy, Sphoṭavāda.
Mystic yoga	yoga performed for the purpose of developing subtle material powers.
-N-
Nābhi	the saintly king who was the father of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva.
Nadīyā-nāgarī	a so-called party of devotees who worship Viṣṇupriyā.
Nadi	river.
Nāgapatnī	a wife of a serpent.
Nagara	a town or city.
Nāgas	a race of serpents.
Nāga	a snake. Śeṣa-nāga is the incarnation of Lord Sankarṣaṇa, or Baladeva.
Naimiṣāraṇya	a sacred forest in central India where the eighteen Purāṇas were spoken and which is said to be the hub of the universe.
Naishada	a forest dweller, desdants of Naishada, an ugly dwarf born of the thigh of King Vena.
Naiṣkarma	another term for akarma; action for which one suffers no reaction because it is performed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī	one who has been celibate since birth.
Nakṣatra	star; also refers to an asterism. In Vedic astrology there are twenty-seven asterisms.
Nakula	a mongoose, the enemy of snakes.
Nakula	the fourth of the Pāṇḍavas. He was the son of Mādrī by the twin Aśvinī Kumāra demigods. Nakula and his brother Sahadeva were taken care of by Kuntī after Madrī entered the funeral fire of Pāṇḍu. Nakula was reputed for being handsome.
Nāma-aparādha	an offense against the holy name of the Lord.
Nāma-saṅkīrtana	congregational chanting of the holy names of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, usually accompanied by hand cymbals (karatālas) and clay mṛdaṅga drums. Lord Caitanya and the Vedic literatures recommend this saṅkīrtana as the most effective means of God-realization in the present age of Kali.
Nāmābhāsa	the stage just above the offensive stage of chanting the name of God, in which one realizes a dim reflection of the holy name.
Nāmācārya	ācārya of the chanting of the holy names (Haridāsa Ṭhākura).
Namaste	Hindu greetings, meaning "obeisances."
Nāmmālvāra	a famous South Indian devotee who lived before Rāmānuja and composed many beautiful prayers.
Namo nārāyaṇāya	greeting of Māyāvādī sannyāsīs meaning "I offer my obeisances to Nārāyaṇa."
Nan	baked leavened bread.
Nanda Mahārāja	the king of the cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, Vraja, foster father of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Nanda-mahotsava	the festival of Nanda Mahārāja; Kṛṣṇa's birthday.
Nanda-nandana	the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, who is the darling son of Nanda Mahārāja.
Nandana-kānana	the beautiful forest in the celestial world where Lord Indra sports with his wife and where there is heavenly music and dancing.
Nandavana	lower garden.
Nanda	one of the chief personal servants of Lord Nārāyaṇa in His spiritual abode, Vaikuṇṭha.
Nāndī-śloka	the introductory portion of a drama, which is written to invoke good fortune.
Nandi	the bull carrier of Śiva found in many Śiva temples.
Nara-deva	the king, who is an earthly god.
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi	an incarnation of the Supreme Lord appearing as two sages to teach by example the practice of austerities.
Nārada Muni	a pure devotee of the Lord, one of the sons of Lord Brahmā, who travels throughout the universes in his eternal body, glorifying devotional service while delivering the science of bhakti. He is the spiritual master of Vyāsadeva and of many other great devotees; A great sage among the demigods, the favorite son of Brahmā, and one of the foremost authorities on viṣṇu-bhakti. In Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad, Brahmā taught Nārada the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Nārada is famous throughout the universe for his ecstatic chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. He taught the Nārada-pañcaratra and the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra and gives a number of illuminating discourses in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Purāṇas. Among Nārada's prominent disciples are Prahlāda, Dhruva, Citraketu (Vṛtrāsura), the Haryaśvas, and Vyāsadeva, who compiled all the Vedic scriptures. See Bhakti-yoga, Brahmā, Demigods, Prahlāda, Vyāsa.
Nārada Pañcarātra	Nārada Muni's book on the processes of Deity worship and mantra meditation.
Narādhama	the lowest of mankind, those who are socially and politically developed but have no religious principles.
Narakāsura	the father of King Bhagadatta. He was killed by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Narakeśvara	a name for the Supreme Lord as well as for Yamarāja, meaning "he who is in charge of the hellish regions".
Nārakī	candidate for hellish life.
Narakuṇḍa	lake of hell.
Narasiṁha, Lord	Nṛsiṁha-deva-the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who killed the demon Hiranyakasipu and saved His devotee, Prahlada Mahārāja.
Nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa	a devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa.
Nārāyaṇa-para	one who has dedicated his life to the Supreme Lord Nārāyana, or Kṛṣṇa.
Nārāyaṇa	a name for the majestic four-armed form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who is the source and goal of all living entities." The resting place of all living entities, who presides over the Vaikuṇṭha planets; Lord Viṣṇu, He is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa.
Nara	the human race or a human being.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura	a renowned Vaiṣṇava spiritual master in the disciplic succession from Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is famous for his many compositions of devotional songs. He appeared in the 16th century in Khetari. in the West Bengal district of Rajasahi, just north of Nadia. He was devoted to Lord Caitanya from birth. His father was a king and dedicated to Lord Nityānanda. Narottama went to Vṛndāvana and became the initiated disciple of Lokanātha Gosvāmī. He studied under Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and preached widely throughout India, making many thousands of disciples.
Naṣṭa-buddhi	bereft of all good sense.
Naṣṭa-prajña	bereft of all intelligence.
Natarāja	Śiva as the cosmic dancer.
Natural theology	A theological movement of the late seventeenth to early nineteenth century that minimized traditional revealed theology. Natural theology was the attempt of rationalist philosophers to acquire and demonstrate God consciousness by innate or natural reason. See Rationalism.
Nava-yauvana day	the day on which Lord Jagannātha, Śrīmatī Subhadrā and Lord Balarāma enter seclusion for fifteen days before Ratha-yātrā.
Nava-yauvana	the eternal transcendental form of Kṛṣṇa as pre-youth.
Navadvīpa	the topmost holy place, ninety miles north of Calcutta. In the 15th and 16th centuries the city became the greatest center of Sanskrit learning in all of India. Lord Caitanya, the yuga-avatāra, appeared there in the late 15th century and propagated the chanting of the Holy Names all over India. His appearance made Navadvīpa the crest jewel of all holy places in the present age.
Navagraha	nine planets.
Navamī	the ninth day of the waxing and waning moon.
Nawab	Muslim ruler or a big landowner
Nawab Hussein Shah	the Muhammdan governor of Bengal during the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's appearance.
Nesis (Gr.)	Factual, intellectual knowledge, as opposed to mere opinion (dxa). See Epistemology.
Neti neti	the negative process of the jñānīs: "This is not spirit, this is not Brahman."
Netrotsava festival	the festival of painting the eyes of Lord Jagannātha during the Nava-yauvana ceremony.
Newman, John Henry (1801-1890)	an English cardinal who became one of the most outstanding European religious thinkers and essayists of the 19th century. He spent his life defending Christian truth against various forms of so-called rationalism.
New Philosophy	A European intellectual movement of the seventeenth century that directly led to the rise of modern science, New Philosophy owed much to Descartes' analytical, mechanistic view of the material world. The essential premise of New Philosophy is that knowledge is how something is made. The arcana naturae (secrets of nature) are to be exposed by experimenta lucifera (experiments of light), and the results of such experiments are to be validated by the reproduction of nature's effects with the help of mechanical apparatus.
Newton, Sir Isaac	English scientist who lived from 1643 to 1727. He was a follower of the Unitarian wing of Christianity, and tried to keep his science firmly grounded upon his faith. Newton opposed Descartes, whose philosophy he perceived as leading science away from the Bible.
Nidrā	sleep, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Nigarbha-yogī	a yogī who worships the Supersoul without form.
Nija-dharma	one's constitutional position.
Nīlā	the Lord's energy that destroys the creation.
Nilambar Cakravartī	the grand father of Sri Caitanya Maha-prabhu.
Nilambara Cakravartī	the great astrologer and scholar Vaisnava, Garga Muni, of Krsna-lila.
Nimi	a devotee king, ruler of Videha.
Nimai	Lord Caitanya in His childhood.
Nindakas	blasphemers.
Nirantara	without cessation, continuously, constantly.
Nirgrantha-muni	a completely liberated saint.
Nirguṇa-brahma	the impersonal conception of the Supreme Truth as being without any qualities.
Nirguṇa	without material qualities; uncontaminated by the three modes of material nature.
Nirjala	fasting completely, even from water.
Nirmama	consciousness that nothing belongs to oneself.
Nirodha	the winding up of all energies employed in creation.
Nirvāṇa	the cessation of material activities and existence, which according to Vaiṣṇava philosophy, does not deny spiritual activities and existence; freedom from and the end of the process of materialistic life; Literally, of, or like, a candle extinguised. A Sanskrit term for deliverance from material identity or extinction of the false ego, nirvāna is often identified with Buddhism. However, it is to be found throughout the Vedic literatures, e.g. in Bhagavad-gītā 2.72, 5.24-26, and 6.15. See Buddhism, False ego, Liberation, Modes of nature.
Nirveda	indifference, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Nirviśeṣa-vādīs	impersonalists who accept an Absolute but deny that He has any qualities of His own.
Niścaya	Correct apprehension. One of the five functions of buddhi. See Buddhi.
Niṣiddhācāra	acting in a way forbidden in the śāstra.
Niṣkāma	free from material desires.
Niṣkiñcana	free from all material possessions; having nothing; a renunciant.
Nistraiguṇya	the transcendental position above the three modes of nature.
Nitya-baddha	the eternally conditioned soul, bound in the material world.
Nitya-līlā	Kṛṣṇa's eternally present pastimes.
Nitya-muktas	souls who never come in contact with the external energy.
Nitya-mukta	an eternally liberated soul.
Nitya-siddha	one who has attained eternal perfection attained by never forgetting Kṛṣṇa at any time; an ever-purified associate of the Lord
Nityānanda Prabhu	the incarnation of Lord Balarāma who appeared as the principal associate of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Nivātakavacas	a sect of demons who were killed by Arjuna at the request of Indra.
Nivṛtti-mārga	the path of renunciation, which leads to liberation; directions for giving up the material world for higher spiritual understanding.
Niyamāgraha	either following rules and regulations insufficiently (niyama-agraha) or fanatically without understanding the goal (niyama-āgraha).
Niyama	restraint of the senses.
Nṛ-yajña	the proper reception of guests; lit. "a sacrifice to satisfy people."
Nṛga	a king who was cursed to become a snake because of a slight discrepancy in his service to brāhmaṇas. He was delivered by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Nrita-mandapa	dance hall.
Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas. It describes the pastimes of the Supreme Lord in His half-lion, half-man incarnation.
Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśī festival	the appearance day of Lord Nṛsiṁha.
Nṛsiṁha-deva	the half-man, half-lion incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who killed the demon Hiranyakasipu and saved His devotee, Prahlada Mahārāja.
Numinous	Opposite of phenomenal. The root of the word numinous is the Latin numen, nod: a nod as a sign of command. From this comes the sense of a divine will or divine command. Thus the term numinous indicates the felt presence of the divine spirit, the transcendental, the everlasting. See Phenomenalism.
Nyāya	logic; Gautama Muni-one of the seven sons born from Lord Brahma's mind. He belongs to the family of Aṅgirā Ṛṣi and is the author of Nyāya-śāstra, the science of logic, which explains that the combination of atoms is the cause of everything; One of the six systems of Vedic philosophy; taught by sage Gautama. See Logic, Six systems.
Nyāyu-śāstra	the Sanskrit literary works, written by the ancient Ṛṣi Gautama Muni and his followers, that teach the philosophical science of logic. Nyayu (or dialectics) was founded by Gautama and is one of the six major schools of Indian philosophy.
-O-
Objective reality	The external reality to which our language and perceptions refer.
Occult, Occult quality	References to the occult were made by Aristotle in his Ethics. He considered occult any effect of nature for which a cause could not be demonstrated. Hence, the occult qualities of nature (for instance, magnetism) could not be subject to scientific inquiry. The New Philosophy viewed all natural phenomena to be occult, since it considered science before the seventeenth century hopelessly inadequate for discovering causation. Though nature's qualities were occult, it was believed that scientific inquiry of a more aggressive kind than Aristotle had conceived of could unlock her secrets. See New Philosophy.
Oḍana-ṣaṣṭhī	ceremony at the beginning of winter when Lord Jagannātha gets a winter shawl.
Om tat sat	the three transcendental syllables used by brāhmaṇas for satisfaction of the Supreme when chanting Vedic hymns or offering sacrifice. They indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead.
Ontology	The study of being. It asks, what does to be, or to exist, really mean? Utilized in this study are terms and categories such as being/becoming, actuality/potentiality, real/apparent, change, time, existence/nonexistence, essence, necessity, being-as-being, self-dependency, self-sufficiency, ultimate and ground. See Epistemology, Philosophy.
Oṁkāra	oṁ, the root of Vedic knowledge; known as the mahā-vākya, the supreme sound; the transcendental syllable which represents Kṛṣṇa, and which is vibrated by transcendentalists for attainment of the Supreme when undertaking sacrifices, charities and penances; The transcendental sound oṁ, which symbolically denotes the Personality of Godhead as the root of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the cosmic manifestation.
-P-
Paani	water.
Pāda-sevana	the devotional process of serving at the Lord's feet.
Padayātrā	foot journey; to go on pilgrimage by foot.
Paḍichā	a superintendent of an Orissan temple.
Padma Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas, or Vedic historical scriptures. It consists of conversation between Lord Śiva and his wife, Pārvati.
Padmanābha	a name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who has a lotus flower sprouting from His navel" or "He whose navel resembles a lotus."
Padma	the lotus flower held by Lord Viṣṇu.
Pādya	water ceremoniously offered for washing feet.
Paise	100 paise equals one rupee.
Pakka	ripe, mature, reliable
Pālana-śakti	the power to rule and maintain the living entities.
Palanquin	a seat that can be carried by four men, usually used to transport great personages or ladies.
Pālas	attendants who look after a temple's external affairs.
Pallavas	South Indian dynasty of rulers.
Pañca-gavya	five kinds of products of the cow used to bathe the Deity.
Pañca-mahābhūta	the five gross elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether.
Pañca-mahāyajña	the five daily sacrifices performed by householders to become free from unintentional sins.
Pañca-tattva	the Lord-Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, His plenary portion-Nityānanda Prabhu, His incarnation-Advaita Prabhu, His energy-Gadādhara Prabhu, and His devotee-Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura.
Pāñcajanya	the conchshell of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Pāñcāla	the kingdom of King Drupada.
Pañcāla	the five sense objects.
Pañcāmṛta	five kinds of nectar used to bathe the Deity.
Pañcarātra-vidhi	the standard Vaiṣṇava method of temple worship taught in the Pañcarātras.
Pañcarātra	Vedic literatures describing the process of Deity worship. See also: Nārada Pañcarātra
Pañcarātrika-vidhi	the devotional process of Deity worship and mantra meditation as found in the Pañcarātra literature.
Pañcarātrika	the process of worshiping the Deity, as explained by Nārada Muni. Also, a five-day fast, as explained by Kauṇḍilya Ṛṣi.
Pañcopāsanā	worship by impersonalist Māyāvādīs of five deities (Viṣṇu, Durgā, Brahmā, Gaṇeśa and Vivasvān) that is motivated by the desire to ultimately abandon all conceptions of a personal Absolute.
Panch masala	a mixture of five whole spices used in preparing vegetable dishes.
Panch puran	Five-spice-two varieties of five-spice are prominent in the world of vegetarian cuisine-Chinese five-spice powder and Indian panch puran, a blend of five whole spices. Chinese five-spice powder is a combination of five dried, ground spices, generally cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns, the pungent brown peppercorns native to the Sichuan province. When used as a condiment for fried food, it is used in sparing quantities because it is very potent. Try making your own by grinding together 2 or 3 small sections of cinnamon stick, a dozen cloves, 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons of Sichuan peppercorns, and 3 or 4 star anise. Keep the powder in a well-sealed jar in a cool, dry place. Obtain your ingredients at any Asian grocery store. You can also purchase Chinese five-spice ready-made. Panch puran is most often associated with Bengali cuisine. It is a combination of equal quantities of fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, black mustard seeds, and nigella (kalonji) seeds. Panch puran is always fried in ghee or oil before use to release the dormant flavour in the seeds. Mix your own, or purchase it ready-mixed at Indian grocery stores.
Pāṇḍavas	the five pious ksatriya brothers Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. They were intimate friends of Lord Kṛṣṇa's and inherited the leadership of the world upon their victory over the Kurus in the Battle of Kurukṣetra.
Pāṇḍā	a brahmāṇa guide at temples and holy places; see also: Paṇḍita.
Paṇḍita-maṇi	word indicating that Kṛṣṇa is honored even by learned scholars.
Pāṇḍitaka	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Paṇḍita	a learned scholar.
Paṇḍita	a scholar learned in Vedic literature, not only academically but also by dint of spiritual realization. Though this is the proper definition of the word, the term is also loosely applied to any scholar.
Pāṇḍu-vijaya	the function of carrying Lord Jagannātha to His car prior to the Ratha-yātrā procession.
Pāṇḍu	a great king of the Kuru dynasty, and the father of the Pāṇḍavas, Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva; the heroes of the Mahābhārata. He had two wives, Kuntī and Mādrī. He was a younger brother of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's who died early, leaving his five young sons under the care of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
Pāṇḍyas	the South Indian dynasty that ruled over Madurai and Rāmeśvaram in South India.
Panentheism	The belief that all things are imbued with God's presence, because all things are in God (Gr. pan, all; en, in, and thes, God). See Atheism, Theism; The belief that God is identical to the universe.
Pāṅji-ṭikā	further explanations of a subject.
Panpsychism	The belief that God pervades all things as a psychic force. Hence, God's consciousness is behind the movement of matter; our individual consciousness is an aspect of God's. This falls short of true theism. See Atheism, Theism.
Pāpahāriṇī	a name for the Ekādaśī that occurs during the dark part of the month of Caitra. It means "that which takes away sin." Another name for this day, having the same meaning, is Pāpamocani.
Pāpānkuṣā	the name for the Ekādaśī that occurs during the light part of the month of Aśvina. It means "that which has the power to pierce sin personified."
Paradox	From the Greek par, contrary to, and dxa, opinion, paradox originally meant anything that goes against common sense but yet still may be true. Nowadays it more commonly means an insoluble dilemma, or a contradiction.
Parā-prakṛti	the superior, spiritual energy or nature of the Lord.
Para-upakāra	helping others.
Para-vidyā	transcendental knowledge.
Para-brahman	the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Paraśurāma	the sixth incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who appeared in ancient times to overthrow the warrior class when they had become degraded, who destroyed twenty-one consecutive generations of lawless members of the ruling class. He taught the science of weapons to Droṇa and Karṇa.
Parakīya-rasa	relationship with Kṛṣṇa as His paramour.
Parakīya	the relationship between a married woman and her paramour; particularly the relationship between the damsels of Vṛndāvana and Krṣṇa.
Param Brahman	the Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Param dhāma	the eternal planets of the spiritual world.
Parama-puruṣārtha	the supreme goal of life.
Parama-vidvān	the most learned scholar.
Paramaṁ padam	the Lord's transcendental abode.
Paraṁ satyam	the Supreme Truth
Paramahaṁsa Bābājī	he who is on the highest platform of spiritual asceticism and who has given up all social and caste designations. The only designation maintained by him is that of being a tiny servant of the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Paramahaṁsa-ṭhākura	one who acts as an ācārya, directly presenting Lord Kṛṣṇa by spreading His name and fame.
Paramahaṁsa	a topmost, God-realized, swanlike devotee of the Supreme Lord; highest stage of sannyāsa.
Paramātmā	the Supersoul, the localized aspect Viṣṇu expansion of the Supreme Lord residing in the heart of each embodied living entity and pervading all of material nature. See Supersoul.
Parameśvara	the supreme controller, Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Paramparā	the disciplic succession through which spiritual knowledge is transmitted by bona-fide spiritual masters; Literally, one after the other. It refers to the disciplic succession of spiritual masters and their disciples who became spiritual masters, beginning with Kṛṣṇa and Brah-mā, His disciple at the dawn of creation. See Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas.
Parantapa	a name of Arjuna, "chastiser of the enemies."
Parārdha	one half of Brahmā's lifetime of 311 trillion 40 billion years.
Parasara Muni	a great sage, the speaker of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, and the father of Śrīla Vyāsadeva.
Paravyoma	the spiritual sky.
Para	transcendental.
Para-vidyā	Vedic knowledge of transcendence concerning the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His service, as distinct from apara-vidyā. The upāsanā-kāṇḍa scriptures make up the para-vidyā of the Vedas. See Apara-vidyā, Avidyā, Upāsanā-kāṇḍa.
Paricchada	the total aggregate of the senses.
Parikrama	the path that circles a sacred tract such as Vrndavan or Braj
Parīkṣit	the son of Abhimanyu and grandson of Arjuna. When the Pāṇḍavas retired from kingly life, he was crowned king of the entire world. He was later cursed to die by an immature brāhmaṇa boy and became the hearer of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and thus attained perfection.
Pariṇāma-vāda	the theory of transformation in the creation of the universe.
Pārijāta	an extraordinarily fragrant white flower that Lord Kṛṣṇa brought from the heavenly planets for His wife Rukmiṇi.
Pāriṣats	devotees who are personal associates of the Lord.
Parivrājakācārya	the third stage of sannyāsa, wherein the devotee constantly travels and preaches.
Parokṣa	Knowledge though another's senses. The second of the five stages of Vedic knowledge.
