Glossary Advaita: Non-duality; literally, “not two.” Ahankara: Egoism or self-conceit; the self-arrogating principle “I,” “I” am-ness; selfconsciousness. Ahimsa: Non-injury in thought, word, and deed; non-violence; non-killing; harmlessness. Ajapa japa: The natural japa (mantric sounds) made by the breath as it flows in and out. Ajna chakra: Energy center located at the point between the eyebrows, the “third eye.” Akasha: “Not visible;” ether; space; sky; the subtlest of the five elements, from which the other four elements arise; the substance that fills and pervades the universe; the particular vehicle of life and sound; the element from which the sense of sound (shabda)–both speech and hearing–arises. Anahata: “Unstruck;” “unbeaten.” Continuous bell-like inner resonance; the heart; the heart chakra; the inner divine melody (mystic sounds heard by the Yogis); Om. Ananda: Bliss; happiness; joy. Anandamaya kosha: “The sheath of bliss (ananda).” The causal body. The borderline of the Self (atman). Annamaya kosha: “The sheath of food (anna).” The physical–or gross–body, made of food. Aparigraha: Non-possessiveness, non-greed, non-selfishness, non-acquisitiveness. Arjuna: The third of the five Pandava brothers. A famous warrior and one of the heroes of the Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Friend and disciples of Krishna, it was to Arjuna that Krishna imparted the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita. Asana: Posture; seat; Hatha Yoga posture. Asmita: I-ness; the sense of “I am;” “I exist.” Ashtanga Yoga: The “eight-limbed” Yoga of Patanjali consisting of yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi (see separate entries for each “limb”). Asteya: Non-stealing; honesty; non-misappropriativeness. Atma(n): The individual spirit or self. Aurobindo Ghosh, Sri: One of India’s greatest yogis and spiritual writers, he was at first involved in the Indian freedom movement, but came to see that yoga was the true path to freedom. His ashram in South India became one of the major spiritual centers in modern India, and his voluminous spiritual writings are read and prized throughout the world. Avatar: A Divine Incarnation. Bhagavad Gita: “The Song of God.” The sacred philosophical text often called “the Hindu Bible,” part of the epic Mahabharata by Vyasa; the most popular sacred text in Hinduism. Bhakti: Devotion; love (of God). Bhava: Subjective state of being (existence); attitude of mind; mental attitude or feeling; state of realization in the heart or mind. Bhavanam: Meditation. “Bhavanam is setting the heart on the Lord Who is designated by Om and brought into the mind by It.” (Shankara, Commentary on the Yoga Sutras) Bija: Seed; source. Bindu: Point; dot; seed; source; the point from which the subtle Omkara arises that is
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