Glossary

A class of celestial beings who are usually gifted with extraordinary talents such as music and dance.

Refers to Mahatma (great soul) Gandhi, an Indian nationalist leader, considered the father of the freedom movement.  His peaceful, non-violent methods of protest were revolutionary, and brought an element of spirituality into public life.

A major Indian River.  Originating in the Himalayan glaciers, it is held extremely sacred.  The legend says that it is a heavenly downpour routed through the locks of Shiva.  Water from this river is carried to all parts of the country for religious rituals, including those of birth and death.  It is also customary to cremate the dead on the banks of the river Ganga or immerse the bodies in the river itself. 

Place of origin of the river Ganga in the Himalayas.

Lit. song. Refers to the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most sacred teachings of the Hindus.  This central episode of the epic Mahabharatha is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and his chief disciple Arjuna, on the battlefields of the Kurukshetra.  Krishna imparts to the warrior-prince Arjuna his knowledge on yoga, asceticism, dharma and the manifold spiritual path.

Knowledge, perception, discrimination. One of the four kinds of yogas.

An Indian state on the western coast known for its pristine beaches.

Lit. cow-face.  A place in the upper Himalayas, the location where the glacier forms the river Ganga.  The glaciatic form has melted in such a way that it resembles the face of a cow.  

 A great spiritual master who was one of the disciples of Matsyendranath.  He is believed to have lived sometime between 900 and 1225 A.D.    

The base or the feminine portion of a linga.

A householder, the second of the four stages of life as per the Varnashrama classification of the stages of life.

 Lit. quality or attribute.  Refers to the three qualities of mind:  tamas (inertia), rajas (activity) and sattwa (purity).

Lit. dispeller of darkness. A spiritual Master; a Realized being who guides spiritual seekers towards liberation.

Invoking the Grace of the Guru.