Hare Krishna Transformed

Glossary

Glossary acarya: guru and head of a religious institution apa: deviant apasiddhanta: a false philosophical conclusion arti (arati): ritual performed as part of deity worship ashram (asrama): place of residence or one of four stages of life in traditional Hinduism (student, householder, retired, and renounced) ashram-based gurukula: Krishna boarding school Back to Godhead: magazine started by iskcon’s founder in India and continues to be published and distributed worldwide Bhagavad Gita: philosophical treatise forming an episode of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, in which Krishna introduces bhakti-yoga, or salvation through surrender to Krishna Bhagavata Purana: see Srimad Bhagavatam bhakta: a devotee who practices bhakti-yoga bhakti-yoga: a devotional form of Hinduism practiced by iskcon members brahmacari: unmarried celibate male student brahmacarini: unmarried celibate female student brahmin (brahmana): intellectual or priestly class in the Vedic system of varnas brahmin initiation: second initiation chapatis: round thin wheat tortilla darshan (darsana): visual contemplation of the deity dasa (das): male servant dasi: female servant dharma: duty of rendering service to God (Krishna) dhoti: strip of cloth worn by men on the lower portion of the body diksa initiation: first initiation disciple: one who has taken initiation from a guru Durga: a Hindu goddess 253 fringie: less committed iskcon member who is considered materialistic Gaudiya Math: institution of Bengali Vaisnavism founded in 1915 by Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati, the guru of iskcon’s founder Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada GBC: Governing Body Commission GHQ: General Headquarters Godbrother: male devotee who shares the same guru Godsister: female devotee who shares the same guru grhastha (grhasta): a married devotee with or without children grhastha ashram: one of the four stages of life; married people or householders guru: a spiritual teacher or guide who initiates disciples in the tradition ’s teachings and practices gurukula: school established by a guru gurukuli: student who attended an iskcon gurukula Hare Krishna (Hare Krsna): the first two words of the mahamantra for which iskcon has come to be known Hare Krishna movement: also known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (iskcon) Hare Nam: public chanting harinama-diksa: first initiation householder: married devotee with or without children IRM: iskcon Revival Movement Janmastami: Krishna’s birthday japa: chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra on prayer beads for personal spiritual benefit karatals: small hand cymbals karma: the effect of one’s actions, good or bad, that determine the place and condition in which one is reborn karmies: materially minded nondevotees Kartika: a major Hindu festival kirtans (kirtanas): congregational singing and chanting, usually with musical accompaniment ksatriya: a warrior or administrator in the Vedic social system of varnas life member: patron member of iskcon who contributes funds Mahabharata: Hindu epic and a basis for much of India’s popular religion mahamantra: the Hare Krishna mantra and core religious practice of 254 | Glossary iskcon members: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare mangal arati(arti): early-morning ritual honoring the deities performed in the temple or at home mantra: a word or group of words, such as Hare Krishna, considered to have transcendental power Manusamhita: said to be the work of Manu, the progenitor of humankind and a lawgiver, controversial because of its misogynistic statements mata: mother maya: illusion or material energy that results from forgetting one’s relationship with Krishna mayavada (mayavadins): impersonalist philosophy that maintains there is no difference between God and other living beings mrdanga: a traditional two-headed Indian drum used in kirtans New Raman-reti: iskcon (Alachua) community in northern Florida New Vrindaban: iskcon community in West Virginia prasadam: vegetarian food sanctified by being offered to Krishna puja: ritual worship of the deity pujaris: temple priests who serve the deities Ramayana: one of two great Hindu epics, concerns the deeds of Rama Rathayatra: a festival in which temple deities are paraded in the streets on a cart ritvik-guru: ceremonial priest Ritvik movement: followers believe that Prabhupada remains iskcon’s initiating guru after his death and that his guru successors initiate on his behalf in their role as rivik-gurus sadhana-bhakti (sadhana): disciplined spiritual practice sadhu: a holy or saintly person salagrama: a smooth round black stone regarded as an image of worship sampradaya: religious tradition samsara: the repeated cycle of birth and death sankirtan: preaching, chanting in public, and book distribution sannyasi: one who has totally renounced society and its material attachments Sanskrit: an Indo-European classical...