THEOSOPHY
Theosophical Society,
The
Hindu Trinity
Brahma
- Vishnu -
Shiva
Hinduism Glossary
Overview
Of all the world’s great religions,
Hinduism is the most difficult to define. It did not have any one founder. It
has many “scriptures” which are authoritative but none that is exclusively so.
Hinduism is more like a tree that has grown gradually than like a building that
has been erected by some great architect at some definite point in time.
Hindus themselves refer to their religion
as the “eternal system,” or sanatana dharma. The term
“Hindu” was coined by the Persians after the “
The Upanishads are the concluding portions
of the Vedas and contain the developed essence of Vedic teaching. They teach
that any man can who strives for it reach a divine
state. The individual personality is denied, being considered part of the world
of illusion, or maya, the merging and the
obliteration of the self in the sea of the “One Reality,” or god. They teach
that every aspect of the universe, both animate and inanimate, shares the same
essentially divine nature. Approximately
700 BCE a system for interpreting the Vedas, called Vedanta, was established,
and it remains the leading
Karma operates as an inexorable law of
retributive justice. It is an internal law of nature, independent of the
decrees of the gods. According to the
law of karma, a man is the result of his own past. Whatever a man sows, he will also reap. If
one does good, he will escape the human condition
(which is illusion), and return to the divine state. If a man does bad, he will remain in bondage to the human condition, being
born again and again until he has worked out his bad karma. This belief in the
rebirth, or the transmigration of the soul, which many call reincarnation[1], is known in
Hinduism as samsara. Not only men, but also all
animals, are engaged in the wheel of samsara, passing
from one level of life to another. The
formation of the Bhagavad-Gita marked a turning point in Hinduism. It is the
philosophical basis of popular Hinduism. The book was probably written around
203 BCE and reached its present form around 200 CE. During this period the
concept of the avatar, or incarnation of deity, was introduced and became very
popular. The avatars are the warrior gods who triumph over sin and evil by
becoming what could be termed redeemers within the evil world of maya.
There are three major paths to salvation
discussed in the Gita and recognized generally by all Hindus today. These
methods of attaining salvation are karma marga
(method), which is the way of disinterested action; bhakti
marga the way of devotion; and jnana
marga, which is the path of knowledge or mystical
insight. Those who hold to the monistic philosophy of Vedanta use jnana as a means of achieving their self-realization
through intuitive awareness. Those who are theistic (or henotheistic) and
believe that god is a personal being (albeit one with the universe), follow the
path of bhakti (devotion) in hopes of freeing
themselves of their bad karma.
The old school of ritualistic Hinduism is
concerned with karma marga.
The Hindu Trinity
Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva
While Vedanta has been the most influential
philosophy among the intellectuals of
1. The abstract monists, who are followers of Advaita monism, and are few in number; they refuse to
personify Brahma.
2. The Vishnuites, or Vaishnavas, who are devoted to the god Vishnu.
3. The Shivaites, or Shaivas, who are devoted to the god Shiva.
Vaishnavas consider Vishnu to have incarnated in the
form of his avatars, or manifestations in the flesh. Chief among these are Rama and
As we shall see in our later discussions,
Transactional Meditation can be loosely aligned with the Advaita
monism and ISKCON with the Vishnuites.
The three primary Hindu gods form what is
sometimes referred to as
the “Hindu trinity:”
·
Brahma
is “the Creator”
·
Shiva
is “the Destroyer”
·
Vishnu
is “the Preserver”
Rama,
Shiva’s consort Shakti
is manifest as Kali, who is depicted in Hindu idolatry as standing on a
beheaded body, wearing a necklace of human skulls. It is estimated by
authorities in
1. The ideas of
transmigration and reincarnation are slightly different, in that reincarnation
is generally associated only with humans, whereas transmigration includes all
living things. When Westerners become involved in the Eastern religions, most
find past and future human lives as acceptable, but are repulsed by the idea
that they may be forced to return to earth as a cockroach or even as a
toadstool. Thus they choose to profess a belief in reincarnation rather than
the philosophy of transmigration as it is actually taught in the religions the seek to embrace.
