Glossary of Sanskrit Terms

Sanskrit words are used freely by devotees and throughout Srila Prabhupada's books. This glossary gives short definitions of the ones a newcomer meets first. Diacritical marks are omitted, following the rest of this site, so Krsna is pronounced "Krishna," Visnu "Vishnu," and sastra "shastra." Each of Srila Prabhupada's books carries its own fuller glossary.

Acarya

one who teaches by his own example; a spiritual master

Ahimsa

nonviolence

Ananda

spiritual bliss

Arati

the ceremony of worship in which incense, a lamp, water, cloth, flowers, and a fan are offered to the Lord while devotees sing. See How to Offer Arati at Home.

Arca-vigraha

the form of God manifested through material elements, as in a painting or statue of Krsna worshipped at home or in the temple. Present in this form, the Lord accepts worship from His devotees.

Asrama

the four spiritual orders according to the Vedic social system: brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. Sometimes refers to living quarters.

Asura

a person opposed to the service of the

Atma

the self ; soul

Avatara

"one who descends" - a fully or partially empowered incarnation of God who descends from the spiritual world for a particular mission.

Bhagavan

"He who possesses all opulences" the Supreme Lord, who is the reservoir of all beauty, strength, fame, wealth, knowledge and renunciation.

Bhagavatam

the Bhagavat Purana, written by Vyasadeva specifically to give a deep understanding of Lord Sri Krsna.

Bhakta / Bhaktin

devotee of the Lord (sometimes refers to a new devotee/not initiated)

Bhakti-yoga

devotional service- highest form of yoga

Bhoga

food that has not yet been offered to Krsna; a devotee does not eat bhoga.

Brahma

the first created being of the universe; directed by Lord Visnu, he creates all life forms in the universe and rules the modes of passion.

Brahma-samhita

prayers offered by Lord Brahma to Lord Krsna, discovered by Caitanya Mahaprabhu in South India.

Brahmacari

a celibate student

Brahmajyoti

the spiritual effulgence emanating from the transcendental body of Lord Krsna and illuminating the spiritual world.

Brahman

1) the individual soul 2) the impersonal, all pervasive aspect of the Supreme 3) the Supreme Personality of Godhead 4) the maha-tattva, or total material existence

Brahmana

a member of the most intelligent class of men, according to the four Vedic occupational divisions of society

Caitanya-caritamrta

the biography of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu composed in Bengali in the late 16th century by Krsnadas Kaviraja.

Candala

dog-eater; outcaste

Dandavat

"like a stick"; full obeisances offered by lying flat on the ground.

Das / Dasi

servant (devotees place this after their initiated name to always be a reminder that they are servants of the spiritual master and Krsna.

Deva

a demigod or godly person

Ekadasi

the eleventh day after the full and new moon, on which devotees fast from grains and beans. See Ekadasi and the Vaisnava Calendar.

Garuda

the man-bird carrier of

Goloka

Krsnaloka, the eternal abode of

Gopi

cowherd maiden (eternal consorts of

Goraksha

cow protection

Goswami

the leader of the six Goswamis of Vrndavana, principal followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Grhastha

a married person living according to the

Guru

spiritual master

Japa

soft chanting of the maha-mantra on a string of 108 beads. See How to Chant Japa.

Jiva

living entity, eternal individual soul

Kali-Yuga

"Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy" which began 5,000 years ago

Karma

material activities, for which one incurs subsequent reactions

Karmi

one engaged in fruitive activities (karma); a materialist

Kirtana

congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord, usually with instruments and dancing.

Krsna

all-attractive; the Supreme

Lila

a transcendental pastime or activity performed by the

Loka

planet

Maha-Mantra

the "great mantra": Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare

Mahaprabhu

Lord Krsna's incarnation in the age of Kali, who appeared in Navadwipa, West Bengal, in the late 15th century and inaugurated the yuga-dharma (prime religious dispensation for the age)-the congregational chanting of the divine names of God.

Mahat-tattva

the total material energy

Mahatma

"great soul", a liberated person who is fully

Mangala-arati

the first arati of the day, offered before sunrise; "auspicious worship."

Mantra

a transcendental sound or

Manu

the demigod who is the father of mankind

Mataji

"mother"; the respectful form of address for a female devotee.

Maya

illusion; the energy of the Supreme Lord that deludes living entities into forgetfulness of their spiritual nature and of

Mayavadi

impersonalist

Mukti

liberation from material existence

Narayana

the four-armed form of Lord Krsna who presides over the Vaikuntha planets; Lord

Om (Omkara)

the sacred syllable that represents the

Paramatma

the Supersoul; the localized aspect of the Supreme Lord; the indwelling witness and guide who accompanies every conditioned soul.

Parampara

disciplic succession

Prabhu

"master"; the respectful form of address for a male devotee.

Prabhupada

"one at whose feet the masters sit"; the title of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, founder-acarya of the Hare Krishna movement.

Prajalpa

idle talk about mundane subjects; one of the six things unfavorable to devotional service.

Prasadam

sanctified food; food/flowers/incense offered in devotion to

Prema

pure, spontaneous devotional love of

Purana

history told in story form

Radharani

Krsna's eternal consort, devotional service personified

Rama

1) a name of Lord Krsna meaning "the source of all pleasure" 2) Lord Ramacandra, an incarnation of Krsna as a perfect righteous king.

Sac-cid-ananda

eternal, blissful and full of knowledge.

Sadhana

regulated daily spiritual practice: rising early, chanting, worship, reading, and offering food.

Sadhu

a saint or

Samsara

the cycle of repeated birth and death in the material world

Sanatana-Dharma

the eternal religion; devotional service

Sankirtana

the congregational chanting of the holy names in public, and by extension the distribution of Srila Prabhupada's books.

Sannyasa

the renounced order of life for spiritual culture

Sastra

revealed scriptures

Siva

the demigod who supervises the material mode of ignorance and who annihilates the material cosmos.

Sri

beautiful

Sudra

a member of the laborer class of men

Tilaka

the clay markings devotees apply to twelve places on the body to mark it as a temple of Visnu. See Putting On Tilak.

Tulasi

the sacred plant, a pure devotee of Krsna, worshiped daily by devotees; her wood is used for japa beads and neck beads.

Upanisads

108 philosophical treatises that appear within the

Vaikunthas

the eternal spiritual planets of the spiritual world

Vaisnava

a devotee of the

Vaisya

a member of the mercantile and agricultural class

Vanaprastha

a man who has retired from householder life to cultivate greater renunciation

Varnasrama-dharma

the Vedic social system, which organizes society into four occupational and four spiritual divisions (varnas and asramas)

Vedas

the four original scriptures (Rg, Sama, Atharva and

Visnu

the Supreme

Vrndavan

the transcendental abode of Lord Krsna. It is also called Goloka Vrndavana or Krsnaloka. the town of Vrndavana in the Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh, India, where Krsna appeared five thousand years ago, is a manifestation on earth of Krsna's abode in the spiritual world.

Vyasadeva

the compiler of the Vedas and author of the Puranas, Mahabharata and Vedanta-sutra.

Yajna

sacrifice

Yamaraja

the demigod who punishes the sinful after death

Yoga

spiritual discipline to link oneself with the

Yuga

"age" there are four yugas, which cycle perpetually: Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga and Kali-yuga. As the ages proceed from Satya to Kali, religion and the good qualities of men gradually decline.