Hinduism's Online Lexicon - A-z Dictionary

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gaja: (Sanskrit) The elephant, king of beasts, representative of Lord Ganesha and sign of royalty and power. Many major Hindu temples keep one or more elephants.

galactic: Of or pertaining to our galaxy, the Milky Way (from the Greek gala, "milk") and/or other galaxies.

gana(s): (Sanskrit) "Number," hence "throng, troop; retinue; a body of followers or attendants." A troop of demigods--God Siva's attendants, devonic helpers under the supervision of Lord Ganesha. See: Ganapati, Ganesha.

ganachara: (Sanskrit) Loyalty to the community. One of five Vira Saiva codes of conduct. Also, name of a Vira Saiva saint. See: panchachara, Vira Saivism.

Ganapati: (Sanskrit) "Leader of the ganas." A surname of Ganesha.

Ganapati Upanishad: (Sanskrit) A later Upanishad on Lord Ganesha, not connected with any Veda; date of composition is unknown. It is a major scripture for the Ganapatians, a minor Hindu sect which reveres Ganesha as Supreme God and is most prevalent in India's Maharashtra state. See: Ganesha.

Gandharvaveda: (Sanskrit) "Science of music." A class of ancient texts on music, song and dance. It is the Upaveda of the Sama Veda. See: Upaveda.

Ganesha: (Sanskrit) "Lord of Categories." (From gan, "to count or reckon," and Isha, "lord.") Or: "Lord of attendants (gana)," synonymous with Ganapati. Ganesha is a Mahadeva, the beloved elephant-faced Deity honored by Hindus of every sect. He is the Lord of Obstacles (Vighneshvara), revered for His great wisdom and invoked first before any undertaking, for He knows all intricacies of each soul's karma and the perfect path of dharma that makes action successful. He sits on the muladhara chakra and is easy of access. Lord Ganesha is sometimes identified with the Rig Vedic God Brihaspati ("Lord of Prayer," the "Holy Word"), Rig Veda 2.23.1. See: gana, Ganapati, Mahadeva.

Ganesha Chaturthi: (Sanskrit) Birthday of Lord Ganesha, a ten-day festival of August-September culminating in a spectacular parade called Ganesha Visarjana. It is a time of rejoicing, when all Hindus worship together.

Ganesha Visarjana: (Sanskrit) "Ganesha departure." A parade usually occurring on the 11th day after Ganesha Chaturthi, in which the Ganesha murtis made for the occasion are taken in procession to a body of water and ceremoniously immersed and left to dissolve. This represents Ganesha's merging with the ocean of consciousness. See: Ganesha.

Ganges (Ganga): (Sanskrit) India's most sacred river, 1,557 miles long, arising in the Himalayas above Hardwar under the name Bhagiratha, and named Ganga after joining the Alakanada (where the Sarasvati is said to join them underground). It flows southeast across the densely populated Gangetic plain, joining its sister Yamuna (or Jumna) at Prayaga (Allahabad) and ending at the Bay of Bengal. See: Gangetic Plain.

Gangetic Plain: The densely populated plain surrounding India's most sacred river, the Ganges (Ganga), an immense, fertile area of 300,000 square miles, 90 to 300 miles wide. See: Ganges.

garbha: (Sanskrit) "Womb; interior chamber." The inside or middle of anything.

garbhadhana: (Sanskrit) "Womb-placing." The rite of conception. See: reincarnation, samskaras of birth.

garbhagriha: (Sanskrit) The "innermost chamber," sanctum sanctorum, of a Hindu temple, where the primary murti is installed. It is a small, cave-like room, usually made of granite stone, to which only priests are permitted access. Esoterically it represents the cranial chamber. See: temple.

Gargya: (Sanskrit) One of the known disciples of Lakulisha. See: Lakulisha.

Gautama: (Sanskrit) The name of the founder of the Nyaya school of Saivism, author of the Nyaya Sutras. Also, the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). See: Buddha, Buddhism, shad darshana.

gay: Homosexual, especially a male homosexual, though may also refer to females. See: bisexual, homosexual, heterosexual, sexuality.

gayatri: (Sanskrit) According with the gayatri verse form, an ancient meter of 24 syllables, generally as a triplet (tercet) with eight syllables each. From gaya, "song."--Gayatri: The Vedic Gayatri Mantra personified as a Goddess, mother of the four Vedas.

