Dictionary

Satya (nominative satyam) is a central concept in Indian religions that loosely translates into English as “Truth”

Samadhi (Sanskrit: समाधि), in Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness In the yogic traditions, and the Buddhist commentarial tradition on which the Burmese Vipassana movement and the Thai Forest tradition rely, it is a meditative absorption or trance, attained by the practice of dhyāna In the oldest Buddhist suttas, on which several contemporary western Theravada teachers rely, it refers to the development of a luminous mind which is equanimous and mindful...

Self-knowledge is a major topic in the ancient wisdom tradition Vedanta, and is acquired after the student makes certain preparations, such as the practice of austerities, cultivating calm, freeing oneself from cravings and aversion, and then performs the ātma-vicāra, or self-enquiry.

Self-realization is an expression used in Western psychology, philosophy, and spirituality; and in Indian religions In the Western understanding it is the “fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one’s character or personality” (see also self-actualization) In the Indian understanding, self-realization is liberating knowledge of the true Self, either as the permanent undying witness-consciousness, which is atman (essence), or as the absence (sunyata) of such a permanent Self

Shabda Brahman or Sabda-brahman or Nada brahman means transcendental sound (Shatapatha Brahmana III.12.48) or sound vibration (Shatpatha Brahmana Vi.16.51) or the transcendental sound of the Vedas (Shatpatha Brahmana Xi.21.36) or of Vedic scriptures (Shatpatha Brahmana X.20.43). Shabda or sabda stands for word manifested by sound (‘verbal’) and such a word has innate power to convey a particular sense or meaning (Artha). According to the Nyaya and the Vaisheshika schools, Shabda means verbal testimony; to the Sanskrit grammarians, Yaska, Panini and Katyayana it meant a unit of language or speech or vac....

Shaivism (; Sanskrit: शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śhaivasampradāyaḥ ; Tamil: சைவம்) is one of the major Hindu traditions that worships Shiva, also called Rudra, as the Supreme Being One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions ranging from devotional dualistic theism such as Shaiva Siddhanta to yoga-oriented monistic non-theism such as Kashmiri Shaivism It considers both the Vedas and the Agama texts as important sources of theology Shaivism developed as an amalgam of pre-Vedic religions and traditions derived from the southern Tamil Shaiva Siddhanta traditions and philosophies, which were assimilated in the non-Vedic Shiva-tradition...

In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit “Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability”) is the primordial cosmic energy, and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the universe This energy is thought of as creative, sustaining, as well as destructive, and is sometimes referred to as auspicious source energy Shakti is sometimes personified as the Creatrix, and is known as “Adi Shakti” or “Adi Para Shakti” (i....

Shaktipat or Śaktipāta (Sanskrit, from shakti “(psychic) energy” and pāta, “to fall”) refers in Hinduism to the transmission (or conferring) of spiritual energy upon one person by another Shaktipat can be transmitted with a sacred word or mantra, or by a look, thought or touch – the last usually to the ajna chakra or agya chakra or third eye of the recipient Saktipat is considered an act of grace (anugraha) on the part of the guru or the divine...

Shaktism (Sanskrit: शाक्त, IAST: Śāktaḥ, lit ‘doctrine of energy, power, the eternal goddess’) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead It includes many goddesses, all considered aspects of the same supreme goddess Shaktism has different sub-traditions, ranging from those focused on gracious Parvati to that of fierce Kali The Sruti and Smriti texts of Hinduism are an important historical framework of the Shaktism tradition...

Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into the physical world for the purpose of healing, divination, or to aid human beings in some other way Beliefs and practices categorized as “shamanic” have attracted the interest of scholars from a variety of disciplines, including anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, religious studies scholars, philosophers and psychologists...

Shandilya (IAST: Śāṇḍilya) is a Brahmin gotra, named after the Rishi Shandilya, specifying that individuals of the gotra have Shandilya as one of their patrilineal ancestors This gotra has three pravar, they are Sandilya, Asit and Deval The Ved of this gotra is Samveda This gotra is one of the eight highest gotra in Brahmins Sandilya gotra is the largest gotra in Maithil Brahmins There are 44 mool (origin) of Sandilya gotra in Maithil Brahmins

Shankaracharya (शङ्कराचार्य) (IAST: Śaṅkarācārya, Shankara acharya) is a commonly used title of heads of monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive line of teachers dating back to him are known as Shankaracharyas

Shanti is a Sanskrit term meaning “peace.” In both Hindu and Buddhist practices, shanti is often chanted three times to represent threefold peace in body, mind and spirit. In yoga, the mantra Om Shanti Shanti Shanti is often used at the end of a practice as an invocation of inner peace

A goddess is a female deity In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave This includes themes of spinning, weaving, beauty, love, sexuality, motherhood, domesticity, creativity, and fertility (exemplified by the ancient mother goddess cult) Many major goddesses are also associated with magic, war, strategy, hunting, farming, wisdom, fate, earth, sky, power, laws, justice, and more...

Shesha (Sesa), also known as Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग; Sesanaga) or Adishesha (Adi Sesa), is a Hindu mythological serpent also known as the Nagaraja or King of all serpents and one of the primal beings of creation In the Puranas, Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of the God Vishnu from all his mouths He is sometimes referred to as Ananta Shesha, which translates as Endless-Shesha or Adishesha “First Shesha”...