Glossary
A
Adi Shankara –
well-known theologian and founder of the advaita school. Also called Adi
Shankaracharya.
Advaita – non-dualism, the name of the theology
equating the soul with God.
Advaitin – a follower of the advaita school of thought founded by Adi-Shankara.
Agamas – a generic name for sectarian
literature, particularly the 28 Shaiva Agamas.
Aghori – a group of ascetics
whose deliberate practice is to contravene social and moral norms.
Agni
– the god of fire, particularly prominent in the Vedic period.
Ahalya – wife of the sage Gautama,
and one of the “five virtuous women.”
Ahimsa –
non-violence, a key Hindu principle.
Akhand Bharat –
“undivided
Akka Mahadevi –
famous medieval woman saint from
Alvars – the South Indian Vaishnava
poet-saints of the early medieval period.
Twelve are
considered principal.
Ambedkar, Ranji – a
reformer from the untouchable class who converted to Buddhism with many
followers.
Anandamayi – well-known female guru from
Andal – the only woman amongst the twelve Alvars.
Angira – one of the seven great rishis (sages of old).
Anjali – hands folded, to make an offering.
Anuman – deduction or inference; one of the means
of acquiring knowledge.
Antyesthi – the last rite of passage, the funeral. Apsaras – the celestial dancing girls, well-known for their
ability to divert renunciates from the path of
spiritual life.
Aranyakas – “the forest treatises,” one of the four
sections of the Vedas.
Arjuna – the third son of King Pandu. He heard the Bhagavad-gita from
Artha – economic development, one of the four
aims of life. Artha
Shastra – texts that discuss how to acquire wealth
and power; considered related to the Dharma Shastras.
Arti – the most popular Hindu ceremony, in
which a lamp and other articles are offered.
Arya Samaj – one of
the main 19th century reform movements, still extant today.
Aryan – “noble”: traditionally refers to
any people, irrespective of race, who have a culture based on spiritual values.
Ashok, King – monarch who patronised
Buddhism; under his influence it spread throughout much of India.
Ashrama – a place where spirituality is cultivated;
also, stage of life (of which there are four).
Ashvattama – son of Drona,
martial teacher of the five Pandavas; he notoriously
slaughtered their sleeping sons.
AstangaYoga – the eightfold path
that culminated in meditation and samadhi (trance). One of the four paths.
Astika – “orthodox”: refers to the six darshans. Non-orthodox schools are called nastika.
Asuras – the demons. Materially
elevated but impious beings, constantly at loggerheads with the gods.
Atharva – the fourth of the four Vedas.
Atithi – literally “without any
time”; the unexpected guest. Atman – literally “self”:
it can mean body or mind, but ultimately refers to the soul.
Atri – one of seven great rishis
(sages), each of whom have a gotra (dynasty) from
which Hindus claim descent.
Avadhi – popular language for
vernacular texts, especially in the area of
Ayodhya – the capital city of
B
Badanarayana – a name for Vyasa,
attributed with writing key texts such as the Mahabharata and Vedanta Sutras.
Badrinatha – a holy spot in the
Baladeva – key theologian for Bengali Vaishnavism; his commentary on the Vedanta Sutra is the Govinda Bhasya.
Basava – influential reformer
within the Lingayat tradition of South Indian Shaivism.
Bhagavad-gita –
the Song of God, spoken by Krishna to Arjuna. Bhagavad katha – the public recitation of the Bhagavat
Purana, often over seven days.
Bhagavat Purana – one of
the most popular Puranas, containing the famous
stories of
Bhajan – a hymn, from the root “bhaj,” to worship with adoration.
Bhakti – the path of loving devotional service
(also Bhakti-Yoga).
Bhakti-Yoga – the path of loving devotional
service; also called bhakti marg.
Bhaktivedanta – name of the founder of ISKCON. It means
“bhakti is the conclusion of all knowledge.”
