The Science of Living Enlightenment🔗

ahara - food

Aamaayanthu brahmacharinah swaha – let brahmacharis come from everywhere

Abhaya and the varada - the protection and the gift

Abhaya hasta –symbol of hand granting refuge to all lives

abhayam sarvabhootebhyo -

Acharya- an ordained teacher

adhaara - support

Adisesha- the serpant on which Lord Vishnu, the Hindu God of Sustenance reclines

Advaiti –one who propogates the doctrine of non-duality

Advaitic – non dualistic

Agamya karma - the karma that you start collecting after coming down to planet earth, because of fresh thoughts, words and deeds

aghima- the extraordinary power of becoming weightless

Agni – Fire; lord of fire

Ahankara – the way in which you project yourself to the outside world

Ahimsa- the vow of non-violence

Ajaatha Siddhanta- the concept that has not yet come into being

Ajapa japa - constant repetition or awareness of a chant / guru mantra

Ajna Chakra – the energy center located between the eyebrows

Akashic records – all the thoughts and happenings of all life forms that are record-ed in the cosmic space; also referred to as cosmic archives

akhada

Akshardham- the psychic plane wherein the Master resides after He gives up his body along with his enlightened disciples

Alahala- name of the poison that emanated from the churning of the milky ocean, also referred to as the collective negatvity in the society

amavasya –the new moon night

Amrita- nectar, believed to make one immortal

Anahata- the energy center situated near the heart

Ananda- bliss

Ananda Gandha - energy center where all the seven chakras merge; it is a space, source of super-conscious energy and healing

Ananda yogam -A one year residential program offered by Nithyananda Dhy-anapeetam for the youth where they are taught life solutions, leadership skills and other skills required to excel both in the inner and outer world

Anandha thandava- dance of divine bliss

Anima- the extraordinary power of becoming smaller than an atom

Annadaan- charity of food

Annalayas – Nithyananda restaurants offering free energised food as a service

Annam Bahu Kurveetha- make the food multiply; this is a statement from the up-anishads

Annapurani- the goddess of prosperity and nourishment

Antaraatma – inner spirit or soul

Antaryami - inner Presence

antima kriyas- the final rites

anubhoothi

Anyakaara – others’ expectation from you

Apana - part of prana that works downwards and is responsible for the excretory and reproductory organs

Aparigraha - the vow of living with minimal possessions; non-possessiveness

Aranya - a forest; also refers to the spiritual title given by Adi Shankara to the head of his mutt in Govardhana mutt

Arathi- the ceremonial waving of lamp before the deity or the Master

Arunachaleshwara – lord of the holy mountain Arunachala; another name for Lord Shiva

Arunagiri Yogishwara – a spiritual master from Tiruvannamalai. The main sanc-tum of the Arunachaleshwara temple, Tiruvannamalai is built on his samadhi. He is believed to be an avatar of Shiva

Ashramite – member of an ashram

Ashttamahasiddhis- the eight extraordinary powers

Asteya - the vow of non-stealing

Athithi Devo Bhava- a Sanskrit saying meaning, ‘Respect the guest as God.’

atma bala-the strength of one’s Self

atma jnana- the knowledge of one’s Self

Atma mokshartha - for the sake of releasing one’s Self

atma smarana - remembering of one’s Self

Atma - the soul

atma vichaara - Self enquiry

atma vidya- knowledge of the Self

Atmamoorti- one’s chosen form

Atman- the self or individual soul

Avadhootha- refers to a type of mystic saints who are beyond the state of ego-centeredness

Avatar –an incarnation

avyakta - unseen

Ayurveda - a traditional Indian system of medicine.

ahuputri- the favourite daughter

bandha - bondage

Bangalore, Bengaluru – the capital city of Karnataka, a state in Sothern India.

Basavanna’s vachanas- the devotional work of Basavanna

Beedi - a thin, indian cigarette filled with tobacco flake

Bharat - another name for India, the land of the vedic civilization

Bhagavad Gita - sacred hindu scripture containing the conversation between Pan-dava prince Arjuna and his guide and friend Lord Krishna on a variety of theologi-cal and philosophical issues.