Pārtha-sārathi	Kṛṣṇa, the chariot driver of Arjuna (Pārtha).
Pārvata Muni	a great sage who is a constant companion of Nārada.
Pārvatī	Sati, Lord Śiva's consort, meaning daughter of the mountain. She was reborn as the daughter of Himālaya after consuming herself in mystic fire at Dakṣa's sacrificial arena.
Pāṣaṇḍa	atheism.
Pāṣaṇḍī	an "offender," or atheist; a nonbeliever; one who thinks God and the demigods are on the same level, or who considers devotional activities to be material.
Pāsa	a mystic noose used to capture Bali Mahārāja.
Pāṣcālī	another name of Draupadī, the wife of the Pāṇḍavas.
Passion	See Modes of nature (Rajo-guṇa).
Pāśupatāstra	the ultimate weapon of Lord Śiva. This weapon was used by Arjuna to kill Jayadratha.
Patañjali	a great authority and propounder on the aṣṭāṅga mystic yoga system and author of the Yoga-sūtra. He imagined the form of the Absolute Truth in everything.
Pātālaloka	the lowest of the universe's fourteen planetary systems; also, the lower planets in general; also the seventh tier of the lower planetary systems, where Bali Mahārāja reigns.
Paṭhana	a brāhmaṇa's duty to be conversant with the Vedic scriptures; study of the scriptures.
Patita-pāvana	Lord Caitanya, the deliverer of the fallen souls.
Pati	a husband.
Pātra	players in a drama.
Paugaṇḍa	the age from five to ten years.
Pauṇḍraka	an enemy of Lord Kṛṣṇa who attempted to imitate Him.
Paura-jana	the seven elements that constitute the body.
Pautra	patience and gravity.
Pauṇḍram	the conchshell of Bhīmasena.
Pavitram	pure.
Personalism	The philosophical position that accepts personality as ultimate. Early Buddhist philosophers, themselves impersonalists, used the term puruṣa-vādī (Skr. personalist) in reference to the Vedic worshipers of the Mahāpuruṣa (the Supreme Person). In Western philosophy, personalism is often used as a synonym for relativism. Śrīla Prabhupāda used the term in the absolute sense, referring it only to the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not to the worship of demigods, humans or human ideals. He equated impersonalism with atheism. See Atheism, Impersonalism, Relativism, Theism.
Phala-śrutis	Sanskrit verses granting various benedictions.
Phalguna	another name for Arjuna; one of the months corresponding to January/February or February/March.
Phalgu	weak, temporary.
Phenomenalism	A doctrine of sense perception and reality that is associated with the British philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). For Mill, all knowledge is derived from sense perception. Things are real only when they are perceived. Therefore the material world cannot be said to exist apart from perception. Phenomenalism is closely associated with empiricism and induction. It is not to be confused with phenomenology. See Empiricism, Induction, Numinous.
Phenomenology	A modern development in European rationalism. Its most famous exponents are Franz Brentano (1838-1917), Edmund Husserl (1859-1938), Martin Heidegger (1899-1976), Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) and Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961). Phenomenology investigates consciousness through experience. Some of its theories are reminiscent of Vedic knowledge, for example, the theory of the triumvirate of consciousness: the knower, the act of knowing, and the thing known. In Vedic terminology, these are jñātā, jñāna, and jñeya. See Mind/body problem, Rationalism.
Philosophy	From the Greek phlos, lover, friend, and sophs, wise, learned. A philosopher is someone who loves wisdom and erudition (sopha). Therefore he devotes himself to knowledge, that it may bloom into wisdom without hindrance. In Bg. 7.17, Lord Kṛṣṇa declares that when a sage devotes himself to knowing Him, he becomes very dear to the Lord.
Phul gobhi	cauliflower
Pika	the Indian cuckoo bird.
Piṇḍa	an offering made to departed ancestors.
Piśāca	a hobgoblin follower of Lord Śiva.
Pitās	forefathers; especially those departed ancestors who have been promoted to one of the higher planets.
Pīṭha	the pedestal or altar of the Deity. The pīṭha is in the sanctum sanctorum (inner sanctum)
Pitṛ-yajña	offering oblations of water before one's forefathers.
Pitṛloka	the planet of the ancestors, a heavenly planet.
Pitta	bile, one of the three main elements of the body.
Plato	Disciple of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle, and a prolific writer (427-347 BC). Almost all that is known about Socrates comes from Plato's works. A Platonic doctrine that resembles the Bhagavad-gītā philosophy of the three modes of material nature is the care of the soul. The soul is said to work within the body through three faculties: appetite, spiritedness and reason. The appetitive faculty is lowest of the three. It consists of the drives for physical enjoyment (of food and sex) and for the avoidance of pain. Thums, or spiritedness, is the middle faculty. It is excitable, aggressive and pugnacious, and seeks adventure and honor. Highest is the faculty of reason. It expresses itself as inquiry and as worthy activity. Reason seeks beauty, truth and goodness. The appetites can be compared to a herd of sheep, spiritedness to a sheepdog, and reason to a shepherd. Care of the soul means to keep the three faculties in harmony, so that they don't meddle in one another's purpose. The purpose of appetite is to see that the body is properly cared for. Spiritedness's purpose is to fight fear and complacency. The purpose of reason is impose order upon the other two, to maintain harmony, and to care for the soul. Reason gets its sense of correct order and harmony by contemplation of the Good, described as a realm of eternal, unchanging thought-forms. When reason harmonizes human life with the Good, the soul is freed from human ignorance and suffering. British philosopher A.N. Whitehead (1861-1947) said the whole history of Western philosophy consists of nothing more than footnotes to Plato. See Idealism. Plotinus Plotinus lived in Egypt and Rome some two centuries after Christ (204-270 AD) and is the founder of the Neoplatonist school of Greek philosophy. As a young man in Alexandria, he learned philosophy under Ammonius Saccas. There is speculation that Ammonius Saccus was originally from India. Plotinus tried to visit India but failed. Back in the Mediterranean world, he taught that the soul is eternal and transmigrates from body to body (reincarnation). The gradation of species of living entities emanates from the impersonal spiritual essence, God. The philosophical soul gradually ascends to that essence and merges into it. Neoplatonism had a strong influence on the early Christian church. See Mysticism, Plato.
Polenta	a yellow maize or cornmeal grown in northern Italy, where it is regarded as a staple food. Polenta is graded according to its texture and is available fine-, medium-, or coarse-ground. It is available at most supermarkets and health food stores.
Polytheism	The belief in the existence of many gods. See Atheism, Theism.
Popper, Karl	Austrian-born philosopher of science (1902-1994) who taught at the University of London. His most influential books are Logic of Scientific Discovery, The Open Society and Its Enemies and Conjectures and Refutations. Popper was a staunch opponent of logical positivism, which he challenged with his own theory of falsifiability.
Poṣaṇa	the Lord's special care and protection for His devotees.
Positivism	A rationalist doctrine founded by French philosopher Auguste Compte (1798-1857), who argued that human thought unavoidably evolves from theological thinking at the lowest stage, through metaphysics (depersonalized philosophy) at the middle stage, to positivism at the highest stage. Positivism consists of the elements of modern science: mathematics, logic, observation, experimentation and control. According to Compte, the highest form of religion is worship of reason and universal humanity, devoid of any reference to God. See Empiricism, Logical positivism, Metaphysics, Rationalism.
Prabhāsa	a holy place near Dvārakā where the fratricide of the Yadu dynasty took place.
Prabhu-datta-deśa	a place for preaching given by the spiritual master or Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda, Śrīla	Śrīla Prabhupāda-(1896-1977) His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. He is the tenth generation from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The founder-ācārya, spiritual master of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Śrīla Prabhupāda was the widely-acclaimed author of more than seventy books on the science of pure bhakti-yoga, unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness. His major works are annotated English translations of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. He was the world's most distinguished teacher of Vedic religion and thought. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a fully God conscious saint who had perfect realization of the Vedic scriptures. He worked incessantly to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. He guided his society and saw it grow to a worldwide confederation of hundreds of ashrams, schools, temples, institutes, and farm communities. See Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda	master at whose feet all other masters surrender.
Prabhu	master.
Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī	a great Vaiṣṇava poet-philosopher and devotee of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was the uncle of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī.
Prabodha	awakening, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Prācīnabarhi	a king who, entangled in fruitive activities, received instructions on devotional service from Nārada Muni.
Pracetās	the ten sons of King Prācīnabarhi. They achieved perfection by worshiping Lord Viṣṇu.
Pradesh	state in India.
Pradhāna	the total material energy in its unmanifest state; The unmanifest (avyakta) material nature (Gr. chos). See Modes of nature, Tan-mātras.
Pradyumna	one of the four original expansions of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world; also the first son of Lord Kṛṣṇa by Rukminī. He fought against Śālva in the fight for Dvārakā. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata)
Prāgjyotiṣapura	the capital city of Narakāsura and his son Bhagadatta.
Pragmatism	A rationalist doctrine founded by American philosopher C.S. Peirce (1839-1914) that attempts to halt all metaphysical speculation about the truth by arguing that practical human activity is the only real test of truth. See Rationalism.
Prahararāja	a designation given to brāhmaṇas who represent the king when the throne is vacant.
Prahara	a three-hour period, eight of which make up each day.
Prahlāda Maharāja	a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa who was persecuted by his atheistic father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, but was always protected by the Lord and ultimately saved by the Lord in the form of Nṛsiṁha-deva; A great devotee of the Lord in His Narasiṁha (man-lion) feature, Prahlāda is one of the foremost authorities on bhakti-yoga. Many important verses in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are spoken by him.
Prajalpa	idle talk on mundane subjects.
Prajvāra	a kind of fever called viṣṇu jvāra.
Prajāpatis	the progenitors of living entities, chief of whom is Lord Brahmā; The demigods in charge of populating the universe.
Prajās	citizens (including all species of life).
Prakāśa-vigrahas	forms of the Lord manifested for His pastimes.
Prākāmya	the mystic ability to fulfill any of one's desires.
Prakaṭa-līlā	the manifestation on earth of the Supreme Lord's pastimes.
Prakara	the high walls surrounding the temple grounds.
Prākṛta-bhaktas	materialistic devotees not advanced in spiritual knowledge.
Prākṛta-sahajiyās	pseudo devotees of Kṛṣṇa who take devotional service cheaply and do not follow the regulations of the scripture; materialistic so-called Vaiṣṇavas who imagine themselves to be confidential devotees.
Prākṛta	on the material platform.
Prakṛti	material nature, the energy of the Supreme (lit., that which is predominated).; the female principle enjoyed by the male puruṣa. There are two prakrtis-apara-prakṛti, the material nature, and para-prakrti, the spiritual nature (living entities)-which are both predominated over by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; One of the five tattvas, or Vedic ontological truths: (material or spiritual) nature. See Daivi-prakṛti, Modes of nature, Tattva.
Prakṣepātmikā-śakti	māyā's power to throw one into the material world.
Pralāpa	the ecstatic symptom of talking like a madman.
Pramāṇa	Evidence, proof. The term refers to sources of knowledge that are held to be valid. In the Brahmā-Madhva-Gauḍīya Sampradāya, the school of Vedic knowledge that ISKCON represents, there are three pramāṇas. They are pratyakṣa (direct sense perception), anumāna (reason), and śabda (authoritative testimony). Of these three pramāṇas, śabda is imperative, while pratyakṣa and anumāna are supportive. See Anumāna, Pratyakṣa, Śabda.
Pramāda	inattention or misunderstanding of reality.
Pramadā	woman, to whom a man becomes madly attached.
Pramatta	one who is crazy because he cannot control his senses.
Pramlocā	the daughter of the sage Kaṇḍu by the heavenly society girl Māriṣā who became the wife of the Pracetās.
Prāṇa-maya	(consciousness) absorbed in maintaining one's bodily existence.
Praṇava	Oṁkāra-oṁ, the root of Vedic knowledge; known as the mahā-vākya, the supreme sound; the transcendental syllable which represents Kṛṣṇa, and which is vibrated by transcendentalists for attainment of the Supreme when undertaking sacrifices, charities and penances.
Prāṇāyāma	breath control used in yoga practice, especially aṣṭāṅga-yoga (one of the eight parts of the aṣṭanga-yoga system).
Praṇaya	that mellow of love when there is a possibility to receive direct honor, but it is avoided.
Prāṇa	the life air.
Pranava oṁkara	Oṁkāra-oṁ, the root of Vedic knowledge; known as the mahā-vākya, the supreme sound; the transcendental syllable which represents Kṛṣṇa, and which is vibrated by transcendentalists for attainment of the Supreme when undertaking sacrifices, charities and penances.
Prāpta-brahma-laya	one who has already attained the Brahman position.
Prāpta-svarūpas	those merged in Brahman realization.
Prāpti-siddhi	mystic perfection of acquisition by which the yogī can reach his hand anywhere and obtain whatever he likes.
Prāpti	the mystic ability to immediately obtain any material object.
Prarocanā	the method inducing the audience to become more and more eager to hear by praising the time and place, the hero and the audience.
Praśānta	undisturbed by the modes of nature.
Prasāda, or prasādam	"the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa." Food prepared for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa and offered to Him with love and devotion. Because Kṛṣṇa tastes the offering, the food becomes spiritualized and purifies anyone who eats it. Literally, mercy. When sattvic foods (milk, grains, fruits, vegetables, sugar and legumes) prepared by a devotee are offered to the Deity of Kṛṣṇa as prescribed in the system of bhakti-yoga, the offering is transformed into prasādam, the mercy of the Lord. Prasādam is delicious, nourishing but most important, transcendental. Ordinary food, unoffered to Kṛṣṇa, breeds karmic reactions for every mouthful that is eaten, because so many living entities gave up their lives during the preparation. But food offered to Kṛṣṇa is freed of sin and invokes an attraction to Kṛṣṇa in whomever accepts it. See Bhakti-yoga. See also: Mahā-prasādam
Prasādī	food offered to Lord Jagannātha.
Prasannātmā	joyfulness attained when one is relieved from material conceptions.
Prasūti	a daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu who was the wife of Dakṣa.
Pratīpa	the father of Mahārāja Śantanu.
Pratibimba-vāda	the worship of a form that is the reflection of a false material form.
Pratigraha	accepting charity; the duty of a brāhmaṇa to accept contributions from his followers.
Pratikriyā	counteracting agents such as mantras and medicines.
Pratiṣṭhāśā	desire for name and fame or high position.
Prativindhya	the son of Draupadī and Yudhiṣṭhira. He was killed by Aśvatthāmā while awaking from sleep in his tent.
Pratyag-ātmā	the soul, when purified of material attachment.
Pratyakṣa	Direct sense perception. 1) The first of the five stages of Vedic knowledge, considered as a subordinate, not self-evident, proof of knowledge. 2) The first of the three Vaiṣṇava pramāṇas. See Anumāna, Empiricism, Experientia, Pramāṇa, Śabda.
Pratyāhāra	withdrawal of the senses from all unnecessary activities, as a means of advancement in the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system..
Pravartaka	introduction to a drama, when the players first enter the stage in response to the time.
Pravāsa	the condition of separation of lovers who were previously intimately associated.
Pravṛtti-mārga	the path of sense enjoyment in accordance with Vedic regulations.
Prāyaścitta	atonement for sinful acts.
Prayāga	(modern Allahabad) a very sacred place, mentioned in the Purāṇas, situated at the confluence of the holy Ganges, Yamunā and Sarasvatī Rivers. A Māgha-melā and a Kumbha-melā are celebrated here. Every year many thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy waters. It was here that Lord Caitanya instructed Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī for ten days.
Prayojana	the ultimate goal of life, to develop love of God.
Preyas	activity which is immediately beneficial but not ultimately auspicious.
Prema	Love, especially love of Kṛṣṇa. Cc., Adi-līlā 4.165 distinguishes prema from kāma (lust). Prema is evinced by service to Kṛṣṇa's senses, whereas kāma is evinced by service to the senses of the material body. See Kṛṣṇa.
Prema-bhakti	pure love of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the highest perfectional stage in the progressive development of pure devotional service.
Prema-saṅkīrtana	congregational chanting in love of Godhead.
Prema-vaicittya	an abundance of love that brings about grief from fear of separation although the lover is present.
Prema-vataḥ	one who has great love for the spiritual master.
Prema	real love of God, the highest perfectional stage of life.
Pretsila Hill	a hill about 540 feet high, located five miles northwest of Gayā in the state of Bihar. Pilgrims perform the śraddha ceremony there. A long flight of steps which leads to the summit and temple was constructed in 1774 by Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda's ancestor Madan Mohan Dutt.
Priyatama	dearmost.
Priyavrata	the son of Svāyambhuva Manu and brother of Uttānapāda. He once ruled the universe.
Problem of evil	Professor A.L. Herman, philosopher at the University of Wisconsin, compiled a list of twenty-one attempts to solve the problem of evil put forward by Western philosophers and theologians during the Christian era. He admits that the list is not exhaustive, only representative. Of those he listed, Herman says none will suffice to dissolve the problem, and of unlisted attempts, he comments, I think this result must be inevitable for all such similar attempts undertaken within the context of the traditional Western approach to the problem of evil. The problem stems from three assumptions, only two of which seem to be compatible: 1) God is omnipotent; 2) God is omnibenevolent; 3) Evil exists. For evil to exist, so the argument goes, God must either be less than all-powerful or less than all-good. The Vedic answer is given by Śrīla Prabhupāda in On the Way to Kṛṣṇa, Chapter Three. Accordingly, the human perception of good and evil is due to the influence of the three modes of material nature upon consciousness. These three modes originate in Kṛṣṇa, who is omnipotent and omnibenevolent. Though the modes and their effects are within Kṛṣṇa, He is not in them. Hence, the human perception of good in this world does not correspond to the goodness of Kṛṣṇa, the source of the world. For example, electricity is perceived in the home in terms of heat (in an electric stove) and cold (in a refrigerator). But at the power plant, electricity is not known in terms of the duality of heat and cold. In the home, whether electrical heat and cold are good or bad depends upon ever-changing circumstances and individual opinions. At the power plant, such changing circumstances and differing opinions do not occur. The power plant is not responsible for the reasons that cause people to say electrical heat is good, electrical cold is bad, or vice-versa. Similarly, individuals of different natures, circumstances and opinions define good and evil differently. Death is evil if it happens to me. Death is good if it happens to my enemy. Or death may be good for me if it delivers me from lingering agony, and not good if it does the same for my enemy. Although life and death, or good and evil, are within Kṛṣṇa, His own divine goodness is not within them. The good and evil we ascribe to life and death or anything else are creations of the material mind. See Modes of nature.
Proṣita-bhaṛtkā	a woman whose husband has left home and gone to a foreign country.
Pṛṣata	the father of King Drupada.
Pṛśni	the name of Devakī in a previous birth.
Pṛthā	Kuntī, the wife of King Pāṇḍu, mother of the Pāṇḍavas and aunt of Lord Kṛṣṇa. See also: Kunti-devi.
Pṛthu Mahārāja	an empowered incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa who demonstrated how to be an ideal ruler.
Pūjārī	priest, one who offers pūjā or worships the Deity in a temple.
Pūjā	offering of worship.
Pulastya (Pulaha)	one of the seven great sages who were born directly from Lord Brahmā.
Puṁścalī	a harlot, or unchaste woman.
Puṇḍarīkākṣa	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He whose eyes are like the reddish lotus flower."
Puṇya-śloka	verses that increase one's piety; one who is glorified by such verses.
Puṇya	karma-pious activities, which help to liberate one from the cycle of birth and death in the material world.
Puraścaraṇa	a preliminary ritualistic performance for the fulfillment of certain desires.
Puraścaryā	five preliminary devotional activities performed to qualify for initiation.
Purāṇa	Literally, very old. Within the smṛti section of the Vedic scriptures, there are eighteen Mahā-purāṇas (great books of ancient wisdom). Of these, the greatest is the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, also called Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Purāṇas	the eighteen major and eighteen minor ancient Vedic literatures compiled about five thousand years ago in India by Srila Vyasadeva that are histories of this and other planets; literatures supplementary to the Vedas, discussing such topics as the creation of the universe, incarnations of the Supreme Lord and demigods, and the history of dynasties of saintly kings. The eighteen principal Purāṇas discuss ten primary subject matters: 1) the primary creation, 2) the secondary creation, 3) the planetary systems, 4) protection and maintenance by the avatāras, 5) the Manus. 6) dynasties of great kings, 7) noble character and activities of great kings, 8) dissolution of the universe and liberation of the living entity, 9) the jīva (the spirit soul), 10) the Supreme Lord.
Puraka	the stage of equilibrium attained by offering the inhaled breath into the exhaled breath.
Puram	town.
Pura-pālaka	the life air.
Pūrṇam	complete.
Pūrṇa	the complete whole, Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Purnima	the day of the full moon.
Purocana	a minister of King Duryodhana. He died in the fire of the house of lac in Vāraṇāvata.
Pūrtam	performance of sacrifice.
Puruṣa-adhama	the Personality of Godhead, under whom all other persons remain.
Puruṣa-avatāras	the primary expansions of Lord Viṣṇu who effect the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material universes.
Puruṣa-avatāras	the primary expansions of Lord Viṣṇu who effect the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material universes.
Puruṣa-sūkta	a sacred hymn glorifying the Supersoul of the universe.
Puruṣārtha	the goal of life.
Puruṣa	the enjoyer, or male; the living entity or the Supreme Lord; Viṣṇu, the incarnation of the Lord for material creation; the male or controlling principle; erson, enjoyer or soul. This term may be applied to both the jīva and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. See Personalism.
Puruṣottama	Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the Supreme Person, meaning "the most exalted person."
