Words in this glossary have been alphabetized according to the English alphabet, not the Bengali. Accented letters have been treated the same as unaccented (e.g., Á the same as A).

ÁJIṊÁ CAKRA. Sixth psycho-spiritual plexus, located between the eyebrows; the “yogic wisdom eye”. See also CAKRA.
ANÁHATA CAKRA. Fourth psycho-spiritual plexus, located at the midpoint of the chest; “yogic heart”. See also CAKRA.
ANANDA MARGA. Path of divine bliss; Ánanda Márga Pracáraka Saḿgha (Ananda Marga organization).
ANANDANAGAR. Situated in the hilly terrain of Purulia District (West Bengal), in the midst of beautiful natural surroundings, this is the registered headquarters of Ananda Marga where multifarious welfare activities such as education, relief, ecological preservation, integrated village development, etc., are conducted. Many old Tantra piit́has (spiritual meditation sites) are situated here.
ATHARVAVEDA. The last Veda, composed approximately 3000 years ago, older than the Jain scriptures.
ÁTMÁ, ÁTMAN. Soul, consciousness, Puruśa, pure cognition. The átman of the Cosmos is Paramátman, and that of the unit is the jiivátman.

BHAGAVÁN. The owner of bhaga, one who has fully imbibed the six qualities; Lord.
BHAJANA. Devotional song.
BRAHMA. Supreme Entity, comprising both Puruśa, or
SHIVA, and Prakrti, or Shakti.
BUDDHA. One who has attained bodhi, intuition. Lord Buddha , the propounder of Buddhism, appeared approximately 2500 years ago.

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: (1) for the múládhára cakra, the base of the spine, above the perineum; (2) for the svádhiśt́hána, the genital organ; (3) for the mańipura, the navel; (4) for the anáhata, the midpoint 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. There are two other cakras which are needed in higher spiritual practice, so the cakras are nine in number.

DEVA. Mythologically, a God, a deity; philosophically, any vibration, or expression, emanating from the Cosmic Nucleus.
DHARMA. Characteristic property; spirituality; the path of righteousness in social affairs.

GANDHARVA. One of the seven devayonis, or luminous bodies, disembodied entities having a structure composed of three factors only – luminous, aerial and ethereal. The type of person who is good but has a longing for music, will be a gandharva in their next life. This is the reason that music is called gandharva vidyá. Also, a class of positive microvita.

HARA. The entity which is instrumental for the withdrawal of everything. The word is derived from ha and ra – ha is the acoustic root of the ethereal factor and ra is the acoustic root of energy; another name of Lord Shiva.
HARI. Literally, “that which steals”; one who steals others’ sins to lighten their burden and pave the way for their liberation; another name of Parama Puruśa – the entity responsible for the preservation of unit beings.

IŚT́A. Goal; one’s personal deity or object of meditation, goal in life.

KARMA. Action; sometimes, positive or negative action which produces positive or negative reactive momenta.
KIIRTANA. Collective singing of the name of the Lord, combined with instrumental music and with a dance that expresses the spirit of surrender.
KINNARA/KINNARAH. Literally, “handsome or beautiful person”; one of the seven devayonis, or luminous bodies, disembodied entities having a structure composed of three factors only – luminous, aerial and ethereal. The type of person who is good but has some aesthetic attraction for beautification and physical objects such as ornaments and cosmetics, will be a kinnara in their next life. Also, a class of positive microvita.
KŚATRIYA. Written as kśatriya, a person whose mentality is to dominate over matter with physical power; written as “Kśatriya”, a member of the second-highest caste in India.
KŚATRIYOCITA SEVÁ. Serving others with courage and vigour.
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.
KRŚŃA. Literally, the entity which attracts everything of the universe towards its own self, Parama Puruśa; a great Tantric guru of 1500 BCE.

MANTRA. A sound or collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, will lead to spiritual liberation. A mantra is incantative, pulsative and ideative.
MOKŚA. Spiritual emancipation, non-qualified liberation.

PARAMA PURUŚA. Supreme Consciousness.
PÁRVATII. A wife of SHIVA and an elevated spiritualist.
PARAMÁ PRAKRTI. Supreme Operative Principle.
PADMÁ. A long and very big river passing through Bangladesh and West Bengal and emptying into the Bay of Bengal.

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

RÁŔH. The territory, mostly in modern-day Bengal and Jharkhand, stretching from the West Bank of the Bhagirathi river to the Parasnath hills.
RGVEDA. The oldest Veda, composed over the period between fifteen thousand years ago and ten thousand years ago.
RUDRA. Literally, “one who makes others shed tears”; a name of Shiva.

SADHANA. Literally, “ sustained effort”; spiritual practice; meditation.
SAHASRÁRA CAKRA. Highest, or pineal, psychic-nerve plexus, located at the crown of the head. See also CAKRA.
SAḾSKÁRA. Mental reactive momentum, potential mental reaction.
SAḾVRTA. The style of pronounciation prevailing in Bengal, Orissa; closed vowel.
SHIVA. A great Tantric guru of 5000 BCE who guided society while His mind was absorbed in Consciousness, hence, Infinite Consciousness, Puruśa.
SADÁSHIVA. SHIVA (literally, “eternal Shiva”).
SHAEVA DHARMA. Shaevism; the theoretical or philosophical side of spirituality as taught by Shiva.
SHLOKA. A Sanskrit couplet expressing one idea.
SHÚDRA. Written as shúdra, a person with a mentality of physical enjoyment only, a member of the labourer social class; written as “Shúdra”, a member of the lowest caste in India;
SHÚDROCITA SEVÁ. Manual service.
SIDDHA MANTRA. A mantra “perfected” by the guru.

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 tanmátras 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 weakness. Also, a scripture expounding that tradition.
TIRYAK. The style of pronunciation prevailing in southern and western India; distorted vowel.

VAESHYA. Written as vaeshya, a person of acquisitive mentality, a member of the capitalist social class; written as “Vaeshya”, a member of the second-lowest caste in India.
VAESHYOCITA SEVÁ. Giving economic service to others.
VAEŚŃAVA. Vaishnavite; pertaining to the Viśńu Cult or Religion.
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.
VIDYÁDHARA. One of the seven devayonis, or luminous bodies, disembodied entities having a structure composed of three factors only – luminous, aerial and ethereal. The type of person who is good but gives more importance to intellectual attainment than to realizing Parama Puruśa, will be a vidyádhara in their next life. Also, a class of positive microvita.
VIŚŃU. Literally, “entity which pervades each and every thing”; All-Pervading Entity; Preserving Entity; a mythological God.
VISHUDDHA CAKRA. Cakra related to the vocal cord and to the thyroid and parathyroid glands; controls sixteen propensities. See also CAKRA.
VIVRTA. The style of pronunciation prevailing in Western Uttar Pradesh; open vowel.

YAJURVEDA. A VEDA composed over a period between ten thousand years ago and seven thousand years ago. There was no script at that time.