My Hindu Page Glossary - D

Dakshina, Dakshinamurthi, Damaru, Darshan, Deepam, Deity, Devaloka, Devas, Dharma, Dhyana / Dhyanam, Dissolution, Divine Light, Divine Mother, Doomsday, Dualism / Dualistic, Durga,Goddess

Dakshina: Gifts or contributions given to a guru or a priest in appreciation of their services rendered.

Dakshinamurthi, Lord: Pronounced Dakshinaamurthi, is a form of Lord Shiva as the Guru. He is usually depicted sitting on a platform under a banyan tree with the saptarishis (the seven celebrated exponents of the Vedas–Maharishis Vasishta, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni, Gotama, Bharadvaaja, Gungu, Agastya and Kashyapa). Dakshinamurthi holds Scriptures in one hand, on another He displays the chin mudra hand gesture, the other hands hold implements of creation–the damaru drum and fire–symbol of dissolution. Dakshinamurthi is usually carved as an inset in the outer wall of the main sanctum of Saivite temples facing south, as Dakshinamurthi means the South facing Lord.

Damaru: A traditional hand drum. The drum is usually small enough to be held and played using one hand. The damaru is often assosciated to God Shiva as an implement that he holds to symbolize God's power of creation or srishti.

Darshan: Seeing the Divine. Receiving the Grace of God through the sight of the devotee of a temple deity, a holy person or a meditative vision. Darshan is a highly sought after experience in Hinduism. It is the blessings one gets from seeing God through the temple deity, visions during meditation or dreams or through a holy person. When a devotees is asked, "Have you had darshan?" The devotee is being asked wether he has seen a particular deity in a temple or shrine or met a particular holy person of the place. The Scriptures extol darshan as one of the most potent medium for receiving blessings from God. Thus in Hinduism followers are urged to cultivate the desire to see God's Holy Form. The most sought after darshan is the psychic sight of God through meditation or through visions in dreams.

Deepam: Oil lamp. Deepams are used at homes and in temples for light and also presented to the deity during the puja ceremony.

Deity: A representation of God, such as a statue or carving that is used for worship.

Devaloka: The spiritual realm of the departed souls from earth. It is divided into heaven, or swarga, the abode of the devas, and hell or naraka, the abode of the asuras.

Devas: Angles. They are mostly discarnate souls living and resting in the heavens between births on earth. Devas are helpful and loving beings guided by virtue. They are given to performing service for others without the need of reward.

Dharma: God’s Divine Laws. Dharma includes laws of nature that govern the physical universe, such as gravity or electro-magnetism and laws that govern the spiritual universe such as karma or reincarnation. Living according to dharma is living according to God’s laws. That is living according to righteousness and ethics.

Dhyana / Dhyanam: Same as meditation. It is a goal in the practice of yoga. Dhyana is a state of consciuosness that is achieved through sustained concentration of the mind on a specific subject such as God, upon which new knowledge and insights on the subject are revealed from within oneself. The Patanjali Yoga Sutras (a Scripture written by Sage Patanjali, which is a definitive guide to the mystical processes of the mind) describes dhyana as a point in concentration when the yogi and the his/her subject of dhyana become one. When this happens the yogi's awareness is lifted into the plane of God Consciousness, which is Omniscient. From this plane of superconsciousness intricate knowledge of yogi's subject flows into the meditators mind. It is through this process that much of the Truths in Hinduism were discovered by the gurus, the ardent meditators. When the yogi's subject is God and the state of dhyana is achieved, the meditator is then said to realize God and thus achieve enlightenment. In the Patanjali Yoga Sutras this state is called samadhi. Samadhi is the most sought after goal of the Hindu spiritual seeker.

Dissolution: To dissolve or disintegrate from existence. Dissolution is part of God’s power or function of reabsorbing Creation into Himself. Sometimes the word destroy is used instead of dissolution.

Divine Light: Divine Light is a description of God as Parashakti; God's Second Aspect. The light in this context refers to the 'light of wisdom' as opposed to the 'darkness of ignorance'. However, this light is not merely a symbol of God's Omniscience or wisdom, it is also the inspiring mystical light that is seen by meditators when they attain Parashakti in the state of savikalpa samadhi. When this state is attained, the meditator's mind is literally lit up by the bright white light of Parashakti, even if he or she is meditating with eyes closed in a dark room. Divine Light is synonymous with Pure Light, The Light of Intelligence and God's Omniscience. They all refer to God's All-Knowing Intelligence.

Divine Mother: Goddess. God in any female form, such as Lakshmi, Amman, Sarawati, Durga or Kali.

Doomsday: In Judaic, Christian and Islamic faiths this is the last day of the worlds existence. After this day the world is destroyed and the day of the Last Judgment begins. On this day souls are judged according to their merits and faith while they lived on earth and then sent to either heaven or hell eternally. In Hinduism, we do not have the concept of Doomsday, though there is the concept of Mahapralaya–The Great Dissolution. This is the time when the entire creation (the physical universe as well as the spiritual universe) are reabsorbed back into God. After mahapralaya only God exists until He issues forth creation again. According to traditional Hindu calculations of the yugas, there is yet billions of years before the next Mahapralaya. Last Judgement does not occur in Mahapralaya because all the souls reunite with God.

Dualism / Dualistic: The theology of two-ness. Any philosophy that teaches separation between man and God, or soul and God. Dualistic (which is in accordance to dualism) philosophies state that God and man or the soul are distinct and separate beings. There are many levels to dualistic philosophies: Pure dualism are philosophies that expound absolute separation between man or the soul and God. That the only connection between them can be that God created man or the soul; and man’s faith in God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are theologies of pure dualism. Hinduism and most Eastern religions ascribe to qualified dualism. These theologies teach of the separation of God and the soul, however this separation is not absolute because God is also known to exist within the soul. Therefore in qualified dualism, while a separation between the soul and God is acknowledged, a simultaneous state of unity or ‘oneness’ between God and the soul also exists.

Durga, Goddess: A Goddess form of Paramatma as The Protector. She the Dispeller of ignorance and Protector of the virtuous. She hold many weapons on Her multi-hand form and rides on a tiger.