Bhagavan - literally god; often used for an enlightened Master

Bhairava - the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation

Bhairavi- the form of Goddess Parvathi

Bhandaar- a celebration where food is served as prasad or gift

Bharatanatyam - a classical form of dance based on the Natya shastra of sage Bhar-ata, popular in the state of Tamil Nadu, India

Bhartrhari- a Hindu philosopher and poet-grammarian and the author of Vairagya Shatakam. He was once a ruler who gave up all his worldly things and became a yogi.

Bhooma Devi – the goddess of the earth

Bhootas - the beings living around Lord Shiva

Bidadi – town in Karnataka, India where the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam ashram is located

Bindi- vermilion mark kept by Hindu women on their forehead

Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood, Sandalwood- the different regions in India like Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, etc where the film industry is situated vv Bonda- a fried edible

Brahma muhurta – the most auspicious time at day break when the energy helps one to raise his / her meditative state

Brahma- the Hindu God responsible for the creation of this Universe

Brahmachari – a male person living the lifestyle of living like a God, a male celibate monk

Brahmacharini – a female person following the lifestyle of living like a God, a fe-male celibate monk

Brahmacharya – the state of living like God

Brahmakapala - begging bowl made of Lord Brahma’s skull that is insatiable (refers to worldly pursuits that are unending)

Brahman - refers to the supreme self.

Brahmana – individuals engaged in attaining the highest spiritual knowledge; the class of the society involved in learning and spreading knowledge

Brahmanda – the Cosmos

Brahmanyam bahuputrataam – the state of being the favorite inheritor of the cos-mos

Brahmastra - a powerful nuclear weapon

Brahmins – priestly / scholarly class of Hindus responsible for preserving and propagating the scriptures

Bramhacharya-the vow of celebacy;the vow to live like a God

Bruhaspati- the guru of the devas, divine beings residing in Heaven

Buddha – the enlightened being, the One whose messages form Buddhism, the re-ligion most widely practised in south east Asia

buddhu- fool, an unintelligent person

alcutta- city on the eastern side in the state of West Bengal, India

Chaaya is kaaya - The shadow is the form

Chaitanya maha prabhu- a great saint considered to be the incarnation of Lord Krishna

chakra - subtle energy centre location in the body

Chandra- the moon

chappal – a type of footwear

Chatur tattvas - the four tattvas of Integrity, Authenticity, Responsibility and En-riching

Chatur veda- the four Vedas, namely, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana Veda chaya - shadow

Chidaakaasha – the inner space

Chidambara rahasya - the sacred secret traditionally associated with the temple of Lord Nataraja in Chidambaram; the inner meaning of the statement is the pure in-ner space is the most sacred and secret space in each one of us

Chidambara- the holy place where Lord Shiva graces with the dancing form of Na-taraja; the inner space

Chikki - a Indian sweet made of groundnuts and jiggery.

Chinmanaya Mission- the mission started by Swami Chinmayananda

Chinmaya vigraha - the form of pure intelligence

Chiranjeevi - a Sanskrit word meaning immortal

Chit - intelligence

Chitragupta- the mythical character believed to be the accountant for the Lord of death, Yama.

chota - Hindi word meaning 'small'

cosmic body- the sixth inner layer in the body, the body which holds the engrams of pleasure Damaru- the wind instrument held by Lord Shiva, the sound emanating from which helps creation take place danda- the staff Darshan – seeing Dasaratha- the king of Ayodya, the father of Sri Rama

aksha- one of Lord Brahma’s sons; father of Sati, Lord Shiva’s consort

Devaram- the devotional works of Tiru Gnana Sambandar, one of the most promi-nent of the sixty-three Nayanars, Tamil Saivite saints Devarshi - a great sage

Devatas - divine beings

Devi - goddess

Dhamma- the teachings of an enlightened Master

Dhammapada- the teachings of the Buddha

dharana - collection or concentration of the mind joined with the retention of breath Dharma - Principles of cosmic law

Dharma dhwaja- the flag of dharma or righteousness

Dharma- the wheel of righteousness that helps in the rightful functioning of every-thing in the cosmos

dharmo rakshathi rakshitaha- dharma protects the one who protects it

Dhruva - name of a type of a grass; it is also the name of a character in ancient Hin-du texts who was blessed to be the star in the sky (read the puranic story of Dhruva) dhyana - meditation

Doordarshan - the government TV channel in India

Drishti- what is seen

Dritarashtra - father of Duryodhana, uncle of the Pandavas

Durga - meaning 'the inaccessible or the invincible', Durga is a popular fierce form of the Hindu Goddess or Devi.

