Key Terms in Hinduism:

  • atman:  Hindu concept of the eternal soul
  • avatar:  Hindu concept of the incarnation or earthly manifestation of a deity
  • Bhagavad-Gita:  Sanskrit for 'Song of the Lord'; this text is regarded as the crowning achievement of Hindu sacred literature
  • bhakti:  Hindu concept of devotional service to a personal god.  Bhakti-yoga is one of the principal paths to liberation taught in Hinduism.
  • Brahma:  Hindu god of creation
  • Brahman:  Hindu concept for the spiritual oneness of all reality
  • Brahmin:  Priestly caste of Indian society
  • caste:  literally means, 'race'; the stratified system of social classes in traditional Hindu society
  • guru:  in Hinduism, refers to a spiritual teacher
  • jiva:  in Hinduism, refers to the physical/psychological/social 'self' which acts, but which is not eternal
  • Krishna:  Incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, who appears as a main character in the Bhagavad-Gita
  • maya:  Hindu concept of false or illusory reality
  • meditation: focused, disciplined concentration intended to enable experience of the sacred
  • moksha:  release from the cycle of death and rebirth in Indian religions; liberation
  • samsara:  Sanskrit for 'the cycle of rebirth'
  • Shiva:  Hindu god of destruction and rejuvenation
  • untouchables:  in traditional Hindu society, those 'below' the caste system, and thus not embers of any of the four castes.  Also called 'outcasts.'  Mahatma Gandhi called the untouchables harijan, which means 'children of God.'
  • Upanishads:  Philosophical materials in the Vedic literature
  • Vedas:  literally means, 'knowledge'; applies to the entire collection of Indian sacred literature, including the Upanishads
  • Vishnu: Hindu god of preservation and love; appears on earth on verious forms (avatars) in times of crisis
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