Writing on Hinduism necessitates the use of non-English words that often need to be explained. This glossary explains words beginning with A to B.
Adhisima Krishna: A descendant of Parikshit. The genealogy from Parikshit is as follows – Janmajeya, Shatanik, Sahastranik, Ashwameghdutta and Adhisima Krishna
Adi Shankaracharya: The First Shankaracharya was one of the greatest Hindu scholars and philosophers. He was born in Kerala in 788 AD. He was a child prodigy and an exponent of the Advaita philosophy. He established the four centers of learning in the four corners of India. He gave up his life at Kedarnath at the age of 32.
Aditi: One of the daughters of Daksha who was married to sage Kashyap. She was a virtuous woman and the mother of the Devas.
Agastya: Agastya is credited with bringing Vedic knowledge to South India. Legend has it that he humbled the Vindhya mountain range, which divides India, on his way to the southern part of the country. He was born to sage Pulastya and Havirbhu, the daughter of Kardam and Devahuti.
Agni: A member of the class of deities known as demi-Gods or Devas. Agni is the demi-God of fire and plays an important role in sacrifices. Hindu marriages are solemnized by the couple taking seven rounds of the sacred fire. This represents the Agni bearing witness to the seven vows of marriage.
Agnidhra: The eldest son of Priyavrata and Barhismati who married the apsara Purvachitti in order to further his dynasty.
Akuti: The daughter of Swayambhav Manu and Shatrupa who was married to sage Ruchi. She gave birth to Yagna and Dakshina who were the incarnations of Vishnu and Lakshmi respectively.
Alkapuri: The capital city of the Yakshas, in the Himalayas. It is ruled by Kuber.
Ambalika: The second wife of King Vichitraveerya, who gave birth to Pandu through Veda Vyasa after Vichitraveerya died without any issues.
Anasuya: The daughter of Kardam and Devahuti who was married to the sage Atri. She was blessed to be the mother of Soma, Dattatreya and Durvasa, who were the incarnations of the three Supreme Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva respectively. She was revered for her fidelity and devotion to her husband. So great was her power that she turned the Supreme Gods into toddlers when they tried to tarnish her fidelity at the instigation of their consorts.
Anga: A king in the lineage of Swayambhav Manu. He was childless for long and obtained Vena through a sacrifice. But when Vena turned out to be an evil person, Anga left his palace and was not seen again.
Apsaras: Apsaras were celestial maidens endowed with great beauty. They were dancers in the court of Indra in Heaven. Indra often sent them to disturb the meditations of sages who he thought were becoming very powerful.
Angiras: He was one of the sages created by Brahma. He married Shraddha. His son Brihaspati was stillborn because Shraddha had been unfaithful during her pregnancy, but he forgave her and breathed life into the dead child.
Aranyakas: The Aranyakas is derived from the word Aranya meaning forest. This is the section of the Vedas that prescribes the practices to be followed during the Sanyasa Ashram or the renunciation stage of life. The Aranyakas provide the link between the ritualistic Brahmanas and the philosophical Upanishads.
Arci: Prithu’s wife and an incarnation of Lakshmi. She was created from Vena’s dead body along with her husband.
Arjun: The third Pandava, the son of Pandu and Kunti obtained through the blessings of Indra. He played a crucial role in the Mahabharata war, with Krishna as his charioteer.
Aryans: A race that originated in Central Asia and later migrated to Europe and India according to European Indologists like Max Mueller. The Aryan migration into India was supposed to have taken place around 1500 BCE. According to this theory the Aryans destroyed the Indus valley civilizations, pushed the Dravidians to the south of India and founded the Vedic culture. This theory is now not accepted by many. The founders of the Vedic civilization are believed to be indigenous to India and not migrants. Arya in Vedic literature means noble and is used as a common term for addressing royalty.
Ashram: The four stages of life that are Brahmacharya, Grahasta, Vanaprastha and Sanyasa.
Ashtadhyayi: The branch of Hindu thought that deals with grammar.
Ashwamedha: Ashwamedha or Horse Sacrifice was conducted by kings to exert their superiority over neighboring kingdoms. The chosen horse was left free to roam wherever he chose with the king’s army following it. When the horse entered the realm of another king that king could either accept a position of subjugation or challenge the army. Very powerful kings conducted the sacrifice so in practice very few challenged the horse.
Ashwathama: The son of sage Drona, who fought alongside Duryodhana in the Mahabharata War. He was one of the few survivors of the war.
Asuras: The collective name for the several classes of demons. The Asuras were generally evil and were in incessant battle with the Devas, because the Asuras coveted the kingdom of Heaven. Whenever there was a new Asura king, he invaded Heaven sure that victory would be his. But the Asuras always lost in the end.
Atharva Veda: The latest of the Vedas named after Atharvan, who is credited with the discovery of fire. The Atharva Veda is an amalgamation of the primitive religion that predated Vedic thought and the philosophy of the earlier Vedas.
