ABHIMÁNA. Inflated ego.
ÁCÁRYA or ÁCÁRYÁ. Spiritual teacher qualified to teach all lessons of meditation.
ADHARMA. That which goes against DHARMA.
ÁGAMA AND NIGAMA. Nigama means questions on spiritual topics; or the theoretical side of TANTRA. Agama means answers to the questions; or the practical, applied, side of TANTRA.
AHAḾKÁRA. Pride.
AHAḾTATTVA. Doer “I”, ego, second mental subjectivity.
ÁNANDA. Divine bliss.
ANANDA MARGA. Path of divine bliss; Ananda Márga Pracáraka Saḿgha (Ananda Marga organization).
ÁSANA. The third limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga. Ásanas: postures for curing physical problems, especially those that interfere with SÁDHANÁ.
ÁTMÁ, ÁTMAN. Soul, consciousness, PURUŚA, pure cognition. The átman of the Cosmos is PARAMÁTMAN, and that of the unit is the JIIVÁTMAN.
AVADHÚTA or AVADHÚTIKÁ. A monk or nun of an order close to the tradition of Shaeva Tantra. Literally, “one who is thoroughly cleansed mentally and spiritually”.
AVIDYÁ SHAKTI. Centrifugal, or extroversial, force; force of repulsion from the Nucleus Consciousness; aspect of the Cosmic Operative Principle which guides movements from the subtle to the crude. See also VIDYÁ SHAKTI.

BHAGAVÁN. Lord.
BHAKTI. Devotion.
BHAKTI YOGA. Devotional form of spiritual practice.
BHAVA. The expressed universe; that part of one’s SAḾSKÁRAs which carries one to the next life.
BHÁVA. Idea, ideation, mental flow.
BIIJA MANTRA. Acoustic root; particular sound vibration from which a particular type of action stems.
BRAHMA. Supreme Entity comprising both PURUŚA, or SHIVA, and PRAKRTI, or SHAKTI.
BRAHMA CAKRA. The Cosmic Cycle – the cycle of creation out of Consciousness, and dissolution back into Consciousness, through SAIṊCARA and PRATISAIṊCARA.
BRÁHMAŃA (BRAHMAN). The uppermost social group in India, who traditionally perform priestly functions or live by intellectual labour.

CAKRA. Cycle or circle; psycho-spiritual centre, or plexus. The cakras in the human body are all located along the suśumná canal which passes through the length of the spinal column and extends up to the crown of the head. Some cakras, however, are associated with external concentration points. The concentration points for the cakras: (1) for the múládhára cakra, the base of the spine, above the perineum; (2) for the svádhiśt́hána, the base of the genital organ; (3) for the mańipura, the navel; (4) for the anáhata, the mid-point of the chest; (5) for the vishuddha, the throat; (6) for the ájiṋá, between the eyebrows; and (7) for the sahasrára, the crown of the head.
CITTA. Done “I”, objective “I”, objective mind, mind-stuff.

DEVA. Mythologically, a god, a deity. Philosophically, any vibration, or expression, emanating from the Cosmic Nucleus.
DEVATÁ. Mythologically, a god or goddess. Philosophically, a minor expression of a DEVA, controlled and supervised by the deva. (Deva and devatá are sometimes used interchangeably.)
DEVII. A goddess, a female deity.
DHÁRAŃÁ. The sixth limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga. Restricting the flow of mind to particular points in the body; conception. (Tattva Dhárańá means restricting the flow of mind to, or conception of, the fundamental factors.)
DHARMA. Characteristic property; spirituality; the path of righteousness in social affairs.
DHYÁNA. Seventh limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga; meditation in which the psyche is directed towards Consciousness.
DHYEYA. Object of meditation.

GAORAVA. Self-aggrandizement.
GUŃA. Binding factor or principle; attribute; quality. PRAKRTI, the Cosmic Operative Principle, is composed of: sattvaguńa, the sentient principle; rajoguńa, the mutative principle; and tamoguńa, the static principle.

IISHVARA. The Cosmic Controller; literally, “the Controller of all controllers”.
INDRIYA. One of the ten sensory and motor organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin; and hands, feet, vocal cord, genital organ and excretory organ). The eye indriya (for example) comprises the eye itself, the optical nerve, the fluid in the nerve, and the location in the brain at which the visual stimulus is transmitted to the ectoplasm, or mind-stuff.

