Dictionary

Upanayana (Sanskrit: उपनयन upanayana), also known as janai or janea, poita/paita, Yagnopavita, Bratabandha,Bratopanayan is one of the traditional saṃskāras (rites of passage) that marked the acceptance of a student by a guru (teacher or tutor) and an individual’s initiation into a school in Hinduism The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism and varies regionally The sacred thread (yagnyopavita, janeu, or poonal) is received by the boy during this ceremony, which he continues wearing from the left shoulder to the right crossing the chest thereafter...

The Upanishads (; Sanskrit: उपनिषद् Upaniṣad pronounced [ˈʊpɐnɪʂɐd̪]) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts of Hindu philosophy which supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy They are the most recent part of the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, and deal with meditation, philosophy, consciousness and ontological knowledge; earlier parts of the Vedas deal with mantras, benedictions, rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices While among the most important literature in the history of Indian religions and culture, the Upanishads document a wide variety of “rites, incarnations, and esoteric knowledge” departing from Vedic ritualism and interpreted in various ways in the later commentarial traditions...

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...

Upasana (Sanskrit: उपासना upāsanā) literally means “worship” and “sitting near, attend to” The term also refers to one of three khaṇḍa (खण्ड, parts) of Vedas, one that focuses on worship The other two parts of Vedas are called Aranyakas and Upanishads, sometimes identified as karma-khaṇḍa (कर्म खण्ड, ritualistic sacrifice section) and jñāna-khaṇḍa (ज्ञान खण्ड, knowledge, spirituality section) Vedic literature, including Upasana Karunakar, is however, neither homogeneous in content nor in structure...

Vaikuntha (Sanskrit: वैकुण्ठ, IAST: Vaikuṇṭha), also called Vishnuloka (Viṣṇuloka), is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme god in Vaishnavite Hinduism and his consort goddess Lakshmi the supreme goddess Vaikuntha is an abode presided over on high exclusively by him, accompanied always by his feminine partner, consort and goddess Lakshmi According to Ramanuja, Parama Padam or Nitya Vibhuti is an eternal heavenly realm and is the divine imperishable world that is God’s abode...

Vairāgya (वैराग्य) is a Sanskrit term used in Hindu as well as Jain philosophy that roughly translates as dispassion, detachment, or renunciation, in particular renunciation from the pains and pleasures in the temporary material world The Hindu philosophers who advocated vairāgya told their followers that it is a means to achieve moksha True vairāgya refers to an internal state of mind rather than to external lifestyle and can be practiced equally well by one engaged in family life and career as it can be by a renunciate...

Vaisheshika or Vaiśeṣika (Sanskrit: वैशेषिक) is one of the six schools of Indian philosophy (Vedic systems) from ancient India In its early stages, the Vaiśeṣika was an independent philosophy with its own metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, and soteriology Over time, the Vaiśeṣika system became similar in its philosophical procedures, ethical conclusions and soteriology to the Nyāya school of Hinduism, but retained its difference in epistemology and metaphysics The epistemology of the Vaiśeṣika school of Hinduism, like Buddhism, accepted only two reliable means to knowledge: perception and inference...

Vaishnavism (Sanskrit: वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, romanized: Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Vaishnavites are the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 641 million or 67 6% of Hindus It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, ie Mahavishnu Its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas (IAST: Vaiṣṇava), and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively...

Vaishnavism (Sanskrit: वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, romanized: Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism According to a 2010 estimate by Johnson and Grim, Vaishnavites are the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 641 million or 67 6% of Hindus It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, ie Mahavishnu Its followers are called Vaishnavites or Vaishnavas (IAST: Vaiṣṇava), and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively...

Vaishya (Sanskrit: वैश्य, vaiśya) is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order in India Vaishyas are classed third in the order of caste hierarchy The occupation of Vaishyas consists mainly of agriculture, taking care of cattle, trade and other business pursuits

A vajra is a ritual weapon symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force) The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head The ribs may meet in a ball-shaped top, or they may be separate and end in sharp points with which to stab The vajra is the weapon of the Indian Vedic rain and thunder-deity Indra, and is used symbolically by the dharma traditions of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, often to represent firmness of spirit and spiritual power...

Vrata is a Sanskrit word that means “vow, resolve, devotion”, and refers to pious observances such as fasting and pilgrimage (Tirtha) found in Indian religions such as Jainism and Hinduism It is typically accompanied with prayers seeking health and happiness for their loved ones

A japamala, jaap maala, or simply mala (Sanskrit: माला; mālā, meaning ‘garland’) is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism for counting recitiations when performing japa (reciting a mantra or other sacred sound) or for counting some other sadhana (spiritual practice) such as prostrating before a holy icon They are similar to other forms of prayer beads used in various world religions and are sometimes referred to in English as a “rosary”...

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)...

Vānaprastha (Sanskrit: वानप्रस्थ) literally meaning “way of the forest” or “forest road”, is the third stage in the varnasrama system of Hinduism It represents the third of the four ashramas (stages) of human life, the other three being Brahmacharya (bachelor student, 1st stage), Grihastha (married householder, 2nd stage) and Sannyasa (renunciation ascetic, 4th stage) Vānaprastha is part of the Vedic ashrama system, which starts when a person hands over household responsibilities to the next generation, takes an advisory role, and gradually withdraws from the world...