Purūravā	a king who was captivated by the celestial woman Urvaśī.
Pūru	the youngest son of King Yayāti, who agreed to exchange his youth for his father's old age.
Pūrva-rāga	the ecstasy of lovers before their meeting.
Pūrva-vidhi	the injunction in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam against praising characteristics or activities of others.
Purvāṣādhā	one of the twenty-seven asterisms in Vedic astrology.
Puṣkara	a lake in western India dear to Lord Brahmā. At this place of pilgrimage is the only authorized temple of Lord Brahmā the world.
Puṣpa-añjali	the ceremony of offering flowers to the Lord.
Puṣpadanta	a name for the Supreme Lord meaning "He whose teeth are as white as jasmine flowers." Also, a devotee of Lord Śiva renowned for his poetic skill.
Pūtanā	a witch who was sent by Kaṁsa to appear in the form of a beautiful woman to kill baby Kṛṣṇa but who was killed by Him and granted liberation.
Putra	consciousness.
-Q-
Quantum mechanical theory	A theory of subatomic physics begun by Max Planck (1858-1947) and developed by Niels Bohr (1885-1962), Ernst Schrṭdinger (1887-1961), Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976), Paul Dirac (1902-1984) and others. In order to form an elementary understanding of quantum theory, it is useful to compare it to Newtonian and Einsteinian physics. In Newton's classical view, science defines the structure and movement of matter in a very fixed and real sense. Matter is composed of particles that move according to the same forces that govern the movement of billiard balls. Einstein argued that while the structure of matter ought to be considered definite, its movement is not. If particles are like billiard balls in motion, then the billiard table is also in motion. The billiard table is comprised of space and time, which are not two separate entitieshence the term spacetime in relativity theory. Even stranger, the movement of the billiard balls creates the spacetime billiard table that is the basis of the balls' movement. Einstein introduced into science the idea that the position of an observer contributes to the reality of the motion observed. When two observers, each in a different position, observe the same event differently, there is no way to determine whether one observation is right and the other wrong. If Newton's theory is compared to a tidy piece of realistic art, then Einstein's theory is more like a puzzle in which the objects look real enough, though their spatial relationships change before our eyes as in the case of a small circle drawn within a cube frame. As we gaze at it, the perspective shifts. The circle appears to be near the back left lower corner of the cube, then near the front left lower corner. But quantum theory can be compared only to an abstract yet suggestive art forma painting that at first glance appears to depict no subject at all, only chaos. Then, during closer scrutiny, forms are seen to emerge out of and merge back into the chaosa face, a hand, a bird or something else. Quantum theory gives no fixed and real definition of either the structure or the motion of matter. It predicts only where a quantum object may be found, or what state of motion it will be in. The where and what state of motion of that object are logically incompatible. Therefore quantum theory speaks of quantum objects as wave-particles. Ordinarily, the motion of objects through space is described in terms of four dimensions: length, breadth, height and duration of time. In quantum theory, as the number of quantum objects to be measured increases, more dimensions of space are added to account for them. But these dimensions are creations of the mind. This brings us to the problem of the interplay between mind and matter in quantum mechanics. There is no settled opinion as to where subjectivity ends and objectivity begins. Consequently, it has been remarked of quantum physics that there is no 'there' there. See Relativity theory.
Quine, W.V.	American philosopher of great repute in the twentieth century (1908-1995). His argument that in scientific theory, any statement can be held true, come what may, if we make drastic enough adjustments elsewhere in the system, is often quoted.
-R-
Rādhā	the wife of Adhiratha, and foster mother of Karṇa.
Rādhā-bhāva-mūrti	the mood of Rādhārāṇī.
Rādhā-kuṇḍa	the bathing place of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, a sacred pond near Govardhana Hill in Vraja that was created by Rādhārāṇī and her gopī companions. It is supreme among all the holy places in Vraja and the most exalted holy place for all Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. The eight major Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava temples of Vṛndāvana also exist at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, as well as the bhajana-kutīras of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī. This is the site of the most intimate loving affairs of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and the waters of Rādhā-kuṇḍa are considered non-different from Rādhārāṇī and productive of love of Godhead.
Rādhārāṇī	Lord Kṛṣṇa's most intimate consort, who the personification of the internal, pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa. She appeared in this world as the daughter of King Vṛsabhānu and Kirti-devī and is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. The most favorite consort of Kṛṣṇa in Vrindavana, situated on Lord Kṛṣṇa's left on altars and pictures; The feminine counterpart of Lord Kṛṣṇa. She directs the ānanda potency (hlādinī-śakti) for the transcendental pleasure of the Lord. See Daivi-prakṛti, Kṛṣṇa, Sac-cid-ānanda.
Rādhāṣtamī	the appearance anniversary of Śrimatī Rādhārāni.
Rādhikā	Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.
Rāga-bhakti	devotional service in transcendental rapture.
Rāga-mārga	the path of devotional service in spontaneous love of Godhead.
Rāgānuga-bhakti	devotional service following the spontaneous loving service of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana.
Rāgātmika-bhakti	spontaneous devotional service of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana according to their transcendental attachment.
Rāga	attachment in ecstatic love of God.
Rāghava	Lord Rāmacandra, who appeared in the Raghu dynasty, the dynasty of the sun.
Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī	one of the Six Gosvamis of Vṛndāvana. He appeared in 1506 as the son of Tapana Miśra. He first met Lord Caitanya in Benares when the Lord stayed at his father's home for two months. He rendered direct service to the Lord and received His mercy. After the demise of his parents, he went to Purī and associated with the Lord, cooking for Him and taking His remnants. He was especially well-known for his sweetly singing the Bhāgavatam to different tunes, his super-excellent cooking and his never hearing, or speaking about, either worldly topics or criticism of Vaiṣṇavas. On the order of the Lord, he proceeded to Vṛndāvana and associated there with the other Gosvāmīs. He did not write books. His disciples assisted with the construction of the Govindaji Temple for Rūpa Gosvāmī's Deity. He disappeared in 1580 at the age of seventy-four.
Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī	one of the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana. He appeared in 1495. He was the son of the fabulously wealthy Govardhana Majumdara, the younger brother of the then Zamindar Hiraṇya Majumdara in the village of Krishnapura in West Bengal. His forefathers were Vaiṣṇavas, and when he was a boy he got the association and blessings of Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was mad with the desire to join Lord Caitanya in Jagannātha Purī, but every time he ran away from home his parents would have him captured and brought back. Finally, he was successful. He received the mercy of Lord Caitanya and served for many years as the assistant of Svarūpa Dāmodara. He was thus known as the Raghu of Svarūpa. Later, he was sent to Vṛndāvana and lived in Rādhā-kuṇḍa, performing severe austerities. In his later years he subsisted on just a few drops of buttermilk each day. He wrote important texts on devotion, his only concern being the chanting of the Holy Name. He ascended in 1571 at the age of 76.
Rahūgaṇa Mahārāja	the king who received spiritual instruction from Jaḍa Bharata.
Railhead	town or station at the end of the railway line; ending point.
Raita	fruits or semicooked vegetables in lightly seasoned yogurt.
Raivataka	a mountain near Dvārakā.
Rāja-pāla	the governor of the state.
Rāja-yoga	Patañjali's process of imagining a form of the Absolute Truth within many forms.
Rajaguṇa	the mode of passion of material nature.
Rājarṣi	a great saintly king.
Rājasa-ahaṅkāra	egotism in passion.
Rājasūya-yajña	an elaborate sacrifice that establishes who is the emperor of the world. It was performed by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira before the Battle of Kurukṣetra and attended by Lord Kṛṣṇa. (Sabhā Parva in Mahābhārata)
Rajas	the material mode of passion.
Raja	rule or sovereignty. Used to describe the British rule; king or prince.
Rajo-guṇa	the material mode of passion. See Modes of nature.
Rākṣasa-gaṇa	man-eating demons.
Rākṣasa	a class of asura or ungodly people. The Rākṣasa are always opposed to God's will. Generally, they are man-eaters and have grotesque forms.
Rakta	red in the Treta-yuga.
Rāma-navamī	the appearance anniversary of Lord Rāmacandra.
Rāma-rājya	a perfect, Vedic kingdom following the example of Lord Rāmacandra-the incarnation of the Supreme Lord appearing as the perfect king.
Rāmacandra	the eighteenth incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the killer of the tenheaded demon king, Rāvaṇa. Rāma was exiled to the forest on the order of His father, Mahārāja Daśaratha. His wife Sītā was kidnapped by Rāvaṇa, but by employing a huge army of monkeys, who were the powerful and intelligent offspring of demigods, He regained his wife in battle, and eventually His ancestral kingdom too. This great epic is recounted in Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa.
Rāmānanda Rāya	an intimate associate of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His later pastimes.
Rāmānujācārya	a great eleventh-century Vaiṣṇava spiritual master of the Śrī-sampradāya.
Rāmāyaṇa	the original epic history about Lord Rāmacandra and Sītā, written by Vālmīki Muni.
Rāma	name of the Absolute Truth as the source of unlimited pleasure for transcendentalists; incarnation of the Supreme Lord, Lord Rāmacandra as a perfect, righteous king, who appeared in Ayodhya in the Tretā-yuga; Literally, the supreme pleasure; a prominent Sanskrit name of the Personality of Godhead. See Kṛṣṇa.
Ramā	Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune and eternal consort of the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa.
Ranaghat	a town in the West Bengal district of Nadia just south of Navadvīpa on the railway to Calcutta. Ranaghat is the government headquarters of the Ranaghat subdivision of the Nadia district. It covers an area of about two-and-a-half square miles. Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda's family lived here at different times.
Raṅganātha	Deity of Lord Viṣṇu worshiped in Śrī Raṅgam.
Ranga-bhumi	This is where the wrestling match took place between Krsna, Balaram and the professional wrestlers, Canura and Mustika.
Rāsa dance	Lord Kṛṣṇa's pleasure dance with the cowherd maidens of Vṛndāvana, Vrajabhūmi. It is a pure exchange of spiritual love between the Lord and His most advanced, confidential servitors.
Rāsa-līlā	the group dancing of Kṛṣṇa and His cowherd girlfriends in His Vṛndāvana pastimes.
Rasa-yātrā	festival of the rasa dancing of Kṛṣṇa.
Rasābhāsa	incompatible overlapping of transcendental mellows.
Rāsādi-vilāsī	the enjoyer of the rāsa dance and other pastimes.
Rasam powder	a South Indian spice blend used to flavour the famous rasam, a chili-hot soup dish made from toovar (arhar) dal lentils. Ingredients vary. The home-made rasam powder recipe contains mustard seeds, coriander seeds, dried hot red chilies, black peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, and cumin seeds. Rasam powder can be purchased ready-mixed in packets or tins from Indian grocery shops.
Rasātala	the lowest planet in the lowest planetary system (Pātāla) ins
Rasa	relationship between the Lord and the living entities; mellow, or the sweet taste of a relationship, especially between the Lord and the living entities. They are of five principal varieties-neutral relationship (santa-rasa), relationship as servant (dāsya-rasa), as friend (sakhya-rasa), parent (vātsalya-rasa) and conjugal lover (mādhurya-rasa). Eternal spiritual relationship with Kṛṣṇa. There are five rasas: śānta (passive awe and reverence); dāsya (servitude); sakhya (friendship); vātsalya (parenthood); and mādhurya (conjugal love). According to his specific kind of rasa, the soul displays a spiritual form as Kṛṣṇa's eternal servant, friend, parent or conjugal lover. Just as our present material body permits us to engage in karma (physical activities), so the spiritual rasa-body permits us to engage in līlā (Kṛṣṇa's endlessly expanding spiritual activities) See Ecstasy, Līlā.
Ratha-yātrā	the festival celebrating Kṛṣṇa's return to Vṛndāvana; The journey of the chariots, a traditional Vaiṣṇava festival held every year at Jagannātha Purī in Orissa. In Purī the devotees place the immense Deity forms of Jagannātha, Baladeva and Lady Subhadrā on three towering, huge gaily decorated canopied chariots, each having sixteen wheels. Thousands of people pull these cars to the Guṇḍicā temple, where Lord Jagannātha abides for seven days, after which there is a return Ratha-yātrā to the Jagannātha Temple. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates gathered every year to observe this celebration with a massive festival of saṅkīrtana. This great celebration of Ratha-yātrā is now being held all over the world by the arrangement of Śrīla A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Ratha	temple cart or chariot, used during religious festival to carry the Deities.
Rati	a strong attraction to God that precedes bhāva (mature ecstasy) and prema (mature love of God).
Rationalism	The approach to philosophy that holds reason (Lat. ratio) to be the primary cause of knowledge. See Anumāna, Descartes, Existentialism, Hawking, Kant, Marxism, Natural theology, Phenomenology, Positivism, Pragmatism.
Raty-ābhāsa	a preliminary glimpse of attachment.
Raudra-rasa	one of the indirect relationships, anger.
Rāvaṇa	a powerful ten-headed demon king of Laṅkā who wanted to build a staircase to heaven but was killed by Kṛṣṇa in His incarnation as Lord Rāmacandra. The pastime is described in the epic poem Rāmāyaṇa, by the sage Vālmīki.
Reality	That which is. Reality is opposite to appearance. The Sanskrit equivalent is tattva. See Tattva.
Recaka	the state of equilibrium attained by offering the exhaled breath into the inhaled breath.
Reflective, creative, and critical thinking	Three modes of anumāna. Reflective thinking begins in wonder about something perceived. Out of wonder, questions arise. Creative thinking begins as a mental effort to answer the questions of reflection. Sometimes these questions are answered spontaneously, by intuition, insight or inspiraton, rather than by deliberate effort. At its highest stage of development, creative thinking is śāstramūlaka philosophical speculation. Critical thinking examines to what extent an idea or argument fits the evidence and meets the requirements of logic. See Logic.
Reflexivity	The condition in which something is directed (reflected) back to itself. Hence, reflexive criticism is self-defeating. It comes from the Latin reflectare, to bend back.
Reincarnation	From the Latin re (again) and incarnare (make into flesh). Reincarnation it is the return of the soul to a physical body after death, also called transmigration. See Karma, Life after death, Saṁsāra.
Relativism	Also known as the homo mensura (man is the measure) theory. Relativists reject any truth that is absolute. They argue that because each person sees things differently, truth exists individually for each person. It is therefore false to say one person is right and another is wrong. Relativism in Western philosophy is traced back to Protagoras, a contemporary of Socrates. See Absolute, Humanism. Relativity theory Albert Einstein compared his theory of relativity to a building with two stories. The ground floor is the special theory of relativity. It applies to all physical phenomena except gravitation. The general theory of relativity is the upper floor; it explains the law of gravitation. Einstein's theory combines two principles. One is that motion is relative. For example, when a table-tennis ball rolls across the surface of the playing table, its motion is relative to the table. In the classical physics of Newton, the rolling ball is considered to be the object in motion, and the table is considered to be at rest. However, if at first the ball was at rest on the tabletop, and we were to move the table, then both the table and the ball would move in relation to one another. Relativity theory argues that since all matter in the universe is in motion, the ball rolling upon the surface of a moving table is the actual model for motion in the universe. If space and time are taken to be the table, they contribute motion to the movement of all things. The old model of a ball rolling upon a tabletop at rest is therefore an illusion. The second principle of relativity is that the speed of light is always the same, even when light is emitted from a source that moves at a great speed towards, or away from, the observer. One of the significant differences between relativity theory and classical theory is seen in the calculation of the mass of a physical object. Mass is defined as the amount of matter in a physical object which is measured as that object's resistance to acceleration. Mass is different from, but proportional to, weight. Classical theory attributes a steady mass to any given physical object. Relativity theory predicts that the mass of a thing will vary according to its motion. Relativity is considered an advancement over, but not a replacement of, classical physics, which is still useful. From a logical point of view, the two theories are incompatible. The third important physical theory, quantum mechanics, is likewise incompatible with classical theory, and also differs significantly from relativity theory. See Quantum mechanical theory.
Revelation	Literally, it means an unveiling or a revealing. In Latin, velare means to cover or to veil (from velum, curtain or veil). Thus revelare means to pull back the veil. As light and darkness are separated by a veil, so too are good and evil. To step behind that veil into darkness is evil. By revelation, the veil is pulled back, removing by light the darkness of evil. See Problem of evil.
Ṛg Veda	one of the four Vedas, the original scriptures spoken by the Lord Himself.
Rickshaw	two or three wheeled passenger vehicle.
Rishi	a sage.
Ṛk-saṁhitā	the mantra text of the Ṛg Veda.
Rohiṇī	the wife of Vasudeva, and the mother of Lord Balarāma.
Romaharṣaṇa	the father of Sūta Gosvāmī. He was killed by Lord Balarāma for his offenses.
Ṛṣabhadeva	an incarnation of the Supreme Lord as a devotee king who, after instructing his sons in spiritual life, renounced His kingdom for a life of austerity.
Ṛṣi	a synonym for a sage who performs austerities.
Ṛtvik	one who acts on behalf of his preceptor.
Rūḍha-bhāva	the love of the gopīs.
Rūḍha	advanced symptom of conjugal mellow found among the queens of Dvārakā; included in mahābhāva.
Rudras	the expansions of Lord Śiva who rule over the material mode of ignorance.
Rudra	see: Śiva
Rukmaratha	the son of Śalya, the King of Madras. He was killed by Śveta, the son of Drupada, during the Kurukṣetra war.
Rukmī	the son of King Bhīṣmaka, the King of Vidarbha, and the brother of Rukmiṇī, the first wife of Lord Kṛṣṇa. His hatred for Lord Kṛṣṇa eventually got him killed by Lord Baladeva during a chess game.
Rukmiṇī	Lord Kṛṣṇa's principal queen in Dvārakā; the chief of Lord Kṛṣṇa's wives.
Rukmini-Dvarakādhisa	the transcendental couple manifested as Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of Dvārakā, and His queen Rukminī; name of the Deities of ISKCON Los Angeles.
Rūpa Gosvāmī	chief of the six great spiritual master Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana who were authorized by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to establish and distribute the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He extensively researched the scriptures and established the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya on an unshakable foundation. Thus Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas are known as Rūpānugas, followers of Rūpa Gosvāmī. He is also known as the rasācārya, or the teacher of devotional mellows, as exemplified by his book, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. It is the duty and the aspiration of every Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava to become his servant and follow his path.
Rūpānuga	one who follows in the footsteps of Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Rupee	main unit of currency used in India.
Russel, Bertrand	Very influential British philosopher of the twentieth century (1872-1970) who was especially interested in mathematical logic and the basic problems of philosophy (appearance and reality, general principles, the value and limits of philosophy, and so on). In a letter of 20 September 1966, Russel suggested to his editor at Oxford University Press that a book of his then in production ought to have a cover illustration of a monkey tumbling over a precipice and exclaiming, 'Oh dear, I wish I hadn't read Einstein.' On no account should the monkey look like me.
-S-
Śabda-brahma	transcendental sound vibration; the injunctions of the Vedas and Upaniṣads.
Śabda-pramāṇa	the evidence of transcendental sound, especially of the Vedas.
Śabda-tanmātra	the material element of sound vibration.
Śabda	transcendental sound; Sound, especially the Vedic sound, which is the self-evident proof of knowledge. As an authoritative testimony, the third of the three Vaiṣṇava pramāṇas. See Anumāna, Pramāṇa, Pratyakṣa.
Sabji	vegetable or vegetable dish.
Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]	the Lord's transcendental form, which is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss; the eternal transcendental form of the living entity.
Sac-cid-ānanda	the natural condition of spiritual life: eternal, full of knowledge and bliss; The three qualities of Kṛṣṇa and His spiritual world: eternality, knowledge and bliss. See Brahmajyoti, Kṛṣṇa, Rā-dhārāṇī.
Śacī-devī	the mother of Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Śacīpati	Indra-the chief demigod of heaven and presiding deity of rain, and the father of Arjuna. He is the son of Aditi.
Sacred thread	a thread worn by persons initiated into the chanting of the Gāyatrī mantra.
Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa	the Supreme Lord who is complete with six opulences.
Ṣaḍ-bhūja	the form of the Lord with six arms-two arms of Rāmacandra, two arms of Kṛṣṇa and two arms of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Śaḍ-darśana	Six views or systems of Vedic philosophy. See Six systems.
Sadāśiva	see: Śiva
Sādhaka	a practitioner of sādhana-bhakti; one who is nearing the perfection of Brahman realization; one who is a suitable candidate for liberation.
Sādhana-bhakti	following the rules and regulations of devotional service to develop natural love for Kṛṣṇa.
Sādhana-siddha	one who has attained perfection by executing the rules and regulations of devotional service.
Sādhana	the beginning phase of devotional service, consisting of regulated practice.
Sādhu-nindā	the offense of criticizing a Vaiṣṇava.
Sadhu-saṅga	the association of saintly persons [Cc. Madhya 22.83].
Sādhu-varya	the best of gentlemen.
Sādhu	a saint or Krishna conscious devotee, or Vaiṣṇava. A wandering holy man; A saintly person, a devotee of the Lord; one of the three authorities for a Vaiṣṇava. See Guru, Śāstra.
Sādhyas	demigods inhabiting the heavenly planets.
Sagarbha-yogī	a yogī who worships the Supersoul in the Viṣṇu form.
Sagar	lake.
Saguṇa	"possessing attributes or qualities." In reference to the Supreme Lord, the term signifies that He has spiritual, transcendental qualities.
Sahadeva	Nakula's twin, and the fifth of the sons of Pāṇḍu, and younger brother of Arjuna. He was born of the union of the Aśvinī-kumāra demigods and Kuntī. He was reputed for knowledge of scriptures, and he was exceptionally handsome.
