Aalvar, Aarati, Abhaya Mudra, Abishegam, Adi Shankara,  Adivasi, Affirmations, Agama, Agni / Lord Agni, Ahimsa, All-Pervasive, Amends, Amman,Goddess, Amorphous, Ananda Tandava, Anava, Animal-like forms, Anugraha, Archana, Ardhanarishwara,Lord, Ashtanga Yoga, Ashram, Aspects / The Three Aspects, Astral/Astral Plane,  Asura, Atheists, Atma, Aum, Awareness, Ayurvedic

Aalvar: Meaning, “one immersed in God consciousness.” It is the affectionate title given to the 12 Tamil Vaishnavite saints who lived between the fifth and ninth centuries. These saints revitalized the devotional worship of God Vishnu throughout India. They travelled extensively, composing devotion-inspiring poems to God Vishnu. Their collective works of about 4000 verses are compiled in the Scripture, Divya Prabhandam.

Aarati: The camphor light presented to the deity at the end of the puja ceremony. The light is then presented to devotees present at the puja as a sacrament.

Abhaya Mudra: Mudras are hand gestures that are given specific meaning. Abhaya mudra signifies that, 'all is well' or 'fear not.' The gesture is made by showing the palms of the hand with the fingers outstretched and can be pointing upward or downward. There are many types of mudras. They are often seen on deities and used by traditional Indian dancers during their performances, priests doing the puja ceremony or yogis while meditating.

Abishegam: The bathing of a deity during the puja ceremony. Many natural substances such as milk, honey, rose water and sacraments are used to bathe the deity. Abishegam is a gesture of appreciation of God.

Adi Shankara: One of Hinduism’s most renown monk and scholar. Sri Adi Shankara (788-820) is the preeminent guru of the Smarta Hindu sect. He pioneered the creation of monastic orders in Hinduism. Monks under Adi Shankara’s lineage are called Shankarachariyars. Adi Shankara is known for his erudite exposition of the Vedas. Among the many Scriptures he wrote are Viveka Choodamani, Atma Bodha, Atma-Anatma and Ananda Lahiri. Adi Shankara’s teachings are based on the monistic philosophy of Advaita Vedanta.

Adivasi: It means “original settlers,” and refers to the aboroginal community in India. They include hill tribes and forest dwellers.

Affirmations: Affirmations are statements of intent or goals that one repeats to oneself to aid in the materialization of the intent. Affirmations exploits the latent abilities of the subconscious by generating confidence, willpower and drive to accomplish a well thought out and planned goal.

Agama: Pronounced Aa-gema. Agamas are Hindu sectarian Scriptures that are regarded as highly as the Vedas. Like the Vedas the Agamas are sruti (revealed directly by God) Scriptures. Each of the Hindu sects has their own set of Agamas. They are called the Saiva Agamas, Shakta Agamas and Vaishanva Agamas. The Smarta Hindu sect considers the Vedas as their Agamas.

Agni / Lord Agni:Agni is fire in Sanskrit. Fire is an important element for worship of God in Hinduism. Apart from providing the light to enable sight, agni is the chief element among the five elements of fire, water, earth, air and ether (space) as the provider of energy. Agni is also able to transform one element to the other while remaining unchanged itself, such as turning liquid to gas. In worship Lord Agni, the Mahadeva who controls the fire element is the conduit between the devotee and God. During agnihotra (homa) fire ceremony the burnt offerings of the devotee are transported spiritually to reappear in the heavens in their etheric forms. Agni in the form of light is also used as a representation of God as Parashakti, The Second Aspect of God, as the Divine Light of Omniscience.

Ahimsa: Nonviolence. One of the cardinal virtues of Hinduism. Ahimsa is practicing love toward all by refraining from hurtful thoughts, words or actions. The practice also includes being vegetarian. Ahimsa is known as the most important virtue to uphold on the path to moksha. ( Moksha: Liberation. In Hinduism the salvation of the soul is defined as freedom from the cycle of reincarnation on the physical plane, or Earth. After moksha the soul abides eternally in heaven. Before moksha the soul will enter heaven or hell temporarily between births, depending on the merits or demerits it accrues in the form of karmas during it’s life on Earth. Moksha is in a sense a graduation from having to live life on Earth anymore. It is achieved after the soul has fulfilled all of it’s desires for life on Earth and has Realized God. It is synonymous with mukti.)

All-Pervasive: The quality of being present everywhere and through all things and beings. One of the divine qualities of God, Who is simultaneously present in the entire universe.

Amends: To correct mistakes made by asking for fogiveness and, or improving the situation that had gone wrong.

