Non-harm; the principle of minimizing injury to all living beings in thought, word, and deed.
Arati (AH-ruh-tee)
The lamp-waving ceremony before a deity, usually with song and bells; the flame is then offered to worshippers.
Atman (AHT-mun)
The soul or true Self — eternal, unborn, and in essence divine.
Bhakti (BHUK-tee)
Loving devotion to God; bhakti yoga is the path of devotion.
Brahman (BRUH-mun)
The one supreme, all-pervading divine reality behind all forms and names. (Not to be confused with Brahma the creator deity, or brahmin the priestly class.)
Darshan (DAR-shun)
"Seeing" — beholding the deity in a temple and being seen by the divine; the heart of a temple visit.
Dharma (DHAR-muh)
Right way of living: cosmic order, moral law, and one's own duties. Hindus call the faith itself Sanatana Dharma, "the eternal way."
Diksha (DEEK-shah)
Formal initiation by a guru into a lineage or practice, often through the giving of a mantra.
Guru (GOO-roo)
A spiritual teacher who dispels darkness; in the full sense, a realized master who guides disciples personally.
Ishta-devata (ISH-tuh DAY-vuh-tah)
One's chosen, beloved form of God — the deity at the center of your personal worship.
Japa (JUH-puh)
Meditative repetition of a mantra, often counted on a 108-bead mala.
Karma (KAR-muh)
The law of action and consequence: every act bears fruit that shapes your present and future lives.
Kuladevata (KOO-luh-DAY-vuh-tah)
A family's hereditary deity, worshipped across generations — often rediscovered by those returning to Hinduism.
Mandir (MUN-deer)
A Hindu temple.
Mantra (MUN-truh)
A sacred sound, word, or verse used in prayer and meditation — from Om to the Gayatri.
Moksha (MOHK-shuh)
Liberation from the cycle of rebirth; union with or realization of the divine. The ultimate goal of Hindu life.
Murti (MOOR-tee)
The consecrated image of a deity through which worship is offered — not an "idol" but a form the divine graciously inhabits.
The ongoing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in which the soul journeys until liberation.
Samskara (sum-SKAH-ruh)
A sacrament marking a stage of life — name-giving, marriage, last rites, and others.
Sampradaya (sum-pruh-DAH-yuh)
An established lineage or tradition of teachers and teachings.
Sanatana Dharma (suh-NAH-tuh-nuh DHAR-muh)
"The eternal way" — Hindus' own name for Hinduism.
Satsang (SUT-sung)
"Company of truth" — a gathering for worship, chanting, study, or the company of the wise.
Seva (SAY-vah)
Selfless service — to the temple, the community, and those in need — performed as worship.
Shruti / Smriti (SHROO-tee / SMRI-tee)
The two classes of scripture: shruti ("heard") is revealed — the Vedas and Upanishads; smriti ("remembered") is tradition — epics, Puranas, law books.
Shuddhi (SHOOD-dhee)
"Purification" — the ceremony, associated especially with the Arya Samaj, that formally receives a convert or returnee into Hinduism.
Tilak (TIH-luk)
The sacred mark worn on the forehead, varying by tradition — sandalwood, kumkum, or ash.
Vedas (VAY-duhs)
The four foundational revealed scriptures (Rig, Sama, Yajur, Atharva); the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism.
Yoga (YOH-guh)
"Union" — any disciplined path to the divine: devotion (bhakti), knowledge (jnana), action (karma), meditation (raja). Postural yoga is one limb of the last.