Sahadeva	the son of Jarāsandha. He took the side of the Pāṇḍavas during the Kurukṣetra war and was killed by Droṇa.
Sahajiyās	a class of so-called devotees who, considering God cheap, ignore the scriptural injunctions and try to imitate the Lord's pastimes; an offensive, immature devotee who does not follow proper devotional regulations.
Sahasra-śīrṣā	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who has a thousand heads;" Ananta-Śeṣa-an incarnation of the Supreme Lord in the form of His thousand-headed serpent, on which Viṣṇu rests, and who sustains the planets on His hoods.
Sahasra-giti	thousand prayers composed by Nāmmālvāra.
Sahasra-vadana	the thousand-mouthed snake incarnation, called Śeṣa Nāga.
Sahib "Lord"	title given to any gentlemen and usually to Europeans. This is a compliment.
Śaibyā	one of the great archers on the side of the Pāṇḍavas during the Kurukṣetra war; one of the four horses that drove Lord Kṛṣṇa's chariot; one of the wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa, after the Lord's disappearance she entered fire and attained the spiritual world.
Sainika	the condition of threefold miseries.
Sairandhrī	a name used by Draupadī during the Pāṇḍavas last year of exile in the kingdom of Virāṭa.
Śaivism	the philosophy of the Śiva-sampradaya, the disciplic succession descending from Lord Śiva
Śaivite	devotee of Lord Śiva; one who worships Śiva as the Supreme Lord.
Sajātīyāśaya-snigdha	pleasing to people of a similar nature.
Sajātīya	a person within the intimate circle of the Lord.
Śāka	a leafy vegetable that was a favorite of Lord Caitanya's.
Sakāma-bhakta	a devotee with material desires.
Sakhī	gopīs who are close associates of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's and who expand the conjugal love of Kṛṣṇa and His enjoyment among the gopīs.
Sakhya-prema	love of God in friendship.
Sakhya-rasa	a relationship with the Supreme Lord in devotional friendship.
Sakhya-rati	see: Sakhya-rasa above.
Sakhya	the devotional process of maintaining friendship with Kṛṣṇa.
Sākṣi-gopāla	the Deity of Kṛṣṇa who acted as a witness to the promise of an elder brāhmaṇa to a younger one.
Śakti-tattva	persons who are plenary expansions of the Lord's internal potency; the various energies of the Lord.
Śaktyāveśa-avatāra	an empowered living entity who serves as an incarnation of the Lord; empowered by the Supreme Lord with one or more of the Lord's opulences.
Śaktyāveśa-jīvas	see: Śaktyāveśa-avatāra above.
Śakuni	the evil brother of Gāndhārī and notorious friend of Duryodhana. He master-minded the great gambling match that sent the Pāṇḍavas into exile for 13 years. In the great Kurukṣetra war he was killed by Sahadeva.
Śālagrāma-śilā	the worshipable Deity of the Lord Nārāyaṇa in the form of a round stone. It is described in detail in the final canto of the Padma Purāṇa.
Śāla	a hardwood tree found in northern India.
Śala	he was one of the sons of Somadatta, a Kuru King. His brothers were Bhūri and Bhūriśravas. He was killed by Sātyaki during the Kurukṣetra war.
Sālokya-mukti	liberation of residing on the same planet as the Lord.
Sālokya	the liberation of residing on the same planet as the Supreme Lord.
Śālva	a demon who desired Ambā for his wife. He was defeated by Bhīṣma in his attempt to win Ambā. He attacked Dvārakā with an airship made by the demon Maya. He was killed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Śalya	the King of Madras. His sister was Mādrī who was married to Pāṇḍu. He wanted to join the side of the Pāṇḍavas during the Kurukṣetra war, but was tricked by Duryodhana into offering him his services. He was killed by Yudhiṣṭhira during the Kurukṣetra war.
Salvation	See Life after death.
Sāma Veda	one of the four original Vedas. It consists of musical settings of the sacrificial hymns. The Sāma Veda is rich with beautiful songs played by the various demigods. One of these songs is the Bṛhat-sāma, which has an exquisite melody and is sung at midnight.
Sama-darśī	seeing with equal vision. Therefore, one who has knowledge of the soul and how the soul transmigrates from one body to another does not pay attention to the body, which is nothing but a covering dress. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]. Such a person sees the soul, which is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore he is a sama-darśi, a learned person.
Samādhi	total absorption and trance of the mind and senses in consciousness of the Supreme Godhead and service to Him. The word samādhi also refers to the tomb where a great soul's body is laid after his departure from this world.
Samana-vayu	the internal bodily air which adjusts equilibrium. It is one of the five bodily airs controlled by the breathing exercises of the aṣtanga-yoga system.
Samatā	stage when one is fully attached to Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet.
Sama	control of the mind.
Śambhu-tattva	the principle of Lord Śiva.
Sambandha-jñāna	knowledge of one's original relationship with the Lord.
Sāmba	one of the heroic sons of Lord Kṛṣṇa born of Jāmbavatī.
Sambhoga	the ecstasy of the meeting and embracing of lovers.
Sambhrama-dāsya	one of the indirect relationships, respect.
Saṁhitās	supplementary Vedic literatures expressing the conclusions of particular self-realized authorities.
Sāmīpya-mukti	liberation of living as a personal associate of the Lord.
Sāmīpya	the liberation of becoming a personal associate of the Supreme Lord.
Sampradāya-ācāryas	founders of the four Vaiṣṇava schools; they include Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī and Nimbārka.
Sampradāya	a disciplic succession of spiritual masters, along with the followers in that tradition, through which spiritual knowledge is transmitted; School of thought. See Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas.
Samprekṣya nāsikāgram	keeping one's eyes half-open in the practice of yoga.
Saṁsāra	the cycle of repeated birth and death in the material world; The baddha-jīva (conditioned soul), captivated by the modes of material nature, is moved as if on a wheel through 8,400,000 kinds of births, lifetime after lifetime. At the lower range of the cycle are births within aquatic, vegetative and animal forms. At the middle range are births within human forms. At the upper range are births within superhuman forms, such as the demigods. But as high as the soul may reach, even up to the position of Brahmā, there is no freedom from saṁsāra. Impelled by prakṛti, kāla and karma, the jīva will surely be forced into another womb, until the day that soul surrenders to the origin of the force that turns the wheel of saṁsārathe īśvara, Kṛṣṇa. The materialistic theory of evolution put forward by Anaximander and Darwin imperfectly recapitulates the Vedic description of the cycle of birth and death. It is true that we were once microbes, fish, reptiles, mammals and apes. But who are we? We are spirit souls. Materialists have no knowledge of the soul. They are unable to explain how and why dead matter assumes the forms of the gradient species. The Vedas explain that the gradient species mark the evolution and devolution of the soul's material desires. See Evolution, Karma, Life after death, Reincarnation.
Saṁśaya	Doubt. One of the five functions of buddhi. See Buddhi.
Saṁsṛti	the cycle of repeated birth and death.
Saṁskāra	one of the Vedic reformatory rituals performed one by one from the time of conception until death for purifying a human being.
Saṁskṛta	purified.
Samvit-śakti	the knowledge portion of the Lord's spiritual potency.
Sanātana Gosvāmī	one of the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana who was authorized by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to establish and distribute the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He was the older brother of Rūpa Gosvāmī and was accepted by Rūpa Gosvāmī as his spiritual master. He and Rūpa Gosvāmī were both ministers in the Mohammedan court in Gauḍa, but renounced everything for the service of Lord Caitanya. The two brothers were ordered by Śrī Caitanya to write books establishing the philosophy of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism and to excavate the holy places in Vṛndāvana.
Sanātana-dhāma	the eternal abode, the Vaikuṇṭha planets in the spiritual sky.
Sanātana-dharma	literally, the "eternal activity of the soul", or the eternal religion of the living being-to render service to the Supreme Lord, which in this age is executed mainly by chanting the mahā-mantra. See also: Bhāgavata-dharma.
Sanātana-yoga	eternal activities performed by the living entity.
Sanātana	eternal, having no beginning or end.
Sanctum sanctorum	inner sanctuary or altar room that contains the main Deity of the temple
Sandeśa	a delicate sweetmeat made with curd and sugar.
Sandhinī-śakti	the existence potency of the Lord.
Saṅgam	meeting point of two or more rivers.
Sañjaya	charioteer and minister to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Sañjaya narrated the events of the Kurukṣetra war to Dhṛtarāṣṭra by the mercy of Vyāsa; also a former king of the Ikṣvāku dynasty.
Śaṅkarācārya	an incarnation of Lord Śiva who appeared in South India at the end of the 7th century A.D. to re-establish the authority of the Vedic scriptures. He was a philosopher and lived about three hundred years before Rāmānuja. He did this at a time when India was under the sway of Buddhism, whose tenets deny the authority of the Vedas. He took sannyāsa at a very tender age and wrote commentaries establishing an impersonal philosophy similar to Buddhism, substituting Brahman (Spirit) for the void. He traveled all over India defeating the great scholars of the day and converting them to his doctrine of Māyāvāda, the advaita (non-dualism) interpretation of the Upaniṣads and Vedānta. He left the world at the age of 33; The incarnation of Śiva who appeared about 1400 years ago in South India to propagate Advaita Vedānta. He taught that Brahman is impersonal, there is no individuality apart from Brahman (all souls are really one soul), the cosmic manifestation does not emanate from Brahman, and the cosmic manifestation is without reality, like a hallucination. Though his philosophy is a distortion of the Vedic teachings, his mission was very important. He turned the Indian people away from Buddhism, back to the Vedas. See Advaita, Brahmajyoti, Brahman, Buddhism, Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas, Māyāvāda philosophy, Six systems, Vedānta.
Śaṅkā	doubt, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Śaṅkha	a son of King Viraṭa. He was killed Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war; the conchshell held by Lord Viṣṇu.
Saṅkara	see: Śiva
Saṅkarṣaṇa	one of the four original expansions of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world; also, another name of Balarāma, given by Garga Muni.
Saṅkīrtana-yajña	the sacrifice prescribed for the Age of Kali, namely, congregational chanting of the name, fame and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Saṅkhoddhāra	the place where the Lord killed Sankhāsura.
Sāṅkhya-yoga	the process of linking with the Supreme by intellectually tracing out the source of creation.
Sāṅkhya	analytical discrimination between spirit and matter and the path of devotional service as described by Lord Kapila, the son of Devahūti in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; analytical understanding of the body and the soul. Sāṅkhya-yoga-the process of linking with the Supreme by intellectually tracing out the source of creation; An analysis of matter and spirit taught by sage Nirīśvara Kapila. One of the six systems of Vedic philosophy. See Analysis, Six systems.
Saṅkīrtana	The congregational glorification of the Lord through chanting His holy name. The most recommended process of spiritual upliftment in the present age (Kali-yuga). See Caitanya Mahā-prabhu, ISKCON, Kīrtana.
Saṅkrāntī	the day when a Bengali month ends. Also, the passage of the sun or any other planet from one Zodiacal sign to another.
Śānta-bhaktas	devotees in the neutral stage of devotional service.
Sannipāti	a convulsive disease caused by combination of kapha, pitta, vāyu.
Sannyāsa-daṇḍa	the staff carried by a sannyāsī.
Sannyāsa	the renounced order, and fourth stage of Vedic spiritual life in the Vedic system of varṇāsrama-dharma, which is free from family relationships and in which all activities are completely dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. It is the order of ascetics who travel and constantly preach the message of Godhead for the benefit of all. The sannyāsī has no other purpose in life but to serve and please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he acts as the guru for the other divisions of society; The order of renunciation accepted by males in the Vedic culture. The fourth spiritual devision of life, according to the social system of four āśramas, sannyāsa is meant for ending material existence. It is usually accepted at age fifty, after a man has fulfilled his household responsibilities. The original Vedic sannyāsīs carried the tridaṇḍa, three bamboo rods wrapped together around a fourth, symbolizing that the body, minds and words are dedicated to the Supreme. The fourth stood for the soul. Māyāvādī sannyāsīs in the line of Śaṅkarācārya carry only one daṇḍa; the Buddhists carry none. All bona fide sannyāsīs wear orange or saffron robes and keep their heads shaven; all must follow standard principles: no meat-eating, sexual activity, gambling or intoxication, and all are meant to travel and preach as their only duty in life. See Brahmacārī, Gṛhastha, Vānaprastha.
Sannyāsī	one in the sannyāsa (renounced) order.
Sanskrit	the oldest language in the world. The Vedas, or India's holy scriptures, are written in Sanskrit; From saṁs (together) and kṛta (made), hence speech made together (refined), Sanskrit is an ancient language of culture, learning and spiritual wisdom. The Vedas are all written in Sanskrit.
Śānta-rasa	the marginal stage of devotional service, passive love of God; the relationship with the Supreme Lord in neutrality.
Śānta-rati	see: Śānta-rasa above.
Śantanu	the father of Bhīṣma by Gaṅgā. He gave Bhīṣma the benediction that he could die only when he wanted to. It was said that anything he touched with his two hands would become youthful.
Śānta	peaceful.
Śāntipur	a village in the Ranaghat subdivision of the West Bengal district of Nadia. It is famous as the home of Śrī Advaita Ācārya, the associate of Lord Caitanya and incarnation of Mahā-Visṇu. It is close to Māyāpura.
Santan	Coconut milk-known as santan in Indonesian cooking, this creamy white liquid with a fresh, coconut flavour is extracted from fresh coconut pulp and is used in varieties of South East Asian and Indonesian dishes. It is available in cans from supermarkets and Asian grocers.
Śāpa	a brāhmaṇa's curse.
Sapta-dvīpa	the seven islands of the earth.
Sapta-suta	the seven sons, namely hearing, chanting, remembering, offering prayers, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, worshiping the Deity and becoming a servant of the Lord.
Sapta-tāla	the seven palm trees in Rāmacandra's forest.
Śaradvān	the son of Gautama, and the father of Kṛpācārya.
Sāra grass	a whitish reed.
Saralatā	simplicity.
Sarasvatī	goddess of learning. Wife of Lord Brahmā. She usually sits on a white swan and holds a veena (stringed instrument) in her hands.
Sarga	the first material creation by Viṣṇu.
Śārīraka-bhāṣya	Śaṅkarācārya's commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra.
Śarīrī	the soul, owner of the body.
Sari	traditional Indian dress worn by Hindu women-six yards long as a rule; Vedic women's dress.
Śārkarākṣa	lit. "those who have sand in their eyes"; those situated in the gross bodily conception of life.
Sarmiṣṭhā	the second wife of King Yayāti. On account of overattachment to her, the king was cursed by Śukrācārya to lose his youth.
Śārṅga	the bow of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Sārṣṭi-mukti	the liberation of achieving opulences equal to those of the Lord.
Sārṣṭi	the liberation of achieving equal opulence with the Lord.
Sārūpya-mukti	the liberation of having the same bodily features as the Lord's.
Sārūpya	the liberation of attaining a spiritual form like that of the Supreme Lord.
Sarva-jña	omniscient; one who knows everything-past, present and future.
Sarva-kāma-deha	the body engaged for the satisfaction of all kinds of material desires.
Sarva-kāmada	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who fulfills the desires of His devotees."
Sarva-kāma	one who desires material perfection.
Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam	Kṛṣṇa, the cause of all causes [Bs. 5.1].
Sarva-loka	all the material worlds.
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya	a famous logician, adviser to King Pratāparudra of Orissa who surrendered to Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Sarvārambha-parityāgī	one who is indifferent to both pious and impious activities.
Sarvātma-nivedana	Ātma-nivedana-the devotional process of surrendering everything to the Lord.
Sarvātmā	Paramātmā-the Supersoul, the localized aspect Viṣṇu expansion of the Supreme Lord residing in the heart of each embodied living entity and pervading all of material nature.
Śāstra-cakṣuḥ	seeing everything through the medium of the Vedic literature; Cakṣuṣa means eyes; śāstra-cakṣuṣa means seeing through the eyes of scripture, as opposed to gross sense perception or mental speculation.
Śāstra	the revealed scriptures, obeyed by all those who follow the Vedic teachings. Śās means "to regulate and direct" and tra means "an instrument"; Vedic literature; The Vedic scriptures; one of the three authorities for a Vaiṣṇava. In his purport to Cc., Ādi-līlā 17.157, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: The word śāstra is derived from the dhātu, or verbal root, śas. Sas-dhātu pertains to controlling or ruling. A government's ruling through force or weapons is called śastra. Thus whenever there is ruling, either by weapons or by injunctions, the śas-dhātu is the basic principle. Between śastra (ruling through weapons) and śāstra (ruling through the injunctions of the scriptures), the better is śāstra. Our Vedic scriptures are not ordinary law books of human common sense; they are the statements of factually liberated persons unaffected by the imperfectness of the senses. Śāstra must be correct always, not sometimes correct and sometimes incorrect. In the Vedic scriptures, the cow is described as a mother. Therefore she is a mother for all time; it is not, as some rascals say, that in the Vedic age she was a mother but she is not in this age. If śāstra is an authority, the cow is a mother always; she was a mother in the Vedic age, and she is a mother in this age also. If one acts according to the injunctions of śāstra, he is freed from the reactions of sinful activity. For example, the propensities for eating flesh, drinking wine and enjoying sex life are all natural to the conditioned soul. The path of such enjoyment is called pravṛtti-mārga. The śāstra says, pravṛttir eṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā: one should not be carried away by the propensities of defective conditioned life; one should be guided by the principles of the śāstras. A child's propensity is to play all day long, but it is the injunction of the śāstras that the parents should take care to educate him. The śāstras are there just to guide the activities of human society. But because people do not refer to the instructions of śāstras, which are free from defects and imperfections, they are therefore misguided by so-called educated teachers and leaders who are full of the deficiencies of conditioned life.
Śāstramūlaka	Mūla means root; śāstramūlaka means rooted in scripture, as opposed to laukika. See Laukika.
Sāṣṭānga-pranāma (Daṇḍavat)	a respectful obeisance executed by prostrating eight limbs of the body, namely the thighs, feet, hands, chest, thoughts or devotion, head, voice, and closed eyes.
Sat	eternal, unlimited existence.
Ṣaṭ-sandarbha	six Sanskrit works on the science of devotional service or Vaiṣṇava philosophy by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. These works present the entire philosophy and theology of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism in a systematic form. The six Sandarbhas are as follows: Tattva-sandarbha, Bhāgavat-sandarbha, Paramātma-sandarbha, Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha, Bhakti-sandarbha and Prīti-sandarbha. The Ṣaṭ-sandarbha is also called Bhāgavata-sandarbha, as it is an exposition on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam The first four Sandarbhas are devoted to sambandha-tattva, which establishes Krṣṇa as the highest Deity and the most exclusive object of worship. The Bhakti-sandarbha deals with abhidheya-tattva, which is bhakti (devotion to Krṣna), and the Prīti-sandarbha is concerned with prayojana-tattva, pure love of Godhead.
Śatānīka	the son of Nakula who was killed by Aśvatthāmā while awaking from sleep in his tent; the brother of King Virāṭa. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.
Śatarūpā	the wife of Svāyambhuva Manu and mother of Devahūti.
Satī rite	voluntary suicide by a chaste widow at her husband's funeral.
Satī	the wife of Lord Śiva and the daughter of Dakṣa, who burned herself alive when her father insulted her husband; when a widow burns herself in her husband's cremation/funeral fire.
Sattva-guṇa	the mode of material goodness, predominated by Lord Viṣṇu.
Sattvatanu	Viṣṇu who expands the quality of goodness.
Sāttvika	symptoms of ecstatic love coming from the transcendental platform; in the mode of goodness.
Sātvata-saṁhitās	scriptures that are products of the mode of goodness.
Sātvata scriptures	Vedic scriptures meant especially for the devotees of the Lord.
Sātvata-pañcarātra	one of the Pañcarātras, consisting of a conversation between Nārada Muni and Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa describing the rules and regulations of devotional service.
Satya-kāma	directing all of one's desires to the Supreme Truth.
Satya-yuga	the first and best of the four cyclic ages of a mahā-yuga in the progression of universal time. Satya-yuga is characterized by virtue, wisdom and religion. It is known as the golden age, when people lived as long as one hundred thousand years. It lasts 1,728,000 solar years.
Satyaṁ param	the Supreme Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa.
Satyabhāmā	one of the principal queens of Lord Kṛṣṇa during His pastimes in the city of Dvārakā.
Satyadeva	a warrior from Kaliṅga who was killed by Bhīma during the Kurukṣetra war.
Satyadhṛti	a renowned archer on the side of the Pāṇḍavas. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.
Satyāgraha	fasting for political purposes performed by Mahatma Gandhi.
Satyajit	a brother of King Drupada. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.
Sātyaki	the son of Śini, and a prominent member of the Yadu dynasty. He was an intimate friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa and student of Arjuna. He fought during the Kurukṣetra war and killed many kings on the side of the Kauravas.
Satyaloka	Lord Brahmā's abode, the highest planet in the material universe; also called Brahmaloka.
Satyaratha	a brother of King Suśarma, the King of the Trigartas.
Satyasena	another brother of King Suśarma, the King of the Trigartas. He was killed by Arjuna during the Kurukṣetra war.
Satyavarma	another brother of King Suśarma, the King of the Trigartas.
Satyavatī	the daughter of the fisherman King. She was the mother of Vyāsadeva by Paraśara Muni. She later married Mahārāja Śantanu and begot two children, Citrāṅgada and Vicitravīrya.
Satyavrata Manu	one of the administrative demigods who are the fathers and lawgivers of mankind.
Satyavrata	another brother of King Suśarma, the King of the Trigartas.
Satya	truthfulness.