Amman, Godddess: Short for Mariamman, She is a form of Goddess Shakti as the healer. She is especially attributed to healing devotees with the deadly small pox disease. Temples to Mariamman are usually built by farmers next to their farms. The neem tree is closely attributed to Her worship. Bunches of neem branches with leaves are usually part of Her worship and neem trees are sometimes used in place of a Mariamman deity to worship  Her in outdoor shrines.

Amorphous: A state of being without a clearly defined shape or form. Used to describe God’s forms as Divine Energy, Pure Love, Light and Truth.

Ananda Tandava: God Shiva’s dance of bliss which He performed thousands of years ago to an audience of preists and sages at the hallowed Shiva temple of Chidambaram. God Shiva danced through 108 poses. Bharata Muni, one of the sages who witnessed the ananda tandava, compiled these poses and used them to create the traditional Indian dance bharata natyam. God Shiva’s form of Nataraja, the Lord of Dance, is God Shiva doing the pose of Grace during the ananda tandava.

Anava: Pronounced with a long 'a' as in 'ark' on the first 'a,'  anava is 'the individuating principle.' It is one of the three bonds that bind the soul to the world. The three bonds are anava, karma and maya. Loosely translated as ego, anava is the principle that gives the soul individuality and creates a sense of seperation between the soul and God. Anava is the last bond to dissolve when the soul finally merges in total union with God (vishvagrasa).

Animal-like forms: In the context of these lessons, animal-like forms refer to forms of God as Paramatma that are partly or entirely based on an animal. There are a few forms like this such as in the avatars of Lord  Vishnu where he appears at different times as a fish, a turtle and a boar. Lord Shiva too in a story has appeared as a boar to suckle a litter of piglets that lost their mother. The animal forms of Paramatma are seldom used for worship. They are more often depicted in the wall carvings of temples, or as ornaments of elaborate temple towers. The most worshipped animal like form of Paramatma is Lord Vishnu as Narasimha, who is part animal and part human. Narasimha has the head of a lion and body of a human with multi-arms holding weaponry. He is worshipped as the protector of the virtuous.

Anugraha: God's Action of Revealing Grace: This is God’s activity of teaching and discovery of knowledge (spiritual and material). It is through anugraha that God grants boons and propels the the spiritual evolution of the soul. Anugraha is embodied in the forces of karma and dharma. There are no deities that specifically represent anugraha. The symbol that represents revealing grace are God’s Feet.

Archana: Supplications. Archana is part of the puja ceremony. During the archana the devotee presents offering to God. These offerings are taken by the priest and the name, nakshatra (birth star) and gotra (lineage or sect) of the devotee is chanted by the priest as he places the offerings at the deities feet. After the archana the priest returns some of the offerings back to the devotee as blessed by God along with sacrements (vibhuti - holy ash, tilak - red powder, tirtham - holy water). Archana's are usually done to mark special occasion in the devotees life, such as anniversaries, as thanks giving for prayers answered and or as part of a prayer.

Ardhanarishwara, Lord: The Half-Female Lord. The form of Ardhanarishwara, is the conjoined forms of God Shiva and Goddess Parvathi.  God Shiva on the right side of the body and Goddess Parvathi on the left side of the body. This is a purely symbolic form of God. It is a mystical representation of God as Parashakti, whose amorphous forms include Pure Love, Divine Consciousness, Truth and Bliss. Ardharishwara is also a meditative representation of the perfectly balanced state of being. When such a state of balance,  that is when the dualities of life are in equilibrium, is achieved, the meditator experiences God as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Truth-Pure Consciousness-Bliss). This meditative state is called Savikalpa Samadhi and is one of the states of God Realization or enlightenment.

Ashram: Traditional learning institutions of Hindu society. An ashram is usually the home of the preceptor or the teacher of the teaching institution. It usually provides room and board to the students. While these days it mainly refers to spiritual learning institutions and Hindu monasteries, before the British education system became the standard in India students went to ashrams for formal study. There were ashrams for many branches of study such as health (ayurvedic), astrology, architecture (vastu), priesthood, royal arts, politics, warfare and so forth along side purely spiritual ones. Ashrams were the formal schools of ancient India. Students who are accepted by the head teacher are provided room and board in return for gaining knowledge and performing chores in the ashram. Students are usually enrolled after their 12th birthday. tt: Traditional learning institutions of Hindu society. An ashram is usually the home of the preceptor or the teacher of the teaching institution. It usually provides room and board to the students.

Ashtanga Yoga: Ashtanga Yoga, is a complete yoga system for spiritual development. Ashtanga Yoga defines eight steps that gradually trains a yoga practioner to realize God. These steps are:

Yama–moral restraints; these moral restraint are non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, sexual purity, patience, steadfastness, compassion, honesty, moderation in appetite and purity in body mind and speech.

