My Hindu Page Glossary - N

Nadi, Namaalvar, Namaskaram, Nakshatras, Narasimha,Lord, Narayana,Lord,  Nataraja,Lord, Natchintanai, Nayanar, Nirvana, Nothingness, Nirguna Brahman,  Nirvikalpa Samadhi / Samadhi

Nadi: In yoga psychology nadis are spiritual and physical nerve channels that run through and connect our physical body and spiritual bodies. It is estimated that there are 14,000 nadis that transect our spiritual and physical bodies through all the chakras. These nadis run the length of the spine and disperse into all the organs and limbs of the body.

Namaalvar: One of the twelve aalvar Vaishnavite saints.  (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).

Namaskaram: A hand gesture that is a symbol of welcome and supplication. It is the palms of the hands pressed together and held at the level of the chest. This gesture is also used while in prayer. It is also called anjali mudra.

Nakshatras: Asterisms or star constellations along the ecliptic or path of the sun. There are 27 nakshatras in all.

Narasimha, Lord: One of God Vishnu's fearsome avatars as the half beast-half man Lord. He has a lion's head and the body of a man. He took on this form to save a child devotee of His from tyrant King, who happens to be the childs father. Narasimha is worshipped as a protector of the virtuous and the destroyer of evil.

Narayana, Lord: Another name for God Vishnu in His original form, where He is generally portrayed as standing on a lotus, or lying on the coils of Shesha Naga, the nine-headed serpent, who floats on the  Ocean of Bliss.

Nataraja, Lord: A form of God Shiva as the King of Dance. God Shiva first appeared as Lord Nataraja to a group of priests and sages in the temple of Chidambaram in Tamilnadu and performed the Ananda Tandava dance–the Dance of Bliss. The common form of Lord Nataraja that is worshipped is when He holds the Pose of Grace. The Dance that God Shiva performed is the percursor to the classical Indian dance, Bharata Natyam.

Natchintanai: Devotional songs and writings of Sage Yogaswami of Jaffna, Sri Lanka.  (Yogaswami: A renowned guru of Jaffna, Sri Lanka (1872-1964). He is the guru of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami and the author of Natchintanai).

Nayanar: “Teacher.” The honourific title given to the 63 Tamil saints of South India. These 63 saints were worshippers of God Shiva. They are recognized as saints for their outstanding and examplary lives of devotion to God. Their devotional literature are part of the Tamil Saivite scriptures called Tirumurai. Their works include the Tirumantiram, Tiruvasakam and Thevaram devotional hymns. Other nayanars who did not contribute any written works left behind their life story of examplary devotion to God Shiva, such as Saint Pusalar.

Nirvana: Same as moksha. It is mainly used by Buddhists as their word for the state of spiritual liberation. Nirvana is also used by Buddists to describe a similar state God Realization that Hindu gurus know as  Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

Nothingness: A word often used to define the transcendental experience of God in His third Aspect of Parabhraman. In this Aspect, God is beyond all or any description. Yet a mystic can experience God in this state of mysterious “nothingness.” This experience of God is known as the deepest experience of God that is possible, and it is the ultimate goal of meditators seeking moksha. This experience of God is known as Nirvikalpa Samadhi in Hinduism and Nirvana in Buddhism.

Nirguna Brahman: God who who is formless and transcendent. This term for God was first coined by Sri Adi Shankara. In his analysis of the Vedas, he organized the understanding of God into two distinct natures. They are Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman. Nirguna Brahman is God in His indescribable form that is beyond all or any comprehension in any capacity of the finite mind. In the Vedas this aspect of God is described by the rishis in the sanskrit phrase: neti-neti, which can be translated into english as 'not this, not that'. Nirguna Brahman is akin to Parabrahman in the understanding of God as The Three Aspects.

Nirvikalpa Samadhi / Samadhi: Samadhi, literally means, “to hold together completely.” Samadhi is the goal of the practice of yoga, wherein the state of oneness or undifferentiated union is achieved between the meditator’s awareness and God. There are two levels of samadhi. The first is savikalpa samadhi, in which the meditator’s awareness becomes one with pure consciousness, or God’s mind, also known as Satchitananda. The second is nirvikalpa samadhi, which is oneness with God as Parabrahman, who transcends all modes of consciousness, time, form and space. The aftermath of both states of samadhi creates a new spiritual perspective in the mind of the meditator–one that is imbued with the experiential reality of God. The meditator becomes more enlightened each time he achieves samadhi. Of the two samadhis, nirvikalpa samadhi is the highest or ultimate state. It brings in its aftermath a complete transformation of consciousness. This transformation is what is required for the soul to achieve liberation or moksha.