Satyeṣu	another brother of King Suśarma, the King of the Trigartas. He was killed by Arjuna during the Kurukṣetra war.
Saubhari Muni	a powerful mystic who accidentally fell down to sex attraction.
Saubha	the airship of King Śālva. It was created by the demon Maya, and Śālva used this airship to attack Dvārakā. It was destroyed by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Śaunaka Ṛṣi	one of the chief sages at the conclave of sages gathered at the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya when Sūta Gosvāmī spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Sauhṛdya	endeavor.
Sautrāmaṇi	a particular Vedic fire sacrifice offered to Lord Indra.
Savitri	lady who saved her husband from death by her chastity.
Sāyujya-mukti	the liberation of merging into the Brahman effulgence.
Sāyujya	the liberation of merging into the spiritual effulgence of the Lord.
Scepticism	A state of doubting that may range from a tentative doubt in the process of reaching certainty to complete, total disbelief in everything. Usually, scepticism refers to a philosophy of disbelief, of which there are many. In India, the philosophies of Cārvaka Muni, the Buddhists and the Jains are founded upon disbelief in the Vedas. Māyāvādīs claim to accept the Vedas, but they sceptically reject the Vedic philosophy of Vaiṣṇavism. As Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, a famous Māyāvādī scholar, wrote about the teachings of ācārya Rāmānuja: Rāmānuja's beautiful stories of the other world, which he narrates with the confidence of one who had personally assisted at the origination of the world, carry no conviction. These are the words of a man confined to a miniscule spectrum of awareness by his pratyakṣa and anumāna. Yet he thinks he can pass judgement on that which is beyond his senses and mind. There are many forms of Western scepticism as well, which go back to the ancient Greeks. See Buddhism, Materialism, Māyāvādī philosophy, Six systems, Voidism.
Semantics	From the Greek sma, sign. The study of how words (or linguistic symbols) make sense, and how words apply to the things they refer to. Semantics attempts to define the conditions under which a statement can be analyzed as true or false.
Semi-deism	A variant of deism in which God, the first cause, is supposed to sometimes intervene in the regular course of nature through geological catastrophes and the sudden rise of species. Noted semi-deists were nineteenth century British natural theologicans William Buckland (1784-1856), Adam Sedgewick (1785-1873), W.D. Conybeare (1787-1857), and Charles Lyell (1797-1875). See Atheism, Deism, Theism.
Sentimentalism	A mental attitude permeated by or predisposed to emotions produced of sense perception. For example, the sceptic David Hume rejected the standard moral obligations of his time, and argued that morality could only be valid when based upon what he termed sympathy and sentiment.
Śeṣa Nāga	an expansion of Lord Balarāma or Saṅkarṣaṇa who takes the form of a many-hooded serpent and serves as Lord Viṣṇu's couch and other paraphernalia. He also holds the millions of universes on His hoods.
Śeṣa-līlā	the last twenty-four years of Lord Caitanya's pastimes.
Sevā-aparādha	offenses in Deity worship.
Sevā-pūjā	Deity worship.
Sevaka	a servant.
Sevā	devotional service.
Sevya	one who is served.
Shyama	Krsna appearing bluish in the Dvarapa-yuga.
Shukla	white in the Satya-yuga.
Siddha-deha	a perfected spiritual body.
Siddhaloka	the heavenly planet whose inhabitants possess all mystic powers; the planets of materially perfect beings.
Siddha	a perfected person, or mystic; a demigod from Siddhaloka; one who has realized the Brahman effulgence; a perfect devotee.
Siddhānta	Essential conclusion. See Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas.
Siddhi-lobhī	one who is greedy for material perfection.
Siddhi-traya	philosophical work of Yāmunācārya
Siddhi-vraja	the mystic perfections.
Siddhis	mystic perfections usually acquired by yoga practice and natural to residents of Siddhaloka: becoming small like a particle (aṇimā-siddhi), or lighter than a soft feather (laghimā-siddhi), Get anything from everywhere (prāpti-siddhi), becoming heavier than the heaviest (mahimā-siddhi), create something wonderful or annihilate anything at will (īśitva-siddhi), to control all material elements (vaśitva-siddhi), possessing such power as will never be frustrated in any desire (prākāmya-siddhi), assuming any shape or form one may even whimsically desire (kāmāvasāyitā-siddhi).
Śikhariṇī	a blend of yogurt and sugar candy.
Sikhaṇḍī	the son of King Drupada, and the rebirth of Ambā, the daughter of the King of Kāśī. He was born to kill Bhīṣma, who he hated from his previous life. During the battle of Kurukṣetra, he fought in front of Arjuna, while attacking Bhīṣma. Bhīṣma dropped his weapons and this allowed Arjuna to fill Bhīṣma with arrows. Śikhaṇḍī was later killed by Aśvatthāmā, while awaking from sleep in the Pāṇḍavas camp.
Śikhara	curved temple tower or spire The roof of the sanctum sanctorum It is crowned by a cakra in a Lord Viṣṇu temple and a trident in a Lord Śiva temple
Śikṣā-guru	an instructing spiritual master.
Śikṣāṣṭaka	eight verses by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu glorifying the chanting of the Lord's holy name.
Siṁha-dvāra	the main gate of the Jagannātha temple.
Siṁhāsana	sitting place.
Śimulī	silk cotton tree.
Sindhu	a province in Bharata that was ruled by Jayadratha.
Śini	the father of Sātyaki, and a king of the Yadu dynasty.
Śiśumāra-cakra	the orbit of the polestar.
Śiśupāla	a king who was an enemy of Kṛṣṇa. The son of Damaghoṣa and King of Cedi. He was an incarnation of Jaya, a gatekeeper of Vaikuṇṭha. He was killed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa during the Rājasūya sacrifice.
Śītā	subordinate ecstatic symptoms including singing, yawning, etc.; a division of anubhāva.
Sītā-Rāma	the transcendental couple manifested as Lord Rāmacandra, Kṛṣṇa's incarnation as the perfect king, and Lord Rāma's eternal consort, Sītā.
Sītā	the beloved consort of Lord Rāmacandra. She appeared in the house of Janaka Mahārāja, one of the twelve leading spiritual authorities in the universe. She was abducted by ten-headed demon, Ravana.
Śiva-liṅga	a rounded stone representation of Lord Śiva's genitals often worshiped as a Deity by Śaivites.
Śiva-pūjā	worship of Lord Śiva's linga. See above.
Śiva-rātrī	Lord Śiva's appearance day, celebrating his advent from between Lord Brahmā's eyebrows.
Śivatama	the most auspicious.
Śiva	the guṇa-avatāra who is the superintendent of the mode of ignorance (tamoguṇa) and who takes charge of destroying the universe at the time of annihilation. He disguised himself as a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna over a boar. Lord Śiva was pleased with Arjuna and gave him a benediction of the Paśupati astra by which he could kill Jayadratha. He also gave a benediction to Aśvatthāmā that he could kill the remaining soldiers on the side of the Pāṇḍavas while they were sleeping in their tents. He is also considered the greatest Vaiṣṇava, or devotee, of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is confused by some with the Supreme Lord.
Sivānanda Sena	a great householder devotee of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Six Gosvāmīs	they were deputed to go to Vṛndāvana to excavate the present places of pilgrimage. The present city of Vṛndāvana and the importance of Vrajabhūmi were thus disclosed by the will of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. See also: Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī.
Six systems	There are six systems of philosophy associated with the Vedic scriptures. These together are known as the ṣaḍ-darśana. The ṣaḍ-darśana (six views) are: 1) Nyāya (logic), 2) Vaiśeṣika (atomic theory), 3) Sāṅkhya (analysis of matter and spirit), 4) Yoga (the discipline of self-realization), 5) Karma-mīmāṁsā (the science of fruitive work) and 6) Vedānta (the science of God realization). The ṣaḍ-darśana are termed āstika philosophies (from asti, or it is so), because they all acknowledge the Veda as authoritative, as opposed to the nāstika philosophies of the Cārvakas, Buddhists and Jains (nāsti, it is not so), who reject the Vedas. Beginning with Nyāya, each of the ṣaḍ-darśana in their turn presents a more developed and comprehensive explanation of the aspects of Vedic knowledge. Nyāya sets up the rules of philosophical debate and identifies the basic subjects under discussion: the physical world, the soul, God and liberation. Vaiśeṣika engages the method of Nyāya or logic in a deeper analysis of the predicament of material existence by showing that the visible material forms to which we are all so attached ultimately break down into invisible atoms. Sāṅkhya develops this analytical process further to help the soul become aloof to matter. Through Yoga, the soul awakens its innate spiritual vision to see itself beyond the body. Karma-mīmāṁsā directs the soul to the goals of Vedic ritualism. Vedānta ultimately focuses on the supreme spiritual goal taught in the Upaniṣads. As can be seen in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the basis of these darśanas was an original, unified spiritual science (bhagavad-tattva-vijñāna) taught in very olden times by the twelve Mahājanas: Brahmā, Nārada, Śiva, Kumāras, Kapila, Manu, Prahlāda, Janaka, Bhīṣma, Bali, Śukadeva and Yamarāja. But due to the influence of māyā, scholars who followed the teachings of later sages like Gautama, Kaṇāda, Nirīśvara Kapila, Patañjali and Jaimini, became divided and contentious. The Vedic philosophy was misunderstood, and opposing schools came into being to serve sectarian ends. For instance, Karma-mīmāṁsā (which by 500 BC had become the foremost philosophy of the brāhmaṇa class) was misused by bloodthirsty priests to justify their mass slaughter of animals in Vedic sacrifices. But the unexpected rise of a novel non-Vedic religion challenged the power of Karma-mīmāṁsā. This new religion was Buddhism. By 250 BC, the influence of Karma-mīmāṁsā and other darśanas had weakened considerably. When King Aśoka instituted the Buddha's doctrine as the state philosophy of his empire, many brāhmaṇas abandoned Vedic scholarship to learn and teach nāstika concepts of ahiṁsā (nonviolence) and śūnyatā (voidism). Buddhism in its turn was eclipsed by the teachings of the Vedāntist Śaṅkarācārya, who revived the Vedic culture all over India in the seventh century after Christ. But Śaṅkarācārya's special formulation of Vedānta was itself influenced by Buddhism and is not truly representative of the original Vedānta-darśana. After Śaṅkarācārya, Vedānta was refined by the schools of great teachers (ācāryas) like Rāmānuja and Madhva. Having shed the baggage of Śaṅkarācārya's crypto-Buddhism, Vedānta philosophers brought Vedic studies back to their original form as seen in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. See Advaita, Analysis, Dvaita, Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas, Māyāvāda philosophy, Veda, Vedānta.
Skanda Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas, or Vedic historical scriptures. It extensively describes Kali-yuga.
Śleṣokti	a statement having two meanings.
Śloka	a Sanskrit verse.
Smaraṇam	the devotional process of remembering the Supreme Lord; constant thinking of Kṛṣṇa (one of the nine methods of devotional service).
Smārta-brāhmaṇa	a brāhmaṇa interested more in the external performance of the rules and rituals of the Vedas than in attaining Lord Kṛṣṇa, the goal of the Vedas; one who strictly follows the Vedic principles on the mundane platform.
Smārta-guru	a professional spiritual master.
Smārta-vidhi	the regulations of mundane religious activity.
Smarta	the popular name for followers of the Vedas who are overly attached to elevation and salvation. They are very careful about the latter, but often not the spirit, of scriptural injunctions, confounding the mundane with the spiritual. They are very fond of the smṛti-śāstras and are thus known as smartas.
Smṛti	remembrance, a vyabhicāri-bhāva; revealed scriptures supplementary to the śruti, or original Vedic scriptures, which are the Vedas and Upaniṣads; scriptures compiled by living entities under transcendental direction; the corollaries of the Vedas; One of the five functions of buddhi. See Buddhi.
Smṛti-śāstra	A section of the Vedic scriptures including the Mahābhārata and the Purāṇas. See Śāstra, Śruti-śāstra.
Smṛty-ācārya	a spiritual master expert in the supplementary Vedic literatures.
Snāna-yātrā	the bathing ceremony of Lord Jagannātha.
Sneha	affection for Kṛṣṇa, at which stage the lover cannot be without the beloved.
Snigdha	very peaceful.
Socrates	Socrates (470-399 BC) is the most influential philosopher in the recorded history of the Western world. Plato was his disciple and Aristotle his grand-disciple. Socrates lived in Athens and taught a doctrine of the soul that is similar in many ways to the Vedic conception. In a 1966 Bhagavad-gītā lecture, Śrīla Prabhupāda said Socrates was a mukta-puruṣa (a liberated soul). According to his biographer Plato, Socrates was unjustly convicted for anti-state activities by the Athenean authorities, who ordered him drink poison. He did so cheerfully, and died preaching we are not these bodies to his followers.
Solipsism	From the Latin solus, (alone), and ipse, (self). A Western doctrine stating that the self is all that exists or can be known. There are two forms of solipsism: epistemological and metaphysical. The first form holds that since there is nothing to be known beyond the content of one's own consciousness, one's own consciousness is the underlying justification for, and cause of, the existence and nonexistence of knowledge of anything. The second form holds that there is no reality other than one's own self. All things are creations of one's consciousness at the moment one is conscious of them. In other words, there is no existence apart from my own awareness. Like Māyāvāda philosophy, solipsism arrives at a philosophical dead end. The questions that remain unanswered are: If my consciousness is the only reality, why can't I change the universe at will, simply by thought? And if only I myself truly exist, why am I dependent for my life, learning and happiness upon a world full of living entities that refuse to acknowledge this truth? See Māyāvāda philosophy.
Soma-rasa	a life-extending heavenly beverage available on the moon to demigods on the higher planets.
Somadatta	the son of King Bālhīka and the grandson of King Pratīpa. He had three sons name Bhūri, Bhūriśravas, and Śala. He was killed by Sātyaki during the battle of Kurukṣetra.
Somaka	a former king of Pāñcāla.
Somarāja	Candra, the demigod in charge of the moon.
Soma	the presiding deity of the moon.
Soul	the eternal living entity, who is the marginal energy, eternally part and parcel of the Supreme Lord; Known in Sanskrit as jīva, jīva-ātmā or ātmā, the soul is the eternal individual self, who is a tiny particle of Lord Kṛṣṇa's spiritual potency located in the heart of the material body. The symptom of the soul is consciousness, and the power of the soul is taṭastha-śakti, the power of choice. Thus the soul is responsible for his liberation or bondage, though he has no power to either liberate himself or enjoy matter. The result of his choice, whether auspicious or inauspicious, is arranged by the Supersoul. As the air is always different from the smells it carries, so the soul is always different from the material designations it assumes due to the influence of the modes of nature. How a yogī perceives the soul's direct relationship with the Supreme Soul is described in SB 11.14.45: He sees the individual souls united with the Supreme Soul, just as one sees the sun's rays completely united with the sun. The sun is jyotiṣi, the source of light. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul, is the source of the light of consciousness of all living entities. Sunlight is composed of photons, which are tiny units of light. Similarly, each individual soul (jīva-ātmā) is a tiny unit of consciousness. See Consciousness, Ecstasy, Modes of nature, Supersoul.
Sparśas	the consonants in the Sanskrit alphabet.
Spirit soul	Jīva (jīvātmā)-the living entity, who is an eternal soul, individual but part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.
Sphoṭavāda	Also known as śabda-tattva, sphoṭavāda is the philosophy of a metaphysical school of Sanskrit grammarians that goes back to one Sphoṭāyaṇa, whose followers include Bhartṛhari and Jayanta Bhaṭṭa. The famous karma-mīmāṁsā philosopher Madana Miśra also accepted the sphoṭavāda doctrine, though other teachers of mīmāṁsā opposed it. Accordingly, there is a continuum of vibration (ekam eva yad āmnātam), which is partless (akhaṇḍa) and unbroken (akrama), which becomes manifest in sounds (dhvani) or syllables (varṇa). The sounds and syllables are not important. They are used as aids to achieve meditation upon the underlying continuum, where the indivisible unit of meaning (sphoṭa) is realized through śabda-pūrva-yoga. When the sphoṭa is realized, liberation is achieved in the monistic absolute. Clearly, this is a form of Māyāvāda philosophy. Interestingly, Śaṅkarācārya rejected the sphoṭavāda of the grammarians. Yet he accepted the basis of the sphoṭavāda philosophy, which is the śabda-yoga of Patañjali. In his Prabodhasudhākara 13.144, Śaṅkarācārya wrote, When one's essential nature is contemplated upon for a moment or half a moment, then the subtle sound called anāhata is heard in the right ear. In 148 he explained further: If the mind is completely absorbed for a long time in that Light comprised within the subtle sound, it is surely not slated for the bondage of worldly existence again. Many modern forms of mysticism and meditation can be traced to this doctrine: Transcendental Meditation, Radha-Soami Satsang, Kirpal Singh Satsang, and so on. The subtle sound sought in these systems is the egoistic sound at the root of material existence. Beyond this, however, is the pure name (śuddha-nāma), which cannot be extracted from the ākāśa by śabda-yoga, but which must be received from the pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. What these śabda-yogīs really seek is explained by Kṛṣṇa Himself: I am the sound in ether. ... Of vibrations I am the syllable oṁ. ... Of letters I am the letter A, and among compound words I am the dual compound. ... Of poetry I am the Gāyatrī mantra. (Bg. 7.8, 10.33, 10.35) Hence, they seek Kṛṣṇa but He is to be known only by pure devotion (bhakti-yoga). See Māyāvāda philosophy.
Spiritual world	Referred to as Vaikuṇṭha, Goloka, the supreme abode (param-dhāma), and the spiritual sky (param-vyoma), it is the transcendental, eternal, three-quarters display of Lord Kṛṣṇa's personal splendor. The names, form, qualities, activities and relationships of the spiritual world are ever-fresh and ever-free of the defects of birth, death, disease, and old age. Here the Lord displays His divine pastimes (līlā) which overflood the spiritual world with the sweetest nectar, the very life and soul of the liberated devotees who dwell there. As a tree on the bank of a river is reflected upside-down in the water, so the material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. What is highest in the spiritual world is lowest here. The highest līlā is Kṛṣṇa's conjugal affairs with the gopīs. That is reflected here as sex life, the most entangling activity for the embodied soul. See Kṛṣṇa.
Śrāddha-pātra	a plate (containing remnants of prasādam) offered to the forefathers and then to the best of the brāhmaṇas.
Śrāddha	the ceremony of making offerings to one's ancestors to free them from suffering; firm faith and confidence.
Śrama	fatigue, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Śrauta-panthā	the acquirement of knowledge by hearing from scriptural authorities.
Śrauta-vākya	acceptance of the words of the revealed scripture and of the spiritual master.
Sravaṇam kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23]	the devotional process of hearing and chanting about Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa.
Sravaṇam	hearing from an authorized source. (This is the chief of the nine methods of devotional service).
Sravaṇa	the devotional process of hearing about the Supreme Lord.
Śreyas	activities that are ultimately beneficial and auspicious.
Śrī-bhāṣya	the commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra by Rāmānujācārya.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-vijaya	a book of poems by Guṇarāja Khān, considered to be the first poetry book written in Bengal.
Śrī	the energy of Godhead that maintains the cosmic manifestation; Śrīla-a title indicating possession of exceptional spiritual qualities. The most beautiful (spiritual) person.
Sri (sree, shree, shri)	honorific prefix, to be used before the Deities name.
Śrī Saila	sacred hill near Tirupati.
Srī-kaṇtha	a name for Lord Śiva meaning "he whose throat is beautifully blue."
Śrīdhara Svāmī	the author of the earliest extant Vaiṣṇava commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Though a resident of Benares and a sannyāsī of Śaṅkara's Māyāvāda school of philosophy, he taught pure Vaiṣṇava philosophy. He was a devotee of Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva, and his works were highly regarded by Lord Caitanya, especially his Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gloss, Bhāvārtha-dīpikā. The Lord commented that anyone who wanted to write a commentary on Srīmad-Bhagavatam must follow the commentary of Srīdhara Svāmī.
Śrīla Prabhupāda	(1896-1977) His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. He is the tenth generation from Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The founder-ācārya, spiritual master of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Śrīla Prabhupāda was the widely-acclaimed author of more than seventy books on the science of pure bhakti-yoga, unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness. His major works are annotated English translations of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, and the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. He was the world's most distinguished teacher of Vedic religion and thought. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a fully God conscious saint who had perfect realization of the Vedic scriptures. He worked incessantly to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. He guided his society and saw it grow to a worldwide confederation of hundreds of ashrams, schools, temples, institutes, and farm communities. See Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.
Śrīla	a title indicating possession of exceptional spiritual qualities. The most beautiful (spiritual) person.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam	the foremost of the eighteen Purāṇas, the complete science of God that establishes the supreme position of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It was glorified by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the amalam purāṇam, "the purest Purāṇa." It was written by Śrīla Vyāsadeva as his commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra, and it deals exclusively with topics concerning the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Lord Kṛṣṇa) and His devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda has given Bhaktivedanta purports in English and wonderfully presented it to the modern world, specifically to give a deep understanding of Lord Kṛṣṇa; Also known as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, this is a work of eighteen thousand verses compiled by sage Vyāsa as his natural commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra. It takes up where the Bhagavad-gītā leaves off. In Bg. 4.9, Lord Kṛṣṇa says that by knowing His transcendental appearance and activities in this world, one becomes free of the cycle of repeated birth and death. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam recounts with great relish the details of the Lord's appearance and activities, beginning with His puruṣa incarnations and their līlā of cosmic manifestation, and culminating with Kṛṣṇa's own appearance in Vṛndāvana 5000 years ago, and His most sweet rasa-līlā with the His cowherd girlfriends, the gopīs headed by Rādhārāṇī. See Bhagavad-gītā, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Vedānta-sūtra.
