ÁCÁRYA m. or ÁCÁRYÁ f. Spiritual teacher qualified to teach all lessons of meditation.
ANANDA MARGA. Path of divine bliss; Ánanda Márga Pracáraka Saḿgha (Ananda Marga organization).
ÁNANDA. Divine bliss.
APARA. Objective; controlled. See also PARA.
APARÁBHAKTI. Attraction to Apara Brahma, the expressed aspect of BRAHMA. See also PARÁBHAKTI.
ÁTMÁ, ÁTMAN. Soul, consciousness, PURUŚA, pure cognition. The átman of the Cosmos is PARAMÁTMAN, and that of the unit is the jiivátman.
AVADHÚTA m. or AVADHÚTIKÁ f. Literally, “one who is thoroughly cleansed mentally and spiritually”; a monk or nun of an order close to the tradition of Shaeva Tantra.
ÁVARAŃII SHAKTI. An expression of avidyá shakti, or AVIDYÁ, which one experiences as the delusion “If I do not think about the Supreme, the Supreme will not think about me either, and I will escape the consequences of my past actions.”
AVIDYÁ. Ignorance; 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.

BHAKTA. Devotee.
BHAKTI. Devotion.
BRAHMA. Supreme Entity, comprising both PURUŚA, or SHIVA, and PRAKRTI, or SHAKTI.

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.

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.)
DHARMA. Characteristic property; spirituality; the path of righteousness in social affairs.
DHYEYA. Object of meditation.

HLÁDINII SHAKTI, RÁDHIKÁ SHAKTI. An expression of vidyá shakti, or VIDYÁ, which one experiences as a desire to do something practical towards spiritual attainment.

JIIVA. An individual being.
JIIVÁTMÁ. See ÁTMÁ.
JIṊÁNA. Knowledge; understanding.
JIṊÁNII. A SÁDHAKA who follows the path of knowledge or discrimination.

KÁLA. Time.
KARMA. Action.
KARMII. A SÁDHAKA who follows the path of action or work.
KIIRTANA. Collective singing of the name of the Lord, sometimes combined with a dance that expresses the spirit of surrender.
KRŚŃA. The historical Krśńa of about 1500 BCE played two roles. In His early youth He awakened the devotion and spiritual ardour of one and all in Gokula and Vrindavana. As an adult, as a great kśatriya leader and king, He played a pivotal role in a campaign (known as the Mahábhárata) to unify India and to restore DHARMA. Philosophically the word Krśńa has been used in many ways, particularly to represent PURUŚOTTAMA.

MAHÁMÁYÁ, MÁYÁ. Creative Principle, 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.
MANTRA. A sound or collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, will lead to spiritual liberation. A mantra is incantative, pulsative, and ideative.
MARGI. A member of Ananda Marga.
MOKŚA. Spiritual emancipation, non-qualified liberation.
MUKTI. Spiritual liberation.

NIYATI. Fate.

PÁPA. Sin.
PARA. Subjective; controlling. See also APARA.
PARÁBHAKTI. Highest devotion to the Supreme; devotion to Para Brahma, the unexpressed aspect of BRAHMA. See also APARÁBHAKTI.
PARAMA PURUŚA. Supreme Consciousness.
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.
PRAKRTI, PARAMÁ PRAKRTI. Cosmic Operative Principle.
PURUŚA. Consciousness.
PURUŚOTTAMA, PARAMASHIVA. The Nucleus Consciousness, the witness of saiṋcara (extroversion from the Nucleus) and pratisaiṋcara (introversion to the Nucleus).

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

RÁDHÁ. In mythology, the foremost female devotee of Lord KRŚŃA; hence metaphorically any devotee (and all unit consciousnesses are, knowingly or unknowingly, devotees).
RÁDHIKÁ SHAKTI. See HLÁDINII SHAKTI.

SÁDHAKA. Spiritual practitioner.
SÁDHANÁ. Literally, “sustained effort”; spiritual practice; meditation.
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.
SAMVIT SHAKTI. An expression of vidyá shakti, or VIDYÁ, which one experiences as the realization that life has a higher purpose.
SHAKTI. PRAKRTI; energy; a deification of Prakrti.
SHÁSTRA. Scripture.
SHIVA. A great Tantric guru of 5000 BCE who guided society while His mind was absorbed in Consciousness; hence, Infinite Consciousness, PURUŚA.
SHLOKA. A Sanskrit couplet expressing one idea.
SVABHÁVA. Nature.

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.

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. 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.
VIKŚEPA SHAKTI. An expression of avidyá shakti, or AVIDYÁ, which one experiences as the delusion that if one remains aloof from the Supreme, the Supreme will not be in a position to control his or her destiny.

YADRCCHÁ. Accident.
YOGA. Spiritual practice leading to unification of the unit ÁTMAN with PARAMÁTMAN.