Gayatri Mantra: (Sanskrit) 1) Famous Vedic mantra used in puja and personal chanting. Om [bhur bhuvah svah] tat savitur varenyam, bhargo devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yo nah prachodayat. "[O Divine Beings of all three worlds,] we meditate upon the glorious splendor of the Vivifier divine. May He illumine our minds." (Rig Veda 3.62.10 VE). This sacred verse is also called the Savitri Mantra, being addressed to Savitri, the Sun as Creator, and is considered a universal mystic formula so significant that it is called Vedamatri, "mother of the Vedas." 2) Any of a class of special tantric mantras called Gayatri. Each addresses a particular Deity. The Siva Gayatri Mantra is: Tryambakam yajamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam, urvarukamiva bandhanan mrtyormukshiya mamrtat. "We adore the fragrant three-eyed one who promotes prosperity. May we be freed from the bondage of death as a cucumber from its stalk, but not from immortality." This is a famous verse of the Yajur Veda (from Rudranamaka, or Sri Rudram), considered an essential mantra of Siva worship used in all Siva rites.

germinate: To sprout. To begin to develop.

ghanta: (Sanskrit) "Bell." Akin to ghant, "to speak." An important implement in Hindu worship (puja), used to chase away asuras and summon devas and Gods. See: puja.

ghee: (Sanskrit) Hindi for clarified butter; ghrita in Sanskrit. Butter that has been boiled and strained. An important sacred substance used in temple lamps and offered in fire ceremony, yajna. It is also used as a food with many ayurvedic virtues. See: yajna.

Gheranda Samhita: i (Sanskrit) A Vaishnava manual on hatha yoga (ca 1675), still influential today, presented as a dialog between Sage Gheranda and a disciple. See: hatha yoga.

gloom: Darkness. Deep sadness or despair.

go: (Sanskrit) The cow, considered especially sacred for its unbounded generosity and usefulness to humans. It is a symbol of the earth as the abundant provider. For the Hindu, the cow is a representative of all living species, each of which is to be revered and cared for.

Goddess: Female representation or manifestation of Divinity; Shakti or Devi. Goddess can refer to a female perception or depiction of a causal-plane being (Mahadeva) in its natural state, which is genderless, or it can refer to an astral-plane being residing in a female astral body. To show the Divine's transcendence of sexuality, sometimes God is shown as having qualities of both sexes, e.g., Ardhanarishvara, "Half-woman God;" or Lord Nataraja, who wears a feminine earring in one ear and a masculine one in the other.

Godhead: God; Divinity. A term describing the essence or highest aspect of the Supreme Being.

God Realization: Direct and personal experience of the Divine within oneself. It can refer to either 1) savikalpa samadhi ("enstasy with form") in its various levels, from the experience of inner light to the realization of Satchidananda, the pure consciousness or primal substance flowing through all form, or 2) nirvikalpa samadhi ("enstasy without form"), union with the transcendent Absolute, Parasiva, the Self God, beyond time, form and space. In Dancing with Siva, the expression God Realization is used to name both of the above samadhis, whereas Self Realization refers only to nirvikalpa samadhi. See: raja yoga, samadhi, Self Realization.

Gods: Mahadevas, "great beings of light." In Dancing with Siva, the plural form of God refers to extremely advanced beings existing in their self-effulgent soul bodies in the causal plane. The meaning of Gods is best seen in the phrase, "God and the Gods," referring to the Supreme God--Siva--and the Mahadevas who are His creation. See: Mahadeva.

God's power: See: Shakti.

gopura: (Sanskrit) South Indian temple entrance tower, often quite tall with ornate carvings. See: balipitha, temple.

Gorakshanatha: (Sanskrit) Profound siddha yoga master of the Adinatha Sampradaya (ca 950). Expounder and foremost guru of Siddha Siddhanta Saivism. He traveled and extolled the greatness of Siva throughout North India and Nepal where he and his guru, Matsyendranatha, are still highly revered. See: hatha yoga, Siddha Siddhanta, Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati.

Gorakshanatha Saivism: (Sanskrit) One of the six schools of Saivism, also called Siddha Siddhanta. See: Siddha Siddhanta, siddha yoga.

Gorakshapantha: (Sanskrit) "Path of Gorakshanatha." A synonym for Siddha Siddhanta. See: Saivism (six schools), Siddha Siddhanta.

Gorakshashataka: (Sanskrit) A text by Gorakshanatha, which along with Siddha Siddhanta Pradipika, extols the path of "Siva yoga," which is hatha-kundalini yoga emphasizing control over body and mind, awakening of higher chakras and nadi nerve system with the intent of realizing the Absolute, Parasamvid, and residing in the sahasrara chakra in perfect identity with Siva. See: Gorakshanatha, Siddha Siddhanta.

gotra: (Sanskrit) "Cowshed." Family lineage or subcaste stemming from a rishi or satguru and bearing his name. Originally described as several joint families sharing a common cowshed. See: caste, jati, varna dharma.

grace: "Benevolence, love, giving," from the Latin gratia, "favor, goodwill." God's power of revealment, anugraha shakti ("kindness, showing favor"), by which souls are awakened to their true, Divine nature. Grace in the unripe stages of the spiritual journey is experienced by the devotee as receiving gifts or boons, often unbidden, from God. The mature soul finds himself surrounded by grace. He sees all of God's actions as grace, whether they be seemingly pleasant and helpful or not. For him, his very love of God, the power to meditate or worship, and the spiritual urge which drives his life are entirely and obviously God's grace, a divine endowment, an intercession, unrelated to any deed or action he did or could perform.

