Karmas Dictionary

austerity: Self-denial and discipline, physical or mental, performed for various reasons including acquiring powers, attaining grace, conquering the instinctive nature and burning the seeds of past karmas. Ranging from simple deprivations, such as foregoing a meal, to severe disciplines, called tapas, such as always standing, never sitting or lying down, even for sleep. See: penance, tapas.

(See also: Austerity , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

dharma: (Sanskrit) "Righteousness." From dhri, "to sustain; carry, hold."

Hence dharma is "that which contains or upholds the cosmos." Dharma, religion, is a complex and all-inclusive term with many meanings, including: divine law, law of being, way of righteousness, religion, ethics, duty, responsibility, virtue, justice, goodness and truth. Essentially, dharma is the orderly fulfillment of an inherent nature or destiny. Relating to the soul, it is the mode of conduct most conducive to spiritual advancement, the right and righteous path.

(See also: Dharma , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

A Dictionary of Karma Terminology. From "A Sanskrit English Dictionary", by Sir Monier Monier-Williams.

karma

Physical, verbal, or mental action; one's destiny as shaped by one's previous actions. Karma is more often used to imply the process of physio-psychic evolution, which is controlled by actions of body, speech, and mind.

According to the laws of karma, no experience is causeless; rather, everything that occurs has its seed in a previous action and every action sows its seed in a successive action that will eventually ripen in accordance with its nature. In brief, an evil deed produces the seed of future suffering, and good deed produces the seed of happiness.

Technically, karma is of two main types: contaminated and non-contaminated. The latter refers to a deed done with awareness of emptiness; this produces no effect on the doer. Contaminated karmas are bad, good, or steady, resulting in lower rebirth, good rebirth, and rebirth in the realm of form, respectively.

(See also: karma , Alternative Health, Healing, Body Mind and Soul)

inner light: light perceived inside the head and body, of which there are varying intensities. When the karmas have been sufficiently quieted, the meditator can see and enjoy inner light independently of mental images.

-       moon-like inner light: Inner light perceived at a first level of intensity, glowing softly, much like the moon. The meditator's first experience of it is an important milestone in unfoldment.

-       clear white light: Inner light at a high level of intensity, very clear and pure. When experienced fully, it is seen to be permeating all of existence, the universal substance of all form, inner and outer, pure consciousness, Satchidananda. This experience, repeated at regular intervals, can yield "a knowing greater than you could acquire at any university or institute of higher learning."

-       See: Siva consciousness, tattva.

(See also: Inner light , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

suicide: "Self-killing." In Sanskrit, pranatyaga, "abandoning life force." Intentionally ending one's own life through poisoning, drowning, burning, jumping, shooting, etc.

Suicide has traditionally been condemned in Hindu scripture because, being an abrupt escape from life, it creates unseemly karma to face in the future. However, in cases of terminal disease or great disability, religious self-willed death through fasting - prayopavesha - is permitted. The person making such a decision declares it publicly, which allows for community regulation and distinguishes the act from suicide performed privately in traumatic emotional states of anguish and despair.

Ancient lawgivers cite various stipulations:

1)    inability to perform normal bodily purification;

2)    death appears imminent or the condition is so bad that life's pleasures are nil;

3)    the action must be done under community regulation.

The gradual nature of prayopavesha is a key factor distinguishing it from sudden suicide, svadehaghata ("murdering one's body"), for it allows time for the individual to settle all differences with others, to ponder life and draw close to God, as well as for loved ones to oversee the person's gradual exit from the physical world. In the ideal, highly ritualized practice, one begins by obtaining forgiveness and giving forgiveness.

Next a formal vow, mahavrata-marana, "great vow of death," is given to one's guru, following a full discussion of all karmas of this life, especially fully and openly confessing one's wrongdoings. Thereafter, attention is to be focused on scripture and the guru's noble teachings. Meditation on the innermost, immortal Self becomes the full focus as one gradually abstains from food. At the very end, as the soul releases itself from the body, the sacred mantra is repeated as instructed by the preceptor.

See: death, penance, reincarnation, soul, prayopavesha.

(See also: Suicide , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

birth chart: Janmapatrika. An astrological map of the sky drawn for a person's moment and place of birth. Also known as rashi chakra or zodiac wheel, it is the basis for interpreting the traits of individuals and the experiences, prarabdha karmas, they will go through in life. See: jyotisha, karma.

(See also: Birth chart , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

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birth chart: Janmapatrika. An astrological map of the sky drawn for a person's moment and place of birth. Also known as rashi chakra or zodiac wheel, it is the basis for interpreting the traits of individuals and the experiences, prarabdha karmas, they will go through in life.

See: jyotisha, karma.

(See also: Birth chart , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

pancha shraddha: (Sanskrit) "Five faiths."

A concise summary of Hindu belief exactly correlated to the "five constant practices," pancha nitya karmas. The pancha shraddha are 1) sarva Brahman: God is All in all, soul is divine; 2) mandira: belief in temples and divine beings; 3) karma: cosmic justice; 4) samsaramoksha: rebirth brings enlightenment and liberation; 5) Vedas and satguru: the necessity of scripture and preceptor.

See: pancha nitya karma.