Duriyodhana - the first of the Kaurava princes

Durvasa- a sage who is well known for blessing through his words which appear as curses

dussanga - company of the wicked

Dvaita – school of thought that says the individual self is separate from existence; propounded by Sri Madhvacharya

Dvisandhagrahi- one who can grasp anything by hearing it twice

dwaara paalakas – guardians or gate-keepers

Dwandva - dual

kasandhagrahi – one who can grasp anythinng by listening to it just once energy darshan- refers to the blessing given by a master imparting his energy to the disciple

Engram- the embedded smell of a past action leading one to commit the same act

Ganas – the attendants of shiva

Ganesh Chaturthi - the Hindu festival celebrated on the birthday (rebirth) of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati

Ganga – River Ganges, the most holy river in India

Gangadhara – another name for Lord Shiva meaning one who holds the Ganga

garbha mandir - sanctum sanctorum of a temple

garima- one of the extraordinary power of becoming very heavy

Gautama- a sage

gayatri- the most important mantra chanted for the Sun God

George Gurdjieff – Russian spiritual teacher and philosopher.

giri- hill; also the spiritual title given by Adi Shankara to the heads of his mutt

Gnana Sambandha - child-saint from south India, famous for his literary work De-varam

Godown – warehouse/storehouse

goshala - protective shelters for cows.

grahas - planets

Grihastha- one who lives a married life

Gudakesha samyama- the technique to gain control over sleep

Guru Gobind Singh- the sikh guru who founded the sikh religion

Guru Parampara – lineage of gurus

Guru Poornima- festival traditionally celebrated by Hindus and Buddhists, marked by ritualistic veneration of the Guru, traditionally the day on which Veda Vyasa one of the most ancient Guru is remembered for his immense contribution to the Vedic tradition

Guru - the Master; also planet Jupiter in vedic astrology

Gurukul - is a type of school in India, residential in nature, with pupils live near the guru and receive knowledge from the master

Guruvak – words of the Master

aritaki- the herbal powder that helps in digestion

Hatha yogi - practitioner of Hatha yoga, an ancient system of yoga in India

Himalayas - The mountain ranges separating the Indian subcontinent from the Ti-betan plateau. It is home to some of the highest peaks on the planet including Mt. Everest.

Hiranyagarbha - the golden womb, which is the source of the creation of the uni-verse

Hiranyakashipu – demon king slain by Lord Vishnu incarnating as the man-lion form of Narasimha

Hogenakkal- falls near Mysore in Karnataka

Homa - a fire ritual

hridgarbha - the sanctum of your heart

Idli – savory cake of South Indian origin

Indra – the king of gods; the ruler of Heavens

Ishtadevata- the deity of one's choice

Ishvaratva - the dimension of being the Lord; the dimension where one takes own-ership and responsibility for the whole Universe

Ishvara - God

.Krishnamurthy - one of the well known philosophers and enlightened master of the modern times

Jagat- the world

Jagrat devata - the deity that is alive and responding

Jagrat-Sushupthi - waking-deep sleep state

janma - birth

Japa-chants

Jeevan mukta - a person who is liberated from the bondage even while living with a body.

jeevanmukta sambhavana- the inner recognition of the state of enlightenment

jeevitham-livelihood

Jiva- the individual soul

jnana - knowledge; wisdom

jnana agni - the fire of knowledge jyoti stambha- shaft of light

aavi – saffron cloth

Kabir- a famous poet saint

Kaikeyi- step mother of Sri Rama

Kailasa- name of the holy mountian, believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva

Kailaya - another name for Kailasha mountains

Kalabhairava- the Lord of time

Kalasha- the crest placed in holy places

Kali, Durga- the powerful feminine aspects of goddess Parvati, Hindu goddess as-sociated with empowerment and courage

