Plain words

Glossary

41 words you will meet on this site, each explained in one plain sentence. The technical word always stays; the sentence sits beside it.

Aarti: Waving a lit lamp in slow circles before the deity while singing — the glowing finale of a puja.
Asana: A yoga posture — any steady, comfortable shape the body holds while the breath stays easy.
Avatar: A descent of a deity into the world — Rama and Krishna are avatars of Vishnu.
Bija mantra: A single-syllable "seed" sound, like Om or Gam — tiny to say, said to hold a whole deity's energy.
Brahman: The one reality behind everything — not a person in the sky, but the ground of all that is, including you.
Dharma: What upholds: your duty from where you stand in life, and the order that keeps the world whole.
Dhyana: Meditation — giving the mind one quiet thing to rest on, like the breath, a flame or a mantra.
Drishti: A soft, fixed gaze on one point — the balancing secret of poses like the tree.
Gayatri: A famous Vedic verse-form of 24 syllables; "the Gayatri" usually means the great prayer to the Sun's light.
Ishta-devata: Your chosen deity — usually the one your family keeps — the face through which you approach the divine.
Jaap / Japa: Repeating a mantra again and again — often 108 times — while keeping count.
Jayanti: A birthday celebration — of a deity, saint or great soul.
Karma: Action — and the principle that every action shapes what follows. Not fate, not punishment.
Kumbhaka: Gently holding the breath in or out for a moment — an advanced step, learned from a teacher.
Mala: A string of 108 beads used to count mantra repetitions with your fingers.
Mandir: A Hindu temple — or the small shrine most homes keep on a shelf.
Mantra: Sacred words or sounds, usually in Sanskrit, repeated to steady the mind and honour the divine.
Moksha: Liberation: freedom from the cycle of rebirth and from the confusion that keeps it turning.
Mudra: A hand gesture with meaning — like chin mudra, resting thumb and index fingertip together while meditating.
Muhurat: An auspicious time-window chosen from the panchang for starting something important.
Murti: The image of a deity in a temple or home shrine; treated as a living guest during worship.
Namaskar: A greeting of respect with joined palms; Surya Namaskar is this greeting offered to the Sun, in movement.
Namaste: Palms together, a small bow: "I bow to you." A greeting, a thank-you, and a goodbye.
Panchang: The traditional Hindu calendar-almanac that tells which tithi, star and auspicious times fall on each day.
Prana: The life-energy the tradition says rides on the breath — what pranayama practices are caring for.
Pranayama: Breathing practices — guiding the breath slow and steady, because a calm breath makes a calm mind.
Prasad: Food offered to the deity first and then shared by everyone — a blessing you can eat.
Puja: Worship at home or temple — offering light, flowers, food and prayers to a deity.
Sadhana: Your regular spiritual practice — the jaap, meditation, yoga and puja you actually do, day after day.
Samagri: The shopping list of a puja — all the items you gather before starting, like diya, flowers and sweets.
Samsara: The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Sankalpa: The little promise you speak at the start of a puja or practice, saying what you are doing and why.
Shatkarma: Hatha yoga's six cleansing practices; trataka (candle gazing) and kapalbhati are two of them.
Shloka: A Sanskrit verse — two lines of sacred poetry, like those in the Gita.
Shruti: "What was heard": the Vedas and Upanishads, the texts with the highest authority.
Smriti: "What is remembered": the epics, the Puranas, and the law books — composed after the Vedas.
Tarpan: Offering water with sesame seeds to remember and thank one's ancestors.
Tilak: The mark on the forehead — sandal, vermilion, or ash — worn after puja or as a blessing.
Tithi: A day of the Hindu moon calendar. Festival dates follow the moon, which is why they move each year.
Trataka: Steady, soft gazing at one point — usually a flame — until the mind goes as still as the eyes.
Vrat: A day of promise — often fasting or eating simply — kept for a deity or a loved one's wellbeing.

New to all of this? Start here — the short guide