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Select the first letter of the word from the list above to
jump to appropriate section of the glossary. If the term you are
looking for starts with a digit or symbol, choose the '#' link.
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- A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami
- His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-acharya of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness, left
India for America in 1965, at age sixty-nine, to fulfill
his spiritual master's request that he teach the science
of Krishna consciousness throughout the English speaking
world. In a dozen years he published some eighty volumes
of translation and commentary on India's Vedic
literature, and these are now standard in universities
worldwide. Meanwhile, travelling almost nonstop, Srila
Prabhupada molded his international society into a
worldwide confederation of asramas, schools, temples, and
farm communities. In 1970 he began the Sri Mayapur
Project in Sri Mayapur, India, the place where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of God who
inaugurated the Hare Krishna movement, appeared nearly
500 years ago. Here he planned and set in motion the
development of a spiritual city, a wonderful place of
spiritual culture and education which would demonstrate
to the world the practical application of Krishna
consciousness in every sphere of life. He passed away in
1977 in India's Vrindavana, the place most sacred to Lord
Krishna. His disciples are carrying forward the movement
he started. see OUR FOUNDER
for biographical information.
- Acarya
- a spiritual master,
one who teaches by example.
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- adhibhautika-
- miseries caused by conflict with other living entities.
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- adhidaivika--
- miseries caused by the forces of nature or supernatural
occurrences.
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- Adhira--
- one who is disturbed by material illusion.
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- adhyatmika--
- miseries caused by one's own mind and body.
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- Advaita Acarya--
- an incarnation of the Supreme
Lord, who appeared as a principal associate of
another incarnation, Lord CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU.
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- Age of Kali--
- Age of quarrel, the Iron age, See KALI-YUGA.
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- Ahankara--
- The false concept that I am my body or my mind and that
those things in relation to this body are mine. eg. my
house, my country, my family... this is called the false
ego, the meeting point of matter and spirit. This concept
of I and mine binds us very tightly to the material world
and forces us to take birth again and again. When we let
go of these bodily concepts of life we become liberated
and freed from the cycle of birth and death.
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- Akarma--
- action that frees one from the cycle of birth and death.
Also known as Pure
Devotional Service
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- Akrura--
- an uncle of Lord KRSNA.
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- Amara--
- (a - without, mara - death) without death - deathless.
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- Ananda--
- the Supreme Lord's
aspect of bliss.
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- Ananta--
- unlimited,
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- Antaranga-Sakti-
- the spiritual, internal potency of the Supreme Lord.
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- Anumana--
- inductive reasoning.
- Apapa-viddha--
- pure and uncontaminated.
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- Apara prakriti--
- Inferior or material energy.
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- Apauruseya--
- not delivered by any mundane person.
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- apavarga --
- See MUKTI.
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- Arca-vigraha--(deity)
- Because we are not able to see the pure spiritual form of
God He very mercifully has manifested His presence through
material elements, as in a painting or statue of Krsna worshipped in a temple
or home. Thus we can see and meditate closely on His
beauty. In this form the Lord personally accepts worship
from His devotees.
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- Arjuna--
- one of the five PANDAVA
brothers; Lord KRSNA became
his chariot driver during the battle of KURUKSETRA and spoke to him
the BHAGAVAD-GITA.
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- Aroha--
- the ascending process of knowledge.
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- Arati (Aratrika) -
- The process of offering worships to the Supreme Lord by
waving auspicious articles before Him. the elements
represent the material elements in their pure form and
the corresponding sense objects (i.e. sound, form,
touch,etc. and are auspicious and purifying. Thus all
arati ceremonies offered to the Supreme Lord are
auspicious (mangala), but the first arati of the day, in
the early morning is considered particularly auspicious
for those who participate. "In the Skanda Purana
there is the following description of the result of
seeing arati (worship) of the Deity: 'If someone sees the
face of the Lord while arati is going on, he can be
relieved of all sinful reactions coming from many, many
thousands and millions of years past.' " (The Nectar
of Devotion, Ch. 9)
- Asrama--
- a spiritual order of life. the four VEDIC developmental divisions of
the human life-cycle which are meant to elevate one to
spiritual perfection; these begin with brahmacarya
(celibacy and study), proceed to grhasta (married life),
and vanaprastha (retirement), and culminate in sannyasa
(complete renunciation of family life and material
obligations). See also VARNASRAMA-DHARMA.
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- Astakaliya-lila-
- the eternal, eightfold daily pastimes of Radha-Govinda.
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- astanga-yoga--
- the eight-step process of meditation, beginning with
sitting postures and breath-control, and culminating with
realization of the Lord's form within one's heart (the Paramatma). The materialistic
art of controlling the airs of the body for transferal to
any planet desired.
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- Asura--
- a demon.
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- Asvatthama--
- the nefarious son of the great military teacher DRONA who murdered the children
of the PANDAVA brothers
while they were sleeping.
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- atma--
- the self (can also be used to refer to: the body, the
mind, the intellect, the Super
soul (Paramatma) or the individual soul).
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- Atma·ha--
- a killer of the soul.
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- Atma-tattva-
- the science of the soul.
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- Atyahara-
- collecting more than necessary.
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- avatara--
- a "descent," or appearance on earth of the Supreme Lord or His
representative.
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- Avidya--
- Without knowledge, Nescience, ignorance.
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- Avyakta-
- the unmanifested stage of creation.