Dictionary

Nirvāṇa (neer-VAH-nə, -⁠VAN-ə, nur-; Sanskrit: निर्वाण nirvāṇa [nɪɽʋaːɳɐ]; Pali: nibbāna; Prakrit: ṇivvāṇa; literally, “blown out”, as in an oil lamp) is a concept in Indian religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism) that represents the ultimate state of soteriological release, the liberation from duḥkha and saṃsāra In Indian religions, nirvana is synonymous with moksha and mukti All Indian religions assert it to be a state of perfect quietude, freedom, highest happiness as well as the liberation from attachment and worldly suffering and the ending of samsara, the round of existence...

Nishkama Karma (Sanskrit IAST : Niṣkāmakarma), self-less or desireless action, is an action performed without any expectation of fruits or results, and the central tenet of Karma Yoga path to liberation Its modern advocates press upon achieving success following the principles of Yoga, and stepping beyond personal goals and agendas while pursuing any action over greater good, which has become well known since it is the central message of the Bhagavad Gita...

The Niyamas (Sanskrit: नियम, romanized: Niyama) are positive duties or observances In Indian traditions, particularly Yoga, niyamas and their complement, Yamas, are recommended activities and habits for healthy living, spiritual enlightenment, and a liberated state of existence It has multiple meanings depending on context in Hinduism In Buddhism, the term extends to the determinations of nature, as in the Buddhist niyama dhammas

Nyāya (Sanskrit: न्याय, nyā-yá), literally meaning “justice”, “rules”, “method” or “judgment”, is one of the six astika schools of Indian philosophy This school’s most significant contributions to Indian philosophy were systematic development of the theory of logic, methodology, and its treatises on epistemology Ancient Mithila University was famous for Nyaya Shastra teaching Nyaya school’s epistemology accepts four out of six Pramanas as reliable means of gaining knowledge – Pratyakṣa (perception), Anumāṇa (inference), Upamāṇa (comparison and analogy) and Śabda (word, testimony of past or present reliable experts)...

Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ (Sanskrit: ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ, IPA: [õːː mɐɳɪ pɐdmeː ɦũː]) is the six-syllabled Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion It first appeared in the Mahayana Kāraṇḍavyūhasūtra where it is also referred to as the sadaksara (six syllabled) and the paramahrdaya, or “innermost heart” of Avalokiteshvara In this text the mantra is seen as the condensed form of all Buddhist teachings...

Omkara or onkara can mean: A name for the sound or syllable Om, or its corresponding character in Indian scripts, considered sacred in major Indian religions

Rajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain, 11 December 1931 – 19 January 1990), also known as Acharya Rajneesh, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and later as Osho, was an Indian godman, mystic, and founder of the Rajneesh movement During his lifetime, he was viewed as a controversial new religious movement leader and a mystic Guru He rejected institutional religions Rajneesh emphasised the importance of freethought, meditation, mindfulness, love, celebration, courage, creativity, and humour—qualities that he viewed as being suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious dogmas and traditions, and socialization...

Pada is a Sanskrit word which means “foot.” The term is used in the names of certain poses in which stretching or holding the foot is involved. An example of such a posture is padangusthasana, a standing asana, also called big toe pose in English. Almost all poses with the word, pada, stretch the spine and promote spinal flexibility and health. Padangusthasana is a beginner’s pose. It stretches the spine, tones the back, improves digestion and relieves stress....

Padārtha is a Sanskrit word for “categories” in Vaisheshika and Nyaya schools of Hindu philosophy

The Padma or Podda (Bengali: পদ্মা Pôdda) is a major river in Bangladesh (downstream of Giria) It is the main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for 120 kilometres (75 mi) to its confluence with the Meghna River near the Bay of Bengal The city of Rajshahi is situated on the banks of the river However, over 660 square kilometres (256 sq mi) of land, has been lost due to erosion of Padma since 1966

Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent It is widely studied because it is the language of the Pāli Canon or Tipiṭaka as well as the sacred language of Theravāda Buddhism In early time, it was written in Brahmi script

Pancha Tattva (Devanagari: पञ्चतत्त्व; IAST: pañca-tattva, from Sanskrit pañca meaning “five” and tattva “truth” or “reality”) in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism refers specifically to the Five aspects of God or Absolute Truth.

Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific The Indian Medical Association describes Ayurvedic practitioners who claim to practice medicine as quacks Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population report using it Ayurveda therapies have varied and evolved over more than two millennia Therapies include herbal medicines, special diets, meditation, yoga, massage, laxatives, enemas, and medical oils...

Panchamakara or Panchatattva, also known as the Five Ms, is the Tantric term for the five transgressive substances used in a Tantric practice These are madya (alcohol), māṃsa (meat), matsya (fish), mudrā (pound grain), and maithuna (sexual intercourse) Taboo-breaking elements are only practiced literally by “left-hand path” tantrics (vāmācārins), whereas “right-hand path” tantrics (dakṣiṇācārins) oppose these

Panchamrita (Sanskrit: पञ्चामृत, five Amṛtas) is a mixture of five foods used in Hindu as well as Jain worship and puja and Abhiṣeka It is often used as an offering during pooja post which it is distributed as prasad There are regional variations in the ingredients used In Nepal and North India, usually honey or sugar, cow milk, curd and ghee are used as the main ingredients In Tamil Nadu, Panchamirtham (Tamil: பஞ்சாமிர்தம்) is a mixture of banana, ghee, honey, jaggery and cardamom...