Kriya Yoga is a yoga system which consists of a number of levels of pranayama, mantra, and mudra, intended to rapidly accelerate spiritual development and engender a profound state of tranquility and God-communion. It is described by its practitioners as an ancient yoga system revived in modern times by Lahiri Mahasaya, who claimed to be initiated by a guru, Mahavatar Babaji, circa 1861 in the Himalayas. Kriya Yoga was brought to international awareness by Paramahansa Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi and through Yogananda's introductions of the practice to the West from 1920.
Jagadguru, literally meaning "guru of the universe", is a title used in Sanātana Dharma. Traditionally, it has been bestowed upon or used for ācāryas belonging to the Vedānta school who have written Sanskrit commentaries on the Prasthānatrayī – the Brahma sūtras, the Bhagavad-gītā and the principal Upaniṣads. Historically, jagadgurus have established a lineage and an institution to spread dharma which has been based in Varanasi, the centre of Sanskrit study.
Amrit Desai is a pioneer of yoga in the West, and one of the few remaining living yoga gurus who originally brought over the authentic teachings of yoga in the early 1960s. He is the creator of two brands of yoga, Kripalu Yoga and I AM Yoga, and is the founder of five yoga and health centers in the US. His yoga training programs have reached more than 40 countries worldwide and over 8,000 teachers have been certified.
The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from Hindu culture and associated cultures’ traditions, which are expressed as words in Sanskrit or other Indic languages and Dravidian languages. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Hinduism all in one place.
According to Hindu scriptures, Aśvattha, or Sacred fig, is a sacred tree for the Hindus and has been extensively mentioned in texts pertaining to Hinduism, for example as peepul in Rig Veda mantra I.164.20. In Buddhism, the Bodhi Tree under which Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment is also of the same species.
Dhyāna in Hinduism means contemplation and meditation. Dhyana is taken up in Yoga practices, and is a means to samadhi and self-knowledge.
Svādhyāya is a Sanskrit term which means self-study and especially the recitation of the Vedas and other sacred texts. It is also a broader concept with several meanings. In various schools of Hinduism, Svadhyaya is a Niyama connoting introspection and "study of self".
Pranava yoga is meditation on the sacred mantra Om, as outlined in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It is also called Aum yoga and Aum yoga meditation. It is, simply put, fixing the mind on the sound of the mantra "Aum" – the sacred syllable that both symbolizes and embodies Brahman, the Absolute Reality – as the mantra is constantly repeated in unison with the breath. The purpose of pranava yoga is to become free from suffering and limitation.
Krishnaism is a term used in scholarly circles to describe large group of independent Hindu traditions—sampradayas related to Vaishnavism—that center on the devotion to Krishna as Svayam Bhagavan, Ishvara, Para Brahman, who is the source of all reality, not an avatar of Vishnu. This is its difference from such Vaishnavite groupings as Sri Vaishnavism, Sadh Vaishnavism, Ramaism, Radhaism, Sitaism etc. There is also a personal Krishnaism, that is devotion to Krishna outside of any tradition and community, as in the case of the saint-poet Meera Bai. Leading scholars do not define Krishnaism as a suborder or offshoot of Vaishnavism, considering it at least a parallel and no less ancient current of Hinduism.
The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture, which is part of the epic Mahabharata. It forms the chapters 23–40 of book 6 of the Mahabharata called the Bhishma Parva. The work is dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE.
Swami Nikhilanand is a Canadian-born Hindu spiritual leader. He is the spiritual teacher at Radha Madhav Dham) one of the largest Hindu Temple complexes in the Western Hemisphere, and the largest in North America.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj was an Indian religious leader and the fifth Jagadguru. He was the founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a worldwide Hindu non-profit organization with five main ashrams, four in India and one in the United States.
Prem Mandir is a Hindu temple in Vrindavan, Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple was established by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj. It is maintained by Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, an international non-profit, educational, spiritual, charitable trust. The complex is on a 22-hectare (55-acre) site on the outskirts of Vrindavan. It is dedicated to Radha Krishna and Sita Ram. Radha Krishna are on the first level and Sita Ram are on the second level. Different Leelas of Shri Krishna and Rasik saints are depicted all over the wall of the main temple.
Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), previously known as Sadhna Bhawan Trust, is a charitable religious organisation in India. It was established in 1970 by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj and continues to run today under the three Presidents he appointed. The philanthropic activities are designed to fulfil the vision of Jagadguru Kripalu, who was entitled with Jagadguru on 14 January 1957. To fulfil his vision, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji established three major temples, Bhakti Mandir, Prem Mandir (Vrindavan) and Kirti Mandir (Barsana).
Jagadguru Kripaluji Yog (JKYog) is a spiritual and charitable non-profit organization in United States. It was founded by Swami Mukundananda, a senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. JKYog works for physical, mental, spiritual wellness through a holistic system of Yog that includes Bhakti yoga, meditation, and spirituality. The organization also supports health care for the underprivileged and education for rural youth.
Dantu Muralikrishna is an Indian scientist, writer and singer based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
A samadhistha purusha refers to a Sanskrit term for a person who stays in a state of calm equipoise. Such a person is regarded to remain unaffected in all situations and receives all emotions with a sense of detachment. A samadhistha purusha is also considered a self-realised person, remaining in a meditative state voluntarily, and at all times.
Vrishabhanu, also spelled as Brushabhanu, is a Yadava chieftain featured in Hindu scriptures. He is described as the father of the goddess Radha, who is the chief consort of god Krishna and also regarded as the incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi in Dvapara Yuga.
The Akshara Brahma Yoga is the eighth of the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. The chapter has a total of twenty-eight shlokas. It is the 30th chapter of Bhishma Parva, the sixth book of the Mahabharata.
