Writing on Hinduism necessitates the use of non-English words that occur often need to be explained. This glossary explains words beginning with I to L.
Ila: Ila was the daughter Vaivasvata Manu. Vaivasvata had organized a sacrifice to obtain a son, but his wife prayed for a daughter and Ila was born. But at Vaivasvata’s request Ila was transformed into a boy, Sudyumna. One day Sudyumna entered a forest forbidden to males and was transformed into Ila again. Buddh, the son of Soma, married Ila and their son Pururava founded the Lunar dynasty.
Indra: King of the Devas (demi-Gods) and deity of thunder.
Indus: A river having its source in the Mansarovar Lake in present day Tibet and flowing south west to the Bay of Bengal. It was the westernmost of the seven rivers mentioned in the Vedas.
Itihasas: Translated as histories these are the scroptures of the Epic Period. There are four Itihasas - the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Yogavashishtha and the Harivamsa.
Jamadagni: A reknowned sage and the earthly father of Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu.
Jambudvipa: The continent on earth where all the events mentioned in Hindu scriptures happened.
Jiv Atma: Jiv Atma, sometimes referred to as Atma, is the individual soul, which is in reality the Param Atma but is viewed as distinct because of Prakriti.
Jyotirlingas: The twelve ancient temples dedicated to Shiva, where it is believed that the spiritually enlightened can perceive the linga as a column of light. These shrines are Somnath, Shri Sailam, Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwar, Kedarnath, Bhimashankar, Varanasi, Tryambakeshwar, Vaidyanath, Nageshwar, Rameshwaram and Grishneshwar.
Kadamba: A sacred species of tree that grows in abundance in Madhuban. It is a leafy tree with yellow puffball flowers and a sweet scent. Many incidents in the life of Krishna are associated with the Kadamba tree. It is the tree under which Dhruv performed his penance. Its botanical name is Anthocephalus cadamba and Nauclea cadamba of the Rubiaceae family
Kaikasi: Kaikasi was the daughter of Sumali, who was from the royal family of Asuras that ruled Lanka before they were deposed by the Devas. He sent Kaikasi to lure Vishrava; fully aware that Vishrava’s son would be powerful enough to defeat the Devas. Kaikasi did as she was told and thus gave birth to Ravana.
Kailash: The mountain next to Lake Mansarovar, in present day Tibet, which is the permanent home of Shiva.
Kaithaba: One of the two demons arising from the wax of Vishnu. Both were killed by Vishnu and the fat from their bodies used to create the earth.
Kalidas: Kalidas is one of India’s most famous playwrights, writing in Sanskrit in the 4th century A.D. in the court of King Chandragupta Vikramaditya. His play Vikramorvasiyam centers on the romance of the apsara (celestial maiden) Urvashi and King Pururava. His most famous work is Abhigyan Shakuntalam.
Kaliya: A thousand-headed serpent named who lived in and poisoned the Yamuna River. He was evicted from there by Krishna.
Kalki: The yet to come 10th avatar of Vishnu, who will appear at the end of Kaliyuga and destroy the world because it will become beyond redemption. Then the process of Creation will stat afresh.
Kalki Purana: One of the minor Puranas that describe the yet to come Kalki incarnation.
Kama: the demi-God of love and the husband of Rati.
Kama Sutra: An ancient text on human sexual behavior written by Vatsyayana in about the 4th century AD. Kama means sexuality and Sutra means thread.
Kapila: An avatar of Vishnu who was born to sage Kapila and Devahuti. He gave the wisdom of Sankhya Philosophy to the world.
Kardam: A sage created by Brahma from his shadow. He was married to Devahuti and was the father of Kapila, who was an avatar of Vishnu.
Karna: The eldest son of Kunti born through the Sun demi-God before her marriage to Pandu. He was abondoned at birth and later befriended by Duryodhana. He fought against his brothers, the Pandavas, in the Mahabharata war and was killed by Arjun.
Kartikeya: The elder son of Shiva and Parvati. He is the leader of the army of the Devas. He is immensely popular in South India where he is worshipped as Murugan.
Kashyap: Kashyap was created by sage Marichi using his mental powers. Marichi was likewise created by Brahma. Kashyap married thirteen daughters of Daksha, through whom he sired the Devas, Asuras and other races of celectial beings.
Kauravas: The sons of Dhritarashtra, headed by Duryodhan, who fought againtst their cousins, the Pandavas, in the Mahabharata War.
Kedarnath: The northernmost of the twelve Jyotirlingas, or ancient temples dedicated to Shiva, situated on the Kedar Hill in the Himalayas. Its name implies Lord of Kedar. It was here that the Pandavas prayed to Shiva to absolve them of the sins of killing their relatives in the Mahabharata War.
Kimpurushas: A race with human heads and horse bodies, who generally are seen to be accompanying Kuber. In modern context Kimpurusha refers to a person of low and mixed caste.
Kinnaras: A race with human bodies and horse heads. They are musicians who generally are seen to be accompanying Kuber. In modern context Kinnara refers to a caste whose occupation is singing and dancing. Eunuchs are also referred to as Kinnaras.
Krishna: Krishna was the eight of the ten renowned avatars of Vishnu. He spent his childhood in Vrindavan in the community of cowherds. His antics as a child and his romance with his eternal consort Radha are a hallmark of this period of his life. Later he guided the Pandavas to victory in the Mahabharata War, where he recited the Bhagavad Gita to Arjun. The last period of his life was spent in Dwarka. After completing his mission on earth he gave up his mortal form and returned to his divine state.
Krishna Dwaipayana: The birth name of Veda Vyasa. Krishna because he was dark and Dwaipayana because he was born on an island.
Kshatriya: The warrior race or the nobility according to the Vedic classification of society.
Kuber: He was the son of Vishrava and Ilavida and the stepbrother of Ravana. Kuber was the king of the Yakshas and the guardian of the treasures of the Devas. For this the Devas made the King of Lanka after removing the Asuras from there. Later Ravana deposed him and became the King of Lanka.
Kumbhakaran: Ravana’s younger brother who was gigantic in size. Though he did not always agree with Ravana, he followed his elder brother’s bidding without question. He was killed by Rama.
Kunti: The first wife of Pandu and mother to Yudhishthir, Bhim and Arjun.
Kurukshetra: The battlefield on which the Mahabharata war was fought.
Lakshmi: The consort of Vishnu and the Goddess of prosperity. She is worshipped on the occasion of Diwali. It is said that she arose from the oceans when it was being churned by the Devas and Asuras.
Lila: Lila is best translated as playacting. One view in Hinduism is that the universe is a game created by God in which he moves us all like chess men. Lila more narrowly refers to the acts that God performs in his avatars as a mortal on earth.
Lomaharshana: The disciple of sage Vyasa who heard the Pranas from kim and spread them to the other sages. "Loma" means hair and "harshana" means to thrill. Lomaharshans was given this name because he narrated the Puranas in a hair raising manner.
Lunar Dynasty: Pururava, the grandson of Soma, the Moon demi-God, was the founder of the Lunar dynasty. His wife, Aushiniri, was barren and the lineage continued through his son from his mistress, Urvashi. Shibi, Kuru, Yayati, Puru, Dushyant and Bharat (after whom India derives its original name) were all great kings of the lunar dynasty. The cousins of the Mahabharata war were also from this lineage. After the Mahabharata war Yudhishthir ascended the throne. Parikshit, Arjun’s grandson, succeeded Yudhishthir and the lineage continued through his son Janmajeya.
The other Glossary Lists are available at
