Sanskrit Core Terms

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.