Agama: A large collection of ancient Sanskrit scriptures. Agamas explain temple ritual and construction, philosophy and yoga.§
ahimsa: “Noninjury.” Not hurting others by thought, word or deed.§
anjali mudra: A gesture of respect, part of namaskara, the Hindu greeting. The hands, slightly cupped, are held softly together in front of the chest.§
annaprasana: The first feeding of solid food. A childhood ceremony held at six months of age.§
ashram: The home of a sadhu, saint, swami, ascetic or guru. An ashram can be a simple mountain cave or a vast complex of buildings with many monks and students.§
Aum: A sacred sound used at the beginning of many scriptures and chants.§
Aum Gam Ganapataye Namah: “Praise be to Ganapati,” a sacred mantra for Lord Ganesha.§
betel leaf: The green leaf of a vine, often used as part of a temple offering.§
betel nut: Nut of the areca palm tree. A temple offering.§
chudakarana: Shaving of the head, a childhood ceremony.§
cool dot: A term for the pottu popularized in a Canadian TV documentary of the same name.§
culture: A refined and dignified way of life developed over a long time.§
deva: A being of light living in heaven in a subtle, non-physical body. Devas are beings like us who are in-between births on this physical plane.§
dharma: The inherent order of the universe. God’s law as it applies to all things and all beings. §
divine: Of or inspired by God, holy, sacred.§
ego: Our external identity. The often selfish sense of “I” and “mine.”§
Ganapati: “Leader of the ganas.” Another name for Lord Ganesha. Ganas are a kind of deva who help God Siva.§
Ganesha: The God with an elephant’s head, first Son of Lord Siva. Ganesha is honored by all Hindu sects. He is always worshiped first, before any other worship or task is begun.§
God: Lord Siva, the Supreme Being, creator of the universe and everyone and everything in it. Also a God, such as Lord Ganesha or Lord Murugan.§
Gods: Extremely advanced beings created by the Supreme Being, Lord Siva, such as Lord Ganesha or Lord Murugan.§
grace: A gift or blessing from God given out of His love.§
guru: A teacher, most especially a saintly person who helps us come closer to God.§
Gurudeva: An affectionate, respectful term for the guru, especially Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.§
Hindu: A person who has a Hindu name and follows the Hindu religion.§
Hinduism: The oldest religion in the world. Hinduism has one billion followers, mostly in India and Nepal. Called in Sanskrit Sanatana Dharma, “eternal religion.”§
homa: Worship of God by making offerings of wood and precious items into a sacred fire.§
hundi: The box for donations in the temple.§
Jaffna: Main city in northern Sri Lanka, home of Satguru Yogaswami.§
karma: The principle of cause and effect.§
karnavedha: The childhood ceremony of piercing both ears, for boys and girls, and the inserting of gold earrings.§
Kauai’s Hindu Monastery: Kauai Aadheenam, the monastery/temple complex established in Hawaii, USA, by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.§
kunkuma: A red powder put in a dot, or pottu, on the forehead.§
kuttuvilakku: A standing metal oil lamp used in the temple and home.§
mahasamadhi: The death of a great soul.§
mantra: A sacred Sanskrit word or sentence from our scriptures, chanted during puja or as a blessing for meals, meetings, etc.§
meditation: To sit quietly and control your breathing and thinking, and concentrate deeply on one thing.§
monastery: A home or ashram for monks, usually under the guidance of a satguru.§
mudra: Special hand gestures used in puja, dance and yoga.§
Murugan: The second son of Lord Siva, brother of Lord Ganesha. The powerful God of yoga and spiritual striving who carries a spear and rides on a peacock.§
namakarana: The childhood ceremony of name giving, performed 11 to 41 days after birth.§
pottu: Small dot worn on the forehead, made of kunkuma, red powder. It signifies a Hindu.§
pradakshina: Circumambulation, to walk around, usually clockwise. It is a common devotional practice to walk around the temple or inner sanctum.§
pray: A humble and sincere request to God for help, special favors or blessings.§
prayer burning: The practice of burning a written note to God or the Gods in the sacred fire of a temple.§
priest: A person specially trained to do the puja to God in the temple. A priest knows Sanskrit and the traditional rituals. §
puja: The Hindu ceremony to worship God. It includes incense, lamps, water, food and flowers, plus the chanting of Sanskrit verses.§
reincarnation: “Reentering the flesh.” The process by which a soul takes a new physical body. Called punarjanma in Sanskrit.§
religion: A way or path to worship God and be a good person. Buddhism and Hinduism are religions.§
religious: To be devoted to God. §
Saivite: Of or relating to Saivism, one of the four sects or denominations of Hinduism.§
Saivism: The religion of those who worship Lord Siva as the Supreme God.§
Sanskrit: The ancient language of India in which the Hindu scriptures are written. Most chants for Hindu ceremonies are in Sanskrit.§
satguru: A great religious teacher who is close to God and guides others on the right path. §
shrine: In the temple, a place beside the main sanctum where an image of a God is kept. Also a room set aside in a house for worship of God.§
Siva: The Supreme God, Creator of the Universe. §
Sivathondu: “Service to Siva,” doing service to others without thought of reward.§
soul: The innermost part of us, created by Lord Siva. The soul never dies.§
Soul, First: Lord Siva, creator of all other souls.§
Subramuniyaswami, Satguru Sivaya: Previous satguru (1927–2001) of the Kailasa lineage within the Nandinatha Sampradaya. His guru was Satguru Yogaswami of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Subramuniyaswami lived at Kauai Aadheenam in Hawaii, USA. His successor is Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami§
swami: A Hindu monk. An unmarried man who has devoted his life to God.§
swastika: A cross with bent arms. This very ancient Hindu symbol means auspiciousness and that Divinity is reached indirectly, by intuition and not by intellect.§
tambura: A simple stringed instrument used in Hindu music.§
temple: The home of God. It is easy to feel the presence of God in a temple.§
trikonam: Triangle, symbol of God Siva, or of fire.§
tripundra: Three stripes of vibhuti, or sacred ash, worn on the forehead.§
trisula: A three-pronged spear, or trident. It symbolizes God Siva’s powers of love, action and wisdom.§
Vedas: The Hindu scriptures written thousands of years ago in the Sanskrit language. The oldest books in the world.§
vegetarian: A person who does not eat meat, fish, fowl or eggs.§
vibhuti: Holy ash, especially sacred for all Saivites. It is made by burning cow dung with other precious substances, such as milk, ghee, honey, etc. It symbolizes purity.§
vina: A complex stringed instrument used in Hindu music.§
worship: To show our love for God by chanting, singing songs, or making offerings of incense, lights and food.§
yoga: A way to make our mind and body very peaceful. Yoga includes chanting, sitting without moving, controlling our breath and meditating. §
Yogaswami, Satguru: Great guru of Sri Lanka (1872-1964), predecessor of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.§