Kalinga- an ancient country

Kalpataru, kalpavruksha - a wish-fulfilling divine tree

Kalpavaas- an annual ritual where pilgrims stay near the confluence of the holy riv-ers like Ganga and follow austerities like sleeping on the bare floor, have only one meal a day during Kumbha Mela

Kama- desire

Karana sharira (causal body)- the energy layer that forms the cause for assuming this body

Karma – engraved memories from present and previous states of existence, the engraved incompletions

Karna- a character in Mahabharata known for his generosity

Kathakali – a native dance of Kerala

Katopanishad - one of the principal Upanishad, sheds clarity on Death

Kaushalya- mother of Lord Rama

Kavacham - shield

Kaveri - a river in Southern India

Kavi – a poet, a seer

Kerala- the southern most state in India

Ketu - one of the nine planets in the vedic astrology

King Parikshit - the grandson of prince Arjuna

Kinnara, kimburuda, gandharva, siddha, rishi, muni, gana - divine beings with certain powers

krama brahmacharya - the vow of living like a God till the age of 18 years and then deciding on whether to go in for a married life or take up the life of sannyas

Kriya - technique or practice within a yoga discipline meant to achieve a specific result.

Kshanikavada - The doctrine of momentariness

Kshatriya - the warrior class amongst the four social orders in Hinduism

Kubera- the lord of wealth

Kumbh Mela – largest spiritual gathering of Hindus on the banks of Ganges to bathe in the sacred waters that have been purified by the fall of the amrit or nectar that was obtained by the churning of the milky ocean according to acient Hindu texts

Kumbhapuri-the main area where the nectar is believed to have falln.

Kundalini – dormant energy at the base of the spine

Kutarka-cunning logic

aghima- one of the extraordinary power of becoming weightless

Lakshman - brother of Lord Rama in Ramayana, the ancient Hindu epic

Lakshmi – Goddess of wealth

adhva- the propounder of the Dualistic philosophy

Madurai - one of the largest cities in Tamil Nadu; famous for its Meenakshi temple

Maha Kalabhairava - the Lord of time

Maha Samadhi - the final state of restful awareness, leaving the body

Maha Bhashya - the commentary on Panini’s Ashtadyayi, written by Patanjali

Mahabharata - the epic poem composed by Veda Vyasa describing the fued be-tween the Pandava princes and their Kaurava cousins.

Mahadeva- another name for Lord Shiva meaning Great God

Mahakaala - the Hindu God of time

Mahakaali - the Hindu goddess of Time and Death, the feminine form of Mahaka-la. She is believed to be the greatest aspect of Kali whom many Hindus hold as a Divine Mother.

Mahamandaleshwar - the highest level of traditional, Hindu spiritual guardian-ship

Mahanarayana - The tenth chapter of the Taittiriya Aranyaka is also known as the Mahanarayana Upanishad; the Great God of sustenance

Mahanirvani peeta - the martial cum spiritual group of Hindu monks based on a different lineage. This grouping was needed in order to thwart the attempts of the muslim invadors who indiscrimately attacked the Hindu monks around 1000 AD and adi shankaracharya was the founder of the different akharas of which mahanir-vani is one

Mahavakya- a great upanishadic statement

Mahavira - best-known and widely worshiped propagator of Jainism, the 24th and the last tirthankara.

Mahima- one of the extraordinary power of becoming huge in size

Makara - crocodile

Mamakara – the idea that you carry about you

Manana - internalising

Mandana Mishra - an authority on the branch of philosophy known as Mimamsa, who later became Sureshwaracharya, the disciple of Adi Sankara after he was de-feated in a debate with him

mangalatva –the quality of auspiciousness

Mangayarkarasi- the queen of Pandya king who invited Thiru Gnanasambandar to her kingdom to cure her husband

Manipuraka - the subtle energy center near the navel

Mantras – chants invoking the divine energy

Marichi - name of one of the ancient sages

Markandeya - one of the ancient sages; believed to live eternally

Marut - the wind god

Mataji Kuppammal - a deeply pious lady who initiated Paramahamsa Nithyanan-da into Vedanta and Tantra

Matrika- small unit of measurement in mantra chanting

maya - illusion

Meenakshi - an incarnation of the Hindu Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shi-va. She was the queen who ruled ancient Madurai in South India

