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Glossary
aaRti The ritual performed at the end of worship. Aarti is a Sanskrit word which means ‘to end’. It is a way of finishing the worship ceremony, of thanking God, and of asking forgiveness for any mistakes.
aRtHa The idea that we should strive to be successful in everything we do. This will free us to have more time to concentrate on God. Artha is not just money, but also other kinds of wealth that cannot be measured, such as love and family.
aum The sacred sound that was said by Brahma in order to create the universe.
aVataR The human (or sometimes animal) form of a god or goddess. When the gods come to Earth they take the form of an avatar.
BHagVad gita Part of the Mahabharata, or Hindu scripture that tells how to achieve moksha.
Bindi A mark on the forehead used by women to show their marital status or just for decoration.
BRaHman God as the Supreme Creator of the universe, the ultimate reality, which has no shape and cannot be known by ordinary people.
caste The way that traditional Hindu society was organised. Each person was born into a certain social group.
daRsHan Viewing and being in the presence of the god or goddess during worship.
dHaRma The correct path. This is a code of conduct for living your life and worshipping according to God’s will.
diwali Meaning ‘festival of lights’ this popular holiday celebrates the part of the Ramayana when Rama returns from exile.
enligHtenment Another way of saying achieving moksha, or being free from the cycle of death
and rebirth.
feRtility Having offspring. When we say something is very fertile, that means it has a lot of offspring.
gHee Clarified butter, made by removing the milk solids (whey) from butter to leave pure milk fat.
gods and goddesses Different forms or parts of God. Each god and goddess represents different parts of God.
guRu A wise or holy person. The word guru means ‘one who lights the darkness’ and gurus are spiritual teachers who teach others how to reach moksha.
Hindu A person who believes in and follows Hinduism.
Hinduism A religion which teaches that the ultimate goal is to free oneself from the cycle of death and rebirth and unite with God. Hinduism teaches that there are many different ways to do this.
Holi A festival that celebrates the spring. It celebrates Krishna’s defeat of the winter demon, Holika.
kaRma The idea that what we do in this life has an effect on our future lives. It can be thought of as fate. A person can create bad karma or good karma through doing bad or good in this life.
ladoo A type of sweet usually made from ghee (clarified butter), sugar, chickpea flour and flavourings. It is said to be Ganesha’s favourite sweet.
law of kaRma The idea that every soul is reborn over and over until it has learned how to stop creating any karma. Then it will join with God.
lingam A form of the god Shiva which stands for male creative energy.
maHaBHaRata A Hindu epic poem and religious scripture which tells the story of rivalry between two families. In the story are woven lessons on duty, devotion and the meaning of life.
mala Prayer beads used during meditation. mandiR A Hindu place of worship. Also called
a temple.
mantRa A phrase which is repeated over and over in order to help focus the mind. It may contain sacred words or the names of God. Repeating a mantra can help lead to moksha, or enlightenment.