| Achaitanya | : Unconscious |
| Adharma | : Opposite of dharma, see Dharma |
| Adhyatma Ramayana | : The Ramayana is a mythological story of the Hindu tradition which chronicles the story of Lord Rama. The Adhyatma Ramayana is a text which deals with the philosophy of the story. |
| Advaita | : A religious philosophy which expounds absolute Non-dualism |
| Advaitin | : One who sees no difference between God and his creation |
| Allah | : Supreme Godhead according to the tradition of Islam |
| Amalaki | : Indian gooseberry |
| Anahata dhvani | : Inner Divine Sound |
| Ananda | : Bliss |
| Antaranga bhaktas | : Devotees of the inner circle |
| Anubhava | : Experience |
| Anur | : Name of a village |
| Asoka | : Name of a king who renounced conquest and took to Buddhism |
| Atman | : The individual soul or jiva |
| Avatar | : Hinduism believes that the Supreme God incarnates amongst men on earth and then he or she is called an avatar |
| Avidyamaya | : Represents the dark forces of creation |
| Ayurveda | : An Indian form of herbal medicine |
| Baba | : Father |
| Babu | : Equivalent to Sir |
| Bangla | : Language spoken by the people of eastern and western Bengal which are two states in India. East Bengal has now become an independent country (Bangladesh). |
| Bauls | : Baul is a form of folk music and the people who sing it are called Bauls |
| Belur Math | : An institution set up by Vivekananda after the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna which is close to Dakshineswar |
| Benares | : Originally called Kasi or Varanasi which is an important place of pilgrimage for the Hindus |
| Benaresi sari | : Benares has been known for producing hand woven saris for women all over India |
| Bengali | : The language spoken by the people of Bengal |
| Bhagavad Gita | : Teaching given by Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna on the battlefield compiled into a text |
| Bhairava | : A form of Shiva who represents death hence known as god of death |
| Bhairavi | : A female worshipper of the God of Death |
| Bhajan | : A form of devotional music |
| Bhakta | : Worshipper |
| Bhakti | : Intense love of God, attachment to Him alone |
| Bhavamukha | : On the threshold of relative consciousness |
| Bhavas | : Attitudes towards God |
| Bhavatarini | : Goddess whose grace helps us cross the ocean of mundane existence |
| Bhikshu/ bhiksha | : Mendicant seeking alms, ritual begging for grace of God through food |
| Bhoga | : Enjoyment, material life |
| Bhutirkhal | : Name of a cremation ground |
| Bodhi tree | : A peepal tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment |
| Brahma | : One of the gods of the trinity who creates the manifested universe in Hindu mythology |
| Brahmo Samaj | : Eclectic movement in Bengal in the 19th century for the reformation of Hinduism while retaining the best of the Upanishads and combining with Christian practices |
| Brahmo | : A member of the Brahmo Samaj |
| Brahmachari | : One who seeks the Brahman by control of the senses including celibacy |
| Brahmajnana | : Knowledge of the higher self |
| Brahman | : The ultimate one with a name and form unlike ataman which is the ultimate one without name and form |
| Brahmani | : A female follower of the path to the experience of Brahman |
| Brahmin | : Priestly caste of the Hindu religion |
| Brahminical thread | : A cotton thread worn by the men who are formally initiated to follow the path prescribed in order to be called a Brahmin |
| Chaitanya | : Ecstatic singing saint of medieval times from Bengal |
| Chaitanya Bhagavata | : A text authored by Brindavandas Thakur on Chaitanya |
| Chaitanya Charitamrita | : Biography of Chaitanya |