Niyama–religious observances; observances include striving for joy and serenity, being modest and showing remorse for misdeeds, being generous and charitable, having faith in God, doing personal worship, studying scripture, seeking wisdom from the wise, observing religious or cultural traditions, reciting scriptures or hymns to God and doing regular spiritual disciplines.

Asana–hatha yoga exercises; hatha yoga is an exercise system that harmonizes the physical body with its spiritual energies.

Pranayama–breath control; pranayama are breathing techniques that can enhance concentration and effect physical health positively. Pranayama can focus the mind into deep states of concentration.

Pratyahara–sense withdrawal; pratyahara are techniques that concentrate the subconscious minds into a singular focus. There are many varied techniques in pratyahara to achieve concentration of the subconscious.

Dharana– super-concentration; dharana are techniques of sustaining concentration of the conscious and subconscious mind for prolonged periods until the true state of meditation, dhyana, is achieved.

Dhyana–meditation; a state of consciousness that is achieved through sustained concentration of the mind upon which new knowledge and insights are discovered on the subject of concentration.

Samadhi–God Realization; the goal of the practice of Ashtanga Yoga, wherein the state of oneness or undifferentiated union is achieved between the meditator and God's Consciousness and Being.

Hindu culture and practices (irrespective of the sects) are based on Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga Yoga is also known as Raja Yoga or Kundalini Yoga.

Aspects / The Three Aspects: The different perspectives of understanding something. In this case it refers to The Three Aspects of God. By understanding God as The Three Aspects, all the different experiences of God a devotee can have is explained. The Three Aspects of God are Paramatma–The Primal Soul, Parashakti–God's Pure Consciousness and Parabrahman–God's Transcendent Ultimate Reality.

Asura: Demonic beings that inhabit hellish realms of the lower astral plane. Their actions are not guided by virtue and they are given to mischief making. In Hindu myths asuras are depicted as greedy and tyrannical beings who oppose the positive and good forces of the devas who live in heavenly realms.  (Devas: Angles. They are mostly discarnate souls living and resting in the heavens between births on earth. Devasare helpful and loving beings guided by virtue. They are given toperforming service for others without the need of reward.)

Atheists: Person who do not believe or deny the existence of God. Even in ancient times Hinduism has recognized atheism as a philosophy of life. However Hinduism does not encourage its practice. The Sanskrit term for atheism is naastika. Some Buddhists will claim that they are atheists because they do not believe in a Supreme Godhead who created the universe.

Atma: Sanskrit for soul. The atma is our immortal spiritual being that lives and reincarnates on earth. It is our true and undying being that was created by God. The process of creation of the atma is akin to a spark (the atma) emitting from fire (God). The body of the atma is luminous and filled with blissful vibrations. It is not harmed nor affected in anyway by sorrow, injury or disease. The atma grows in strength with each life lived on earth. The goal of the atma is to reunite with God, just as a  drop of rain returns to it’s source the ocean.

Aum: Same as Om. It is a mystic syllable or mantra of Hinduism, placed at the beginning of most sacred writings and hymns. Aum represents the divine and is known as the first vibration to be issued forth from God in the creation of the Universe. Aum is also an important mantra that is used for meditation.

Awareness: An individual’s ability to perceive an object, subject, situation or fact. The sanskrit word for awareness is saakshin (the witness). In Hindu mystical texts, saakshin is described as the perceptive ability of the soul. Awareness is the witness because it perceives all physical and mental activities in the body and mind. When teaching Hindu mysticism in english, gurus will often use the word awareness instead of consciousness to define an individuals ablitity to perceive. Awareness has the power to control the mind and emotions, or it may be controlled by the mind and emotions. According to Hindu mysticism, spiritual growth or evolution is the result of the gradual ability of an individual’s awareness to gain mastery over the mind and emotions. (Consciousness: To be conscious. The ability to be aware of oneself and one's surroundings. In mystical Hindu writings, there are two main levels of consciousness. One is the awareness of an individual, through which a person is able to maintain indviduality or personality. This conciousness is usually translated into english as individual consciousness or awareness. The sanskrit word for this consciousness is saakshin, which means witness. The second level of consciousness, is the All-Pervasive consciousness of God. This is God's Omniscient mind that forms the foundation of Creation. In sanskrit, this level of consciousness is called chit, as in Sat-Chit-Ananda. In english it is often translated as universal consciousness, divine consciousness or pure consciousness. Awareness or individual consciousness (saakshin) arises from the universal consciousness (chit) as part of God's creation of an individual.)

Ayurvedic: From Ayurveda. It is the Hindu (or traditional Indian) medical system.