Hinduism Glossary Terms

Rama Navami

Rama Navami is the annual festival celebrating the birth of Rama and his marriage to Sita. It is observed on the ninth day (navami) of the waxing fortnight of the lunar month of March/April.

Ramakrishna (1836-86) was a Bengali mystic, a devotee of the Goddess Kali, who also venerated his wife, Sarada Devi, as Holy Mother. In his spiritual experience, he claimed to have had the supreme mystical “God-realization” of many religious traditions...

Ramakrishna Mission

The Ramakrishna Mission, headquartered at Belur Math in Calcutta, was founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1897. Named after Vivekananda’s mystic teacher, Ramakrishna (1836-86), its “mission” has been to revitalize the Hindu tradition for the task of service...

Ramayana

The Ramayana is a Hindu epic telling the story of Rama, the heir-apparent to the throne of Ayodhya who was forced into exile by a court rivalry. Obedient to dharma, Rama left for life in the forest with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana. After Sita...

Ratha Yatra

The Ratha Yatra is a “Chariot Pilgrimage,” a festive celebration during which the image of one of the Gods is taken out of the temple and into the streets for a procession. The images consecrated for this purpose are special festival images or...

Ravidas

Ravidas was a 16th century poet and singer, an outcaste or untouchable whose vision of bhakti, the devotional love of the Supreme, leveled all caste distinctions. His songs are loved by many, especially those who have been considered untouchables. The...

Rig Veda

The Rig Veda is a collection of more than 1,000 hymns dating in its oral form to at least 1,200 B.C.E. The hymns are addressed to a variety of Vedic gods, with many invoking Agni, the sacred fire. It is the oldest of the four samhitas, “collections,”...

sabha

Sabha is a general term for an assembly, a council, or the hall in which such an assembly meets.

sadhu

In the religious traditions of India, a sadhu is a holy man, an ascetic who has renounced the world. In the Jain tradition monks (sadhus) and nuns (sadhvis) are also called munis, literally the “silent” holy ones. Traditionally, they are supposed to move...

Sarasvati

Sarasvati is the Goddess of learning, arts, and music, often depicted seated on a white swan and holding a vina, a stringed musical instrument. She is honored by many Hindus during the days of Navaratri, the “Nine Nights” of the Goddess. Students will...

satsang

Satsang literally means the “community of the good,” and refers to those who gather together in a religious community for chanting, singing devotional songs called bhajans, study, or community worship.

Satyanarayana Vratam

Satyanarayana Vratam is one of the most popular of today’s vratas, which are religious observances done in fulfillment of a vow. Vratas are usually rites of well-being, which involve fasting, ritual, and the recitation of the paradigmatic story. They are...

Shaiva

(also: Saiva; Shaivite) Shaivism is the name for the tradition of those who worship Shiva, one of the great Gods of the Hindu tradition. Shaiva is an adjective describing that tradition or form of worship. A Shaivite is one who follows Shiva. There are...

Shakta

Shakta is an adjective which means relating to the Goddess or the worship of the Goddess, also known as Shakti, a term which means power or energy. As a noun, a Shakta is a person who worships the Goddess.

Shankara

Shankara was the 9th century philosopher who was one of the premier exponents of non-dualistic Vedanta, Advaita Vedanta. His commentaries on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras are well known. He is also credited with organizing Hindu...

Shiva

Shiva is one of the great Gods of the Hindu tradition. The name Shiva means the “Auspicious One,” although Shiva deliberately embraces and transcends what is considered inauspicious as well. He is also called Mahadeva, the “Great Lord,” or Vishvanatha...

Shiva Ratri

Shivaratri or Maha Shivaratri is the “Great Night of Shiva,” the year’s most important celebration of Shiva. It was on this night, they say, that Shiva burst forth from the earth as a shaft of sheer light so that the gods and people could worship the...

Shrinathji

Shrinathji is the form of Lord Krishna enshrined at the great temple of the Pushti Marga tradition at Nathdvara in Rajasthan. Shrinathji is beloved especially as the divine child Krishna, but is also understood as the Supreme Lord who has entrusted...

Siddha Yoga Dham

Siddha Yoga Dham Associates (SYDA) was launched by Swami Muktananda (1908-1982) in 1974. Siddha Yoga teaches that each individual has an inner transformative energy, or shakti, that is dormant within. The Siddha Guru can awaken this spiritual energy...

Sita

Sita is the faithful wife of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana. Sita followed him into exile in the forest and was abducted by the demon Ravana. Rama’s search for Sita and his battle to retrieve her form much of the epic story of the Ramayana. She is...

stotra

A stotra is a hymn of praise to one of the Gods, usually sung or chanted in Sanskrit.

swami

Swami means “master” or “lord.” In the Hindu and Jain traditions of India it is used as a title of respect for deities, gurus (spiritual teachers), and sadhus (ascetics).

Swami, Pramukh

Since 1971, Pramukh Swami has been the spiritual leader of the worldwide Bochanasanwasi Swaminarayan Sanstha. He is the spiritual successor in a divine lineage that extends back to Swaminarayan in the 19th century. He is also the administrative leader of...

Swaminarayan

The Swaminarayan Hindu movement began in early 19th century Gujarat with a religious and social reformer named Sahajanand Swami. It is a devotional bhakti movement, focusing on Vishnu in the form of Krishna and Radha and also on Sahajanand Swami himself...

Tirupati

The hilltop temple of Sri Venkatesvara at Tirupati in southern Andhra Pradesh is one of the most popular of all Hindu pilgrimage destinations. Several million Hindus come to Tirupati every year and the Tirupati Tirumalai Devasthanams has lent its support...

upadhyaya

In the religious traditions of India, an upadhyaya is a teacher or preceptor.

upanayana

The upanayana is the rite of passage in which one “draws near” the guru (teacher) to begin learning the sacred Vedas. During the ceremony, each boy has his head shaved, receives the sacred Gayatri Mantra, and receives the “sacred thread,” a cord worn...

Upanishads

The Upanishads, dating largely from the 8th to the 6th centuries BCE, are the “wisdom literature” of the Vedas. Most Upanishads take the form of dialogues between teachers and students. They turn from the rites of the fire altar that had been the main...

Vaishnava

A Vaishnava or Vaishnavite is a worshipper of Vishnu or one of Vishnu’s many forms, such as Krishna or Rama, as Supreme Lord. Vaishnava is also used to name the Hindu traditions of Vishnu worship, such as the Sri Vaishnava and the Gaudiya Vaishnava...

Vallabhacharya

Vallabha or Vallabhacharya (1479-1531) was the Hindu philosopher and devotee of Krishna who is seen as the founder of Pushti Marga movement, the path of grace.