Dharma means religion, religious duty, religious teaching. The word dharma comes from a Sanskrit root meaning “to uphold, support, bear,” thus dharma is that order of things which informs the whole world, from the laws of nature to the inner workings of conscience. For the Buddhist tradition, the Dharma (or Dhamma in Pali) refers especially to the teachings of the Buddha. This body of teachings constitutes one element of the “Three Jewels” in which Buddhists take refuge: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha (the community). For Hindus, dharma means righteous conduct, religious obligation, or religious duty—either the eternal obligations (sanatana dharma) incumbent upon all humankind, or the obligations specific to one’s caste and stage of life (varnashrama dharma).

Durga is one of the names of the Devi as consort of Shiva. Both a mother and a warrior, she is especially known for slaying the buffalo demon, Mahisha. Her autumn festival Durga puja or Navaratri is one of North India’s great celebrations.

Fire altars have played a central role in both Hindu and Zoroastrian religious rituals. In the Hindu tradition, fire altars were central to ancient Vedic religious life as the place where many yajnas or rituals were performed. The kindling of sacred fire at a fire altar continues to be central for many Hindu domestic rites, including marriage, and for public rites such as the consecration of a temple. In the ancient Zoroastrian tradition, the central rites called yasna were and are still performed in the presence of the purifying fire. In a fire temple the Afargan or fire vase rests upon the altar and contains the eternal fire in the presence of which Zoroastrians pray.

M.K. Gandhi (1869-1948) was one of the great religious leaders and social reformers of the 20th century. He came to be called Mahatma, the “Great Soul.” Born in western India in Gujarat, he studied law in London and then spent twenty years with the Indian diaspora community in South Africa, where he began his work of non-violent social change. Returning to India, he was a leader in the movement for independence from England, again resorting to non-violence, which he called satyagraha, “holding fast to Truth.” His ashrams included people of all religions and castes, including untouchables, and were models of a society where such divisions could be overcome.

Ganesha is the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati and the keeper of the thresholds of space and time, to be honored at the doorway and at the outset of any venture. He is both the “lord of beginnings” and the “remover of obstacles.”

Ganesha Chaturthi is the year’s great festival of Ganesha, celebrated most commonly on the fourth day (chaturthi) of the waning fortnight of the lunar month of August/September. At the Ganesha Temple in Queens, the day includes a procession of the festival image of Ganesha through the streets of Flushing. Many American temples observe Ganesha Chaturthi.

Goddess is a term used to refer to the female deity, either in the singular as the supreme divine reality, or in the plural as one of many particular or localized feminine deities. In the Hindu tradition, the Goddess refers to the very powerful, even supreme Goddess known variously as Durga, Kali, or simply Devi. In today’s Pagan traditions, the Goddess may refer to one of the ancient female deities such as Diana or Isis, or to the universal and supreme Goddess known under many names.

Guru puja is the honoring of the guru or teacher with puja, or ritual devotion.

Guru Purnima is a yearly observance honoring the guru or teacher. It falls on the full moon day (purnima) of the lunar month of July/August.

A gurukulam is a residential school or training center where a guru teaches; literally, it means the family (kulam) of the guru.

Hanuman is Lord Rama’s foremost devotee and servant. In the epic Ramayana, Hanuman plays a key role in the rescue of Rama’s wife, Sita, after she had been abducted by the demon-king, Ravana. In Hindu temples Hanuman is always present, on bended knee, at Rama’s altar. He is, in many ways, worshipped more widely than Rama, for it is common to worship Rama through his closest servant.

Hatha yoga is a form of yoga or spiritual/physical discipline giving special attention to the postures and breathing exercises that release and control the energies of the body. The term is often used in the West to refer to the physical-fitness aspects of yoga.

A haveli is a stately house or palace, a Pushti Marga temple. In this devotional sect founded by the teacher (acharya) Vallabha, Krishna dwells in the household of the teachers. In the Swaminarayan tradition, a haveli is the residence for female ascetics.

“Hindu” was originally a word given by the Greeks, then the Persians, to the land and peoples beyond the Indus or “Sindhu” River. The term “Hinduism” came into common use only in the 19th century to describe a complex and dynamic pattern of life and practice. The Hindu tradition is more an ethos than a set of beliefs. It includes three major streams of Hindu devotion—Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta—and a number of distinctive philosophical traditions. Despite great sectarian diversity, there are Hindu assumptions about life that do have common, although not universal, currency. the universe is permeated with the Divine, a reality often described as Brahman; the Divine can be known in many names and forms; this reality is deeply and fully present within the human soul; the soul’s journey to full self-realization is not accomplished in a single lifetime, but takes many lifetimes; one’s course through life after life is shaped by one’s deeds.