| Chaitanya Lila | : Divine Sport by Chaitanya |
| Chamara | : A hand fan |
| Chit | : Consciousness |
| Choli | : An upper garment worn by women |
| Da | : Short form of elder brother |
| Dada | : Term used for elder brother |
| Dakshineswar | : A small place outside Calcutta (Kolkata) on the banks of the river Gangawhere Sri Ramakrishna spent most of his living years |
| Dalia | : Broken wheat |
| Daridranarayana | : God in the form of a beggar |
| Dasa | : Servant |
| Dasa bhava | : The feeling of servitude |
| Dasaratha | : The king of Ayodhya and the father of Lord Rama who is considered an avatar of Vishnu |
| Dasya | : Servitude |
| Dasya bhava | : The mood of the child to his parent, or a servant to his master |
| Deogarh | : Place near Bengal |
| Dere | : The ancestral village of Sri Ramakrishna’s father |
| Devi | : Goddess |
| Dhani | : Name of the lady who looked after Ramakrishna in his chilhood |
| Dharma | : Virtue/god-given law of an individual’s nature |
| Dharmapatra | : The leaf of impartiality, used in the villages to clarify mixed opinions |
| Dhuni | : Sacred fire |
| Dukkha | : Pain and suffering |
| Dupatta/duppata | : Veil or cloth used to cover the upper body |
| Durga | : Goddess of Power, an aspect of Kali |
| Durga Puja | : Ten-day festival celebrated in honour of Goddess Durga |
| Durva grass | : Sacred weed or grass used during rituals |
| Dvaita | : Dualism |
| Dvaitin | : A Dualist |
| Fakir | : A mendicant |
| Gadadhar | : Another name for Lord Vishnu |
| Ganga Mai | : The River Ganga who is addressed as a mother |
| Ganga | : Sacred river of the Hindus |
| Gaya | : A sacred place now in Bihar state |
| gharara/ghagra | : Apparel worn by women |
| Gopis | : Cowherd boys and girls who were playmates of Lord Krishna |
| Gunas | : Attributes |
| Guru | : Preceptor/ teacher/ master |
| Guru Ma | : Consort or wife of the guru |
| Hanuman | : Monkey-faced god who stands for chivalry and selfless service in the Hindu religion |
| Hara | : A name of Shiva |
| Hari bol | : A religious expression |
| Hari Om | : A religious expression used to greet each other |
| Hooghly | : A tributary of the Ganga that flows through Calcutta |
| Hookah | : Traditional Indian smoking pipe |
| Howrah station | : A railway station in Calcutta |
| Ishwar | : God |
| Ishwarkotis | : Category of the lord |
| Jain | : A follower of Mahavir/ Mahavira |
| Jainism | : The religion founded by Mahavira |
| Jal | : Water |
| Japa | : Chanting |
| Jasodha | : Name of Lord Krishna’s foster mother |
| Jiva | : Living being |
| Jivan mukta | : One who has transcended the body |
| Jnana yogi | : One who follows the path of knowledge |
| Jnani | : Wise one |
| Kabbalists | : Ones who sing a form of music of the Sufi tradition (see qawalis) |
| Kali/Ma Kali | : The goddess Sri Ramakrishna worshipped who represents the wrathful side of female energy or Shakti |
| Kalki | : An incarnation of Vishnu |
| Karma | : Action |
| Kamarpukur | : The village where Ramakrishna hailed from, outside Kolkata. Pukur means pond. |
| Kausalya | : Mother of lord Rama |
| Kayastha | : A caste in Hinduism |
| King Janaka | : Name of a king who is the father of Sita, the wife of Rama |
| Koran | : Holy book of Islam |
| Kothi | : Large Indian home |
| Krishna | : An avatar of Vishnu and a godhead for the Hindus |
| Kshatriya | : A warrior class of Hindus |
| Kund | : Water body |
| Kundalini | : In yogic vocabulary it is the divine power in human beings ever waiting to be kindled which rests in the base of the spine and travels to the top of the head through the psychic channels when kindled |
| Kuthi | : Hut, dwelling place |
| Lila | : Divine Sport |
| Longoti | : A small cloth used to cover the lower body of men, also called loin-cloth |
