Glossary of Spiritual Words

Glossary of Spiritual Words

Below you can find the words and meanings of various Spiritual Words used on this website.

Akash: Literally, ‘sky’ or ‘heaven’; ether, the highest of the five elements, which remains dormant in all living forms except human. See also: Tattwa

Akash Bani: Sound or Voice (bani) from the sky (Akash); heavenly music; Word or Logos; audible life stream. See also: Shabd

Alakh Lok: Invisible (alakh) region (lok); the sixth spiritual region.

Allah: The Arabic name for God.

And or Anda: Literally, ‘egg’; the astral region, the grand division of the creation lying immediately above the physical realm, Pind.

Anurag Sagar: Believed to be written by Kabir, its a book of verse in the form of a dialogue between Kabir and his disciple Dharam Das. Modern scholars maintain that this book is written by Dharam Das and not Kabir, and can be described as the sayings of Kabir according to Dharam Das.

Arjun or Arjuna: One of the Pandavas and the hero of the Mahabharat. It was to him that Lord Krishna taught the doctrines known as Bhagavadgita (Bhagavad Geeta).

Asana or Aasan: Posture; in spiritual practice, meditative pose, with body erect, mind in poise.

Atma or Aatma: Soul or spirit. See also: Paramatma, Jivatma

Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj: The name of the founder of the Radha Soami colony at Beas (Punjab). He was a devoted and highly advanced disciple of Soami Ji Maharaj and was appointed by him in 1877 to carry the spiritual work with headquarters in Punjab. He left this world on 29 December 1903. Several months before he departed, he appointed Huzur Maharaj Baba Sawan Singh Ji as his successor. It was the latter who named the place Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, in honor of his Satguru. In his sacred memory, a Bhandara is held annually on the 29 December at the colony at Beas. He was born in village Ghoman (Punjab) in July 1839.

Baba Ji: Same as Baba Jaimal singh Ji Maharaj.

Babu: A title equivalent to Mister or Esquire.

Bachan: Word; discourse; saying; instruction; order; command.

BaikunthBaikuntha or Baikuntha Lok: The abode of Vishnu (Bishnu); the same as Swarga (Paradise)

Beas: The name of a small village situated on the banks of the Beas river in Punjab.

Bhagavadgita or Bhagavad Geeta or Bhagavad Gita: Literally, “The Song of The Lord”. It embodies the teachings of Lord Krishna, given in the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield (Kurushethra) and is the most popular book on Hindu philosophy.

Bhajan: Worship or Spiritual practice; listening to the melody of the Shabad (Shabda) within. Also used as an expression of outer devotional songs.

Bhakt or Bhakta or Bhagat: Devotee.

Bhakti: Devotion.

Bhakti Marga: The path (marga) of devotion (bhakti).

Bhanwar Gupha: Revolving (bhanwar) Cave (gupha); the name of the fourth spiritual region.

Bodhisattva: One who is on the way to the attainment of perfect knowledge and has only a certain number of births to undergo before attaining the state of a supreme Buddha.

Brahm: The ruler of Trikuti; the second spiritual region; known also as the ruler of Brahm Lok, the name given to the Three Worlds; regarded by many as the Supreme Being.

Brahma: God of creation in the Hindu trinity of the creator, preserver, destroyer (Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwar or Shiva).

Brahmacharya: The practice of celibacy, remaining continent.

Brahmand or Brahmanda: Literally, “egg of Brahm”, the grand division of the creation extending from Anda up to Bhanwar gupha; the entire universe over which Brahm has jurisdiction.

Brahmin: A member of the highest of the four Hindu castes; a priest.

Buddh or Budh or Buddhi: Intellect; one of the four phases of mind.

Buddha: The great sage, Prince Siddhartha of the Sakya clan who was born at Lumbini (Kapilvastu) of Nepal before 2500 years ago. The religion of Buddhism is based on his teachings.

Chakra: Wheel; center; ganglion; any other the six energy centers in the human body with parts resembling the petals of a lotus.

Chaurasi: Eighty-Four; the wheel of eighty-four, or the wheel of transmigration. The name indicates the concept in Nepalese mythology and Hindu scriptures of eight million, four hundred thousands spices in the creation. Mystics have adopted this phrase to tell the multiplicity of births that souls pass through in the creation according to the law of Karma.

Chela: Disciple

Chetan: Conscious; awakened; spirit; conscious living as opposed to jat (inert or inanimate); reason; soul; self; intelligence; wisdom, also called Chaitanya.

Darsan: Vision, sight or seeing; implies looking intently at the Master with a deep feeling of respect, devotion, and one-pointed attention.

Daswan Dwar or Dasau Dhoka: literally, the tenth door; an appellation of the third spiritual region. Trikuti is said to have an inner Garh (citadel) to the third region itself is called Daswan Dwar or Dasau Dhoka. In fact, both Sunn and Maha Sunn are referred to as Daswan Dwar or Dasau Dhoka — Sunn being the region itself and Maha Sunn being the region of intense darkness between Daswan Dwar and Bhanwar Gupha (the fourth region).

Dham: Region or abode; place or home.

Dharam Rai or Dharma Raj: Literally, “King Judge”, the lord of justice, who administers reward or punishment to the soul after death according to its own actions during life.

Dharma: Righteousness of duty; moral and religious duty in life. Sometimes also used as a synonym for “religion”.

Dhun: Sound or melody; the Word; the heavenly music.

Faqir or Fakir: Arabic term for a holy man; an ascetic or a religious mendicant.

Gyan: Knowledge; True Knowledge; Spiritual Knowledge’ Spiritual Wisdom, Spiritual Enlightenment.

Gyani: A learned person; one who practices or walks on the path of knowledge and wisdom (Gyan).

Gyan Marga: The path or way (marga) of learning. See also: Bhakti Marga.

Gyan Yoga: That form of Yoga which attempts to achieve God-realization through the acquisition of knowledge.

Hafiz: A famous poet-saint of Persia.

Haq: Literally, truth; Arabic designation of the fifth spiritual region.

Hatha Yog or Haat Yoga: One of the Nepalese and Indian systems of Yoga, which deals only with the physical body.

Ism-i-Azam: The greatest Name: Shabad: Sound: Inner music; Word.

Jot or Jyoti: Light, flame; refers to the light of the first spiritual region, Sahasraradal Kanwan (Kamal).