Meenakshi Brahmotsavam - the ten day festival event celebrating the victory, coro-nation and finally the marraige of Queen-goddess Meenakshi

Meera - the saint who was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna

Menaka - celestial dancer in the palace of the god Indra, the King of Heavens

mental body - the inner body which holds the engrams of guilt, this is the third layer

Mohini attam- a particular form of dancing natively developed in Kerala moksha-liberation

moola mantra- the source chant

Mudra - symbolic representation of the hand

Muhurta- the auspicious period of time

mukti - liberation

Mooladhara- the subtle energy center at the base of the spine

Mysore – capital city of Karnataka, a South Indian state

aada, bindu and kala- the process by which the cosmic throb as-sumes the form of sound which blossoms into the bindu which splits up into three forming the triad or triangle which leads to the inner cogni-tion of ‘Aham’, and this cognition is kala.

Naadabindu kalateetha- beyond the subtle states of sound in the form of Nada, Bindu and kala

Nachiketa - the hero of the story of Katopanishad. He visits the palace the of Yama, the Lord of Death, to unravel the mystery of death

naga sadhu - followers of Lord Shiva; they wear long knotted hair and have their naked body smeared with ashes

naishtika brahmacharya- the vow of living like a God till the inner space becomes ready to plunge into a life of complete sannyas

nakshatra - star

Namaha shivaya- the chant by which one surrenders all his own to Lord Shiva, the eternal power of auspiciousness and power of rejuvenation

Narasimha – the half-lion half-man incarnation of Lord Vishnu which he adapts to protect his devotee Prahlada from his demon father Hiranyakasipu

Nataraja- the dancing form of Lord Shiva, the main deity of at the Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu

Neelakantha – meaning blue throat; another name given to Lord Shiva after he drank the poison which emerged from the churning of the milky ocean, the Lord who swallowed the collective negativity

nibbana - the Ultimate state of Nirvana

Nirahari- one who refrains from eating any solid food

Nirahara-Samyama- the experiment of living without food by awakening certain latent powers that help one to create food from space and remain with full energy

nirmoha-beyond delusion

nirvana - Salvation, liberation

nirvana sharira- the innermost layer of the body called bliss body

Nirvikalpa Samadhi - state of Absolute Nothingness

nissanga- beyond the state of the need of sangha

Nithya Dhyana Yoga - a first level, 2 day program offered by Nithyananda Dhy-anapeetam

Nithya- eternal

Nithya Kriya Yoga- the second level, 4 day program offered by Nithyananda Dhy-anapeetam

Nithyananda dhyanapeetam - spiritual organization headed by paramahamsa nithyananda

Nithyananda sampradaya- the tradition founded by Paramahamsa Nithyananda

Nithyananda Sangha- the community started by Paramahamsa Nithyananda

Nithyananda- the state of being in Eternal bliss, the name of Paramahamsa Nithy-ananda

Nithyanandeshwara-the deity in Bidadi ashram temple

Nithyanandoham- the feeling of ‘I am in eternal bliss’ or ‘ I am Nithyananda”

m Shanthi! Shanthi! Shanthihi!- the peace chants at the end of meditation or prayer or religious activity

Osho - an enlightened Master, Indian mystic and philosopher from India

aatha bheda- contradiction in readings

pada pooja – offering of gratitude by worshipping the holy feet of God or Master

Padmasana- the lotus pose in Yogic exercises

Padukas - footwear worn by the Master or sages

panchami - the fifth day after new moon and full moon

Pandal - A large temporary structure erected during various religious festivals

pandit - a learned man

Pandya – an ancient clan of Kings who ruled Madurai and surrounding regions in South India

Pandya Vamsa- the lineage of Pandyas

Panini’s Ashtadyayi- the grammar work of Panini

Panini - an ancient Indian grammarian

Panipat war - the first war recorded in Indian history that was fought with then modern artillery

papa - demerits; incompletions

Paramahamsa - title of honor applied to Hindu spiritual teachers who are regard-ed as having attained enlightenment; literally 'the supreme swan,' the being who is enlightened

