Dharma — Righteous duty, cosmic order, the path of righteousness.
Karma — Action and its consequence; the moral law of cause and effect.
Moksha — Liberation from the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra).
Atman — The innermost self or soul; in Advaita, identical with Brahman.
Brahman — The absolute, unchanging reality underlying the cosmos (distinct from the god Brahmā).
Samsara — The beginningless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Bhakti — Loving devotion to a personal deity.
Yoga — Union; spiritual discipline aimed at liberation.
Om / Aum — The primordial sacred syllable encompassing all sound and reality.
Puja — Worship; ritual offering to a deity.
Mantra — Sacred sound or formula used in meditation and ritual.
Yajna — Sacrifice; Vedic fire ceremony.
Homa / Havan — Ritual offering into sacred fire.
Mala — Prayer beads for japa meditation.
Japa — Repetition of a mantra as contemplative practice.
Tirtha — Crossing point; sacred pilgrimage site.
Darshan — Auspicious sight; reciprocal gaze between devotee and deity.
Guru — Teacher; spiritual guide.
Avatar — Descent; the incarnation of a deity in worldly form.
Ashram — Hermitage; also, one of the four stages of life.
Ahimsa — Non-violence toward all sentient beings.