Hindooism

organized religion, religion, faith - an institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him"

Brahmanism, Brahminism - the religious and social system of orthodox Hinduism

Shivaism, Sivaism - a Hindu sect worshiping Shiva

Saktism, Shaktism - a Hindu sect worshiping Shakti

Vaishnavism, Vaisnavism - Hindu sect worshiping of Vishnu

International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, Hare Krishna - a religious sect founded in the United States in 1966; based on Vedic scriptures; groups engage in joyful chanting of `Hare Krishna' and other mantras based on the name of the Hindu god Krishna; devotees usually wear saffron robes and practice vegetarianism and celibacy

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, Ceylon - a republic on the island of Ceylon; became independent of the United Kingdom in 1948

Bangla Desh, Bangladesh, East Pakistan, People's Republic of Bangladesh - a Muslim republic in southern Asia bordered by India to the north and west and east and the Bay of Bengal to the south; formerly part of India and then part of Pakistan; it achieved independence in 1971

Bharat, India, Republic of India - a republic in the Asian subcontinent in southern Asia; second most populous country in the world; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1947

Kingdom of Nepal, Nepal - a small landlocked Asian country high in the Himalayas between India and China

Hindoo, Hindu - a person who adheres to Hinduism

bhakti - (Hinduism) loving devotion to a deity leading to salvation and nirvana; open to all persons independent of caste or sex

mandala - any of various geometric designs (usually circular) symbolizing the universe; used chiefly in Hinduism and Buddhism as an aid to meditation

asana - (Hinduism) a posture or manner of sitting (as in the practice of yoga)

matsyendra - (Hinduism) a religious posture

faith, religion, religious belief - a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality"

Darsana - (from the Sanskrit word for `to see') one of six orthodox philosophical systems or viewpoints on the nature of reality and the release from bondage to karma

Mimamsa - (from the Sanskrit word for `reflection' or `interpretation') one of six orthodox philosophical systems or viewpoints on ritual traditions rooted in the Vedas and the Brahmanas as opposed to Vedanta which relies mostly on the Upanishads

Vedanta - (from the Sanskrit for `end of the Veda') one of six orthodox philosophical systems or viewpoints rooted in the Upanishads as opposed to Mimamsa which relies on the Vedas and Brahmanas

Krishnaism - worship of Krishna the 8th avatar of Vishnu

Shivaism, Sivaism - worship of Shiva one of the 3 chief gods of the Hindu pantheon

Saktism, Shaktism - worship of Shakti as the wife of Shiva

Vishnuism, Vaishnavism, Vaisnavism - worship of Vishnu one of the 3 chief gods of the Hindu pantheon

yoga - Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility that is achieved through the three paths of actions and knowledge and devotion

Vedism - the form of Hinduism that revolves primarily around the mythic version and ritual ideologies in the Vedas

Bhagavadgita, Bhagavad-Gita, Gita - (Hinduism) the sacred `song of God' composed about 200 BC and incorporated into the Mahabharata (a Sanskrit epic); contains a discussion between Krishna and the Indian hero Arjuna on human nature and the purpose of life

Mahabharata, Mahabharatam, Mahabharatum - (Hinduism) a sacred epic Sanskrit poem of India dealing in many episodes with the struggle between two rival families

Veda, Vedic literature - (from the Sanskrit word for `knowledge') any of the most ancient sacred writings of Hinduism written in early Sanskrit; traditionally believed to comprise the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads

Ayurveda - (Sanskrit) an ancient medical treatise summarizing the Hindu art of healing and prolonging life; sometimes regarded as a 5th Veda

mantra - (Sanskrit) literally a `sacred utterance' in Vedism; one of a collection of orally transmitted poetic hymns

ahimsa - a Buddhist and Hindu and especially Jainist doctrine holding that all forms of life are sacred and urging the avoidance of violence

Sanskrit, Sanskritic language - (Hinduism) an ancient language of India (the language of the Vedas and of Hinduism); an official language of India although it is now used only for religious purposes

cycle of rebirth - (Hinduism) repeated rebirth in new forms

moksa - (Hinduism) release from the cycle of rebirth

karma - (Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation

samsara - (Hinduism and Buddhism) the endless cycle of birth and suffering and death and rebirth

caste - (Hinduism) a hereditary social class among Hindus; stratified according to ritual purity

jati - (Hinduism) a Hindu caste or distinctive social group of which there are thousands throughout India; a special characteristic is often the exclusive occupation of its male members (such as barber or potter)

varna - (Hinduism) the name for the original social division of Vedic people into four groups (which are subdivided into thousands of jatis)

Arjuna - (Hindu mythology) the warrior prince in the Bhagavad-Gita to whom Krishna explains the nature of being and of God and how humans can come to know God

Hindu deity - a deity worshipped by the Hindus

Bengali - (Hinduism) a member of a people living in Bangladesh and West Bengal (mainly Hindus)

guru - a Hindu or Buddhist religious leader and spiritual teacher

mahatma - (Hinduism) term of respect for a brahmin sage

saddhu, sadhu - (Hinduism) an ascetic holy man

nirvana, enlightenment - (Hinduism and Buddhism) the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation; characterized by the extinction of desire and suffering and individual consciousness