Sanskrit Words beginning
with A
Glossary of Hindu Terms with
Meanings
Adharma:
contrary to what is right ; evil .
See dharma
Aditi :
Vedic goddess , the ' mother' of
the gods
Adityas :
Vedic sun deities , offspring of
Aditi
Advaita Vedanta :
non -dualistic Vedantic
philosophy
Agamas:
mystical scriptures pertaining
to specific Hindu sects such as
Vaisnavaites or Saivites
Agni :
fire ; sacred fire ; fire god
Ahimsa :
non -violence
Amma :
mother, a compound often
used in the names of female
goddesses
Amrta :
a nectar which was believed to
bestow immortality
Ananda :
bliss ; the bliss of union with
Brahman
Anna :
food , rice
Aranyaka Vedic :
forest texts or writings
Arjun:
one of the sons of Pandu and
the main (human ) character of
the Bhagavad Gita
Artha :
worldly wealth , pursuit of
wealth and social status
Arti :
act of worship celebrating
light
Aryans:
the migrant invaders of India
from approximately 1500 BC ;
people of spiritual values
Asanas:
yogic postures
Asat:
non -being, that is to say the
unreality of the world as
opposed to the true Being
(sat) which is Brahman .
Ashram :
hermitage , retreat or place of
quiet and solitude , often in a
forest , where a Hindu sage
lives alone or with his disciples
Asramas :
the four stages of life in
Hinduism
Asvamedha:
probably the most prestigious
of Vedic sacrificial rites , where
a horse is sacrificed in a yajna
by the king whose supremacy
has been acknowledged by the
neighbouring kings
Atharva Veda :
'Knowledge of Incantations ' ,
the fourth Veda
Atman:
the presence of Brahman as
the deepest essence of the self
in all entities; the Divine Self ,
a synonym of Brahman
Aum :
the sacred sound and symbol
which represents Brahman in
its unmanifest and manifest
aspects
Avatar :
literally ' descents ' , incarnation
of God , usually the
incarnations of Visnu and his
consort Laksmi
Avidya:
ignorance
Ayurveda:
Vedic medical system