Hinduism's Online Lexicon - A-z Dictionary

U

uccharana vyakhya: (Sanskrit) "Pronunciation key or explanation."

ucchishta: (Sanskrit) "Leavings; remainder." Religiously, the precious leavings from the guru's food plate or the waters from the bathing of his feet or sandals which are ingested by devotees as prasada (blessed offerings). Partaking of the satguru's ucchishta is an important means of receiving his vibration and thus creating a psychic connection and harmony with him, being in touch with his grace in a physical way. See: prasada, satguru, padapuja.

Ujjain: (Sanskrit) A city on the Sipra River, one of the seven sacred Hindu cities; a traditional holy place of Saivism. See: Rudrashambhu.

ultimate: Final, last. --Ultimate Reality: Final, highest Truth. God Siva's Absolute Reality, Parasiva.

Uma: (Sanskrit) "O do not." A name for Shakti said to derive from the exclamation addressed to Parvati by her mother in the Siva Purana, beseeching her to not practice austerities.

unconnectedness: The quality of being separate, unrelated to or uninvolved.

uncreated: Not created, without origin. An attribute of God.

undecaying: Not decaying or deteriorating.

undifferentiated: Uniform. Same. Not having distinct or different elements.

unerring: Not making an error, sure. Exacting.

unevolutionary perfection: A term describing God Siva as eternally complete and flawless and therefore not changing or developing.

unfold: To open gradually, especially in stages. See: spiritual unfoldment.

unharness: To take a harness off, to loosen restraints and make free.

unhindered: Free of obstacles. Not restrained.

universal dharma: Cosmic order, rita. See: dharma.

universal dissolution: The final stage in the recurring cosmic cycles of creation in which all manifestation is reabsorbed into God. See: mahapralaya.

universalist: Applicable to all; including everyone or all groups. Any doctrine that emphasizes principles, beliefs or theologies that are or could be acceptable to many or all people, especially as contrasted with sectarian, denominational perspectives. Such schools are often syncretic in nature, but firmly based around a core of the original faith of the founder, and usually viewed by adherents as enlightened substitutes to traditional, established faiths. See: neo-Indian religion, syncretism.

unleash: To release, as by removing a tether or rope.

unmanifest: Not evident or perceivable. Philosophically, akin to transcendent. God Siva is unmanifest in His formless perfection, Parasiva. See: formless.

unoriginated: Never begun or created. God Siva is unoriginated as He has no beginning. See: atattva, Parasiva, Primal Soul.

unpretentiousness: Modesty, humility. Not having false pride about oneself.

unrepressed: Open and honest, not marked by thoughts or feelings that are hidden or held back. Not repressed, pushed back or controlled to excess. Free of subconscious impulses, compulsions and inhibitions.

unshrouded: Uncovered. Made visible or knowable.

unwind: To undo something wound, as to unwind the thread from a spool.

upa: (Sanskrit) A common prefix conveying the meanings: "towards, near to (as opposed to apa, away), by the side of, with, below."

upadesha: (Sanskrit) "Advice; religious instruction." Often given in question-and-answer form from guru to disciple. The satguru's spiritual discourses.

upadeshi: (Sanskrit) A liberated soul who chooses to teach, actively helping others to the goal of liberation. Contrasted with nirvani. See: nirvani and upadeshi, satguru.

Upagama: (Sanskrit) Secondary Agama. A large body of texts and similar in character to the principle Agamas. Each of the 28 Siddhanta Saiva Agamas has as many as 16 Upagamas associated with it, giving more specific or elaborate information on the basic text; their total number is given as 207 or 208.

upagrantha: (Sanskrit) "Secondary text." Appendices or additional resources of a book. See: Grantha.

upanayana: (Sanskrit) "Bringing near." A youth's formal initiation into Vedic study under a guru, traditionally as a resident of his ashrama, and the investiture of the sacred thread (yajnopavita or upavita), signifying entrance into one of the three upper castes. The upanayana is among twelve samskaras prescribed in the Dharma Shastras and explained in the Grihya Sutras. It is prescribed between ages 8-16 for brahmins (who received a white thread), 11-22 for kshatriyas (red thread), and 12-24 for vaishyas (yellow thread). At present the color white for the sacred thread has been adopted universally. The upanayana is regarded as a second or spiritual birth, and one so initiated is known as dvija, "twice-born." Until about the beginning of the common era, the upanayana was also afforded to girls. Great value was placed on their learning the Vedas in preparation for the duties of married life. See: samskaras of childhood.

