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Hinduism Glossary of terms - S

Sabda	sound; word.
Sabda-brahma	Ultimate Reality in the form of thought-vibration in which state thought and word are identical.
Sabda-rasi	The group of letters from a to ksa
Sadadhva	The six forms of manifestation-three on the subjective side viz., mantra, varna and pada and three on the objective side, viz.,Kala, tattva and bhuvana
Sadasiva (Sadakhya tattva)	The third tattva, counting from SIva. At this stage, the I-experience is more prominent than this experience-This tattva is also known as Sadakhya in as much as sat or being is posited at this stage. Ichha or Will is predominant in this tattva.
sAdhaka	accomplisher, practitioner
sAdhana	accomplishment, practice
Sadvidya	Suddha Vidya
Saguna Brahman	(Lit., Brahman with attributes) The Absolute conceived as the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer of the universe; corresponds to Isvara, or the Personal God.
Sahaja	Innate essential nature
Sahaja-vidya	Knowledge of the innate essential nature; unmana; pure divine consciousness in which mental consciousness ceases, pervasion into Siva-consciousness (Siva-vyapti).
sahasrAra, sahasra dala padma	thousand patal mystic lotus beyond the six chakras
Sakalar	Souls of the last order possessing all the three Mala Banthams, and includes, all sentient beings and Devas.
Sakta-japa	The constant remembrance of the Supreme I-consciousness.
Sakta-samavesa	Identification with Supreme Consciousness by means of Sakta-upaya
Sakta-upaya (Saktopaya)	the means of approach to the Divine through Sakti, the ever-recurring contemplation of the pure thought-construct of oneself being essentially Siva or the Supreme I-consciousness.
Sakta-Yoga	Same as Sakta-upaya, jnana-yoga
Sakti	(1) The power of Siva to manifest, to maintain the manifestation and to withdraw it (2) The spanda or creative pulsation of Siva or foundational consciousness.
Sakti-cakra	The group of the twelve mahakalis; the goddesses responsible for creation, etc; the group of Saktis of the senses; group ofmantras; the group of Khecari, etc., the group of the goddess Srsti, etc.
Saktiman	Mahesvara; Siva
Sakti-pancaka	The five foundational saktis of Siva, viz., cit, ananda, iccha, jnana, and kriya.
Sakti-prasara	Sakti-vikasa; emergence from Samadhi and retaining that experience.
Sakti-pata	Descent of divine Sakti; Divine grace by which the empirical individual turns to and realizes his essential divine nature.
Sakti-sankoca	withdrawal of attention from sense-activity and turning it towards the inner reality.
Sakti tattva	The vimarsa aspect, or the foundational I-consciousness of SIva; the intentness of Siva's I-consciousness to manifest in the form of the universe; the second of the 36 tattvas.
Sakti-vikasa	concentration of attention on the inner consciousness even when the senses are open to their respective objects.
Sakti-visranti	Merging back into Samadhi and resting in that condition.
Samacara	Sam-samyak; a-isat; cara-prasarana- external expansion of the property evolved prana
Samarasya	Unison of Siva; identity of Consciousness; identical state in which all differentiation has disappeared.
Samavaya	One of the seven categories of the Hindu Logicians. Inseparable coinherence of attributes.
samayak kuravar	The four stalwarts samban^dhar, appar, sun^dharar, mANikka vAchakar who by their glorious hymns (which are part of thirumuRai) gave an excellent energy and vitalisation to the Shaivam in Tamil Nadu
Samadhi	Collectedness of mind in which there is cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.
Samadhi-sukha	The bliss that is experienced in being established in pramatr-pada i.e in the state of the essential Self or subject.
samAdi	complete absorption of thoughts (into the Supreme Being), the final stage of aShTAnga yoga
Samana	When the unmana sakti begins to display herself in the form of the universe with sunya and ending with earth, then descending from the highest state of Pramata (knowing Self), she is known as Samana in as much as she has started the mentation of all that is thinkable (asesa-mananamatrarupatvat samana-Udyota, p.286)
Samana	The vital vayu that helps in the assimilation of food etc., and brings about equilibrium between prana and apana
Samapatti	Sometimes a synonym of samadhi; consummation; attainment of psychis at-onement.
Samarasa	One having the same feeling or consciousness.
Samaveda	One of the four Vedas
Samavesa	Being possessed by the Divine, absorption of the individual consciousness in the Divine.
Sambhava-pramata	One established in Siva-Consciousness, also known as Siva-pramata
Sambhava-samavesa	Identification with Siva without any thought-construct born out of profound insight or sambhava upaya
Sambhava upaya	Sudden emergence of Siva-Consciousness without any thought-construct (vikalpa) by a mere hint that one's essential Self is Siva; also known as Sambhava Yoga or Icchopaya or Iccha-Yoga
Sambhu	An epithet of Siva
samhAra	dissolution
samhita	1. Compilation 2. The mantra part of the vedas
samsAraH	circuit of worldly life
Sambodha	Samyak bodha, full or perfect knowledge of the essential nature of Reality as a mass of consciousness and bliss which is the essential nature of Self.