Holi is a Hindu springtime festival, marked by rituals of revelry including “playing” with colored powder which celebrants throw on one another. In some temples Krishna participates by throwing the colors on his devotees. Holi falls on the first day of the waning fortnight of the lunar month of March/April.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), often referred to as the Hare Krishna movement, was founded by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) who brought his tradition of devotion to Krishna to the United States in 1965. This form of devotion emphasizes the powerful simplicity of chanting the Lord’s name to express and realize love of God. ISKCON communities are strictly vegetarian and observe a rigorous daily schedule of worship and chanting.

Jagannatha is Krishna as “Lord of the Universe,” especially as he is present in the simple, saucer-eyed wooden form worshipped in the pilgrimage town of Puri in the Indian state of Orissa and beloved by worshippers of Krishna both in India and the West. The images of Krishna Jagannatha, his sister Subhadra, and his brother Balarama, are pulled through the streets of American cities in ISKCON’s annual Chariot Festivals.

Krishna Janmashtami is the Hindu festival celebrating the birth (janma) of Lord Krishna on the eighth day (ashtami) of the waning fortnight of the lunar month of August/September.

Japa is the devotional repetition of a sacred syllable, mantra, or divine name, either aloud or to oneself. Some devotees count each repetition on a mala or rosary.

Jnana is wisdom, transforming knowledge, especially the knowledge of the identity of the atman or soul and the ultimate reality of Brahman. It is this inner realization to which the teachings of the Upanishads point, and it is this wisdom which is explicated in philosophical systems such as Advaita Vedanta.

Kabir was a late 15th and early 16th century poet-saint of North India who glimpsed and praised the one, formless God who could not be confined within the religious establishments of either the Hindus or the Muslims. Kabir’s songs are still widely known and loved and some of them are included among the songs of the saints in the Sikh scripture, the Adi Granth.

Karma yoga means the spiritual discipline (yoga) of action (karma): active engagement with the concerns and affairs of the world, but with a spirit of detachment or renunciation, action without any ego-attachment to its fruits or results. In the Bhagavad Gita karma yoga is placed alongside inner realization (jnana) and expressive devotion (bhakti) as one of the main spiritual paths.

Kashmir Shaivism is a non-dualist philosophical and ritual tradition, beginning in about the 10th century in Kashmir.

In the religious traditions of India the term kirtan refers to singing the praises of God in communal worship.

Krishna is one of the most beloved of Hindu Gods, sometimes called an avatara of Vishnu, but widely worshipped in his own right as the Supreme Lord. The stories of Krishna gather together the ancient and heroic cowherd god of India, the adviser to Arjuna and teacher of the Bhagavad Gita, the divine child, and the playful lover of the milkmaids of Vraj.

Kumbhabhishekam means the “sprinkling” (abhishekam) of the temple with sacred waters carried in a “water-pot” (kumbha). This consecration rite is the most important ritual in the life of a newly built Hindu temple. The main rites ordinarily take place in a large tent erected adjacent to the new temple. There brick fire altars are constructed so that offerings may be made into the fire by priests as they chant mantras and sacred texts. The Divine is invoked into the fire, into the water, and then the consecrated waters are sprinkled over the temple cupolas and towers, making the entire temple a dwelling of the Divine.

Kundalini is a powerful spiritual energy, understood to be concentrated at the base of the spine like a coiled serpent. The discipline of releasing and raising that energy to the head where it transforms one’s consciousness is called kundalini yoga, a spiritual regimen common to some Hindu and Buddhist traditions, as well as to the Sikh Dharma taught by Yogi Bhajan.

Lakshmi is the goddess who embodies auspiciousness, wealth, and good fortune. She is often regarded as a wife of Vishnu or Narayana and is worshipped especially in the fall festival of lights called Divali.

The Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, also called Narayana, are worshipped together as the Divine couple.

The Laws of Manu constitute one of the classic sources of teaching about Dharma in the Hindu tradition. Dating to the period from about 200 BCE to 200 CE, this articulation of law or dharma begins with the story of creation and then covers such subjects as the duties and responsibilities of each of the castes (varnas) and each of the stages of life (ashramas), the special responsibilities of kings and of women, and the consequences of infractions against dharma.