JAPA. Repetition of mantra, incantation.
JIIVA. An individual being.
JIIVÁTMÁ, JIIVÁTMAN. See ÁTMÁ.
JIṊÁNA. Knowledge; understanding.
JIṊÁNA YOGA. A form of spiritual practice which aims at self-realization through the path of knowledge.
JIṊÁNII. A SÁDHAKA who follows the path of knowledge or discrimination.

KALÁ. Flow with curvature, in a stage of the Cosmic Cycle dominated by the mutative principle.
KAOLA. One who practises kula sádhaná and is adept at raising one’s own KUŃD́ALINII.
KÁPÁLIKA SÁDHANÁ. A form of spiritual practice which causes the aspirant to confront and overcome all the inherent fetters and enemies of the human mind.
KARMA. Action; sometimes, positive or negative action which produces SAḾSKÁRAs.
KARMA YOGA. A form of spiritual practice which aims at self-realization through the path of selfless action.
KIIRTANA. Collective singing of the name of the Lord, sometimes combined with a dance that expresses the spirit of surrender.
KŚATRIYA. The second-highest social group in India, who traditionally discharge military functions.
KUŃD́ALINII, KULAKUŃD́ALINII. Literally, “coiled serpentine”; sleeping divinity; the force dormant in the kula (lowest vertebra) of the body, which, when awakened, rises up the spinal column to develop all one’s spiritual potentialities.

MAHÁKAOLA. A Tantric guru who can raise not only His own KUŃD́ALINII, but those of others also.
MAHÁTTATTVA. “I” (“I am,” “I exist”) feeling, existential “I”. MANTRA. A sound or collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, will lead to spiritual liberation. A mantra is incantative, pulsative, and ideative.
MANTRA CAETANYA. The awakening of a mantra; conceptual understanding of and psychic association with a mantra.
MARGI. A member of ANANDA MARGA.
MÁYÁ. Creative Principle, i.e., PRAKRTI in Her phase of creation. One aspect of Máyá is the power to cause the illusion that the finite created objects are the ultimate truth.
MOKŚA. Spiritual emancipation, non-qualified liberation.
MUDRÁ. Meaningful gesture (an inseparable part of Oriental classical dance).
MUKTI. Spiritual liberation.
MUNI. A saintly person devoted to intellectual pursuits.

NÁRÁYAŃA. The Supreme Entity; literally, “the Lord of Nára (PRAKRTI)”.
NIGAMA. See ÁGAMA and NIGAMA.
NIRGUŃA BRAHMA. BRAHMA unaffected by the GUŃAS; Non-Qualified
Brahma.

OṊM, OṊḾKÁRA. The sound of the first vibration of creation; the biija mantra (acoustic root) of the expressed universe. Oṋḿkára literally means “the sound oṋm”.

PARAMA PURUŚA. Supreme Consciousness.
PARAMASHIVA. See PURUŚOTTAMA.
PARAMÁ PRAKRTI. Supreme Operative Principle.
PARAMÁTMÁ, PARAMÁTMAN. Supreme Consciousness in the role of witness of His own macropsychic conation. Paramátman comprises: (1) PURUŚOTTAMA, the Macrocosmic Nucleus; (2) Puruśottama’s association with all creation in His extroversive movement (prota yoga); and (3) Puruśottama’s association with each unit creation individually (ota yoga) and (4) with all collectively (prota yoga) in His introversive movement.
PARÁGATI. Supreme Desideratum, “where the journey of finite entities ends”.
PARIPRASHNA. A question on a spiritual topic.
PÁPA. Sin.
PÁPII. Sinner.
PRAKRTI. Cosmic Operative Principle.
PRATISAIṊCARA. In the Cosmic Cycle, the step-by-step introversion and subtilization of consciousness from the state of solid matter to the Nucleus Consciousness. (Prati means “counter” and saiṋcara means “movement”.)
PRATIŚT́HÁ. Social status.
PRÁŃÁYÁMA. The fourth limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga: process of controlling vital energy by controlling the breath.
PRATIIKA. Emblem.
PRATYÁHÁRA. Fifth limb of aśtáḿga (eight-limbed) yoga; withdrawing the mind from absorption in the physical senses.
PUŃYA. Virtue.
PURASHCARAŃA. Upward movement of the KULAKUŃD́ALINII from múládhára CAKRA to sahasrára cakra, including the phases of mantrágháta and MANTRA CAETANYA.
PURUŚA. Consciousness.
PURUŚOTTAMA or PARAMASHIVA. The Nucleus Consciousness, the witness of saiṋcara and PRATISAIṊCARA.

