ÁCÁRYA or ÁCÁRYÁ. Spiritual teacher qualified to teach all lessons of meditation.
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.
ÁJIṊÁ. See CAKRA.
ANÁHATA. See CAKRA.
ANANDA MARGA. Path of divine bliss; Ananda Márga Pracáraka Saḿgha (Ananda Marga organization).
ÁNANDA. Divine bliss.
ANULOMA AND PRATILOMA. The circumstance of a man marrying below or above his station, respectively, according to caste hierarchy.
ARTHA. Anything (especially wealth) which can be used to relieve suffering.
ÁSANA. The third limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga. Ásanas: postures for maintaining physical health.
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”.

BHAKTI. Devotion.
BHÁVA. Idea, ideation, mental flow.
BRAHMA. Supreme Entity, comprising both PURUŚA, or SHIVA, and
PRAKRTI, or SHAKTI.
BRAHMACARYA. Part of the practices of morality (Yama and Niyama). Sometimes used in the sense of continence.

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. Also: guru cakra, which is located on the inner side of the sahasrára cakra.

DÁYABHÁGA. A system of inheritance in which the heirs’ right of inheritance is subject to the discretion of the father, who has the right to disinherit any of the heirs. Another feature of this system is the rights of inheritance for women.
DEVII. A goddess, a female deity; a title attached to a woman’s name.
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.
DUHITÁ. Daughter.

GANDHARVA. A class of MICROVITA. Also, in mythology, a class of celestial beings.
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.
GURU CAKRA. See CAKRA.

HLÁDINII SHAKTI. See RÁDHIKÁ SHAKTI.

JÁYÁ. Wife; a particular classification of wives under the
KULIINA system.
JIIVA. An individual being.
JIIVÁTMÁ, JIIVÁTMAN. See ÁTMÁ.

KALATRA. Wife; a particular classification of wives under the KULIINA system.
KAOŚIKII NRTYA. “The dance of mind expansion.” A dance-exercise for women created by P.R. Sarkar on 6 September 1978. It develops the glands in a way that encourages women to overcome complexes and strengthens the nerves. It cures twenty-two types of disease. Men can also perform this dance.
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.
KAYASTHA. A high caste in India, a sub-group (along with BRAHMANs and Vaedyas) of the Vipra caste.
KŚATRIYA. Written as kśatriya, a person whose mentality is to dominate over matter, a member of the warrior social class; written as “Kśatriya”, a member of the second-highest caste in India.
KIIRTANA. Collective singing of the Lord’s name, sometimes combined with LALITA MÁRMIKA, a dance that expresses the spirit of surrender.
KOŚA. “Level” or “layer” of the mind (either Macrocosmic Mind or microcosmic mind) in terms of its degree of subtlety or crudeness.
KULIINA. High-born; a high status of BRAHMANs, KAYASTHAs and Vaidyas in the caste system.
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.

LALITA MÁRMIKA. A dance invented by Párvatii, ideal for KIIRTANA.

MADHURA BHÁVA. “Sweet”, or “honey”, ideation, the highest type of devotional sentiment.
MADHURA SÁDHANÁ. The SÁDHANÁ of MADHURA BHÁVA.
MANTRA. A sound or collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, will lead to spiritual liberation. A mantra is incantative, pulsative, and ideative.
MAŃIPURA. See CAKRA.
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.
MICROVITA. Entities which come within the realms both of physicality or of psychic expression. They are smaller and subtler than atoms and sub-atomic particles, and in the psychic realm they may be subtler than ectoplasm (citta, or mind-stuff).
MOKŚA. Spiritual emancipation, non-qualified liberation.
MUDRÁ. Meaningful gesture; a yogic exercise similar to ÁSANA but incorporating more ideation.
MUKTI. Spiritual liberation.
MÚLÁDHÁRA. See CAKRA.

NEOHUMANISM. A worldview characterized by love for the Supreme which overflows onto all objects created by the Supreme. Adoption of the Neohumanistic outlook in turn safeguards and enhances the development of one’s devotion.
NIGAMA. See ÁGAMA AND NIGAMA.
NIYOGA. An ancient system in India wherein a man would be given permission to mate with a woman who was not his wife for the purpose of producing offspring.