| Lord Krishna | : A perfect and complete avatar of Vishnu, considering the ten major avatars |
| Madhur | : Sweetness |
| Madhura bhava | : Love for the Divine Beloved |
| Mahabhava | : Being absorbed in Divine ecstasy |
| Mahakali | : Goddess Kali in all her attributes |
| Mahasamadhi | : Death of the body of saints |
| Mahima Stotra | : A hymn |
| Mama | : Mother’s brother |
| Manasaputra | : Mind-born son |
| Mantras | : Religious incantations |
| Maya | : The goddess of illusions |
| Mayatita | : Free of maya |
| Muladhara | : A psychic energy centre situated at the base of the spine |
| Muni | : A sage |
| Naga | : Serpent |
| Naga monk | : A class of mendicants who are usually naked |
| Nahabat | : One of the bathing ghats on the River Ganga near Dakhineshwar |
| Nara | : Man-god |
| Narayana | : One of Vishnu’s names |
| Narayani | : Consort of Shiva and sister of Vishnu |
| Narmada | : The name of a river |
| Navavidhan | : New dispensation |
| Neti, neti, neti | : Not this |
| Nirakara Brahman | : Formless god |
| Nirguna | : Without attributes |
| Nirvana | : Enlightenment or, as in the case of Ramakrishna a bhakta, a state of God realization or a union with God |
| Nirvikalpa Samadhi | : Samadhi without awareness (without consciousness) and Savikalpa Samadhi is Samadhi with awareness (with consciousness) |
| Nitai | : Name of a person |
| Nityasiddhas | : Born with powers with no previous sadhana |
| Nyasa | : Renunciation |
| Om | : Considered a celestial primodial sound |
| Pancha bhavas | : Five different emotions |
| Panchavati | : A place in Dakshineswar where Sri Ramakrishna went to meditate |
| Paramahamsa | : The royal swan, symbol of the free flight of the soul. Holy men who have attained freedom from all attachments. |
| Paramatman | : Supreme self |
| Peepul tree | : A kind of large tree which is considered sacred |
| Prana | : Life Energy |
| Parabrahman | : Unmanifested God |
| Prasad | : Sacred offering or sacred gift |
| Puja | : Worship |
| Pandit | : Expert in a particular field of knowledge |
| Puranas | : Religious mythological Hindu texts |
| Purushottama | : The supreme person |
| Qawwalis | : Ecstatic group of Sufi singers |
| Radha | : The beloved and devotee of Krishna |
| Radhakanta temple | : Temple for Radha and Krishna |
| Radhika | : Another name for Radha |
| Raghubir | : Lord Rama |
| Rama | : King and god who is the incarnation of Vishnu |
| Ramachandra | : Another name of Lord Rama |
| Ramlala | : Baby Rama |
| Ramprasad | : Name of Sri Ramakrishna’s brother |
| Rani | : In this context a name of a lady |
| Rishis | : Sages |
| Sadhana/sadhanas | : The paths charted by sages in their single-minded quest for God |
| Sadhu | : A person in pursuit of God or its equivalent living away from society like a mendicant |
| Sahasrara | : In yogic science it is one of the chakras or energy centres perceived as a thousand-petalled lotus at the top of the head |
| Sakhya | : Friendship |
| Sakhya bhava | : The love of the friend |
| Shaktas | : The worshippers of Shakti, the feminine aspect of God |
| Samadhi | : A state of super-consciousness |
| Samsara | : Samsara represents avidya, or ignorance, of one’s true self, that leads to ego-consciousness of the body and the phenomenal world. It leads one to the perpetual chain of karma and reincarnation, a state of illusion known as Maya. It is a result of the ignorance of the True Self, Brahman, and thus the soul is led to believe in the reality of temporal, phenomenal existence. |
| Samskaras | : Habits inherited or acquired qualities mostly in the spiritual realm |
| Sanatan Dharma | : The eternal way of the ancient sages |