In Saiva Siddhanta, it is grace that awakens the love of God within the devotee, softens the intellect and inaugurates the quest for Self Realization. It descends when the soul has reached a certain level of maturity, and often comes in the form of a spiritual initiation, called shaktipata, from a satguru.

Grace is not only the force of illumination or revealment. It also includes Siva's other four powers--creation, preservation, destruction and concealment--through which He provides the world of experience and limits the soul's consciousness so that it may evolve. More broadly, grace is God's ever-flowing love and compassion, karuna, also known as kripa ("tenderness, compassion") and prasada (literally, "clearness, purity").

To whom is God's grace given? Can it be earned? Two famous analogies, that of the monkey (markata) and that of the cat (marjara) express two classical viewpoints on salvation and grace. The markata school, perhaps represented more fully by the Vedas, asserts that the soul must cling to God like a monkey clings to its mother and thus participate in its "salvation." The marjara school, which better reflects the position of the Agamas, says that the soul must be like a young kitten, totally dependent on its mother's will, picked up in her mouth by the scruff of the neck and carried here and there. This crucial state of loving surrender is called prapatti. See: anugraha shakti, prapatti, shaktipata, tirodhana shakti.

grandeur: Greatness, magnificence; of lofty character; noble.

grantha: (Sanskrit) Literally, "knot," a common name for book--a term thought to refer to the knot on the cord that bound ancient palm-leaf or birch-bark manuscripts. Books are afforded deep respect in Hinduism, always carefully treated, never placed directly on the floor. Special books are not uncommonly objects of worship. Grantha also names an ancient literary script developed in South India. See: olai.

granthavidya: (Sanskrit) "Book knowledge." Bibliography; booklist, recommended reading.

grihastha: (Sanskrit) "Householder." Family man or woman. Family of a married couple and other relatives. Pertaining to family life. The purely masculine form of the word is grihasthi. The feminine form is grihasthin. Grihasthi also names the home itself. See: ashrama dharma, extended family, grihastha dharma, joint family.

grihastha ashrama: (Sanskrit) "Householder stage." See: ashrama dharma.

grihastha dharma: (Sanskrit) "Householder law." The virtues and ideals of family life. This dharma includes all nonmonastics, whether married, single or gay. In general, grihastha dharma begins with the completion of the period of studentship and extends throughout the period of raising a family (called the grihastha ashrama). Specific scriptures, called Dharma Shastras and Grihya Shastras, outline the duties and obligations of family life. In Hinduism, family life is one of serving, learning and striving within a close-knit community of many relatives forming a joint family and its broader connections as an extended family under the aegis of a spiritual guru. Each is expected to work harmoniously to further the wealth and happiness of the family and the society, to practice religious disciplines and raise children of strong moral fiber to carry on the tradition. Life is called a jivayajna, "self-sacrifice," for each incarnation is understood as an opportunity for spiritual advancement through fulfilling one's dharma of birth, which is the pattern one chose before entering this world, a pattern considered by many as bestowed by God. In the majority of cases, sons follow in the footsteps of their father, and daughters in those of their mother. All interrelate with love and kindness. Respect for all older than oneself is a keynote. Marriages are arranged and the culture is maintained.

The householder strives to fulfill the four purusharthas, "human goals" of righteousness, wealth, pleasure and liberation. While taking care of one's own family is most central, it is only part of this dharma's expectations. Grihasthas must support the religion by building and maintaining temples, monasteries and other religious institutions, supporting the monastics and disseminating the teachings. They must care for the elderly and feed the poor and homeless. Of course, the duties of husband and wife are different. The Tirukural describes the householder's central duties as serving these five: ancestors, God, guests, kindred and himself. The Dharma Shastras, similarly, enjoin daily sacrifice to rishis, ancestors, Gods, creatures and men. See: ashrama dharma, extended family, joint family, yajna.

griheshvara and grihini: (Sanskrit) From griha, "home," hence "lord and lady of the home." The family man, griheshvara (or grihapati), and family woman, grihini, considered as master and mistress of their respective realms, so they may fulfill their purusha and stri dharmas. Implies that both of their realms are equally important and inviolable. See: dharma.