Bhangra – an energetic dance style from the
Bharadvaja – one of the seven great rishis (sages) of ancient times.
Bharata – the ancient name for
Bharata Muni – author of
musical texts delineating nine rasas (tastes) upon
which much music is based.
Bharata Natyam – the
name of the most popular Southern Indian style of classical dance.
Bhava – emotion. A word used in the classical performing
arts and also in much bhakti theology.
Bhrigu – one of the seven great sages. According
to some texts, he tested the trimurti
to see who was the Supreme.
Bindi – dot, usually of a red colour,
traditionally worn by married women on the forehead.
Birbal – the witty minister of Emperor Akbar; many legends have developed around his exploits.
Blavatsky,
Helena Petrovna
– Russian lady who co-founded the Theosophical Society.
Brahma – the creator (or, some say,
secondary creator); one of the trimurti,
three main deities in this world.
Brahma Sutra – another
name for the Vedanta Sutra. Brahmachari – a celibate student.
A member of the first stage of life (called the brahmachari
ashrama).
Brahman – the
Supreme or spirit; that which pervades and supports everything.
Brahmanas – one of the four main divisions in the
Vedas themselves.
Brahmana – a member of the highest
Brahmo Samaj – the
reform movement started by Rama Mohan Roy.
Brighu Muni – one of
the seven ancient sages (rishis).
C
Chaddar – a cotton or woollen
shawl worn by men and women.
Chaitanya – the founder of Bengali
Vaishnavism; one of the medieval saints.
Chakra – the disk weapon usually associated with Vishnu, and one of his
four symbols.
Chanakya a brahmana,
advisor to King Chandragupta, who wrote on statecraft and popular wisdom.
Chandra – the Moon; the presiding deity of
the Moon. Also known as Soma.
Chappati – a round
unleavened bread toasted on a skillet and then puffed over an open flame.
Charaka Samhitas – one
of the texts explaining the science of Ayurveda.
Charanamrita – the water collected from the feet of the
murti after bathing, and later sipped by worshippers.
Charvaka – scholar who proposed
that the purpose of life is to obtain ghee (i.e. good food by any means) and enjoy.
Chidambaram – a Shaivite pilgrimage town, the state of Tamil Nadu.
D
Daksha – one of the chief
progenitors; father of Sati, Shiva’s wife, who killed herself by self-invoked
mystic fire.
Dalit – “the oppressed”; a title assumed by the
class previously called “untouchables.”
Damayanti – wife of Nala
and one of the famous women of Hinduism.
Danda – staff, particularly as carried by the sannyasi.
Dandiya rasa – a
Gujarati stick dance popular in the
Dasa Kuta – a Vaishnava tradition centred around Pandapur in Maharastra.
Dasanam – “ten names”; the ten orders of sannyasa founded by Adi Shankara.
Dasharatha – the father of Rama.
Dayananda Sarasvati –
founder of the Arya Samaj. Deva – god;
sometimes translated demigod. God is often called Deva-deva,
“gods of gods.” Devi means “goddess.”
Devanagari – “used in the cities of the demigods”; it
refers to the Sanskrit script.
Devi – “goddess”; used to refer to any female
deity, but most specifically Shakti, wife of Shiva.
Devi Bhagavat Purana – perhaps the second most popular Purana; it includes the stories of Shakti.
Devi Purana – another
Purana dealing largely with the Goddess. Dhanvantari –
incarnation of Vishnu who appeared out of the
Dharma – the religious duties that sustain
humans and all living beings. Dharma Shastra – the law-books of Hinduism dealing with morality
and the judiciary.
Dhoti – a piece of cloth about four-metres long and worn by Hindu men to cover the loins and
legs.
Dhritarashtra – blind brother of King Pandu; his bias towards his own sons fostered the Kurukshetra conflict.
Diwali – the festival of lights
(October/November). For most Hindus it heralds the New Year.
Doshas – the three bodily humours
which constitute the conceptual basis of Ayurvedic
medicine.
