| A | B |
|---|
| ARTHA | Material success and social prestige, one of the four goals of life |
| KAMA | Pleasure; especially of sensual love |
| DHARMA | Ethical duty based on the divine order of reality |
| MOKSHA | Release of the individual self from the bondage of samsara; salvation |
| BRAHMIN | The highest of the 4 classes; traditionally made up of priests |
| SHUDRA | The lowest of the 4 classes; traditionally made up of servants and laborers |
| KSHATRIYA | The 2nd of the 4 classes; traditionally made up of warriors and administrators |
| VAISHYA | The 3rd of the 4 classes; traditionally made up of producers such as farmers, merchants, and artisans |
| ATMAN | The eternal self or soul of an individual |
| KARMA | The moral law of cause & effect of actions |
| BRAHMAN | The eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe |
| MONISM | A doctrine that reality is ultimately made up of only one essence |
| SATI | The traditional practice of burning a widow on her husband's funeral pyre; outlawed in 1829 |
| ASCETIC | One who renounces physical pleasures and worldly attachments for the sake of spiritual advancement |
| MAYA | Cosmic illusion brought about by divine creative power |
| SANNYASIN | A wandering ascetic who has advanced to the 4th and highest stage of life |
| SAMADHI | A trancelike state in which self-consciousness is lost and the mind is absorbed into the ultimate reality |
| SAMSARA | The wheel of rebirth or reincarnation |
| AVATAR | An incarnation or living embodiment of a deity |
| CASTE SYSTEM | The traditional division of Hindu society into four main categories. |
| JNANA MARGA | The path of knowledge that emphasizes learning & meditation |
| BHAKTI MARGA | The path of devotion emphasizes loving devotion to one's chosen god or goddess |
| KARMA MARGA | The path of works that emphasizes performing right actions according to dharma |
| RIG VEDA | A collection of 1,017 Sanskrit hymns composed about 1500 BC or earlier; Hinduism's oldest sacred text |
| UPANISHADS | A collection of over 200 texts composed between 900 and 200 BC |
| BHAGAVAD-GITA | Hinduism's most popular sacred text; a short section of the epic poem Mahabharata |
| SANKHYA | A system of Hindu philosophy & one approach within jnana marga; asserts that reality comprises 2 distinct categories: matter & eternal selves |
| VEDANTA | A system of Hindu philosophy & one approach within jnana marga; holds that all reality is essentially Brahman and most notable advocate is medieval philosopher Shankara |
| YOGA | A system of Hindu philosophy & one approach within jnana marga; physical and psychological techniques for spiritual advancement |
| UNTOUCHABLES | Those outside of the caste system who only recently have attained some legal rights |
