Glossary:
Nak¾atra:** the constellation in which the moon sits in the heaven at a particular time, commonly called as 'birth Star'
Vedic sciences: refer to a number of disciplines found in the Vedas, a large body of texts originating in ancient Bharat, among the oldest sacred texts
§g Veda: an ancient Hindu sacred collection of hymns, one among the four canonical sacred texts of Vedic tradition known as the Vedas
¡ryabha°a: ¡ryabha°a: one of the first astronomer and great mathematician of Bharat, born in 476
Copernicus: (1473-1543) the first astronomer to formulate a heliocentric cosmology, which displaced the Earth from the center of the Universe
Galileo: (1564-1642) Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and important astronomical observations
Yojana: a Vedic measure of distance used in ancient Bharat, between 6 to 15 km (4 and 9 miles)
¨¾i: a sage through whom the Vedic hymns flowed, a "seer" able to reach states of higher consciousness
Yogi: a practitioner of various forms of spiritual discipline, as yoga
Par¢ºara: a §g Veda Maha¨¾i and author of many ancient Hindu texts and important astrological texts, known as a traveling Master
B¨hat Par¢ºara Hora ¹¢stra: a prominent astrological scientific text, written as a recorded dialogue between Par¢ºaraand his disciple Maitreya
Vaºi¾°a: R¢ma's guru, a great ¨¾i who had complete knowledge of the whole cosmos and the gods
Veda Vy¢sa: a sage of ancient Bharat, compiler of the Vedas and great epics like the M¢h¢bh¢rata
M¢h¢bh¢rata: one of the major Sanskrit epic of Bharat and philosophical scripture, depicting a great war that happened in Bharat; written in 250 000 verses
Sa¼sk¢ras: engraved memories stored in the subconscious part of the mind. They are continually interfering with our decision making process
Grahas: energy centers, energy fields that planets exert in the universe; generally assimilated to 'planets'
Karma: karma is the collection of unfulfilled experiences and actions that stay in us and constantly pull us to fulfill them
¡yurveda: a system of traditional medicine native to the Hindu Subcontinent. In Sanskrit, the word ¡yurveda consists of the words ayus, meaning 'life', and veda, meaning 'related to knowledge' or 'science'
Yoga: literally union, union of the individual self and the divine Self, often taken to mean Hatha yoga, which is one of the components of yog¢sana , relating to body postures
Rudr¢k¾a: a large broad-leaved tree whose seed is traditionally revered and used for prayer beads, or mala, growing in foothills of the Himalayas up to South-East Asia
Sanskrit: language of the §g Veda and of many scriptures, as well as mantras
Mantra: a sound, a formula, sometimes a word or set of words, which because of their inherent sounds, have energizing properties, an approach to spiritual evolution
Unclutching: understanding that each thought is completely independent, unconnected to the precedent; which leads to disengage oneself from the mind, resulting in experiencing the no-mind state
Cakra: literally a 'wheel': refers to energy centers in the mind-body system
Ma´ip¦raka cakra: third energy center, meaning 'the city of jewels' in reference to the treasures it holds
Tamas: the behavior of laziness or inaction.
Pitta: one of the three doºas (or attributes) of the body in ¡yurveda, principle of heat
Subramaniya: ¹iva and his consort P¢rvati had two famous offspring Ga´eºa and Subrahma´ya. Subrahma´ya represents the innocent, vigorous energy associated with the planet Mars
Lord ¹iva: rejuvenator in the trinity also means 'causeless auspiciousness'
Mount Kail¢º: abode of Lord ¹iva, where he practices intense yogic austerities
K¢ºi: refers to Varanasi, the holy city located on the bank of the River Ganges, in the Hindu State of Uttar Pradesh; one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world
Ja°ar¢gni a°ar¢gni: Inner fire that sustains life
Doºa: in Ayurvedic medicine, one of the three biological humors or energies (kapha, pitta*, vata)* which combine in various proportions to determine individual constitution and mental and physical disorders
Lassi: a popular and traditional yoghurt-based drink
Vajr¢sana: common yoga and meditation posture, where the person sits on his heels
Cin mudra: palms upraised with thumb and forefinger forming a circle and other three fingers outstretched
Guru P¦ja: form of worship offered to the master
¢sana : body postures performed in yoga, literally means 'seat'
A¾°¢nga namask¢r A¾°¢nga namask¢r: prostrating to a deity or master by lying on the floor with all eight limbs of the body touching the earth
Bhujang¢sana: 'cobra posture' in yoga, in which the head and chest are raised while lying down
Pranic layer: the second layer of energy of the body, related to p¢´a or life energy
Brahman*:* the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality, the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything in this Universe
P¦ja*:* a ritual made of different offerings related to the deity propitiated
Navagraha doºa: literally means 'planetary defects' or inauspicious alignment of planets
Homa: ancestral Vedic fire ritual
Nirvanic layer: seventh subtle body that we have and last layer of energy which is the space where one experiences intense bliss
Physical layer: the gross body made of flesh and bones
B¤ja mantra: refers to the single syllable mantra used to invoke certain deities
Aum: the primordial cosmic sound from which the whole Universe emerged
Hr¤m: b¤ja, or seed mantra relating to feminine energy
¹akti: energy, intelligent energy, considered as the feminine aspect of ¹iva
J¤van Mukti J¤van Mukti: the state of achieving liberation from the cycle of birth and death during one's lifetime
About THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM
THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is an enlightened master living amidst us today. With a worldwide movement for meditation and inner bliss, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM offers solutions for situations as practical as every day stress to the quest for something as profound as enlightenment. He left home at a young age and traveled the length and breadth of Bharat, visiting holy shrines and associating himself with spiritual masters and mystics. He realized his intrinsic knowledge through the paths of meditation, yoga, tantra, knowledge, devotion and other Eastern metaphysical sciences. With an enlightened insight into the core of human nature, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM has defined his mission for humanity at large. Rooted in the ancient tradition of living enlightenment, and embracing all world religions as sacred and unique, THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM draws people from around the globe, crossing all societal, cultural, language, age and gender barriers.