Atman: Self; the eternal soul in every creature, which is divine.

Bhagavad Gita: The Song of the Lord Spoken by Krishna this is the most important for most Hindus. Tradition dates it back to 3000 BCE,though most scholars attribute it to the first millennium BCE. Considered an Upanishad.

Brahman : The supreme Godhead, beyond all distinctions or forms; ultimate Reality.

Brahmin, Brahman, Brahmana: The first of the four varnas, the principal social groupings from which priests are drawn.

Caste, or Caste Sytem Varnas Brahmins (priests and teachers),Ksatriyas (warriors),Vaisyas (farmers, merchants, artisans) Sudras (laborers). The so called "outcastes" are the "untouchables."

Chamar: Member of a 'scheduled class' untouchable or outcaste whose occupation has to do with tanning leather.

Divali, Diwali, Dipavali, Deepavali:The festival of lights at the end of one year and the beginning of the new year, according to one Hindu calendar.

Dharma: religious duty is the usual translation into English, but literally it means the intrinsic quality of the self that which sustains one's existence>

Ganesha Ganesh:A Hindu deity portrayed with an elephant's headthe a sign of strength. The deity who removes obstacles.

Ganga: The Ganges: Most famous of all sacred rivers of India.

Gita: This is shorthand for the Bhagavad Gita,possibly the most revered of all Hindu scriptures.

Guna: Literally, Rope or quality. Specifically refers to the three qualities which permeate and control matter: goodness, passion and ignorance.

Guru: Spiritual teacher, preceptor or enlightener.

Holi: The festival of colours, celebrated in Spring.

householder: A lay person, as opposed to a monastic.

incarnation:Within non-dualistic branches of Hinduism, it is quite common to regard an enlightened individual as an incarnation of God. The name used to refer to Godwill vary (e.g. Shiva or Vishnu).

Kali: Kali is one of the female manifestations of God. She represents the power of time. Her physical appearance is most fearsome and symbolizes her boundless power of destruction. She takes away from us everything that is transitory.

Karma: the law of cause and effect.

Maya: Literally means "Not this." Usually, it refers to illusion, where the eternalsoul identifies itself with temporary matter such as the body, material goods etc. Maya can mean power which creates and maintains the universe's apparent diversity, or to put it in other words, that which causes the One to appear as many.

Moksha, Moksa : Ultimate liberation from the process of transmigration, the continuous cycle of birth and death.

Non-volitional life: As long as you are pursuing your own self-interest, you are leading a volitional life. However enlightened individuals no longer regard themselves as having a self-interest that stands apart from that of others. Nonetheless they still act. It's just that these actions are unmotivated by selfishness. Such activities are regarded as non-volitional

pandita: One who has self-knowlege; a liberated person.

prana vital energy, breath

Rama:, An incarnation of God.The story of His earthly life is told in the Hindu epic,the Ramayana In this story, Rama's dearly beloved wife is kidnapped by a demon. After much difficulty, Rama eventually succeeds in slaying the demon, rescuing his wife, and restoring her to her former position.Allegorically speaking, this represents God's salvation of the individual soul.

Puja: General term referring to a variety of practices involving prayer and meditation in the home

samadhi :Turning one's attention away from creation toward that which is uncreated. The individual is ecstatically transported and becomes unaware of his surroundings.

stages of Life: Hinduism recognizes four main stages of life. Like the goals of life , these can be divided into three plus one.

suttee: former Indian funeral practice in which the widow immolated herself on her husband's funeral pyre.

Swastika, Svastika: From the Sanskrit for well-being; a mark of good fortune. The four arms signify the four directions (space), the four Vedas (knowledge) and the four stages (time) in the life cycle. Not to be confused with the Nazi symbol.

Trimurti The three deities Refers to Brahma, Shiva and Vishu who personify and control the three gunas. They represent and control the three functions of creation, preservation and destruction. This is not the same as the idea of Trinity, which should not be used.

Upanishad, Upanisad: Literally, Literally means "To sit down near." A sacred text based on the teaching of a guru. The Upanishads explain the teachings of the

Veda: Knowledge. Specifically refers to the four Vedas through any teaching which is consistent with the conclusions of these scriptures is also accepted as Vedic.

Vishnu, Visnu: A Hindu god. With Brahma and Shiva forms the Trimurti

Yoga: Literally means "union of the soul with the Supremebeing" Also means the practices or processes which promotes the relationship with the divine. The English word 'yoke' is derived from yoga. There are forty different types of yoga