Hindu Glossary

A devotional ritual where light from wicks soaked in ghee is offered to a deity.

The auspicious midday window of about 48 minutes centered on local solar noon, considered favorable for most activities.

Sacred bathing ritual of a deity's image with holy substances.

The intercalary "extra month" inserted into the Hindu lunar calendar roughly every 32.5 months to keep it aligned with the solar year.

The Vedic god of fire, the divine messenger who carries ritual offerings from humans to the gods.

Non-violence — the principle of not causing harm to any living being.

The new moon day, the 15th tithi of Krishna Paksha.

The Hindu funeral rites — the "last sacrifice," in which the body is cremated and the soul is bid farewell with prescribed rituals.

The individual soul or true self, eternal and unchanging.

A divine incarnation — the descent of God into worldly form to restore cosmic order (dharma).

A devotional song expressing love for the divine, sung alone or in groups as an act of bhakti.

Loving devotion to a personal God — the path of the heart, one of the principal routes to spiritual liberation.

The "Creator's hour" — the auspicious pre-dawn period ideal for spiritual practice.

The ultimate, unchanging reality or Supreme Being in Hindu philosophy.

A devotional poem of forty verses praising a deity, the most famous being the Hanuman Chalisa.

A panchang system dividing day and night into eight periods each, classified as auspicious or inauspicious for choosing activity times.

The auspicious sight or vision of a deity, holy person, or sacred place.

Cosmic order, righteousness, duty, and moral law in Hinduism.

A small oil lamp, usually of clay with a cotton wick, lit in daily worship and festivals as a symbol of light dispelling darkness.

The 11th tithi of each fortnight, sacred for fasting and Vishnu worship.

The sanctum sanctorum of a Hindu temple — the innermost chamber housing the main deity's murti.

The monumental, ornately sculpted tower gateway of a South Indian temple.

A patrilineal clan or lineage tracing descent from an ancient rishi (sage), used in Hindu rituals and marriage customs.

A daily inauspicious period associated with Saturn's son Gulika.

A spiritual teacher who dispels the darkness of ignorance and guides the disciple toward knowledge and liberation.

A Vedic fire ritual where offerings are made into a sacred fire.

The meditative repetition of a mantra or divine name, usually counted on a mala of 108 beads.

A string of 108 prayer beads used to count mantra repetitions during japa meditation.

The birth ceremony performed to welcome a newborn, traditionally including placing honey and ghee on the baby's tongue.

Spiritual knowledge or wisdom — the path of realizing the true Self (Atman) as one with the absolute (Brahman).

A sacred water pot topped with mango leaves and a coconut, symbolizing abundance and the presence of the divine.

Half of a Tithi — there are 11 types of Karanas in the Panchang system.

The law of cause and effect — actions determine future experiences.

Call-and-response devotional chanting of divine names and mantras, usually set to music.

The waning (dark) fortnight of the lunar month, from full moon to new moon.

The auspicious red powder, traditionally made from turmeric and slaked lime, used for tilak marks and goddess worship.

A sacred sound, syllable, or phrase used in meditation and worship.

The cosmic illusion that makes the world appear real and separate from Brahman.

Liberation from the cycle of birth and death (Samsara).

An auspicious time period selected using Panchang for important activities.

The first head-shaving ceremony of a child, usually performed in the first or third year, removing the hair carried from birth.

A consecrated image or sculpted form of a deity that serves as the focus of worship in temples and home shrines.

Food ritually offered to a deity during puja, which after the offering is distributed to devotees as prasad.

One of 27 lunar mansions or star constellations in Vedic astrology.

The nine celestial influences of Vedic astrology — Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu.

The primordial sacred syllable representing the essence of the universe.

The Hindu calendar and almanac system based on five elements.

Clockwise circumambulation of a deity, temple, or sacred object, keeping it always to one's right side.

Sanctified food offered to a deity and distributed to devotees as divine grace.

Hindu worship ritual involving prayers, offerings, and devotion to a deity.

The full moon day, the 15th tithi of Shukla Paksha.

A Hindu family priest who conducts domestic rituals such as pujas, weddings, and other samskaras.

A daily inauspicious period governed by Rahu, lasting about 1.5 hours.

Decorative floor art made with colored powders, rice flour, or flower petals at thresholds to invite auspiciousness.

Disciplined, regular spiritual practice undertaken to reach a defined spiritual goal.

The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth driven by Karma.

A Hindu rite of passage that sanctifies a stage of life, traditionally counted as sixteen from conception to the funeral.

The sacred twilight period at dawn and dusk, ideal for prayer and meditation.

The formal statement of intention recited at the start of a puja, vrat, or ritual, declaring who is performing it, where, when, and why.

The Sun's transition from one zodiac sign into the next, occurring twelve times a year in the Hindu solar calendar.

The company of the wise and the true — a gathering for spiritual discourse, chanting, and shared practice.

Selfless service offered without desire for reward — devotion expressed as action for others and the divine.

Divine power or energy, personified as the Goddess — the dynamic, creative feminine principle of the cosmos.

A Sanskrit verse, classically a couplet of 32 syllables, the standard verse form of Hindu epics and scriptures.

The waxing (bright) fortnight of the lunar month, from new moon to full moon.

A hymn of praise to a deity, composed in verse and meant for devotional recitation or singing.

A sacred mark worn on the forehead, made with kumkum, sandalwood paste, or sacred ash.

A sacred place of pilgrimage — literally a crossing point between the worldly and the divine.

Lunar day in the Hindu calendar, one of the five elements of Panchang.

The Hindu triad of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva — the divine functions of creation, preservation, and dissolution.

The philosophical culmination of the Vedas, inquiring into the Self (Atman), the absolute (Brahman), and liberation.

The weekday — one of the five elements of the Panchang, each day ruled by one of the nine grahas.

The foundational scriptures of Hinduism — four collections of hymns, mantras, and sacred knowledge regarded as eternal revelation.

Sacred ash, typically from a ritual fire, applied to the forehead and body especially by devotees of Shiva.

The Hindu marriage ceremony — a samskara in which the couple is united before the sacred fire as witness.

A religious vow or fast observed for spiritual purification and divine blessings.

A Vedic fire sacrifice in which offerings are made into a consecrated fire with mantras, for individual or collective welfare.

A sacred pilgrimage or spiritual journey to holy places.

A luni-solar combination in Panchang, one of its five elements.

A cosmic age in the vast cyclical Hindu conception of time; four yugas make up one great cycle.