(See also: Pancha shraddha , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Svabhava, Swabhava (Sanskrit) [from sva self + bhu to become, grow into]

Self-becoming, self-generation, self-growing into something; the unfolding of the self or monadic essence by inner impulse, rather than by merely mechanical activity in nature -- self-becoming or self-directed evolution. Each entity is the result of what it is in its own higher nature. "Its Swabhava can bring forth only that which itself is, its essential characteristic, its own inner nature. Swabhava, in short, may be called the essential Individuality of any monad, expressing its own characteristics, qualities, and type, by self-urged evolution. . . . Consequently, each individual Swabhava brings forth and expresses as its own particular vehicles its various swarupas, signifying characteristic bodies or images or forms" (OG 166-7). The essential self, like a sun, sends a ray from itself into manifestation, and the vehicles formed by this ray express its own unique individual essence and path of evolutionary growth and experience. Every entity, in all ranges of its being, reflects its own essential individuality which is stamped on its inmost essence.

A parallel thought is the Stoic spermatikoi logoi (seed-reasons or -causes), "which were the fruits or results, the karmas, of former periods of activity. Having attained a certain stage of evolution or development, or quality, or characteristic, or individuality in the preceding manvantara, when the next period of evolution came, they could produce nothing else but that which they were themselves, their own inner natures, as seeds do. The seed can produce nothing but what it itself is, what is in it; and this is the heart and essence of the doctrine of swabhava" (Fund 149).

(See also: Svabhava, Swabhava , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

inherit: To receive from an ancestor, as property, title, etc.- or to reap from our own actions: "...seed karmas we inherit from this and past lives."

(See also: Inherit , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

woeful: Sad, pitiful, full of sorrow. - woeful birth: An unfavorable birth; a life of difficulties resulting from negative karmas accrued in previous lives.

(See also: Woeful birth , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

There are varieties of hells that a Jiva has to experience in accordance with the Karmas which he does through sin and passion. Twenty-nine kinds of regions of sufferings are described in the Bhagavata, when Jivas are said to be born due to their Karmas

This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Lokas Or Planes: Karmas And Hells

The four main spiritual paths for God-realisation are Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga. Karma Yoga is suitable for a man of active temperament, Bhakti Yoga for a man of devotional temperament, Raja Yoga for a man of mystic temperament, and Jnana Yoga for a man of rational and philosophical temperament, or a man of enquiry.

Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga or Kundalini Yoga, Lambika Yoga and Hatha Yoga, are other Yogas. Yoga, really, means union with God. The practice of Yoga leads to communion with the Lord. Whatever may be the starting point, the end reached is the same.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Hindu Yoga: The Four Paths of Hindu Yoga

The Vedas contain revelations of the eternal Truth. The culture of a community or a nation is derived from the values that people live and uphold in their lives. The word Veda is derived from the Sanskrit vid , to know.

They contain knowledge in every field of worldly science , under the following broad headings - the sadangas or six limbs: Siksa or phonetics, kalpa or the code of rituals, vyakarana or grammar, nirukta or etymology, chandas or literature, and jyotish or astronomy. Along with these, four upvedas o r subvedas consist of the four sciences: Ayurveda or medicine, dhanurveda or new archery, gandharvaveda or music and sthapatyaveda or architecture

(See also: Vedas , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Vedas: Vedas As A Guide To Good Living  

There are seven planes. They are Bhuloka (earth plane), Bhuvarloka (Antariksha or the astral plane), Svargaloka (heaven or the mental plane), Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka (Brahmaloka or the world of Brahma, the Creator).

This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Lokas Or Planes: The Seven Planes

Hinduism Lexicon on B

From backbiting to buddhi chitta.

Read more here: » Hinduism: Hinduism Lexicon on B

Studying Jain holy scriptures, I found I could draw a parallel between the behaviour of matter or non-living substance and the soul which is a living substance. Souls are infinite in number: Some are pure and liberated; others are unliberated and live a bodily or embodied existence.

Pure souls possess properties or characteristics comprising infinite knowledge, vision and bliss and are quite different from unliberated, mundane, souls which have limited knowledge through mind and sense organs, experiencing birth and death.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Life and Death: Metallurgy of The Soul: Back to Nature

The doctrine of rebirth is a corollary to the Law of Karma. The differences of disposition that are found between one individual and another must be due to their respective past actions. Past action implies past birth. Further, all your Karmas cannot certainly bear fruit in this life. Therefore, there must be another birth for enjoying the remaining actions. Each soul has a series of births and deaths. Births and deaths will continue till you attain Knowledge of the Imperishable.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Karma: Karma And Rebirth

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. We want to now the truth behind near death experiences and become certain that there really is a life after death.

What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj is a departure from the usual line in that it is based, to a great extent, upon authoritative scriptural texts and upon knowledge derived through reasoning, deep reflection and personal meditation. It throws a flood of light upon all aspects of life after death not adequately dealt with in other works. The book also gives valuable information about the different beliefs on this subject, of the various races and religions.

The book is dealing with rebirth, the soul, reincarnation, moksha, heaven and hell, karma and different lokas,. It even includes death poems and death poetry, giving a complete picture and a new face of death.

Read more here: » Life after death: What Becomes Of The Soul After Death