Śrīnivāsa	a name of Viṣnu.
Śrīnivāsācārya	a chief follower of the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana.
Śrīvatsa	the sign of the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, on the chest of Lord Viṣṇu, or Nārāyaṇa.
Srīvāsa Ṭhākura	the incarnation of Śri Nārada Muni in Lord Caitanya's pastimes. An intimate associate of Lord Caitanya. His courtyard served as the birthplace of Lord Caitanya's saṅkīrtana movement, and his altar was the site of the mahā-prakāśa pastime (twenty-one hours of ecstatic manifestation) of Śrī Caitanya.
Śṛṅgāra	conjugal love of God; an array of garments worn for amorous purposes.
Sṛṣṭi-śakti	the power to create the cosmic manifestation.
Śrutāyudha	a king of Kaliṅga. He was the son of Varuṇa by Parṇāśā. He died on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra when he released his mace at Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. His mace could not be thrown at one who was not engaged in combat or it would come back and kill the one who threw it. Since Lord Kṛṣṇa was not engaged in combat, the mace came back and killed Śrutāyudha.
Śruti-śāstra-nindana	offense of blaspheming the Vedic literature.
Śruti-śāstra	Literally, hearing. The core Vedic literature including the four Vedas (Ṛg, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva) and the Upaniṣads. See Śāstra, Smṛti-śāstra.
Śruti-gaṇa	the personified Vedas.
Śruti-mantras	the hymns of the Vedas.
Śruti	knowledge via hearing; the original Vedic scriptures (the Vedas and Upaniṣads), given directly by the Supreme Lord.
Srutakarmā	the son of Sahadeva by Draupadī. He fought in the battle of Kurukṣetra and was killed by Aśvatthāmā while rising from sleep in his tent.
Srutakīrti	a son of Arjuna by Draupadī. He fought in the battle of Kurukṣetra and was killed by Aśvatthāmā while rising from sleep in his tent.
Sthāṇu-puruṣa	mistaking a dry tree without leaves for a person.
Sthāna	the maintenance of the universe by Viṣṇu.
Sthāyi-bhāva	continuous love of Godhead in devotional service.
Sthita-dhīr-muni	(sthita-steady + dhīra-undisturbed + muni-sage) one who is always fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and as a result is undisturbed by material nature.
Sthūla-śarīra	See Gross body.
Stotra-ratna	book of prayers composed by Yamunācārya.
Stotra	a prayer.
Strī-sambhāṣaṇa	talking with women.
Strī	women.
Stupa	hemispheric Buddhist monument of worship.
Su-snigdha	affectionate.
Su-viṣaya	regulated sense gratification according to the Vedas.
Subjective	In philosophy, that which is derived from the mind and not external sources, or that which exists in the mind without any external reference or possible confirmation. It also refers to the particular way an individual understands an experience. Even though others experienced the same thing, because of his subjective attitude and outlook, he forms an opinion of what happened that is different from theirs. See Objective reality, Reality.
Subala	the father of Śakuni and Gāndhārī. He was the King of Gāndhāra.
Śubha-dā	description of pure devotional service indicating that it bestows all good fortune.
Subhadrā	younger sister of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and an incarnation of Yogamāyā, the internal potency of the Supreme Lord. She married Arjuna, and begot Abhimanyu as her son. She is the yellow Deity found between Lord Jagannātha and Baladeva.
Subrahmaṇya	Kārtikeya, the son of Lord Śiva. The god of war. Also known as Skanda.
Substance	From the Latin substare, be under, be firm, support. Substance (vastu in Sanskrit) is the underlying support of all phenomena. It is the eternal Brahman, the cause, of which the world is the effect. The Vedic view of the substance of the world is different from the Christian view, called creatio ex nihilo. According to this theory put forward by Augustine (175-242), God created the world out of nothing. Augustine's reasoning was based on the Biblical statement that in the beginning there was only God. Creatio ex nihilo was an attempt to break out of the paradoxical question, If in the beginning there was only God, and God is eternal, why is the world ever-changing? It was assumed that a doctrine of the material world's direct emanation from God's own substance could be true only if the material world had the same nature as God. But since it does not, and since God was alone in the beginning, He must have created the world from nothing. There is a paradox upon which creatio ex nihilo stumbles: ex nihilo, nihil fit, From nothing, nothing comes. According to the Vedic view, the substance of creation is tattva, true, just as God is true. The tattva of matter (prakṛti) is eternal, but it assumes temporary forms as God wills. Like a shadow, the material creation resembles the original form of the substance. But it does not have the potency of the original. Yet it has no other source than the substance. Its source is not nothing. See Absolute, Brahman.
Subtle body	Called liṅga-śarīra in Sanskrit, and also known as the astral body, the subtle body is the result of the conditioning of consciousness by the three modes of material nature. It includes the false ego, intellect and mind and is composed of cetana, consciousness under material influence. As long as the living entity remains within the cycle of saṁsāra, the subtle body is retained. But the steady practice of bhakti-yoga dissolves the subtle body, thus freeing consciousness from matter. See Consciousness, Ecstasy, False ego, Gross body, Intellect, Mind, Modes of nature, Saṁsāra, Soul, Supersoul.
Sudakṣiṇa	a King of Kāmbhoja. He brought an akṣauhiṇī division of troops for Duryodhana. He was killed by Arjuna during Kurukṣetra war. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Sudāmā Vipra	a poor householder friend and devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa who was given immeasurable riches by the Lord.
Sudāmā	one of the cowherd boy associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Sudarśana cakra	the disc weapon of the Supreme Lord.
Sudarśana	the discus of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Śuddha-bhakti	pure devotional service.
Śuddha-bhāva	pure consciousness.
Śuddha-sattva	the spiritual platform of pure goodness; The transcendental mode of purified goodness. See Kṛṣṇa, Modes of nature.
Sūddīpta	the manifestation in a devotee of all eight ecstatic symptoms multiplied a thousand times and all visible at once.
Sudeṣṇā	the wife of King Virāṭa. Draupadī spent the last year of exile as a maidservant to this queen. (Virāṭa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Sudharmā	the royal assembly court of the Yadus at Dvārakā.
Śūdra-mahājana	a person born in a low family but raised to the platform of brāhmaṇa by initiation.
Śūdrāṇī	the wife of a śūdra.
Śūdra	a member of the fourth social order, laborer class, in the traditional Vedic social system. He is meant to render service to the three higher classes, namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas.
Sughoṣa	the conchshell of Nakula.
Śuka	parrot.
Sukadeva Gosvāmī	an exhalted devotee who recited the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to King Parīkṣit during the last seven days of the King's life.
Sukham	happiness or pleasure.
Śukla-yajur Veda	a version of the Yajur Veda.
Śukla	a person in the mode of goodness; also, a name for Lord Viṣṇu.
Śukrācārya	the spiritual master of the demons.
Śukra	see: above
Sukṛtina	pious persons who obey the rules of scripture and are devoted to the Supreme Lord.
Sukṛti	auspicious activity; pious persons.
Sulocana	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Sumeru	a great mountain situated at the center of the universe. It is the hub of the chariot of the sun.
Sunābha	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Sunanda	one of the chief personal servants of Lord Nārāyaṇa in His spiritual abode, Vaikuṇṭha.
Sunīthā	the wife of King Aṅga and mother of Vena.
Sunīti	the mother of Dhruva Mahārāja.
Suparṇa	another name for Garuḍa.
Supersoul	Paramātmā-the Supersoul, the localized aspect Viṣṇu expansion of the Supreme Lord residing in the heart of each embodied living entity and pervading all of material nature; Known as Paramātmā in Sanskrit, He is the third of Lord Kṛṣṇa's three puruṣa incarnations: 1) Mahā-Viṣṇu, from whom unlimited universes emanate; 2) Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who enters each universe and is the source of birth of Brahmā; and 3) Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who expands into the heart of every living entity and every atom within the universe. The Supersoul dwells within the hearts of all living beings next to the soul. His spiritual form is four-armed and the size of a thumb. From him come the living entity's knowledge, rememberance and forgetfulness. The Supersoul is the witness and permitter of karma. What He witnesses is punished or rewarded by prakṛti (see Bg. 13.23). See Brahman, Intellect, Īśvara, Karma, Life after death, Kṛṣṇa, Modes of nature, Soul.
Supratīka	the name of King Bhagadatta's elephant that was very formidable during the battle of Kurukṣetra. He was killed by Arjuna.
Supti	deep sleep, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Śūrasena	the father of Vasudeva and Pāthā.
Surabhī cows	the cows in the spiritual world, which yield unlimited quantities of milk.
Suras	demigods, devotees.
Suruci	the stepmother of Dhruva Mahārāja.
Sūryadatta	a brother of King Virāṭa. He was killed by Droṇa during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Karṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Suryaloka	the sun planet.
Sūrya	the sun-god, who became the father of Karṇa. He is said to be the right eye of the Supreme Lord.
Suśarmā	the King of the Trigartas. He was an ally of Duryodhana and brought an akṣauhiṇī division of troops to Kurukṣetra. He was very envious of Arjuna and was ultimately killed by Arjuna.
Suṣupti	deep sleep, one of the levels of material consciousness.
Sūta Gosvāmī	the son of Romaharsaṇa. He was the great sage who related the discourse between Parīkṣit Mahārāja and Śukadeva Gosvāmī, which forms the basis of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam;.Naimiṣāraṇya-a sacred forest in central India where the eighteen Purāṇas were spoken and which is said to be the hub of the universe.
Sutapā	the name of Vasudeva in a previous birth.
Sutasoma	the son of Bhīmasena and Draupadī. He was killed by Aśvatthāmā while awaking from sleep on the last night of the Kurukṣetra war.
Suta	the son of Vaidarbhī, or, in other words, one who is somewhat advanced in fruitive activities and who comes in contact with a devotee spiritual master. Such a person becomes interested in the subject matter of devotional service.
Sūta	a mixture of different castes.
Sūtra	the intermediate manifestation of the mahat-tattva, when it is predominated by the mode of passion; an aphorism expressing essential knowledge in minimum words; a book of such aphorisms.
Śva-paca	dog-eater.
Sva-sevana-śakti	the power to perform the personal service of the Supreme Lord.
Svabhāva	Nature, especially one's individual nature; intuitive psychology; instinct.
Svābhāvya	a scripture.
Svadharmas	specific duties of a particular body performed in accordance with religious principles in order to achieve liberation.
Svādhyāya	personal study of Vedic literature.
Svāhā	the wife of Agni, the fire-god.
Svakīyā-rasa	relationship with Kṛṣṇa as a formally married wife.
Svāṁśa	Kṛṣṇa's plenary portions.
Svāmī-nārāyaṇa	the impersonalist misconception that one can become God simply by adopting the dress of a sannyāsī.
Svāmī	one fully in control of his senses and mind; title of one in the renounced, or sannyāsa, order; Gosvāmī-a person who has his senses under full control: the title of a person in the renounced order of life, sannyasa. (go-senses + svamī-master) master of the senses.
Svāṅga-viśeṣābhāsa-rūpa	the form by which the Lord begets living entities in the material world .
Svāpa	Sleep, dreaming. One of the five functions of buddhi. See Buddhi.
Svarga	Heaven. See Demigods, Life after death, Tri-loka.
Svārājya-lakṣmī	the personal spiritual potency of the Lord.
Svarāṭ	fully independent.
Svargaloka	the heavenly planets or abodes of the demigods in the material world.
Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī	the incarnation of the gopī Viśākha. He served as the secretary and intimate associate of Lord Caitanya at Purī and used to ease the pain of the Lord's feelings of separation by reciting appropriate verses and singing devotional songs.
Svarūpa-gata	the stage of understanding Kṛṣṇa in truth while still maintaining some material connection.
Svarūpa-lakṣaṇa	the characteristics of the soul when purified of all material contamination.
Svarūpa-sandhi	the meeting of similar ecstasies from separate causes.
Svarūpa-siddhi	the perfection of one's eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord.
Svarūpa-upalabdhi	realization of one's eternal service relationship with the Lord.
Svarūpa-vismṛti	forgetting one's real constitutional position.
Svarūpa	the living entity's original eternal relationship of service to the Lord, the real form of the soul.
Svar	the upper material planets.
Svayaṁ-rūpa	Kṛṣṇa's original form as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana.
Svayaṁvara	the ceremony in which a princess is allowed to choose her husband.
Svāyambhuva Manu	the Manu who appears first in Brahmā's day and who was the grandfather of Dhruva Mahārāja.
Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad	one of the 108 Upaniṣads. It very clearly presents the Vaiṣṇava point of view regarding the Lord and the living entity.
Svetadvīpa	the spiritual planet where Lord Viṣṇu resides within the material universe.
Sveta	a son of King Virāṭa. He was killed in a ferocious battle with grandfather Bhīṣma. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)
Śyāmasundara	the name of Kṛṣṇa meaning "He who has a very beautiful blackish form."
Syāmānanda Gosvāmī (1535-1631)	one of the great Vaiṣṇava ācāryas who lived in Vṛndāvana after the time of Śrī Caitanya. He received the direct mercy of Rādhārāṇī in Vṛndāvana, was tutored in the bhakti-śāstras by Jīva Gosvāmī and delivered countless souls, especially in Orissa. He was initiated by Hṛdāya Caitanya dāsa and got the name Duḥkhi Kṛṣṇadāsa, but later he was called Syāmānanda by Jīva Gosvāmī, who noted his attraction for the Deity Śyāmāsundara.
Syllogism	From the Greek syllogisms, a reckoning all together, it is a logical structure of reasonable thought (step-by-step argument). The Sanskrit equivalent is parārthānumāna, reasoning for others' understanding. See Logic.
-T-
Tad-ekātma-rūpa	forms of the Lord which are nondifferent from His original form, but which have different bodily features and specific activities.
Tadīya	everything belonging to the Lord.
Takṣaka	the king of the snakes. He killed Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
Takuwan	Japanese white daikon radish, pickled in rice bran and salt.
Tamāla	a tree whose color resembles Lord Kṛṣṇa's. It is found mostly in Vṛndāvana, India.
Tamasaḥ	the coverings of the universe.
Tamas	the material mode of ignorance.
Tamo-guṇa	the mode of ignorance, or darkness of material nature. It is controlled by Lord Śiva. See Modes of nature.
Tānava	the ecstatic symptom of thinness.
Tāṇḍava-nṛtya	Lord Śiva's dance, which he performs at the time of universal devastation, and at other times also.
Tan-mātras	The five qualities of the mahā-bhūtas that subtly manifest in the mind as sound, touch, form, taste and smell. See Mahā-bhūtas, Modes of nature, Pradhāna.
Tantras	minor scriptures describing various rituals, mostly for persons in the mode of ignorance; Vedic literatures consisting mostly of dialogues between Lord Śiva and Durgā. They contain instructions on Deity worship and other aspects of spiritual practice; special hymns for conjuring magic or producing mystical effects.
Tapasvīs	persons who undergo severe penances for elevation to higher planets.
Tapasya	austerity; voluntary acceptance of some material trouble for progress in spiritual life.
Tapas	austerity or penance. There are many rules and regulations in the Vedas which apply here, like rising early in the morning and taking a bath. Sometimes it is very troublesome to rise early in the morning, but whatever voluntary trouble one may suffer in this way is called penance. Similarly, there are prescriptions for fasting on certain days of the month. One may not be inclined to practice such fasting, but because of his determination to make advancement in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he should accept such bodily troubles when they are recommended.
Tapaḥ	the acceptance of hardships for spiritual realization.
Tapoloka	a heavenly planet.
Tārā	the wife of Bṛhaspati. She was kidnapped by the moon-god.
Tāruṇyāmṛta	the nectar of youth.
Taṭastha-śakti	the living entities, the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord.
Tattva-darśī	one who has seen the truth.
Tattvas	the Absolute Truth's multifarious categories.
Tattvavādīs	the followers of Madhvācārya.
Tattvavit	one who knows the Absolute Truth in His three different features.
Tattva	truth, reality. According to Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, Vedic knowledge categorizes reality into five tattvas, or ontological truths: īśvara (the Supreme Lord), jīva (the living entity), prakṛti (nature), kāla (eternal time) and karma (activity).
Tava	a slightly concave cast-iron frying pan used for cooking capatis and other flat Indian breads.
Technology	This term is derived from the Greek tchne, handicraft, skill, and that term in turn is derived from takṣa (cutting through), the Sanskrit word for the work of a carpenter. Thus modern technology is glorified carpentry.
Teleology	From the Greek tlos, purpose, goal and lgos, knowledge of. The logic of teleology is that one can know the purpose of something by deducing it from its origin. See Deduction.
Theism	According to the Harper Collins Dictionary of Philosophy, p. 120, the philosophy of theism in most interpretations is, God is partly immanent in the universe and partly transcendent. In essence, this definition is the Vedic philosophy of the Supreme Person. As stated in Puruṣa-śukta (Ṛg-Veda 10.90.4): With three-fourths of Himself, the Puruṣa ascended; the other fourth was born here. From here on all sides He moved, toward the living and the non-living. Again and again in the Vedic literatures we find references to tripāda-vibhūti and ekapāda-vibhūti, the three-fourths of the Lord's splendor displayed as the spiritual world, and the one-fourth by which He pervades the material world. About the material manifestation, Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bg. 10.41: yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ mama tejo-'ṁśa-sambhavam. Know that all these opulent, beautiful and glorious creations are born from a part of My total splendor. Because they oppose theism, the theories of deism, monism, pantheism and dualism are actually atheism. Deism separates God completely from His material creation. Monism renders God partless. Pantheism confines Him to the material universe. And dualism divides creation against Him, placing part of it in the hands of a rival. Even major religious traditions like Christianity are influenced by deism and dualism. The English natural theologian Robert Boyle (1627-1691) expressed open contempt for theism as a doctrine of infidels. When he drew up his last will and testament, he bequeathed fifty pounds per annum for ever, or at least for a considerable number of years in order to institute a series of lectures for proving the Christian Religion, against notorious Infidels, viz. Atheists, Theists, Pagans, Jews, and Mahometans. Monotheism and panentheism are synonyms for theism. Monotheism means belief in one God. In the Vedic religion, there is only one God, though He empowers servants who act as demigods on His command. These demigods are worshiped as God only by foolish people. Panentheism teaches that all things are imbued with God's presence, because all things are in God. God is more than all there is. He is all-conscious and the supreme unifying factor. See Atheism.
Tempo	three-wheeler vehicle used like a small bus.
Theogony	A poem written around 700 BC by the Greek shepherd Hesiod who was inspired by the angelic Muses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. The Theogony, along with the works of Homer, formed the scriptural basis of the historical Greek religion. There was a religious culture in Greece long before this historical period, but from the empirical point of view, it is largely shrouded in mystery.
Thes	God.
Ṭhākura Haridāsa	Haridāsa Ṭhākura-although born in a Muslim family, he was a confidential associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was so absorbed in the nectar of the Holy Name that he chanted day and night, and it was his regular practice to chant 300,000 names of the Lord daily. Lord Caitanya made him the nāmācārya (teacher of chanting of the holy name).The Muslim government and caste-conscious Hindus attempted to persecute him, but all of their efforts failed, as he was under the direct protection of the Lord.
Ṭhākurāṇīs	the wives of devotees.
Thali	vegetarian meal which includes many different preparations, usually all you can eat; a low-rimmed metal plate.
Theodore Parker (1810-1860)	an American Unitarian clergyman and social reformer who promoted the antislavery cause.
Ṭīkā	a commentary.
Tilaka	sacred clay markings placed on the forehead and other parts of the body to designate one as a follower of Viṣṇu, Rāma, Śiva, Vedic culture, etc.
Timiṅgila	a huge aquatic monster that can swallow whales.
Tīrtha (teertha)	a sacred place of pilgrimage associated with a pastime of an incarnation of God, such as a holy river, a temple of the Lord, or the residence or place of meditation of a holy sage or saintly person.
Tithis	days of the Vedic calendar measured according to the phases of the moon.
Titikṣā	tolerance; endurance of unhappiness.
Tonga	two-wheeled horse carriage.
Toovar dal	also called arhar dal, toor dal, or pigeon peas, these cream-coloured split lentils, which are paler in colour, flatter, and larger than yellow split peas, are widely used for cooking in Northern and Southwestern India. They have a delightful, slightly sweet flavour and are easy to digest, especially in the famous South Indian soup-like dishes rasam and sambar. Toovar dal is available at Indian grocers.
Ṭoṭā-gopīnātha temple	a temple in Jagannātha Purī housing a Deity which was found by Lord Caitanya and given to Gadādhara Prabhu to worship. He also gave Gadādhara a place to live in the garden of Yameśvara, where the temple was later built. Gadādhara Prabhu stayed there for the duration of his life, absorbing himself in the service of Lord Caitanya and Gopīnātha.
Trāsa	shock, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Trayī	the three Vedas. (Ṛg, Sāma and Yajur), which explain fruitive activities for material benefits.
Trayodaśī	the thirteenth day after the new and full moons.
Threefold miseries	This is another feature of the influence of the three modes of material nature. All living entities within this material world are controlled by material nature (prakṛti), who subjects them to threefold miseries: adhidaivika-kleśa (sufferings caused by the demigods, such as droughts, earthquakes and storms), adhibhautika-kleśa (sufferings caused by other living entities like insects or enemies), and adhyātmika-kleśa (sufferings caused by one's own body and mind, such as mental and physical infirmities). Daiva-bhūtātma-hetavaḥ: the conditioned souls, subjected to these three miseries by the control of the external energy, suffer various difficulties. This suffering is the impetus for seeking answers to the fundemental questions of life: Who am I? Why am I suffering? How can I get free of suffering? See Modes of nature, Prakṛti.