Parasurama- an incarnation of Lord Vishnu

parihara - an act of atonement

Parivrajaka – the travelling done by a seeker in search of reality

Parvati – an incarnation of goddess Sati, Lord Shiva’s consort. She is born as the daughter of Mountain King Himavan and performs intense penance to attain Lord Shiva

Patanjali – founder of one of the most ancient system of philosophy called the Yoga system

Pathitha- one who has fallen from his spiritual vows Peetha – seat of honor

Pindanda – the space enclosed by the form

Pongal- the festival of harvest, celebrated in South India by offering gratitude to the Sun God

Pooja - worship

Poojari- one who does the puja

poorna sannyas- the life dedicated to renunciation

poorna- the feeling of fulfillment

Poornamadah poornamidam- the chant in the Upanishad stressing the whole-someness of all

poornatva ritu - season of completion

Poornatva - the state of completion

poornima-full moon day

Praapti - the power to attain anything and everything

Prabhupada- the founder of ISKCON, International Soceity of Krishna Consciosu-ness

Prahalada – son of Hiranyakashipu, the deamon-king. He is known for his piety and devotion to Lord Vishnu for whose sake he assumes the half-lion, half-man incarnation of Narasimha

Prana- subtle energy present in the air that is inhaled

pranaami- one who bows down

Pranaprathishta- consecrating energy in a deity

Pranayama – part of Yoga system involving extention and control of the breath pranic body- the breath body, the body which holds the engrams of desires, this is the second layer

prarabdha - collection of past karmas or incompletions which are ready to be completed through the present body that is assumed

Prasad - gift from God

prathyahara - withdrawal of senses; one of the dimensions of yoga explain in Pa-tanjali's Ashtanga Yoga

Pratyagaatma Chaitanya - the non-mechanical parts of the brain

Pravachana- giving a discourse on sacred subject

prayaschitta –act of expiation

Premavatar Shree Shree Vishwananda Swamiji - a contemporary Master, founder of bhakti marga movement

preta – ghosts

Pundit- a learned person

punya- merit; completion

Puranas - ancient recording of events

puri - place, the spiritual title given by Adi Shankara to the head of his mutt in Sringeri

pushpakavimana - the ariel car described in Hindu texts

Quran- the holy book of Islam

aghupati yogi - the teacher responsible for preparing Paramaham- sa Swami Nithyananda's body and mind for enlightenment

Rahu - a shadow planet according to vedic astrology. According to the puranas, Rahu and Ketu are the two parts of the demon who tried to take the immortal nec-tar from the hands of Mohini, an avatar or Lord Vishnu and his body was cut into two. The top portion is called as Rahu; one of the shadow planet that is malefic

raja guru- mystics or enlightened sages who used to guide the kings in olden times

Raja Sabha, Chit Sabha - names of meditation halls in Nithyananda Dhyanapeet-am, Swami Nithyananda's ashram in Bidadi, Bengaluru, India

rajas - the second characteristic of the three human behavioural modes, referring to passionate action

rajju-sarpa nyaya- the theory of superimposing the snake on a piece of rope and reacting based on that assumption

Rama Dasa - the disciple of Sri Rama

Ramakrishna - Enlightened master from West Bengal in India. His chief disciple was Swami Vivekananda.

Ramakrishna Mission - the mission started by Swami Vivekananda, an enlight-ened disciple of Sri Ramakrishna

Ramanagara – town in Karnataka, India

Ramanamaharishi - Enlightened master, based in Tiruvannamalai in South India. He taught the method of Self-inquiry, asking oneself, ‘Who am I?’, as the path to Self-realization

Rambha, Menaka, Urvashi - celestial dancers in the court of Lord Indra, the King of heavens

Ravana - the demon king of Lanka, who abducted Sita and was later was killed by Lord Rama

rig veda - the oldest of the Vedas, ancient Hindu scriptural texts.

Rishi – a sage

roga bhaya - the fear of disease

roopa - form

Rudra- the fierce and powerful form of Lord Shiva

Rudraksha – energy beads; refers to the fruit of Elaeocarpus Ganitrus which is used as a bead for prayer; literal meaning the tears of Rudra

Rupees – Indian currency

aamagaana – the song of sama veda

Saamaveda – the vedic chants that were put to music

Saarvabhoumya vratas- vows that are universal in character

sadhna - a continuous practise; a spiritual practise

sadhu – a saint

Samadhi - the state of being one with the whole

samadhi-peeta – the space of a living energy

samadhi-sthala - the place of Samadhi, the place where the body of an enlightened being rests

Samana –the air that is circulated to all organs, acts as balancing all the organs

Samana mudra - yogic sign with the hands

Sampradaya - a tradition or religious system.