Grihya Sutras: (Sanskrit) "Household maxims or codes." An important division of classical smriti literature, designating rules and customs for domestic life, including rites of passage and other home ceremonies, which are widely followed to this day. The Grihya Sutras (or Shastras) are part of the Kalpa Sutras, "procedural maxims" (or Kalpa Vedanga), which also include the Shrauta and Shulba Shastras, on public Vedic rites, and the Dharma Shastras (or Sutras), on domestic-social law. Among the best known Grihya Sutras are Ashvalayana's Grihya Sutras attached to the Rig Veda, Gobhila's Sutras of the Sama Veda, and the Sutras of Paraskara and Baudhayana of the Yajur Veda. See: Kalpa Vedanga, Vedanga.

gross plane: The physical world. See: loka, world, tattva.

Guha: (Sanskrit) An epithet of Karttikeya. "The interior one." --guha: "Cave." See: Karttikeya.

Guhavasi Siddha: (Sanskrit) A guru of central India (ca 675) credited with the modern founding of Saiva Siddhanta in that area, based fully in Sanskrit. Guhavasi--literally "cave-dweller; he who is hidden"--is also a name of Lord Siva.

Guheshvara: (Sanskrit) "Lord of the cave." A name for Lord Siva implying His presence in the heart or the interior of all beings.

Gujarat: (Sanskrit) State of West India. Capital is Ahmedabad, population 40,000,000, area 75,670 square miles.

guna: (Sanskrit) "Strand; quality." The three constituent principles of prakriti, primal nature. The three gunas are as follows.--sattva: Quiescent, rarified, translucent, pervasive, reflecting the light of Pure Consciousness.--rajas: "Passion," inherent in energy, movement, action, emotion, life.--tamas: "Darkness," inertia, density, the force of contraction, resistance and dissolution. The gunas are integral to Hindu thought, as all things are composed of the combination of these qualities of nature, including ayurveda, arts, environments and personalities. See: ayurveda, prakriti, tattva.

Gurkha: (Sanskrit) A Rajput people of the mountains of Nepal; famed warriors.

guru: (Sanskrit) "Weighty one," indicating an authority of great knowledge or skill. A title for a teacher or guide in any subject, such as music, dance, sculpture, but especially religion. For clarity, the term is often preceded by a qualifying prefix. Hence, terms such as kulaguru (family teacher), vinaguru (vina teacher) and satguru (spiritual preceptor). In Hindu astrology, guru names the planet Jupiter, also known as Brihaspati. According to the Advayataraka Upanishad (1418), guru means "dispeller (gu) of darkness (ru)." See: guru-shishya system, satguru.

guru bhakti: (Sanskrit) Devotion to the teacher. The attitude of humility, love and loyality held by a student in any field of study. In the spiritual realm, the devotee strives to see the guru as his higher Self. By attuning himself to the satguru's inner nature and wisdom, the disciple slowly transforms his own nature to ultimately attain the same peace and enlightenment his guru has achieved. Guru bhakti is expressed through serving the guru, meditating on his form, working closely with his mind and obeying his instructions. See: guru, satguru, guru-shishya system, Kularnava Tantra.

Gurudeva: (Sanskrit) "Divine or radiant preceptor." An affectionate, respectful name for the guru. See: guru.

Guru Gita: (Sanskrit) "Song of the guru." A popular 352-verse excerpt from the Skanda Purana, wherein Lord Siva tells Parvati of the guru-disciple relationship. See: guru.

Guru Jayanti: (Sanskrit) Preceptor's birthday, celebrated as an annual festival by devotees. A padapuja, ritual bathing of his feet, is usually performed. If he is not physically present, the puja is done to the sri paduka, "holy sandals," which represent the guru and hold his vibration. See: padapuja.

gurukula: (Sanskrit) A training center where young boys live and learn in residence with their teacher. Kula means "family." See: ashrama, brahmacharya.

guru parampara: (Sanskrit) "Preceptorial succession" (literally, "from one teacher to another"). A line of spiritual gurus in authentic succession of initiation; the chain of mystical power and authorized continuity, passed from guru to guru. Cf: sampradaya.

Guru Purnima: (Sanskrit) Occurring on the full moon of July, Guru Purnima is for devotees a day of rededication to all that the guru represents. It is occasioned by padapuja--ritual worship of the guru's sandals, which represent his holy feet. See: guru-shishya system.

guru-shishya system: (Sanskrit) "Master-disciple" system. An important education system of Hinduism whereby the teacher conveys his knowledge and tradition to a student. Such knowledge, whether it be Vedic-Agamic art, architecture or spirituality, is imparted through the developing relationship between guru and disciple. The principle of this system is that knowledge, especially subtle or advanced knowledge, is best conveyed through a strong human relationship based on ideals of the student's respect, commitment, devotion and obedience, and on personal instruction by which the student eventually masters the knowledge the guru embodies. See: guru, guru bhakti, satguru.

gush: To flow out suddenly and plentifully.