| Shankar | : Name of Lord Shiva |
| Sanskrit shlokas | : Hymns in Sanskrit either describing or eulogizing the divine |
| Sannyas | : Mendicancy |
| Sannyasa vows | : Vows of self-discipline taken before formally entering the path of mendicancy |
| Sannyasi | : The man who becomes a mendicant or renunciant |
| Sannyasini | : A woman mendicant or renunciant |
| Saraswati | : Goddess of Learning |
| Sat | : Being |
| Satchitananda | : Being and bliss |
| Sati | : A practice where the woman offers herself to the funeral pyre along with her husband’s dead body |
| Savikalpa samadhi | : See Nirvikalpa samadhi |
| Shabda | : Sound/ spoken word |
| Shakti | : Feminine power |
| Shalagram stone | : A fossil from the ocean bed considered a substitute to Narayan lying on the cosmic ocean in His cosmic form |
| Shanta bhava | : Feeling of inner tranquillity |
| Shastras | : Rules deriving from scriptures about social norms |
| Shiva | : One of the gods of the trinity representing destruction and degeneration |
| Shodasi Puja | : The adoration of the divine virgin |
| Siddhis | : Psychic powers |
| Sikhism | : One of the religions practised in India |
| Sita | : Consort of Lord Rama |
| Sri Chaitanya | : Ecstatic singing saint of medieval times from Bengal |
| Sri Ramachandra | : A perfect man/a perfect ruler who hails from the Suryavansha dynasty |
| Sri Sri Jagadiswari Mahakali | : Goddess Kali |
| Sufi | : A follower of Sufi religion which has its origins in Islam |
| Sushumna | : In yogic science it’s a mystic channel carrying divine energy |
| Tamasika | : Inert and gross |
| Tantra | : A science which uses energies to spiritual attainment |
| Tantric | : Unorthodox religious practitioner, a person who follows the path of tantra |
| Tarpana | : Ritualistic offering during death rites |
| Thread ceremony | : See Brahmanical thread |
| Tirthankara | : Holy men from the Jain tradition |
| Tirthankara Mahavira | : The founder of Jainism |
| Trailanga Swami | : A great saint who lived in Benares |
| Tripurasundari | : Supreme Goddess who has all the three female godheads in her – Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati |
| Udbodan | : A new beginning or event |
| Unmada | : Madness for God |
| Upanishads | : Philosophical texts of Hinduism mostly from the advaita philosophy |
| Vaid/vaidya | : A medical practitioner |
| Vaishnava | : Initiated follower of Vishnu |
| Vaishnavism | : Sect of people who worship Vishnu |
| Vaishnavite | : The one belonging to the Vaishnava community |
| Vaishnavite Shakti community | : A sub-sect of people who use the methods of Tantra along with their devotion to Vishnu |
| Vatsalya | : Motherly love |
| Vatsalya bhava | : The love of the parent for the child |
| Vedanta | : Philosophical teaching of the Vedas |
| Vedantin | : One who follows the teaching of Vedanta |
| Vedas | : The four timeless scriptures of timeless knowledge |
| Vidyamaya | : The higher force of creation |
| Vilva/bilva | : Sacred leaf used for the worship of Shiva, which is in the shape of a trident, symbolically represents the three aspects of time and also the Three Eyes of Shiva |
| Vishalakshi shrine | : Shrine dedicated to the consort of Shiva |
| Vishnu | : One of the gods in the trinity considered as the keeper of the universe unlike Brahma the creator and Shiva the annihilator |
| Visishtadvaita | : Qualified Non-dualism |
| Vrindavan | : The place where Lord Krishna lived and grew up as a child amongst the cowherds |
| Yoga | : Union with consciousness, also a form of practice for keeping the physical, mental and emotional spheres of the human body in good health |
| Yogi | : The practitioner of yoga |
| Yogic rites | : Rituals concerning yogic practices |