Hinduism essential vocabulary

An individual's soul or self. The ultimate goal in Hinduism is to achieve moksha through the realization that one's Atman and Brahman are the same thing.

A manifestion of a god in an earthly form, usually that of a human or animal. The god Vishnu has two main ones: Krishna and Rama

section of the Mahabharata in which Krishna reveals himself to Arjuna and in a long theological discussion describes the main components of karma yoga.

• Ashram

• Bhagavad-Gita

• Brahman

• Kama

The power behind and within the cosmos that makes it function and live. Can also be seen as the Ultimate Reality. Sometimes it is thought of as a god. In the early Vedic religion, this was the focus of worship by the Brahmins. In classic and modern Hinduism it is rarely worshipped directly. One of the recurring goals in Hinduism is to understand the link between Brahman-the force behind the cosmos-and the Atman--the soul of each individual human.

• Mantra

• Karma

• Dharma

• Brahman

means virtue. In particular, it refers to the duties of a person's caste (varna and jati ) and and stage of life (varnashrama) the idea that it is virtuous always to fulfill those duties willingly and expertly

• Durga

• Dharma

• Karma

• puja

A goddess who is one of the wives of Shiva. She represents the wild, destructive character. She is often linked to death, wearing a necklace of human skulls, a skirt of human limbs, and with blood dripping from her weapons. At times, she can even overcome her husband.

• Parvati

• Lakshmi

• Durga

• Kali

An offering (usually flowers, food, adoration, music, etc.) to a god or goddess

• shakti

• samsara

• puja

• jiva

The god of good fortune. He takes away obstacles and brings success. This is the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati. He is sometimes called Ganapati.

• Durga

• Kali

• Sita

• Ganesha

Liberation or release from the cycle of death and rebirth, or samsara.

• moksha

• sannyasin

• shudra

• yoga

it literally means "yoke," as in a yoke used to harness oxen. It refers to an organized form of discipline that leads to a goal. This discipline usually involves practices of meditation, mental concentration, exercises of the body including both ones of control and asceticism. For this course, four types are important: karma, jnana, raja, and bhakti.

• jiva

• yoga

• puja

• ahimsa