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Sabda-brahma -
the VEDAS, which are considered purely spiritual sound vibration.
 
sac-cid-ananda--
perfect spiritual existence, which is eternal (sat), fully knowledgeable (cit), and completely happy (ananda) .
 
Sac-cid-ananda-vigraha -
an eternal form full of knowledge and bliss.
 
Sadhu--
a saintly person, or devotee.
 
Sadhya--
the stage of having achieved God realization.
 
Saguna--
with qualities.
 
Sakhya-rasa -
relationship with the Supreme Lord in friendship.
 
Salya--
an uncle of the PANDAVA brothers who fought against them in the Battle of KURUKSETRA.
 
samadhi--
fixed meditation on the personal form of the Lord, the state of trance when the consciousness is absorbed in the Supreme.
 
Sama Veda--
one of the four original VEDAS, containing sacrificial prayers and their melodic and metrical settings.
 
Sanatana--
Eternal, that which has neither beginning nor end.
 
Sanatana-dhama-
The eternal nature, the antimaterial sky beyond the material universe.
 
Sanatana-dharma --
The eternal nature of the living being, to render service.
 
Sanatana Gosvami--
one of the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana VAISNAVA spiritual masters who directly followed Sri CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU and systematically presented His teachings.
 
Sankaracarya--
the famous and influential ninth-century teacher of monism, a philosophy that maintains that there is no distinction between God and the living entity.
 
Sankhya--
the branch of philosophy that deals with analysis of the elements of the material world.
 
Sankhyaites-
Speculators who scrutinize the material principles with minute analysis and synthesis.
 
sankirtana-
congregational chanting of the holy names of God.
 
sannyasa--
the renounced order of life. See ASRAMAS.
 
Santa-rasa--
passive or neutral relationship with the Supreme Lord.
 
Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya--
a great scholar who was philosophically defeated by Lord CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU and who then surrendered to the Lord as a disciple.
 
Sastras-
authoritative scriptures. See also VEDIC LITERATURE.
 
Sat--
the Supreme Lord's aspect of eternity.
 
Sattva--
The material mode of goodness.
 
Satyaloka--
The topmost planet of the material world. Also called Brahmaloka.
 
Satya-yuga--
a VEDIC historical age (first and best in a cycle of four progressively degenerating ages) characterized by a highly spiritually advanced human civilization. See also KALI-YUGA.
 
Siddhaloka--
Planets of materially perfect beings who have full capacities to control gravity, space, time, etc.
 
Siddhi-karmis -
persons desiring the perfection of mystic yoga.
 
Siksastaka--
eight instructive prayers written by Lord CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU.
 
Sindhu--
the river forming the western boundary of India.
 
Siva--
the demigod who supervises the material quality of ignorance and the final destruction of the material cosmos.
 
Sloka--
a unit of Sanskrit verse.
 
Smarana--
devotional process of remembering.
 
smrti--
literature supplementary to the four VEDAS, such as the PURANAS, BHAGAVAD-GITA, and MAHABHARATA.
 
Spiritual Master
One who has learned to control his senses by the process of pure devotional service. He must have heard from a pure spiritual master and followed his instructions carefully. He must only speak that which is in perfect agreement with the highest conclusions of the Vedas. He always must consider himself to be a humble servant of God and his own spiritual master. He will never claim to be God. "If he says he is God, he is not G-O-D, he is D-O-G!"
 
Sraddha--
the strong faith necessary to hear submissively from a proper authority
 
Sraddhavan--
a faithful person.
 
Sravana--
devotional process of hearing.
 
Sri, Srila, Srimati, Sripada--
titles of respect. See specific names following title.
 
Sri-ksetra--See JAGANNATHA PURI
 
Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana)--
VYASADEVA'S "spotless PURANA," which deals exclusively with pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord.
 
Srimat--
a vaisya; a member of the mercantile community.
 
Srinivasa Acarya--
a great VAISNAVA spiritual master and a direct follower of RUPA, SANATANA, and JIVA Gosvami.
 
Srivasa Thakura--
a principal associate of Lord CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU.
 
Sruti--
the original four VEDAS, the UPANISADS, and the VEDANTA-SUTRA. knowledge via hearing; also, the original Vedic scriptures (the Vedas and Upanisads), given directly by the Supreme Lord.
 
Subhadra--
The beloved sister of Krishna in Dvaraka. Daughter of Vasudeva and Devaki. married to Arjuna. Mother of Abhimanyu a great hero See JAGANNATHA. BALADEVA.
 
Suci--
a spiritually advanced brahmana.
 
Suddha--
antiseptic.
 
sudra-
The working class See VARNAS.
 
Sukadeva Gosvami--
the sage who spoke SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM to King PARIKSIT just prior to the king's death.
 
Sukra--
omnipotent.
 
Supreme Lord
The Vedas indicate that there is only one Supreme being who may show Himself in a multitude of forms. "Ishwara Parama Krishna" (Ishwara - controller, Parama - Supreme) translation - the Supreme Lord or Controller of Everything is Krishna (Sri Brahma Samhita opening invocation).
 
Sura--
a godly person.
 
svami--
one who has by spiritual strength become the master of his senses, one who controls the mind and the senses; title of a person in the renounced order of life.
 
Svetasvatara Upanisad--See UPANISADS.
 

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