Upanishad: (Sanskrit) "Sitting near devotedly." The fourth and final portion of the Vedas, expounding the secret, philosophical meaning of the Vedic hymns. The Upanishads are a collection of profound texts which are the source of Vedanta and have dominated Indian thought for thousands of years. They are philosophical chronicles of rishis expounding the nature of God, soul and cosmos, exquisite renderings of the deepest Hindu thought. Traditionally, the number of Upanishads is given as 108. Ten to 16 are classified as "major" or "principle" Upanishads, being those which philosophers have commented on through the centuries. The Upanishads are generally dated later than the Samhitas and Brahmanas, though some are actually portions of the Brahmanas. It is thought that most were written down in Sanskrit between 1500 and 600 bce. In content, these popular and approachable texts revolve around the identity of the soul and God, and the doctrines of reincarnation, of karma and of liberation through renunciation and meditation. They are widely available in many languages. Along with the Bhagavad Gita ("song of God") they were the primary scripture to awaken the Western world to the wealth of Hindu wisdom. See: shruti, Vedas, Vedanta.

upasana: (Sanskrit) "Sitting near." Worship or contemplation of God. One of the pancha nitya karmas. "five constant duties." See: sandhya upasana.

upasarga: (Sanskrit) "Trouble, obstacle." Difficulties, challenges or distractions which retard one's progress on the spiritual path. Numerous lists are given in scripture under the Sanskrit terms upasarga, dosha (defect; blemish), klesha, vighna and antaraya. The Yogatattva Upanishad lists twenty doshas including hunger, thirst, excitement, grief, anger and greed; as well as five vighnas: sloth, boastfulness, bad company, cultivation of mantras for wrong reasons and longing for women. Patanjali names nine antarayas to success in yoga, including sickness, doubt, sloth, nonattainment and instability. Spiritually, all these obstacles unless overcome lead to a dead end of unhappiness and despair, often affording steps which can only be retraced through reincarnating again. See: purity-impurity.

Upaveda: (Sanskrit) "Secondary Vedas." A class of texts on sacred sciences, composed by rishis over the course of time to amplify and apply the Vedic knowledge. The four prominent Upavedas (each encompassing numerous texts) are: Arthaveda (statecraft), Ayurveda (health), Dhanurveda (military science) and Gandharvaveda (music and the arts). Also sometimes classed as Upavedas are the Sthapatyaveda (on architecture) and the Kama Shastras (texts on erotic love). See: Arthaveda, Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Kama Sutra, Gandharvaveda, purushartha, Stapatyaveda.

upaya: (Sanskrit) "Means." A term used in Kashmir Saivism to describe the means to move from individual into universal consciousness.--anavopaya: "Individual, or limited means." Also called kriyopaya, the way of ritual worship, hatha yoga, concentration and yogic breathing.--shaktopaya: "Way of power." Active inquiry through mental effort, emphasizing control of awareness, japa and meditation.--shambhavopaya: "Way of Shambhu (Siva)." Also called icchopaya, "Way of will." Seeing Siva everywhere; surrender in God.--anupaya : "No-means." Not really a means, but the goal of the first three upayas--the transcendent condition of Siva Consciousness. The spontaneous realization of the Self without effort. Also called pratyabhijna upaya, "way of recognition." See: Kashmir Saivism.

upbringing: Childhood education and training**.**

utmost: To the highest degree, the very greatest.

Utpaladeva: (Sanskrit) Disciple (ca 900-950) of Somananda and author of Pratyabhijna Sutras (also called Pratyabhijna Darshana) and other works. See: Kashmir Saivism.

utsava: (Sanskrit) "Festival." Religious celebrations or holy days and their observance in the home and temple. Utsava is one of the five constant duties, pancha nitya karmas. See: festival.

utsavaka: (Sanskrit) "Festival maker." A person who coordinates arrangements for religious festivals.