Draupadi – the common wife of all
five Pandava princes, and heroine of the Mahabharata.
Durga – a warlike form of Devi,
usually with many arms carrying weapons and riding on a lion.
Duryodhana – the first son of Dhritarashtra. His avarice caused the Kurukshetra War.
Dussehra – the festival that celebrates the victory
of Rama over the evil Ravana.
Dvaita (dualism) – the theology
that the soul and God are different, specifically as taught by Madhva.
Dvaraka – a holy spot in Maharastra,
on the West coast of
Dvapara-yuga – the third age in every cycle of four
ages (yugas). It ended some 5,000 years ago.
Dvija bandu
– “friends of the twice-born”; those born in the three higher varnas but who fall from the standards.
G
Ganapati – a name of Ganesh, the elephant-headed son of Shiva. Gandharvas – residents of the heavenly planets who are
particularly expert in singing and music.
Ganesh – one of the two sons of Shiva. He has a
rotund body and an elephant’s head.
Ganesh Caturthi – the
festival that celebrates Ganesh’s birthday (on the
fourth day of the waxing moon).
Garba – a form of circular dance from
Garba griha – the
inner sanctum of the temple.
Gaudiya Vaishnavas – the
Bengali worshippers of Vishnu (specifically Radha and
Gautama – an ancient rishi
(sage), often considered one of the principal sapta (seven) rishis.
Gayatri – the mantra chanted thrice daily by brahmanas; a wife of Brahma.
Giddha – a Punjabi dance performed by women.
Golakwar, M. S. – former leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanga (RSS).
Gopuram – gateway to temples, especially in the
South; they are often decorated with ornate figurines.
Gorakhnatha – important historical
figure amongst the Nathapatnis sect of Shaivas.
Gotra – dynasty originating
with one of the seven great rishis (sages of old).
Govardhana – the famous hill lifted by child
Grihasta – a person in the second
stage of life; the householder. Guna
– literally “rope.” It refers to the three material qualities that pervade and
control matter.
Guru – a spiritual teacher; a regular
teacher may also be called guru.
Gurukula – the school of the guru. A traditional Hindu school.
H
Hanuman – the monkey-like deity; he is a devotee of Rama, but also worshiped in his own right.
Hanuman Jayanti – the birthday festival of Hanuman.
Hare Krishna – a popular mantra chanted by
members of ISKCON, therefore called the Hare Krishna Movement.
Haridvara – an important
pilgrimage site on the banks of the River Ganges.
Harijanas – “the people of God”; a term used by
Gandhi to denote what some call the “fifth
Havan – the sacred fire ceremony dating back to
Vedic times, but still used in many ceremonies/rites of passage.
Hedgewar, K. V. – founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanga (RSS). Hindu Mahasabha – the political party
established in 1909 and forerunner of many nationalistic movements.
Hitopadesha – a text containing moral stories;
considered part of the Dharma Shastra.
Holi – the spring festival in which
participants throw coloured water and powders over
each other.
Homa – another name for havan
Hrishikesh – a pilgrimage spot on the River Ganges in
the Himalayan foothills.
I
Indra – the deity in charge of rain; he was most
prominent during the Vedic Period.
Indira Bettiji – a
contemporary women guru of the Pushti-marg sampradaya.
Ishvara – literally
“controller.” It refers
to a deity, or the Supreme Deity.
Itihasa – “history.” The Mahabharata and Ramayana constitute
the two Itihasas.
J
Jaimini – the founder of the Mimamsa
school (one of the six darshans).
Janaka – legendary King of Mithila
and father of Sita, Rama’s
consort.
Janmashtami – the birthday festival of
Japa – the practice of reciting mantras quietly
or silently on prayer beads.
Jatakarma – a name for the rite of passage performed
just after a child’s birth.
Jati – sub-castes, or occupational sub-groups,
which form part of the caste system.
Jayadratha – notorious warrior who
tried to kidnap Draupadi. He was slain by Arjuna
during the Kurukshetra war.