Samyama – exploring the possibility of expressing extrordinary powers

Sanatana - meaning the Eternal

Sanchita - sum of one's past karmas from the very first birth/existence. The incom-pletions that are unfulfilled since the first birth in a form

Sangam- the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Jamuna and saraswathi

Sangatham- united with

Sangha- the spiritual community that is created by the enlightened Master

Sankalpa- a conscious resolution

sannyas - life of renunciation

sannyas sampradaya- the tradition of sannyas

Sannyasi – person who has taken up the lifestyle of sannyas

Sannyasini – a female following the lifestyle of sannyas

sansaar- worldly existence

Sanskrit - The scholarly language in ancient India. Most Hindu texts are written in this language.

Saraswati – Goddess of wisdom

sarva vyaapi - Omnipresent

sarvagna - the Knower of all

sarvaroga nivaarini – that which cures all diseases

Sat - truth

Sati - Lord Shiva's consort

satori - the cosmic experience that gives one a taste of the state of enlightenment

satsang – the messages and teachings that puts one in the space of being in the company of wise

Satsangi – people attending spiritual talks

sattva - the highest attribute of spiritual calmness

Satya - truth

Seva - service

Shaastras - the sacred teachings of any religion

Shaiva siddhantha

shakti peethas – energy seatsor places of worship. According to the puranas these are the holy places where part of the body of Sati, the consort of Lord Shiva fell when it burst into fifety-one pieces

Shakuni – character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, uncle of Duryodhana Shani – Saturn, one of the most malefic planets but also capable of bestowing great heights in material as well as spiritual life.

Shankara- Enlightened master from India who lived only 32 years in the eighth century CE. Greatest exponent of the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta or non-dualism, whose movement restored glory to the declining vedic tradition and Hinduism during that period. Shankara established the Hindu order of monks which contin-ues unbroken till today.

Shiva – the divine energy responsible for rejuvenation by destroying the negativi-ties, the Lord signifying the energy of rejuvenation and auspiciousness

Shivaratri-the holy night dedicated to the rejuvenating energy of Lord Shiva, to gain completions and become enlightened

shraddha - authenticity

Shravana - listening

shreyascha – fame pertaining to this world

shuddha chitta – the pure inner space

Shudra- the class of beings who contribute by physical work and by giving their time

Shukra - the planet Venus in vedic astrology

shyamantaka - jewel believed to be blessed with magical powers.

Siddha medicine - an Indian system of medicine

siddha purusha - one who has supernatural powers

siddhis - miraculous powers

Sita - She is the consort of the Hindu god Rama (avatar of Vishnu) and is an avatar of goddess Lakshmi

sloka – a sanskrit poem

Smashaana- the cremation ground

somarasa - intoxicating drink of the gods and heavenly beings

Spandakarika - sacred text of Tantra philosophy belonging to Kashmir Shaivism Srishti- creation

srishti-drishti - seeing what is fantacized as reality

Subramanya - the warrior god, the son of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati

subtle body- the body which holds the pain engrams, this is the fourth inner layer

Sundareshwara – incarnation of Lord shiva who ruled Madurai

suryanamaskars - sun salutations

Svaati nakshatra - the star Swathi

Svapoornatva - the process of completion with one’s self

Swaaraajya Siddhi - the cognition of one’s pure inner space as the ultimate space of enlightenment

Swadishtana-the subtle energy center in the lower abdomen

Swamiji - address of respect to one's Master

Swaminarayan- an enlightened Master who lived in the 16th century

swaminis - respectful form of address a female renunciate

swamis - respectful form of address a male renunciate

swashraaddha, atma shraaddha - one's own authenticity

swasti mantra-the chants of public welfare

swayam prakasam- self effulgent

abla- a percussion instrument

Taluk – congregation of villages

tamas - laziness or inaction

Tapas – penance, severe spiritual endeavour

tapasvi- one who does penance

Tathaasthu – Sanskrit word for the blessing, 'Let it be so.'