QUINQUELEMENTAL. Composed of the ethereal, aerial, luminous, liquid, and solid factors, or elements.

RAJOGUŃA. See GUŃAS.
RŚI. Sage; one who, by inventing new things, broadens the path of progress of human society.

SADÁSHIVA. SHIVA (literally, “Eternal Shiva”).
SAGUŃA BRAHMA. BRAHMA affected by the GUŃAS; Qualified Brahma.
SÁDHAKA. Spiritual practitioner.
SÁDHANÁ. Literally, “sustained effort”; spiritual practice; meditation.
SÁDHU. Virtuous person, spiritual aspirant. See also SÁDHAKA.
SAHASRÁRA. See CAKRA.
SAMÁDHI. “Absorption” of the unit mind into the Cosmic Mind (savikalpa samádhi) or into the Átman (nirvikalpa samádhi).
SAḾSKÁRA. Mental reactive momentum, potential mental reaction.
SANNYÁSII or SANNYÁSINII. A renunciate; literally, “one who has surrendered one’s everything to the Cosmic will” or “one who ensconces oneself in SAT, the Unchangeable Entity”.
SAT, SATYA, SATYAM. “That which undergoes no change”; Absolute Reality.
SATTVAGUŃA. See GUŃAS.
SHÁKTA. A follower of Sháktácára, the Shakti Cult; hence, any aspirant who embodies the characteristics of Sháktácára, especially the judicious application of power.
SHAKTI. PRAKRTI; energy; a deification of PRAKRTI.
SHAMBHÚLIUNGA. Fundamental positivity.
SHÁSTRA. Scripture.
SHIVA. A great Tantric guru of 5000 B.C. who guided society while His mind was absorbed in Consciousness; hence, Infinite Consciousness, PURUŚA.
SHLOKA. A Sanskrit couplet expressing one idea.
SIDDHA MANTRA. A mantra “perfected” by the guru.
SVABHÁVA. Characteristics, one’s own nature; nature.
SVAYAMBHÚLIUNGA. Ultimate point of negativity, or crudity, in the human body.

TAMOGUŃA. See GUŃAS.
TÁŃD́AVA. A vigorous dance for male spiritual aspirants, originally formulated by SHIVA. It develops the glands in a way that enhances courage and fearlessness. When Shiva Himself does this dance (Shiva Nát́arája), the dance becomes a metaphor in which Supreme Consciousness sends vibrations throughout the universe and causes all objects of the universe in turn to radiate vibrations.
TANMÁTRA. Literally, “minutest fraction of that,” i.e., of a given rudimental factor of matter. Also translated “generic essence” or “inferential wave”. The various types of tanmátra convey the senses of hearing, touch, form (vision), taste and smell.
TANTRA. A spiritual tradition which originated in India in prehistoric times and was first systematized by SHIVA. It emphasizes the development of human vigour, both through meditation and through confrontation of difficult external situations, to overcome all fears and weaknesses. Also, a scripture expounding that tradition.
TÁRAKA BRAHMA. Supreme Entity in Its liberating aspect.

VÁMÁCÁRA TANTRA. A school of Tantra that attempts to overcome MÁYÁ by fight, but without any clear goal.
VEDA. Literally, “knowledge”; hence, a composition imparting spiritual knowledge. Also, a religious or philosophical school which originated among the Aryans and was brought by them to India. It is based on the VEDAs and emphasizes the use of ritual to gain the intervention of the gods.
VIDYÁ SHAKTI. Centripetal, or introversial, force; force of attraction to the Nucleus Consciousness; aspect of the Cosmic Operative Principle which guides movements from the crude to the subtle. See also AVIDYÁ SHAKTI.
VIIRÁCÁRII. A follower of Viirácára Tantra; a Tantric who adopts a particularly “heroic” ideation while seeking to confront and overcome all mental weaknesses.
VRTTI. Mental propensity.