Glossary

A spiritual seeker who has undertaken spiritual disciplines, usually under the guidance of a master.

Spiritual practices which are used as a means to realization.

Lit. the one forever in bliss. One of the names of Shiva.Lit. the one forever in bliss. One of the names of Shiva.

A spiritual teacher who is Enlightened, or has Realized the Self, whose knowledge or realization comes from within rather than from any teachings learned outside.

An accomplished spiritual seeker.  Sadhus usually have no fixed abode and travel from one place to another, most often living on alms.  There are countless sadhus on the roads, byways, mountains, riverbanks and caves of India who, by their very existence, have a profound effect on the consciousness of the world. 

Lit. thousand-spoked wheel.  The seventh and highest chakra of the human system corresponding to the crown of the head.

Lit. witness, a common way of describing the Self.  Witness consciousness.

Deep state of equanimity; one of the eight limbs of yoga. Greatly celebrated in the lore, experience of samadhi is immensely therapeutic and deeply transformative in nature.

A small town in the state of Orissa, India.

The world, the existence, the domain of karma, protracted delusion of the mind.  The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Ritual, in the general sense.  Denotes rites such as the birth ceremony, tonsure, marriage, cremation, etc.  In yoga, it stands for the indelible imprints in the subconscious left behind by our daily experiences.

A confluence of the states of dharana, dhyana and samadhi.  Here, it refers to the eight-day meditation program conducted by Sadhguru, where one is transported into explosive states of meditativeness.  This program is an opportunity to shed lifetimes of karma and experience deep states of meditativeness and samadhi.

The total accumulated karma of a person.

The daughter of the great king Ashoka and a disciple of Buddha.

Resolve.

An ancient Indian language specially designed to suit expressions and transmission of the spiritual experience.

An ascetic, a renunciate. One who has irrevocably renounced  worldly possessions and relationships to seek Divine awakening, Self Realization.

Lit. in the company of  Truth; a congregation of seekers.

Lit. of  Shiva; worshipper of Shiva.

Lit. power.  Divine consort of Shiva.  The Creation is envisioned as a play of Shiva and Shakthi which symbolizes the duality of existence, or the Yin and Yang.

Energy source.

Another name for Shiva, which denotes his loving nature.

Lit. the benevolent; one of the many names of Shiva. Also refers to Adi Shankaracharya, the celebrated ninth century teacher of Advaita Vedanta and the founder of neo-monastic orders.  In his life of thirty-two years, he traveled several times throughout India and was responsible for the renaissance of the Hindu tradition.

Refers to the hero in many of Sadhguru’s jokes and anecdotes.  He is usually a frail man whose idiocies are typical of the common man.