Atri: A sage created by Brahms from his eyes. Atri married Anasuya, the daughter of Kardam and Devahuti. He was blessed to be the father of Soma, Dattatreya and Durvasa, who were the incarnations of the three Supreme Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva respectively.
Avantika: The ancient name of the present city of Ujjain, in central India.
Avatar: Avatar means incarnation. In Hinduism the formless Supreme God takes human and animal forms from time to time and descends on earth to vanquish evil. These forms are known as avatars.
Aushiniri: The wife of King Pururava. It is said that she was barren and therefore Pururava’s lineage continued through his mistress, Urvashi.
Ayurveda: The branch of Hindu thought that deals with medicine. The focus is on preventive action rather than curative action.
Badrinath: One of the holiest places of pilgrimage for Hindus, Badrinath is situated in Uttarakhand in the Garhwal Himalayas between the Nara and Narayan ranges on the banks of the River Alaknanda which is one of the many rivers that combine to form the Ganga. A stone idol of Lord Badrinath was found in the river Alaknanda and is enshrined in the temple in Badrinath.
Bahuka: The dark dwarf who emerged from the dead Vena’s thighs. He contained all the evil in Vena. Bahuka was the progenitor of the Nishada race.
Barhishmati: The capital of Emperor Swayambhav Manu. When Vishnu in his Varaha avatar shook his body his hair fell on the earth. Barhishmati was founded on that spot. The hair turned into kusha grass, which is a special grass used in religious rituals.
Barhismati: The daughter of Viswakarma, the architect for the Devas, who married Priyavrata, the son of Swayambhav Manu.
Bhagavad Gita: One of the three holiest scriptures of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata and details the sermon given by Krishna to Arjun on the battlefield. Through this sermon Krishna elucidated the tenets of right living.
Bhagavata Purana: The most important Purana and considered by many as the holiest of the scriptures. It focuses on the Krishna avatar. It was written by Vyasa. The Bhagavata Purana eases the fear of death. It was narrated by Sukhdev to King Parikshit, after the latter was cursed to die in a week's time.
Bharat: A king of the lunar dynasty after whom India derives its original name.
Bhargava: The generic name for the descendants of sage Bhrigu.
Bhim: The second Pandava, the son of Pandu and Kunti obtained through the blessings of Pavan Deva, The wind demi-God.
Bhimarathi: The holy river that has its source at Bhimashankar. According to legend it was formed from the sweat of Shiva when he sat down to rest at Bhimashankar after slaying Tripura.
Bhimashankar: One of the twelve Jyotirlingas, or ancient temples dedicated to Shiva. It is situated in Maharashtra on the site where Shiva slew the demon Tripura. Shiva, also known as Shankar, had appeared in his gigantic or ‘bhima’ avatar and hence the shrine is known as Bhimashankar.
Bhramaramba: Bhramar is a bee and Amba is another name for Durga. Bhramaramba is the form of the bee taken by Durga to worship Shiva at Shri Sailam.
Bhrami: The daughter of Prajapati Sisumara and the wife of Dhruv. Her sons were Kalpa and Vatsara, who succeeded his father.
Bindu Sarovar: A lake situated in present day Gujarat, once lay on the course of the river Saraswati. It was called Bindu Sarovar, meaning Lake of Drops, because tears of Vishnu are believed to have fallen in this lake. Along its shore were the ashrams of sage Kardam and his son Kapila.
Brahm: The ultimate reality or the universal consciousness or the essence of everything. God in the state of being without form or characteristics.
Brahma: One of the three main manifestations of the One Supreme God. Brahma is responsible for the functions of Creation in mythology.
Brahmacharya: The first life-stage or “ashram” according to Hindu scriptures. The person is expected to focus on his education during this stage and is expected to live a celibate life.
Brahmaloka: The heavenly abode of Brahma.
Brahmanas: The second part of the Vedas, the Brahmanas lay out the precepts, rituals and religious duties. They are said to be the work of priests.
Brahmaputra: A river having its source in the Mansarovar Lake in present day Tibet and flowing south east to the Bay of Bengal. It shares its delta with the Ganga. Brahmaputra literally means ‘Son of Brahma’.
Brahmavaivarta Purana: One of the eighteen major Puranas. It is especially known for the exposition of the tales of Krishna and Radha.
Brahmin: The priestly race according to the Vedic classification of society.
Braj: The region in which Krishna spent his childhood consisting of Mathura and the surrounding villages of Gokul, Vrindavan, Barsana and others.
Brihaspati: Brihaspati was the preceptor of the demi-Gods. He was the son of Angiras and Shraddha. He was stillborn because Shraddha had been unfaithful during her pregnancy but was given life by Angiras. Brihaspati had three wives Shubha, Tara and Mamata. In astrology Brihaspati is the Hindu name for the planet Jupiter.
Buddh: The son of Soma through Tara. Tara was the wife of sage Brihaspati who was abducted by Soma. Buddh married Ila and sired Pururava the founder of the Lunar dynasty. In astrology Buddh is the Hindu name for the planet Mercury.
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