19. Glossary

Camp - One

Gita : A part of an ancient scripture - Mahabharat in which Lord Shri Krishna preached Arjuna, one of Pandavas.

Shakshi-bhav : Sense of witness.

Camp - Two

Jiva : An embodied soul.

Vachanamritam : Scriptural text compiled by five senior paramhansas containing the sermons of Lord Swaminarayan given at various places, the most sacred scripture of Swaminarayan religion

Camp - Three

Vasna : Strong and deep rooted worldly desires.

Prana : Vital force of bio-energy

Maya : One of the five eternal entities, the power of God responsible for creating attachment towards the body and its relations, literal meaning - illusion.

Prakriti : Nature, Maya

Purusha : This term is variously used to mean soul, lower Brahma, Brahma or Parabrahma. But Bhagwan Swaminarayan explains Purusha as separate from Prakriti, indivisible, eternal, infinite, unaffected by the factor of time, self-luminous, omniscient, possessing divine body, cause of cosmic evolution, knower of Maya and her evolutes. Purusha is different from Akshar and Akshar is different from Purushottam.

Pradhan Purusha : First produced - described as lower nature of lower Brahma

Mahat Tattva : Cosmic intelligence, universal mind. It is luminous, unaffected by qualities and full of pure sattva.

Sattvik Ahamkar : The ego of beneficient attributes.

Rajas Ahamkar : The ego of earthly positions.

Tamas Ahamkar : The ego of maleficient instincts.

Sankhya Darshan : The scripture compiled by Lord Kapil Muni. Fundamental belief of Sankhya doctrine is all that evolves from Maya is perishable and vain. Cultivating thoughts of Sankhya, the devotee gradually becomes detached from worldly, mayik objects allowing him/her to become further engrossed in God.

Ashtang-yoga : System of Yoga comprising eight progressive steps leading ultimately to yoga, i.e. union with God. The eight steps are namely : yam (restraint), niyam (observance), asan (posture), pranayam (mastering the prans), pratyahar (withdrawal of mental tendencies from five senses), dharana (concentration), dhyan (meditation) and samadhi (trance).

Camp Four

Chhandogya

Upanishad : One of the most important of the principal Upanishads, belonging to Sam Veda. Teachings centre around the origin and significance of the divine resonation 'AUM', the atma, contemplation and life after death.

Vedas : The verb 'vid' means to know. The literal meaning of Veda is knowledge. Vedas-the most sacred and authoritative set of Hindu Scriptures, collated into four parts : The Rig Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda, collectively known as Vedas. Each part comprises of four portions : Samhita (hymns), Brahman (manual of rites and rituals), Aranyak (forest treatises) and Upanishad (enlightened teachings).

Camp Five

Samadhi : Trance, state of realization

Camp Six

Gunas (Sattva, Rajo etc.) : Principle quality of Maya - Prakriti. There are three in total : Sattva Guna (goodness i.e. awareness), Rajo Guna (passion i.e. desires) and Tamo Guna (darkness i.e. unawareness). All beings are affected by the influence of one or a combination of these three gunas of Maya until they becom Gunatit.

Susupti : Deep sleep, a state of Tamo Guna

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Pranav-nad : The three - syllable-'A', 'U', and 'M' - sound known as AUM, A transformed form of the divine, transcendental vibration emanted at the moment of first creation, and from which All other sounds & ultimately the sacred Vedas come forth.

Camp Eight

Puranas : Set of 18 scriptures recording ancient Hindu narratives incorporating ethical and spiritual teachings, most popular of which is the Shrimad Bhagwat Puran. The other 17 Purans are namely : the Brahma Puran, Padma Puran, Vishnu Puran, Vayu Puran, Narad Puran, Markandeya Puran, Agneya Puran, Bhavishya Puran, Brahma-Vaivart Puran, Ling Puran, Varah Puran, Skand Puran, Vaman Puran, Kurma Puran, Matsya Puran, Garud Puran and Brahmand Puran.

Pind : Body.

Brahmand : Cosmos, Universe.

Camp Nine

Yagna : 'Sacrificial worship.' Ceremonial ritual performed as a form of worship to seek the good favour and receive the blessings of the deities. Oblations - ghee, grains, wood, spices etc. - are offered into a sacred pit of fire in accordance with strict scriptural inductions amid the chanting of definite mantras

Prasad : Sanctified food, blessed and consecrated by having been offered to God.

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Shuddha Sattva : Status of mind free from all gunas, Gunatit sthiti

Naivedya : Food stuff offered to God.

Camp Eleven

Chitta : Mind / Consciousness, One of the four aspects of the Antahkaran, characterised by its functions of contemplating or pondering and especially focusing. Mental impressions and experiences are recorded and recalled from it. By nature, the entire jagat inherently resides in a subtle form with it, and it is itself unchanging, luminous, pure, full of pure sattvagun and passive (Gadh F-12 and Gadh M-6)

Camp Twelve

Mumukshu : Aspirant, Devotee who is earnestly desiring for salvation.

Vairagya : Detachment, An aversion or strong, persistent dislike. Generally for the world and its Mayik pleasures.

Gunatit sthiti : Transcending the gunas. That which transcends the three gunas of Maya - sattvaguna, rajoguna & tamoguna etc., i.e. that which has no trace or influence of Maya whatsoever. (Gadhada-M-43)

Satsang : The practice of spiritually associating with Satpurush, fellow satsangis, one's own atma and the sacred scriptures of the Satsang fellowship.

Tapta-kruchcha

Chandrayana : Form of stern austerity entailing for 12 continuous days, generally performed as a form of atonment of a grave sin.

Camp Thirteen

Karan-satsang : The fellowship of the devotees of Bhagwan Swaminarayan inspired by the ultimate knowledge of Anadi Muktraj Abjibapashri which leads to ultimate salvation.

Camp Fourteen

Vayu : One of the five gross elements from which the sthul body of Virat Purush i.e. the physical world is formed. By nature, it causes trees to shake, gathers leaves and other objects, carries the panchvishays to their respective indriyas. (Gadhada-F-12)

Vatal : The place, climate or diet which is provoking the element of Vat or Vayu in our body.

Camp Sixteen

Tiattriya Upanishad: One of the Upanishads, Upanishads are the final portion of Vedas, Collection of experiences of the ancient seers.

Camp Seventeen

Antahkarana : Inner faculty, the complete mind which comprises of four aspects, each characterised by its individual functions: called the man when generating thoughts and desires; the buddhi when consolidating thoughts, making decisions and resolutions, forming convictions or discriminating; the chitt when repeatedly contemplating or focusing; and the ahamkar when forming a sense of being. Normally used in the singular since all four are aspects of the one antahkaran, but also often referred to as being four different antahkarans.

Nirgun : Devoid of attributes, Divine

Purushottam : Supreme being, God. According to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, God is one and unparalleled, omnipotent and the all-doer, Omniscient, omnipresent, the reservoir of all forms of bliss, Devoid of any attributes of Maya (i.e. divine), replete with all Forms of redemptive attributes, always manifesting on Earth, and always with a human form Also called Parabrahama or Paramatma. Bhagwan Swaminarayan is Himself Purushottam Narayan.

Akshardham : The divine abode of Purn Purushottam Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

Camp Eighteen

Darshan : Seeing, the sight or beholding of the deity or holy person with reverence of devotion.

Drastta : Witness, soul

Nirvikalp Samadhi : The highest state of realisation where only the undisturbed bliss of god is experienced.