Jiva – “that which lives”; a term for the
individual soul, also called the “atman” or “jivatman.”
Jnana – knowledge. Jnana-yoga is
the path of wisdom, one of the four main spiritual processes.
Jnana-kanda – one of three broad sections of the Vedic
literature. It deals with knowledge.
K
Kabir – the medieval bhakti
saint who is revered by Hindu, Muslims, and Sikhs.
Kaivalya – realisation
of “oneness” with God and a spiritual identity beyond the subtle and gross
bodies.
Kalasha – a waterpot, an
auspicious symbol used in many rituals.
Kali – a fierce
form of Devi.
Kalika Purana – an
important Shakti text dedicated to the Goddess Kali.
Kali-yuga – the fourth age, the iron age
or age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Kalki – the last
of the ten Vishnu incarnations. He appears on horseback, wielding a
sword, at the end of Kali-Yuga.
Kanada – founder of one of the six orthodox
systems, namely Vaisheshika (atomic theory).
Kanchipuram – important centre of Shri Vaishnavism in
Kanyakumari – a holy site on the southern tip of
Kapila – the founder of Sanhkya, one of the six main philosophies and dealing with
physics and metaphysics.
Kapila Muni – founder
of the school (darshan) of Sankhya. Karma – literally “action,” but often used to
imply “reaction,” as in “the law of karma.”
Karma kanda
– one of the three broad divisions of Hindu scriptures. It deals with rituals for material
elevation.
Karma-yoga – the yoga of selfless action.
One of the four main yogas, also called the four margs
(paths).
Karna – tragic anti-hero of
the Mahabharata. At Kurukshetra he fought against his step-brothers, the Pandavas.
Kartikeya – a name of Murugan,
one of the two sons of Shiva and Parvati.
Kashi – another name for the city of
Kathak – a classical dance
Kauravas – the descendants of King Kuru. It specifically refers to the cousins of the Pandavas and their allies.
Kaveri – one of the seven main holy rivers flowing
through the sacred town of
Kedarnatha – an important Shaiva shrine in the
Keshab Chandra Sena –
reformer who spent some time with the Brahmo Samaj.
Kirtan – “glorification.” It usually refers to
the chanting of mantra to musical accompaniment.
Kohl (or kajal) – mascara. Also called “anjana.”
Konarak – site on the east coast of India famous for
its ancient temple dedicated to the Sun.
Koshala – the
Kshatriya – literally “one who protects”;
member of the second
Kumbha Mela – mela means “fair”; kumbha means “pot.”A huge gathering
that takes place every three years.
Kunti – the wife of King Pandu and mother of the five Pandavas. One of the heroines of
the Mahabharata.
Kurta – a loose fitting
collarless shirt worn by men. Usually made of cotton or silk.
Kuru – dynasty in which the Pandavas
appeared. The term is specifically used to refer to their wicked cousins.
Kurukshetra – the site of the great
eighteen-day war described in the Mahabharata.
Kuvera – the deity who is considered “the
treasurer of the demigods.”
L
Lakshman – the brother of Rama who went with him to the forest. He is worshipped with Sita,
Rama, and Hanuman.
Lakshmi – the goddess of fortune. She is the
eternal consort of Vishnu. Linga – a vertical stone column worshipped as a form of
Shiva. It represents him as the supreme male principle.
Lingayats – a popular South Indian Shaiva tradition. Members wear a small linga
around their necks.
M
Madhva – Vaishnava
theologian who founded his own disciplic succession
and taught a highly dualistic theology.
Maha Shiva Ratri – the night festival celebrating Shiva’s marriage to Parvati.
Mahabharata – literally
“the History of Greater India.” One of the two Epics and the longest known poem.
Mahadeva – a name of lord Shiva,
meaning “great god.” Maharishi Mahesh Yogi –
leader of the Transcendental Meditation organisation
established in the late 1960s.
Mahasabha – “great assembly”; the Hindu Mahasabha was