Tattvas – principles

Tatvam Asi - the Upanishadic statement meaning, ‘You are That.’

Tatvamoolas- source of the tattvas or truths

Teertha- the holy place of pilgrimage

Thathaata- the state of being in the present moment

third-eye - Another name for Ajna chakra, the suble energy centre present in be-tween the eyebrows

Tiruvannamalai - town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, birth place of Parama-hamsa Nithyananda

Trisandhagrahi- one who can grasp anything by being exposed to it thrice

trishul- the trident held by Lord Shiva

dhana –the air that moves upward

Uma - Another name for goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva’s consort

Upanishads - collection of philosophical texts which form the theoretical basis for the Hindu religion.

Upayanam- sanskrit word referring to Responsibility

Urvashi - celestial dancer in the palace of the god Indra

aathdhana –the air that moves upward

Uma - Another name for goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva's consort

Upanishads - collection of philosophical texts which form the theoretical basis for the Hindu religion.

Upayanam- sanskrit word referring to Responsibility

Urvashi - celestial dancer in the palace of the god Indra

aajashravas- the name of father of Nachiketas in katopanishad

vak siddhi- the power to utter words which become reality

vaidika sampradaaya – the Vedic tradition

Vaidya Sarovar – healing pond at Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, Bidadi, Bengalu-ru, India

Vaikunta – eternal abode of Lord Vishnu, the space in which the energy of Vishnu resides

Vairagyashatakam- the hundred songs on detachment, composed by Adi Shanka-ra

Vaishya- the class of the society involved in business and merchandize

Vajarasana - yogic posture

Vajraayudha - weapon made from the bones of rishi Dadichi

Vanavaasa - period of life spent in the forest

Vara - gift/boon

varada - the giver

Varahi - name of Raghupati Yogi's pig

Varanasi ghat - the bathing area on the banks of Ganges in Varanasi

Vasant Rutu - spring season

Vashitva - the power to attract

Vedaagni - fire of knowledge (of these four tattvas)

Vedanta – the essence of the Vedas

Vedantis - followers of Vedanta philosophy

Vedic age - period during which the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of the Indo-Aryans, were being composed; the period when the Vedic lifestyle was practised

Vedic - pertaining to the Vedas

Veena – stringed musical instrument of India

Vibhuthi, Kumkum- the sacred ash, the paste used to decorate the forehead of women in Hindu tradition

videha-mukthi - liberation attained after death, after leaving the body

Vidhi-nishedha - rules and exeptions

Vidyalayas - schools

Vidyas - the knowledge

Vignana Bhairava Tantra – Sacred text cast as a discourse between the god Shiva and his consort Devi or Shakti, it briefly presents 112 meditation methods or centering techniques

Vikalpa – transformation into a particular mode

Vipassana - the breath watching that was propounded by Buddha as the means to centering

Viraja homa- Hindu fire-sacrifice which is performed during the ceremonies whereby a Hindu monk takes up the vows of renunciation (Sannyasa).

Vishnu - Hindu God who sustains the universe

Vishva - cosmos

Vishvaroopa – cosmic form

Vishwanatha - the presiding deity of Kashi temple, another form of Lord Shiva

Visishtadvaitha – the philosophy of qualified Non-dualism propounded by Sri Ramanuja

Vivekananda- a great enlightened Master, the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna

Vrata - vow

Vyaghrapada - a siddha who lived in the southern part of India

Vyakta - seen

Vyana – the air that moves outward-spreading to the peripheries of the body

Vyasa - the ancient enlightened Master who is said to have codified the Vedas, upanishads, puranas, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavatam

agna - a fire ritual

yajnopavita - the sacred thread worn to symbolize the transference of spiritual knowledge

Yama - lord of death

Yamuna - name of river; it is the largest tributary of the river Ganges

Yoga – one of the oldest system of philosophy that laid stress on training the body and mind to receive the power of enlightenment

Yogacharyas- teacher trained by the Master to teach yoga

Yudishtira- the eldest among the Pandava brothers

yugas - period of time than spans millions of human years