My Hindu Page Glossary - R

Rajarajeswari, Goddess: A benevolent form of Goddess Shakti. She represents motherliness.

Rajas: One of the three conditions of nature, which are sattva, rajas and tamas. Rajas is a state of being that is active, unsettled, intellectual and full of action. It is given to either spirituality or materialism, it can be kind or hateful in life and exhibit virtuousness or violence in action.

Rama, Lord: A form of Lord Vishnu. He was an avatar of Vishnu who and the hero in the epic Ramayana. In the Ramayana, Lord Rama fights King Ravana or ancient Sri Lanka to recover his wife Sita. In this epic Lord Rama's most loyal assistant Hanuman is introduced. Lord Rama and Hanuman are popular deities of the Vaishnavite sect.

Ramalinga Swamigal / Vallalar: The late Ramalingam Swamigal, 1823-1874 was a Tamil poet who is respected for his saintliness. Affectiionately addressed as Vallalar, he is the founder of the Suddha Sanmarga Sangam. Which is a Saivite Hindu following that worships Supreme Godhead as the Divine Light (Arutperum Jyothi). Vallalar stresses a high degree of purity in and charity as vital to the attainment of Jnana (Wisdom) and enlightenment. His teachings also emphasizes the centrality of love in all aspects of human life and in this regard, Vallalar devotees abhor non-vegetarianism and caste practices. Ramalingam Swamigal's samadhi temple/shrine is in the city of Vadalur in Tamilnadu and not far away from Swamigal's favourite temple to Lord Shiva, that is Chidambaram. He was an ardent devotee of Lord Nataraja.

Reality: That which is real or within a real realm that can be experienced. It is opposed to imagination and false truths (that do not exist). The perception of reality is not necessarily the same from one person to another. Its base is  the philosophical beliefs of a person; and at times the mental health of a person. For instance a person who beliefs in the existence of God will also believe in the reality of spiritual dimensions, where as an atheist might only believe in the reality that he can experience with his five physical senses. In the context of this website, when Reality is spelled with a capital 'R' it indicates God.

Realize God: To become aware of God's Presence within oneself. Same as God Realization. (God Realization: The meditative experience of the meditator’s awareness merging into God’s Being. At the point of God Realization the meditator's awareness and God's Pure Consciousness are One. There are many levels or experiences in God Realization, such as experiencing God as Divine Light, or Pure Love, or Infinite Vastness, or as Absolute Reality–the experience most yearned after by ardent spiritual seekers. The ultimate goal of the practice of Hinduism is to guide its devotees to the experience of God Realization. After the seeker has achieved God Realization he or she is said to be enlightened. According to Hinduism, God Realization is a required experience for each soul in order to achieve moksha. Hinduism also recommends that a seeker be under the guidance of a guru to learn to achieve God Realization. The Sanskrit word equivalent of God Realization is samadhi).

Reincarnation: To be reborn on earth after death. Hinduism teaches that the true identity of each person is their immortal soul–atma. The soul was created by God and is born on earth to live it’s life in a physical body so it can evolve spiritually. After the physical body dies the soul returns to heaven from whence it came. In heaven it continues its spiritual learning and prepares for another life on earth. When the right time comes, which is determined by the karmas the soul will face in the next life on earth, the soul is reborn on earth. Thus the cycle of birth, death and rebirth repeats itself. When moksha, which is salvation or spiritual liberation is achieved, the soul is freed from the cycle of reincarnation and lives eternally in heaven until it reunites completely with God.

Rishi: “Seer.” An enlightend person and spiritual visionary. In the ancient Vedic times, rishis lived simple lives while meditating on God, often living alone or with disciples in forest or mountain retreats. They were the inspired conveyers of the Vedas to mankind.

Rudra: A form of God Shiva. Usually described as the form of God as the Destroyer.

Rudraksha: Literally, the tears of God. It is a name given to a tree. The rudraksha tree produces a blue spherical fruit that contains a woody seed pod. This seed pod is patterned with grooves and is strung as beads to to form a rosary. It is especially sacred to devotees of Lord Shiva. In Ayurvedic medicine rudraksha fruit is used to make concoctions that is said to be good for the heart. The english name for the tree is the blue marble tree, which is representative of the abundance of bright blue fruits that the tree produces.