Tretā-yuga	the second in the cycle of the four ages of the universe or mahā-yuga. It lasts 1,296,000 years. In this age Lord Rāmacandra appeared.
Tribunga	Lord Krsna's famous three-curved stance.
Tri-daṇḍa	a staff, made of three rods, carried by Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs who are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, signifying service with mind, body and words.
Tridaṇḍi-sannyāsī	a member of the renounced order of life who accepts the personal nature of the Absolute Truth.
Trigarta	a province in ancient Bharata. The King of this country, Suśarma, fought on the side of Duryodhana and was killed by Arjuna.
Tri-loka	The Sanskrit term tri-loka is often found in Vedic scriptures. Tri-loka means three worlds. The universe is divided into three worlds, or realms of consciousness: bhūr, bhuvaḥ and svaḥ (the gross region, the subtle region and the celestial region). In Svargaloka or the celestial heaven, superhuman beings called demigods (devatas) exist, enjoying a life that in human terms is almost unimaginable. In the subtle region exist ghosts and elemental beings. And in the gross or earthly realm exist human beings and other creatures with tissue-bodies, including the animals and plants. There is also a subterranean region where powerful demons reside. And there is a region known as naraka, hell. As explained in Bg. 3.27, the souls within these regions of material consciousness wrongly identify themselves as the doers of physical and mental activities that are actually carried out by three modes of material nature. This wrong identification is called ahaṅkāra, or false ego, the basis of our entanglement in material existence. See Demigods, Svarga.
Time	In his purport of SB 3.10.11, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes as follows about time: The impersonal time factor is the background of the material manifestation as the instrument of the Supreme Lord. It is the ingredient of assistance offered to material nature. No one knows where time began and where it ends, and it is time only which can keep a record of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material manifestation. This time factor is the material cause of creation and is therefore a self expansion of the Personality of Godhead. Time is considered the impersonal feature of the Lord. The time factor is also explained by modern men in various ways. Some accept it almost as it is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. For example, in Hebrew literature time is accepted, in the same spirit, as a representation of God. It is stated therein: God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets... Metaphysically, time is distinguished as absolute and real. Absolute time is continuous and is unaffected by the speed or slowness of material things. Time is astronomically and mathematically calculated in relation to the speed, change and life of a particular object. Factually, however, time has nothing to do with the relativities of things; rather, everything is shaped and calculated in terms of the facility offered by time. Time is the basic measurement of the activity of our senses, by which we calculate past, present and future; but in factual calculation, time has no beginning and no end. Cāṇakya Pāṇḍita says that even a slight fraction of time cannot be purchased with millions of dollars, and therefore even a moment of time lost without profit must be calculated as the greatest loss in life. Time is not subject to any form of psychology, nor are the moments objective realities in themselves, but they are dependent on particular experiences.
Tripura	a large district on the far eastern side of Bengal, just south of the Śrī Hatta (Sylhet) area of Assam. In olden times Tripura was part of Bengal. The kings of Tripura had a long-standing relationship with Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda and later with Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
Triveṇī	the confluence of the three sacred rivers Ganges, Yamunā and Sarasvatī at Prayāga.
Trivikrama	a name for the Supreme Lord indicating His incarnation as the dwarf brāhmaṇa Vāmanadeva. Meaning literally "He who took three big steps," this name recalls the Lord's pastime of extending His foot through the coverings of the material universe and into the Causal Ocean.
Triyuga	a name of Viṣṇu meaning one who appears in only three yugas.
Triyugī	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who appears in three yugas," namely Satya, Tretā, and Dvāpara. The Lord appears in a covered incarnation in Kali-yuga, as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Tṛṇāvarta	a whirlwind-shaped demon who was sent by Kaṁsa to kill Kṛṣṇa, but whom Kṛṣṇa killed instead.
Try-adhīśvara	the proprietor of the three worlds.
Tulasī	a pure devotee in the form of a basil plant held sacred by the Vaiṣṇavas and is very dear to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Its leaves and mañjarīs (buds) are always offered to His lotus feet; Mañjarī- the small, purplish flowers of the tulasī plant. Mañjarīs, along with tulasī leaves, are offered only to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They must be fresh.
Tyāga	renunciation of activities performed with material consciousness.
-U-
Uccaiḥśravā	a horse born from nectar and considered to be a representative of Kṛṣṇa.
Ucchṛṅkhala	whimsical.
Udāna-vāyu	bodily air which moves upwards and which is controlled by the breathing exercises of the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system.
Udāra	magnanimous.
Udbhāsvara	eternal ecstatic symptoms or bodily transformations which indicate ecstatic emotions in the mind.
Uddhava	a learned disciple of Bṛhaspati and confidential friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā; In Kṛṣṇa's Mathurā and Dvārakā līlā, Uddhava is Kṛṣṇa's best friend. He visited the residents of Vṛndāvana to console them in their grief due to Kṛṣṇa's absence. In the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa imparts most important transcendental knowledge to Uddhava.
Uddīpta	the manifestation in a devotee of five, six or all eight ecstatic symptoms simultaneously.
Udghātyaka	a dancing appearance of a player in drama.
Udvega	the ecstatic symptom of mental agitation.
Ugra-karma	evil activities.
Ugrasena	the King of the Yadus, and the father of Kaṁsa.
Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi	a Sanskrit work that describes the complete science of mādhurya-rasa, the conjugal relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa. It was compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the sixteenth century.
Ulūka	the son of Śakuni. He was killed by Sahadeva during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Śalya Parva in Mahābhārata)
Ulūpī	the wife of Arjuna and the mother of Irāvān.
Umā	wife of Lord Śiva. See also: Durgā
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh	the present Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Unmāda	craziness, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Upadeśāmṛta	a short Sanskrit work by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī containing important instructions about devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Upādhis	material designations.
Upādhyāya	a teacher who makes a living teaching Sanskrit grammar.
Upala-bhoga	morning refreshments offered to Lord Jagannātha.
Upaniṣads	one-hundred and eight Sanskrit treatises that embody the philosophy of the Vedas. Considered the most significant philosophical sections and crest jewels of the Vedas, the Upaniṣads are found in the Āraṇyaka and Brāhmaṇa portions of the Vedas. They are theistic and contain the realizations and teachings of great sages of antiquity; The term upaniṣad literally means that which is learned by sitting close to the teacher. The texts of the Upaniṣads teach the philosophy of the Absolute Truth (Brahman) to those seeking liberation from birth and death, and the study of the Upaniṣads is known as Vedānta, the conclusion of the Veda. The contents of the Upaniṣads are extremely difficult to fathom; they are to be understood only under the close guidance of a spiritual master (guru). Because the Upaniṣads contain many apparently contradictory statements, the great sage Vyāsa systematized the Upaniṣadic teachings in the Vedānta-sūtra. His natural commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra is the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Vedānta-sūtra.
Upaplavya	the capital city of King Virāṭa.
Uparasa	the first kind of rasābhāsa, occurring when one tastes one kind of mellow and something extra is imposed.
Upāsanā-kāṇḍa	portions of the Vedas dealing with ceremonies of worship, especially demigod worship; The path of devotional service. One of the three departments of Vedic knowledge, upāsanā-kāṇḍa is taught by Nārada Muni. See Bhakti, Jñāna-kāṇḍa, Karma-kāṇḍa, Para-vidyā.
Upāsya	worshipable.
Upendra	Vāmanadeva, who sometimes appears as the younger brother of Indra.
Urugāya	the name of the Lord meaning "He who is glorified with sublime prayers."
Urukrama	the Supreme Lord, who takes wonderful steps (especially as the dwarf brāhmaṇa incarnation, Vāmanadeva).
Urvaśī	one of the heavenly Apsarās. She tried to seduce Arjuna when he was in the heavenly kingdom. Arjuna refused to satisfy her because he considered her the mother of the Kuru dynasty having taken Puru for her husband. Because of Arjuna's refusal, Urvaśī cursed Arjuna to become a eunuch for one year. This curse took its effect during last year of exile of the Pāṇḍavas in the kingdom of Virāṭa; a woman from the heavenly planets who became enamored of King Purūravā.
Ūti	the urge for creation that is the cause of all inventions.
Utkala	the eldest son of Dhruva Mahārāja.
Uttama-adhikārī	a first-class devotee who is expert in Vedic literature and has full faith in the Supreme Lord; he can deliver the whole world.
Uttamaśloka	the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, who is worshiped by select poetry.
Uttamaujas	a prince of Pāñcāla, and a valiant warrior during the Kurukṣetra battle. He was killed by Aśvatthāmā while in his bed during the last night of the Kurukṣetra war.
Uttama	the brother of Dhruva Mahārāja.
Uttānapāda	the king who was a son of Svāyambhuva Manu and the father of Dhruva Mahārāja.
Uttara	a son of King Virāṭa. He was afraid to confront the Kurus when they stole the cows from his father's kingdom. Arjuna revealed his disguise to this prince and then single-handedly fought with the Kauravas and defeated them all. Uttara was killed in the first day's fighting at Kurukṣetra by Śalya.
Uttarā	the daughter of King Virāṭa and the wife of Abhimanyu. Virāṭa first want Arjuna to marry his daughter, but Arjuna declined and said that his son, Abhimanyu, should marry her. Uttarā became the mother of King Parīkṣit.
-V-
Vācāla	a person who can speak according to Vedic authority.
Vahana mandapa	where the mount of the Deity (vahana) such as Lord Viṣṇu carrier's Garuḍa or Śiva's bull Nandi is located.
Vaibhāṣikas	a class of philosophers, akin to the Buddhists, who existed when Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke Bhagavad-gītā and who accept that life is a product of a mature combination of material elements.
Vaidarbhī	the woman who was formerly a man but took birth as a woman in his next life because of too much attachment to woman. Darbha means kuśa grass. In fruitive activities, or karma-kāṇḍīya ceremonies, one requires kuśa grass. Thus vaidarbhī refers to one who takes birth in a family of karma-kāṇḍīya understanding. However, if by karma-kāṇḍa activities one by chance comes in contact with a devotee, as Vaidarbhī did when she married Malayadhvaja, his life becomes successful. He then pursues the devotional service of the Lord. The conditioned soul becomes liberated simply by following the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master.
Vaidhi-bhakti	see: Vidhi-bhakti.
Vaidūrya-maṇi	a spiritual gem that can display different colors.
Vāli	name of a monkey who was the son of Indra, the King of heaven, and elder brother of Sugrīva, the monkey king in the epic Rāmāyaṇa.
Vaijayantī	a garland containing flowers of five colors and reaching down to the knees. It is worn by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Vaikāli-bhoga	food offered to the Deity at the end of the day.
Vaikuṇṭha lokas	variegated spiritual planets situated in the brahma-jyotir.
Vaikuṇṭha-jagat	see: Vaikuṇṭha lokas above.
Vaikuṇṭha-nātha	the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha.
Vaikuṇṭha	the eternal planets of the spiritual world, the abode of Lord Nārāyaṇa, which lies beyond the coverings of the material universe. Literally, "the place with no anxiety". See Spiritual world.
Vaiśya (Vaishyas)	member of the mercantile or agricultural class, according to the system of four social orders and four spiritual orders.
Vairāgī	a person in the renounced order of life.
Vairāgya	renunciation; detachment from matter and engagement of the mind in spirit.
Vaiśeṣikā	Kaṇāda-the propounder of Vaiśeṣika philosophy, which states that atoms are the original cause of the creation; One of the six systems of Vedic philosophy. See Six systems.
Vaiṣṇava-aparādha	an offense to the devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
Vaiṣṇava-dharma	the eternal principle of service to the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu.
Vaiṣṇava	a devotee of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa.
Vaiṣṇavism	the science of bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa.
Vaivasvata Manu	the current Manu, the seventh of fourteen.
Vaiyāsaki	Sukadeva Gosvāmī-great devotee who recited the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to King Parīkṣit during the last seven days of the King's life.
Vajradatta	the son of King Bhagadatta. He fought with Arjuna for the sacrificial horse.
Vajra	the great grandson of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He became the king of Mathurā when Lord Kṛṣṇa left this world.
Vālmīki	the author of the original Rāmāyaṇa-the original epic history about Lord Rāmacandra and Sītā, written by Vālmīki Muni.
Vāmadeva	a great sage who was a competitor of Gautama Ṛṣi's. He was the secretary of Daśaratha Mahārāja, the father of Lord Rāma.
Vāmanadeva	the Supreme Lord's fifth incarnation as a dwarf brāhmaṇa, to whom Bali Mahārāja surrendered everything; Trivikrama-a name for the Supreme Lord indicating His incarnation as the dwarf brāhmaṇa Vāmanadeva. Meaning literally "He who took three big steps," this name recalls the Lord's pastime of extending His foot through the coverings of the material universe and into the Causal Ocean.
Vāma	left-wing group of gopīs, who are eager to be jealously angered.
Vānaprastha	retired family life, in which one quits home to cultivate renunciation and travels from holy place to holy place in preparation for the renounced order of life; the third order of Vedic spiritual life; A retired householder. A member of the third spiritual devision of life, according to the Vedic social system of four āśramas. See Brahmacārī, Gṛhastha, Sannyāsī.
Vana	forest.
Vandana	the devotional process of offering prayers to the Lord.
Vāṇī	the words of the spiritual master, which exist eternally.
Vaṇik	a merchant.
Vapu	the physical presence of the spiritual master.
Varadarāja	Deity of Lord Viṣṇu worshiped Kāñcīpuram.
Vārāṇasī	one of the oldest and most famous places of pilgrimage in India; also known as Kāśī and Benares. It is a center of impersonalistic, or Māyāvāda, philosophy. Here is where Lord Caitanya defeated Prakāśānanda Sarasvati, the leading Māyāvādī of his day.
Vāraṇāvata	the place where Duryodhana built the palace of lac. (Ādi Parva in Mahābhārata)
Varāha Purāṇa	one of the eighteen Purāṇas. It deals with the transcendental pastimes of the Lord's boar incarnation.
Varāha	the gigantic boar incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Varṇa-saṅkara	children conceived without regard for Vedic religious principles; thus, unwanted population.
Varṇāśrama-dharma	the system of four social and four spiritual orders established in the Vedic scriptures and discussed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Varṇa	one of the four Vedic social-occupational divisions of society, distinguished by quality of work and situation with regard to the modes of nature (guṇas); Brāhmaṇa-a member of the intellectual, priestly class; a person wise in Vedic knowledge, fixed in goodness and knowledgeable of Brahman, the Absolute Truth; One of the four orders of occupational life, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. The brāhmaṇas are the intellectual class and their occupation is hearing Vedic literature, teaching Vedic literature, learning deity worship and teaching deity worship, receiving charity and giving charity. Brāhmaṇa; Kṣatriya-third of the four orders of the varṇāśrama system. A warrior who is inclined to fight and lead others. The administrative or protective occupation according to the system of four social and spiritual orders. Kṣatriya; Vaiśya (Vaishyas)-member of the mercantile or agricultural class, according to the system of four social orders and four spiritual orders. Vaiśya; Śūdra-a member of the fourth social order, laborer class, in the traditional Vedic social system. He is meant to render service to the three higher classes, namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas.
Vartma-pradarśaka-guru	the one who first gives information about spiritual life.
Varuṇa	the demigod in charge of the oceans.
Vāsanā	a wish or desire.
Vasiṣṭha	a great sage who was a rival of Viśvāmitra Muni's. He was the family priest of Mahārāja Daśaratha, the father of Lord Rāmacandra.
Vastra-haraṇa-līlā	Kṛṣṇa's pastime of stealing the gopīs' clothes.
Vastu	See Substance.
Vastu-gata	the stage of being completely uncontaminated by the material body and mind.
Vātsalya-rasa	the relationship with Kṛṣṇa as His parent.
Vātsalya-rati	see: Vātsalya-rasa above.
Vāsudeva-parāyaṇa	one whose desire is fixed on the Supreme Lord.
Vasudeva	the father of Kṛṣṇa, and the half-brother of Nanda Mahārāja; the state of pure goodness, which transcends the material modes of nature and in which one can understand the Supreme Lord.
Vāsudeva	the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, and proprietor of everything, material and spiritual.
Vasundharā	a name for mother earth meaning "she who has very fertile soil and unlimited wealth.
Vasuṣeṇa	a name for Karṇa during his younger years.
Vatsāsura	a demon who came to Vṛndāvana in the form of a calf to kill Kṛṣṇa but who was instead killed by Him.
Vāyu	air, one of the three major elements of the gross body; the demigod in charge of the wind. He was the father of Bhīma and Hanumān.
Veda-cakṣuḥ	literally, seeing through the eyes of the Vedas.
Veda-vāda-rata	one who gives his own explanation of the Vedas a smārta; fruitive workers who become entangled in material activities disguised as spiritual activities.
Vedāśraya-nāstikya-vāda	agnosticism under the shelter of Vedic culture.
Vedānta-darśana	the philosophy of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, which culminates in bhakti-yoga.
Vedānta-sūtra (Brahma-sūtra)	Śrīla Vyāsadeva's conclusive summary of Vedic philosophical knowledge, written in brief codes. The philosophy of the Absolute Truth, which finds implicit expression in the Vedas and the Upaniṣads, was put into a systematic and more explicit form in the Vedānta-sūtra. All apparent contradictory statements of the vast literature of the Vedas are resolved by the great Vyāsa in this work. In this work there are four divisions 1) reconciliation of all scriptures; 2) the consistent reconciliation of apparently conflicting hymns; 3) the means or process of attaining the goal (spiritual realization); and 4) the object (or desired fruit) achieved by the spiritual process. The Vedānta-sūtra establishes that Godhead exists, that devotion is the means of realizing transcendental love for Godhead, and that this love is the final object of man's endeavors. This book is the textbook of all theistic philosophy, and, as such, many commentators have elaborated on the significance of its conclusions; This most important work of nyāya-prasthāna (Vedic logic), which is also known as Brahma-sūtra, Śārīraka, Vyāsa-sūtra, Bādarāyaṇa-sūtra, Uttara-mīmāṁsā and Vedānta-darśana, was composed by the great sage Vyāsa 5000 years ago. Sūtra means code. The Vedānta-sūtra is a book of codes that present, in concise form, brahma-jñāna, i.e. conclusive Vedic knowledge. These codes are very terse, and without a fuller explanation, their meaning is difficult to grasp. In India there are five main schools of Vedānta, each established by an ācārya (founder) who explained the sūtras in a bhāṣya (commentary). The natural commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra is the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. See Advaita, Dvaita, Brahmajyoti, Brahman, Four Vaiṣṇava Sampradāyas and Siddhāntas, Śaṅkarācārya, Six systems, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Upaniṣads, Vedānta, Vyāsa.
Vedānta	the conclusion of Vedic philosophy; the philosophy of the Vedānta-sūtra of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, containing a conclusive summary of Vedic philosophical knowledge and showing Kṛṣṇa as the goal; One of the six systems of Vedic philosophy; taught by the great sage Vyāsadeva. Vedānta (literally the end of all knowledge or the conclusion of the Veda) is the highest degree of Vedic education, traditionally reserved for the sannyāsīs (renunciates). Vedānta is mastery of the texts known as the Upaniṣads. See Six systems, Vyāsa.
Vedāntī	a person who knows Vedānta, that is, who perfectly knows Kṛṣṇa.
Vedas	the original Veda was divided into four by Śrīla Vyāsadeva. The four original Vedic scriptures, Saṁhitās (Ṛg, Sāma, Atharva and Yajur) and the 108 Upaniṣads, Mahābhārata, Vedānta-sūtra, etc. The system of eternal wisdom compiled by Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the literary incarnation of the Supreme Lord, for the gradual upliftment of all mankind from the state of bondage to the state of liberation. The word veda literally means "knowledge", and thus in a wider sense it refers to the whole body of Indian Sanskrit religious literature that is in harmony with the philosophical conclusions found in the original four Vedic Saṁhitās and Upaniṣads. The message of the transcendental realm that has come down to this phenomenal world through the medium of sound is known as the Veda. Being the very words of Godhead Himself, the Vedas have existed from eternity. Lord Kṛṣṇa originally revealed the Vedas to Brahmā, the first soul to appear in the realm of physical nature, and by him they were subsequently made available to other souls through the channel of spiritual disciplic succession; Veda, Vedas, Vedic knowledge. The Sanskrit root of the word Veda is vid, knowledge. This root is widespread even in modern Western language: e.g. video (from the Latin word to see) and idea (Gr. ida). The term Vedic refers to the teachings of the Vedic literatures. From these literatures we learn that this universe, along with countless others, was produced from the breath of Mahā-Viṣṇu some 155,250,000,000,000 years ago. The Lord's divine breath simultaneously transmitted all the knowledge mankind requires to meet his material needs and revive his dormant God consciousness. This knowledge is called Veda. Caturmukha (four-faced) Brahmā, the first created being within this universe, received Veda from Viṣṇu. Brahmā, acting as an obedient servant of the Supreme Lord, populated the planetary systems with all species of life. He spoke four Vedas, one from each of his mouths, to guide human beings in their spiritual and material progress. The Vedas are thus traced to the very beginning of the cosmos. Some of the most basic Vedic teachings are: 1) every living creature is an eternal soul covered by a material body; 2) as long as the souls are bewildered by māyā (the illusion of identifying the self with the body) they must reincarnate from body to body, life after life; 3) to accept a material body means to suffer the four-fold pangs of birth, old age, disease and death; 4) depending upon the quality of work (karma) in the human form, a soul may take its next birth in a subhuman species, or the human species, or a superhuman species, or it may be freed from birth and death altogether; 5) karma dedicated in sacrifice to Viṣṇu as directed by Vedic injunctions elevates and liberates the soul.
