Glossary Of Sanskrit Terms A-B

Arcana – the procedures followed for worshiping the [arca-vigraha].
Arca-vigraha – the form of God manifested through material elements, as in a painting or statue of Krsna worshiped in a temple or home. Present in this form, the Lord personally accepts worship from His devotees.
Arci – the wife of King Prthu.
Arghya – a ceremonious offering, in a conchshell, of water and other auspicious items.
Arjuna – one of the five Pandava brothers. Krsna became his chariot driver and spoke the [Bhagavad-gita] to him.
Artha – economic development.

“Who am I?” Maybe you’ve never even asked yourself this question. You might think you already know who you are. Unfortunately, however, it’s likely that you don’t know who you are at all. And if you don’t know your real identity, you’re in trouble. You’ll spend your life in a kind of dream state—you’ll falsely identify yourself as something or someone you aren’t. Then, on the basis of this false identification, you’ll determine the goals of your life and the purpose of your existence. You use these goals to gauge whether you are making “progress” in life, whether you are a “success.” And you are aided and abetted in this delusion by a complex network of relationships with other dreamers. Of course, at death (and sometimes before), the whole thing turns into a nightmare.
So knowing who you are is a very practical necessity. The question “Who am I?” is not a philosophical football meant to be kicked around coffeehouses by pseudo-intellectuals. It’s a real – life question. Nothing is more important and more relevant than to know who you are.
Science of Identity Foundation – Chris Butler Speaks

Aryama – the demigod in charge of Pitrloka, the planet where qualified departed ancestors reside.
Aryan – a civilized follower of Vedic culture; one whose goal is spiritual advancement.
Asanas – sitting postures in [yoga] practice.
Asat – not eternal.
Asita – an ancient authority on the [Vedas].
Asrama – one of four spiritual orders of life. [See also: Brahmacarya; Grhastha; Vanaprastha; Sannyasa].
Asramas – the four spiritual orders according to the Vedic social system: [brahmacarya] (student life), [grhastha] (householder l ife), [vanaprastha] (retirement) and [sannyasa] (renunciation).
Astaka – the eighth day after the full moon.
Astanga-yoga-the eight – stage mystic [yoga] system propounded by Patanjali. It consists of [yama] and [niyama] (moral practices), [asana] (bodily postures), [pranayama] (breath control), [pratyahara] (sensory withdrawal), [dharana] (steadying the mind), [dhyana] (meditation) and [samadhi] (deep contemplation on Visnu within the heart).
Asta-siddhis – the eight mystic perfections acquired by [yoga] practice.
Asura – a person opposed to the service of the Lord.
Asutosa – Lord Siva, who is easily pleased.
Asvamedha-yajna – a Vedic horse sacrifice.
Asvatthama – the nefarious son of the great military teacher Dronacarya. He murdered the children of the Pandavas.
Asvini deities – demigods in charge of the nostrils and sense of smell.
Atharva Veda – one of the four [Vedas,] the original revealed scriptures spoken by the Lord Himself.
Atma – the self (the body, the mind, the intellect, the Supersoul or the individual soul).
Atma-nivedana – the devotional process of surrendering everything to the Lord.
Atmarama-one who is self – satisfied, free from eternal, material desires.
Atma-tattva – spiritual science.
Atri – one of the seven great sages born directly from Brahma; father of the Lord's incarnation Dattatreya.
Avadhuta – a very saintly and renounced person who may live outside regulative principles, having surpassed any need for them.
Avaisnava – a nondevotee.
Avara – material.
Avatara – a descent, or incarnation, of the Supreme Lord.
Avesa – [See: Sakty-avesa]
Avidya – ignorance.
Avyakta – unmanifest.
Ayur-veda – the Vedic scriptures containing medical science.

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