PÁPA. Sin.
PARAMÁ PRAKRTI. Supreme Operative Principle.
PARAMA PURUŚA. Supreme Consciousness.
PARAMÁRTHA. That which produces permanent relief from suffering, i.e., MOKŚA. See also ARTHA.
PARAMASHIVA. See PURUŚOTTAMA.
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.
PARIPRASHNA. A question on a spiritual topic.
PATNII. Wife; a particular classification of wives under the KULIINA system.
POST-SHIVA TANTRA. Shiva Tantric practices that were developed after Shiva.
PRABHÁTA SAḾGIITA. A body of 5018 spiritual and psycho-spiritual songs composed by P.R. Sarkar (Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti).
PRAKRTI. Cosmic Operative Principle.
PRÁŃÁYÁMA. The fourth limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga: process of controlling vital energy by controlling the breath.
PRATIIKA. Emblem.
PRATILOMA. See ANULOMA.
PROUT. Progressive Utilization Theory. P.R. Sarkar’s socio-economic theory for the all-round development of society.
Proutists are adherents of PROUT.
PURÁŃA. Mythological story with a moral import; educative fiction.
PURANIC AGE. The medieval period when the popular Hinduism was strong, about 500-1300 CE.
PURUŚA. Consciousness.
PURUŚOTTAMA or PARAMASHIVA. The Nucleus Consciousness, the witness of saiṋcara and pratisaiṋcara.

RÁDHIKÁ SHAKTI, HLÁDINII SHAKTI. A positive expressional aspect of VIDYÁ SHAKTI which a person experiences as a desire to do something practical towards spiritual realization.
RAKŚASA or RÁKŚASII. In mythology, a demon. The term was used by the Indo-Aryans to refer derogatorily to the indigenous Indians, especially the Dravidians.
RÁŔH. The territory, mostly in Bengal, stretching from the west bank of the Bhagirathi River to the Parasnath Hills.
RŚI. Sage; one who, by inventing new things, broadens the path of progress of human society.

SADÁSHIVA. SHIVA (literally, “Eternal Shiva”).
SADGURU. Literally, “the guru who leads one to Sat, the Unchangeable Entity”; the highest spiritual guru.
SÁDHAKA. Spiritual practitioner.
SÁDHANÁ. Literally, “sustained effort”; spiritual practice; meditation.
SÁDHU. Virtuous person, spiritual aspirant. See also SÁDHAKA.
SAHASRÁRA. See CAKRA.
SAḾSKÁRA. Mental reactive momentum, potential mental reaction.
SÁKHYA. Used as an adjective of sakhá, “friend” (two sakhás, literally, are two persons who have separate physical bodies, but have the same mental body, because there is so much love).
SAḾYOJANII SHAKTI and VIBHÁJANII SHAKTI. Two SHAKTIs that determine whether a soul takes a female or male body. With saḿyojanii shakti the entity attracts the object of enjoyment to itself, and with vibhájanii shakti the entity is drawn towards the object of enjoyment.
SANNYÁSII or SANNYÁSINII. A renunciant; literally, “one who has surrendered one’s everything to the Cosmic will” or “one who ensconces oneself in Sat, the Unchangeable Entity”.
SATSAUṊGA. Good company.
SHAEVA DHARMA. Shaivism; the theoretical or philosophical side of spirituality as taught by SHIVA.
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.
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.
SHÚDRA. Written as shúdra, a person of bread-and-butter mentality, a member of the worker social class; written as “Shúdra”, a member of the lowest caste in India.
SHUKRA. The physical body is constituted of seven materials, of which shukra is the final essence. This vital fluid has three stages. The first stage is lymph, in both males and females. The second stage is spermatozoa in males, and ova in females. The third stage is seminal fluid in males; in females it includes substances in the female reproductive system which contribute to the nurture of the ovum.
SVÁDHIŚT́HÁNA. See CAKRA.

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. See also POST-SHIVA TANTRA.
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.

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.
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.
VIBHÁJANII SHAKTI. See SAḾYOJANII SHAKTI AND VIBHÁJANII SHAKTI.
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.
VIPRA. Written as vipra, a person who controls others by his wits, a member of the intellectual social class; written as “Vipra”, a member of the highest caste in India.
VISHUDDHA. See CAKRA.
VIVÁHA. Marriage.
VRTTI. Mental propensity.

YAJIṊA. Ritual sacrifice.
YATAMÁNA. The first stage of SÁDHANÁ.