Veda	see: Vedas above.
Vedic culture	life-style based on the tenets of the four original scriptures of India, the Vedas.
Vedic	pertaining to a culture in which all aspects of human life are under the guidance of the Vedas.
Vena	the demoniac son of King Aṅga and father of King Pṛthu.
Veṅkateśvara	Deity of Lord Viṣṇu worshiped at Tirupati.
Vidyanagara	at the time of cosmic desolution, Lord Matsya preserves the Vedic wisdom.
Vībhatsu	one of the ten names of Arjuna.
Vibhāva	the causes or bases for relishing transcendental mellows.
Vibhīṣaṇa	a grandson of Pulastya Muni and the pious brother of Rāvaṇa. He was a staunch devotee of Lord Rāma, who offered him the kingdom of Śrī Lankā for four yugas. He is one of eight personalities who lives for more than one cycle of four yugas.
Vibhinnāṁśa	the separated expansions of the Supreme Lord, the minute living entities, who are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa.
Vibhu-ātmā	the Supersoul.
Vibhūti	a secondary incarnation indirectly empowered by the Supreme Lord; opulence by which Kṛṣṇa controls the entire material manifestation.
Vicāra	Consideration, philosophical speculation, as opposed to mental speculation.
Vidyanagara	at the time od cosmic desolution, Lord Matsya preserves the Vedic wisdom.
Vidagdha-mādhava	a seven-act play written by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī describing the pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.
Vidagdha	one who is expert in the art of attracting women.
Vidarbha	an ancient province of old India. Rukmiṇī, the wife of Lord Kṛṣṇa, was the daughter of the King of this province.
Vidarbha-rājasiṁha	the best of persons who are expert in fruitive activities.
Viddha-bhakti	mixed devotional service.
Videharāja Nimi	a devotee king, ruler of Videha.
Videha	the kingdom of Mithilā in India ruled by King Nimi.
Vidhi-bhakti	devotional service under scheduled regulations.
Vidhi-mārga	see vidhi-bhakti above
Vidūra-vigata	Caṇḍāla-an outcaste or untouchable; dog-eaters, the lowest class of human beings.
Vidura	the son of Vyāsadeva by a maidservant of Ambalikā and the half brother of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was an incarnation of the great devotee mahājana, Yamarāja, and an uncle of the Pāṇḍavas. A great devotee of Kṛṣṇa who inquired and heard from Maitreya Muni, as narrated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He was cursed to become a Śūdra by Māṇḍavya Muni. He was constantly trying to restrain Dhṛtarāṣṭra from mistreating the Pāṇḍavas. In the end when Dhṛtarāṣṭra lost everything Vidura was able to deliver his brother to the path of self-realization.
Vidyādharas	a race of celestial beings who are attendants of Lord Śiva and who possess material mystic knowledge.
Vidyāpati	an author of Vaiṣṇava poetry who was particularly admired by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Vidyā	knowledge.
Vihara	Buddhist monastery
Vijara	not subjected to the miseries of old age.
Vijātīya	one who is outside devotional service.
Vijayā-daśamī	the celebration of the conquest of Laṅkā by Lord Rāmacandra.
Vijayadhvaja Tīrtha	a Vaiṣṇava spiritual master in the line of Madhvācārya. He was a commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Vijighatsa	free from desire for material enjoyment.
Vijita-ṣaḍ-guṇa	one who has conquered the six material qualities.
Vijitāśva	the eldest son of King Pṛthu (also known as Antardhāna).
Vijñānam	specific knowledge of spirit soul, his constitutional position and his relationship with the Supreme Soul.
Vijñānamaya	with full knowledge, that is, conscious of the self as different from matter.
Vijñāna	the practical realization of spiritual knowledge; Transcendental knowledge of the self's relationship to the Supreme Self. See Jñāna.
Vikarṇa	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was the only one to stand up in defense of Draupadī during the gambling match. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Vikarma	unauthorized or sinful work, performed against the injunctions of revealed scriptures.
Vilāsa-vigrahas	expansions of the Lord who manifest bodily differences.
Vilāsa	symptoms manifested in a woman's body when she meets her lover.
Vimānam	the tower over the sanctum of the deity; an airplane.
Vimūḍhas	foolish rascals.
Vīṇā	a stringed musical instrument.
Vinda	a prince of Avanti. He was the bother of Mitravindā, a queen of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He was very envious of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. He was killed along with his brother Anuvinda during the Kurukṣetra war. Both brothers were killed by Arjuna.
Vindhyācala	a range of mountains west of the Himālayas; Agastya Muni-a great sage who authored many Vedic hymns and writings on Āyurvedic medicine. The son of Mitra and Varuṇa, he was born from a water jar. Once he swallowed the ocean and forced the Vindhya mountain range to prostrate itself before him.
Viparyāsa	Misapprehension. One of the five functions of bu-ddhi. See Buddhi.
Vipralambha	ecstasy in separation.
Vipralipsā	the cheating propensity.
Vipra	Brāhmaṇa-a member of the intellectual, priestly class; a person wise in Vedic knowledge, fixed in goodness and knowledgeable of Brahman, the Absolute Truth; One of the four orders of occupational life, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. The brāhmaṇas are the intellectual class and their occupation is hearing Vedic literature, teaching Vedic literature, learning deity worship and teaching deity worship, receiving charity and giving charity.
Vīra-rasa	chivalry, one of the indirect relationships with Kṛṣṇa.
Vīra-vrata	fully determined.
Vīrabhadra	the demon created by Lord Śiva to destroy the sacrifice of Mahārāja Dakṣa.
Vīrarāghava Ācārya	a Vaiṣṇava spiritual master in the line of Rāmānujācārya, and commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Viraha	transcendental bliss in separation from the Lord.
Virajā River	the river that divides the material world from the spiritual world.
Virakti	detachment.
Virāṭ-puruṣa	the universal form of the Supreme Lord as the totality of all material manifestations.
Virāṭ-rupa	the universal form of the Supreme Lord. See also: Viśva-rūpa
Virāṭa	the King of the Matsyas. He unknowingly sheltered the Pāṇḍavas during their last year of exile. He took the side of the Pāṇḍavas and was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.
Vīrya	one who has mercy.
Visrama-ghata	After Varaha killed Hiranyaksa, He spoke the Ādi-varaha-Purana to mother Bhumi (Earth) while relaxing at Visrama-ghata. Thousands of years He rested here after killing Kamsa and dragging his body to shores of the Yamuna.
Viṣāda	moroseness, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Viṣaya-taraṅga	the waves of material existence.
Viṣaya	the object of worship; an object of material sense gratification.
Viṣayī	one who is interested only in material sense gratification.
Visrama-ghata	After Varaha killed Hiranyaksa, He spoke the Ādi-varaha-Purana to mother Bhumi (Earth) while relaxing at Visrama-ghata. Thousands of years He rested here after killing Kamsa and dragging his body to shores of the Yamuna.
Visarga	the secondary creation by Brahmā.
Viśiṣṭādvaita-vāda	the Vaiṣṇava philosophy established by Rāmānujācārya's Śrī-bhāṣya commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra.
Viṣṇoḥ smaraṇa	the devotional process of remembering.
Viṣṇu-bhaktas	devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Viṣṇu-bhakti	devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu.
Viṣṇu-dharma	one of the eighteen Purāṇas, or Vedic historical scriptures.
Viṣṇu-mūrtī	the Deity form of the Lord worshiped in the temple.
Viṣṇu-purana	scripture describing the glories of Lord Viṣṇu.
Viṣṇu-tattva	a primary expansion of Kṛṣṇa having full status as Godhead. The term applies to primary expansions of the Supreme Lord.
Viṣṇu-yajña	a sacrifice performed for the satisfaction of Lord Viṣṇu.
Viṣṇudūtas	the messengers of Lord Viṣṇu who come to take perfected devotees back to the spiritual world at the time of death, the personal servants of Lord Viṣṇu, they closely resemble If Him in appearance.
Viṣṇuloka	the abode of Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. See also: Vaikuntha
Viṣṇupriyā-devī	the second wife of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, whom He left to accept sannyāsa, the renounced order of life.
Viṣṇu	the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His four-armed expansion in Vaikuṇṭha; A plenary expansion of the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Viṣṇu supervises the maintenance of the created universe, and enters into the material universe before creation. He is worshiped by all the demigods and sages, and described throughout the Vedas as the summum bonum of all knowledge-the Absolute Truth; Literally, the all-pervading God; a prominent Sanskrit name of the Personality of Godhead. See Kṛṣṇa, Supersoul, Vaiṣṇava.
Viśoka	callous to material distress and happiness.
Viśoka	the charioteer of Bhīma.
Viśrambha	devotional service devoid of a respectful attitude toward the Lord.
Viśruta	the son begotten by the Pracetās through Māriṣā.
Viśuddha-sattva	the spiritual platform of pure goodness.
Viśva-rūpa (viraṭ-rūpa)	the universal form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, as described in the Eleventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā.
Viśva-dharma	universal religion.
Viśvakarmā	the architect of the devas or demigods. He built the city of Indraprastha for the Pāṇḍavas at the request of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Viśvakośa	an ancient Sanskrit dictionary.
Viśvambhara	one who maintains the entire universe and who leads all living beings; the name of Lord Caitanya before He entered the renounced order.
Viśvāmitra	a prominent sage and rival of Vasiṣṭha Muni.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura	a great ācārya in the Caitanya school of Vaiṣṇavism and the most prominent ācārya after Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. On the order of his guru he went to Vṛndāvana and by his life's end he had composed twenty-four valuable books on the science of bhakti. He established the Gokulānanda Temple. In his final years he lived at Rādhā-kuṇḍa; he has written commentaries on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā.
Viśvāsa	a government secretary; confidence.
Visvarupa	brother of Lord Caitanya, he took sanyassa at an early age; the life-breath of Nimai.
Viśvāvasu	a leader of the Gandharvas, singers in the heavenly planets.
Vitarka	argument, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Vīthī	beginning of a drama consisting of only one scene.
Vivāha-yajña	the sacrifice of marriage.
Vivarta-vāda	the erroneous concept; propounded by Śaṅkarācārya, that God is no longer complete after He expands His energies for creation; the Māyāvādī interpretation of the Vedānta-sūtra that the Supreme Lord becomes changed when He expands and that all manifest varieties are unreal.
Vivarta	illusion; also, sorrow and confusion due to nonfulfillment of material desires.
Vivasvān	the name of the present sun-god, to whom Bhagavad-gītā was instructed at least 120,400,000 years ago.
Viviṁśati	one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Viyoga	the stage of separation when the mind is fully absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa.
Voidism	The mind has two functions, accepting and rejecting. Voidism is the result of total frustration, when the mind negates and rejects everything as just too troublesome. Voidism in Sanskrit is śūnyavāda, a doctrine associated with Buddhism. As the Bodhicaryāvatāra-panjikā, a Buddhist scripture, puts it, niḥsvabhāvavatā śūnyatā the absence of the self-existence of all things, voidness is the paramārtha (supreme goal) of Buddhism. In ancient Greece, Democritus and other atomists reduced reality down to atoms and the void. Modern physicists propose scenarios of the universe popping out of a primordial void. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: The Śaṅkarites and Buddhists claim that the world beyond is void, but Bhagavad-gītā does not disappoint us like this. The philosophy of voidness has simply created atheists. We are spiritual beings, and we want enjoyment, but as soon as our future is void, we will become inclined to enjoy this material life. In this way, the impersonalists discuss the philosophy of voidism while trying as much as possible to enjoy this material life. One may enjoy speculation in this way, but there is no spiritual benefit. (Beyond Birth and Death, Chap. Four) The ultimate paradox of voidism is that if everything is void, then there is nothing to philosophize about. Consequently, those professing voidism logically ought to behave as Cratylus did. See Buddhism, Cratylus, Impersonalism, Māyāvāda philosophy, Mind, Śaṅkarācārya, Scepticism.
Vrajabhūmi	Vṛndāvana-Kṛṣṇa's eternal abode, where He fully manifests His quality of sweetness; the village on this earth in which He enacted His childhood pastimes five thousand years ago; the topmost transcendental abode of the Supreme Lord. It is His personal spiritual abode descended to the earthly plane. It is situated on the Western bank of the river Yamunā. He was present on earth about 5,000 years ago. Also see Vraja-the 168-square-mile (84 krośa) area in the district of Mathurā where five thousand years ago Lord Krṣṇa displayed His pastimes. It is the principal holy place of pilgrimage for all Vaiṣṇavas. It is said in the śāstras that Vraja is the essence and sum total of all holy places.
Vraja	the 168-square-mile (84 krośa) area in the district of Mathurā where five thousand years ago Lord Krṣṇa displayed His pastimes. It is the principal holy place of pilgrimage for all Vaiṣṇavas. It is said in the śāstras that Vraja is the essence and sum total of all holy places. See also: Vṛndāvana.
Vrajendra-kumāra	Kṛṣṇa, the child of King Nanda.
Vrajendra-nandana	Kṛṣṇa, the son of Nanda Mahārāja.
Vrajendra	Nanda Mahārāja, the foster father of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Vṛddhakṣatra	the father of Jayadratha.
Vrīḍā	shame, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Vṛkodara	a name for Bhīmasena meaning "he of the voracious appetite."
Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura	the incarnation of Vedavyāsa in Lord Caitanya's pastimes and the author of Caitanya-bhagavata, one of the earliest biographies of Lord Caitanya, in which he especially describes Caitanya Mahāprabhu's early pastimes.
Vṛndāvana-vihāra	the pastimes of Vṛndāvana.
Vṛndāvana	Kṛṣṇa's eternal abode, where He fully manifests His quality of sweetness; the village on this earth in which He enacted His childhood pastimes five thousand years ago; the topmost transcendental abode of the Supreme Lord. It is His personal spiritual abode descended to the earthly plane. It is situated on the Western bank of the river Yamunā. He was present on earth about 5,000 years ago. Also see Vraja.
Vṛṣasena	the son of Karṇa. He was considered a Mahārathi. He was killed by Arjuna in the presence of his father Karṇa. (Karṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)
Vṛṣṇi	a famous king of the Yadu dynasty. Lord Kṛṣṇa took birth in his dynasty.
Vṛtra	Vṛtrāsura, a great demon killed by Indra. He was actually the devotee Citraketu, who had been cursed to take a low birth.
Vyabhicārī-bhāvas	the thirty-three transitory bodily symptoms manifest in ecstatic love.
Vyādhi	disease, a vyabhicāri-bhāva.
Vyakta	material creation when it is manifested from the total energy of mahat-tattva.
Vyāna-vāyu	one of the internal bodily airs which is controlled by the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system. The vyāna-vāyu acts to shrink and expand.
Vyāsa-pūjā	worship of the compiler of the Vedas, Vyāsadeva; worship of the bona fide spiritual master as the representative of Vyāsadeva on his appearance day.
Vyāsadeva (Vyāsa)	the literary incarnation of God, and the greatest philosopher of ancient times. The son of Parāśara, and the compiler of the original Vedic scriptures, including the eighteen Purāṇas, Vedānta-sūtra, the Mahābhārata, and the Upaniṣads. He played a very important part in guiding the Pāṇḍavas during crucial times. He gave the vision of the battle of Kurukṣetra to Sañjaya so that he could relate it to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He is still living in this world.
Vyāsāsana	the seat of Vyāsa, on which the representative of Vyāsadeva sits.
Vyāsa	Vyāsadeva (Vyāsa)-the literary incarnation of God, and the greatest philosopher of ancient times. The son of Parāśara, and the compiler of the original Vedic scriptures, including the eighteen Purāṇas, Vedānta-sūtra, the Mahābhārata, and the Upaniṣads. He played a very important part in guiding the Pāṇḍavas during crucial times. He gave the vision of the battle of Kurukṣetra to Sañjaya so that he could relate it to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He is still living in this world; The son of Parāśara Muni and Satyavatī-devī, Vyāsa is the empowered (śaktyāveśa-)avatāra of God who rendered the Vedic śabda into written texts some 5000 years ago. He is also known as Vedavyāsa, Bādarāyaṇa and Dvaipāyana. See Avatāra (Śaktya-aveśa), Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Veda, Vedānta-sūtra.
-W-
Wittgenstein, Ludwig	Austrian-born logician and philosopher (1889-1951) who taught at Cambridge University. He is probably the most influential theorist of language in the twentieth century. In Tractatus Logico-philosophicus he wrote, My propositions serve as elucidations in the following way: anyone who understands me eventually recognizes them as nonsensical. ... He must transcend these propositions, and then he will see the world aright.
-Y-
Yādava dynasty	see: Yadu dynasty below.
Yadavadri	town of Melkot in South India.
Yādava	a name for the Supreme Personality of Godhead meaning "He who appears in the Yadu dynasty."
Yadu (Yādava) dynasty	the dynasty in which Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared.
Yadu-kumāra	Kṛṣṇa as the young darling of the Yadus in Mathurā and Dvārakā.
Yadupati	the name of Kṛṣṇa meaning "King of the Yadu dynasty."
Yadus	the descendants of Yadu.
Yadu	one of the sons of King Yayāti. He was the founder of the Yadu dynasty.
Yadvā-tadvā kavi	one who writes poetry without proper knowledge.
Yajamānas	those for whom a priest executes sacrifices.
Yajana	the duty of a brāhmaṇa to perform Vedic rituals.
Yajña-puruṣa	the supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices.
Yajña	a Vedic sacrifice; also, a name for the Supreme Lord meaning "the personification of sacrifice"; the goal and enjoyer of all sacrifices.
Yajñeśvara	an epithet of Kṛṣṇa, "Lord of sacrifice."
Yakṣa	ghostly followers of the demigod Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods. They were born from the feet of Lord Brahmā.
Yamadūtas	the messengers of Yamarāja, the lord of death.
Yamarāja	the demigod of death, who passes judgment on non-devotees at the time of death. He is the son of the sun-god and the brother of the sacred river Yamunā.
Yama	the process of controlling the senses.
Yāmunācārya	a great Vaiṣṇava spiritual master and author in the Śrī-sampradāya, one of the important disciplic lines.
Yamunā	the sacred river where Kṛṣṇa performed many pastimes. One of the holy rivers of India, flowing through Vṛndāvana. It was here that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa sported when He was a young child. The personification of the Yamunā River, known as Kālindī, is the daughter of the sun god and the sister of Yamarāja, the god of death. She is also called Yamī. In Krṣṇa-līlā she became one of Krṣṇa's queens at Dvārakā.
Yaśodā-nandana	the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, who played as the son of Yaśodā.
Yaśodā	the foster mother of Kṛṣṇa, who was the Queen of Vraja and wife of Mahārāja Nanda.
Yātrā	a journey.
Yavana	a class of humans fallen from the Vedic culture; a low-class person, generally a meat-eater; a barbarian.
Yavana	the servant of Yamarāja.
Yayāti	the king who, because of his lust, was cursed by Śukrācārya to prematurely accept old age.
Yoga-mārga	the path of developing mystic powers.
Yoga-māyā	the internal, spiritual energy of the Supreme Lord, to which the external energy, mahā-mayā, is subordinate, and which hides Him from non devotees..
Yoga-nidrā	mystic slumber in which Mahā-Viṣṇu creates universes.
Yoga-siddhis	mystic perfections; mystic powers.
Yogarudha	the highest stage of yoga.
Yogarurukṣa	the beginning stage of yoga.
Yoga	a spiritual discipline meant for linking one's consciousness with the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa; Literally, connection; the discipline of self-realization. One of the six systems of Vedic philosophy, taught by Patañjali. According to Bhagavad-gītā, the most sublime form of yoga is bhakti-yoga (the yoga of pure devotion). Through the process of bhakti-yoga, the consciousness of the individual soul connects with its source, Kṛṣṇa. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the soul rids itself of the bondage of the three modes of material nature and returns back home, Back to Godhead. See Bhakti-yoga, Six systems.
Yogeśvara	the supreme master of all mystic powers, Kṛṣṇa.
Yogendras	nine devotee sons of Ṛṣabhadeva.
Yogī	a transcendentalist who practices one of the many authorized forms of yoga, or processes of spiritual purification; those who practice the eight-fold mystic yoga process to gain mystic siddhis or Paramātmā realization.
Yojana	a standard Vedic measurement equal to eight miles.
Yuddha	the Sanskrit word for war.
Yudhāmanyu	a prince of Pāñcāla. He fought on the side of the Pāṇḍavas and was killed on the last night of the battle when Aśvatthāmā entered his tent severed his head.
Yudhiṣṭhira	the eldest of the Pāṇḍavas in the Mahābhārata, and the son of Dharmarāja or Yamarāja, the god of death. It was the dispute over his succession to the throne in India that led to the Battle of Kurukṣetra; he ruled the earth after the Kurukṣetra war.
Yuga-avatāra	an incarnation of the Lord in each millennium who prescribes the appropriate process of self-realization for that age.
Yuga-dharma	the religion for the age.
Yugala-pirīti	the conjugal love between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.
Yuga	one of the four ages of the universe, which differ in length and which rotate like calendar months. See also: Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga and Kali-yuga.
Yukta-vairāgya	befitting, real renunciation, in which one utilizes everything in the service of the Supreme Lord.
Yuyutsu	a son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra by a Vaiśya wife. He took the side of the Pāṇḍavas during the Kurukṣetra war. He lived through the battle and performed the last funeral rites for the slain warriors on the side of Kurus.
-Z-
Zamindār	a wealthy landowner.