Samghatta	Meeting; mental union; concentration.
Samhara ; Samharam	Assimilation to the Highest Consciousness ; Decay ; Reabsorption ; Resolution ; Dissolution.
Samhara krtya	The withdrawal or reabsorption of the Universe into Siva
Samsara or samsrti	Transmigratory existence, the world process
Samsarin	Transmigratory being.
Samskara	the residual traces of the mind lying in the unconscious.
Samvid-samvitti	Consciousness; universal consciousness.
Samvit	Supreme consciousness in which there is complete fusion of prakasa and vimarsa, jnana-sakti; svatantrya-sakti; the supreme I-consciousness.
Samvit-devata	From the macrocosmic point of view Samvitdevatas are khecari, gocari, dikcari and bhucari. From the microcosmic point of view, the internal and external senses are said to be samvit-devata.
sAmIpam	residing next (to Lord shiva)
Samkalpa	resolve; the synthetic activity of thought
Samvahya	One who is carried from one form of existence to another: karmatma, pasu
Sandhana	Lit., joining; union, union of the individual consciousness with the universal Consciousness through fixed, intensive awareness or one-pointedness.
Sankoca	Contraction, limitation.
Sanatana Dharma	(Lit., Eternal Religion) The religion of the Hindus, formulated by the Rishis of the Vedas.
Sandha-bija	The four letters- which are unable to give rise to any other letter.
Sankara	The Doer of Good ; God ; Siva.
sAnkhya	one of the six systems of Hindu philosophy, attributed to sage kapila, the system of philosophy that believes in two fundamental realities, viz., Purusa and Prakrti; the follower of such system.
sannyAsa	(ascetic) practice, renunciation
Sara	quintessence
Saiva agama	The ten dualistic sastras, eighteen sastras which teach identity in difference, and sixty-four non-dualistic sastras expounded by Siva
Saiva yoga or Sadhana	Anava upaya, Sakta upaya and Sambhava upaya
Sakala	All the jivas from gods down to the mineral who rest in maya tattva. They have no knowledge of the real self and their consciousness is only that of diversity.
Saksat upaya	Sambhava upaya
Sksatkara	Direct intuitive experience of the essential Self.
sAlOkam	residing in the same world (of Lord shiva)
Salokya	The state in which the aspirant lives on the same plane with his chosen deity.
Sarguru or Satguru	The true Teacher ; the Divine Teacher.
Sarguru Darsan	The sight of the Divine Guru.
Sarira	Body.
sArUpam	having the same form (of Lord shiva)
Sarupya	The state in which the aspirant realizes complete identity with the Divine.
Sarvaga	omnipenetrant
Sarvakartrtva	Omnipotence
Sarvajna	omniscient
Sarvajnatva	Omniscience
Sasana	Sastra; philosophical text.
Sastha-vaktra	Lit., the sixth organ or medhra-kanda, near the root of the rectum.
Sat	Existence which is consciousness
Sat Chit	Same as Sadasivam or Siva Sat. God regarded as Sat when it is not manifest to the World and as Chit whe it is manifest to the World.
Satasat	Atma.
Satchidananda	God when known by the Mukta ; when God appears as Love.
Satta	existence; ultimate reality
Sattamatra	pure existence, maha satta-transcendental reality.
Sattva	(1) The principle of being; light and harmony, a constituent of Prakrti (2) The inner essential Self.
Satya pramata	Para Siva
Saugata	Follower of Buddha, a Buddhist
Sausupta Srsti	The srsti in which pralayakalas remain
Savikalpa jnana	Knowledge which is acquired through the judgement of Buddhi
Savikalpa samadhi	Communion with God in which the distinction between subject and object is retained
Sayujya	The state in which the aspirant realizes identity with the Divine in the midst of difference.
sAyujyam	absorption (into Lord shiva)
shaiva, saiva	related to Shiva
shaiva sidhdhantha	The shaivite philosophy that bloomed in thamiznAdu.
shakti	Power, The Goddess (The female part of the God)
shaktipAda, saththinipAdham	descend of divine Grace
sharaNaru	The set of remarkable devotees who in karnataka spread the vIra shaivam movement
shAstra	instructional scripture
shiva	Perfect, Auspicious, The Supreme God
shivAchArya	priest, who shows the way to Lord shiva
shloka	verse
shrauta	vedic
Siddhantham	The True End ; the Saiva Adwaitha Philosophy.
Siddhanti	A Saiva ; a follower of the above school.
Siddhi	Supernormal power
siddi	attainment
Sikhanta	Brahmarandhra
Siva	The good; the name of the Divine in general; the foundational prakasa or divine light.
Siva (parama)	The Absolute; the transcendent divine principle.
Sivajnana Siddhi	The second of the 14 Siddhantha Sastras and the largest and most comprehensive work of the series.
Siva Tattva	The first of the 36 tattvas; the primal divine light, the source of all manifestation.
Siva-Vyapti	fusion with Siva; absorption of the universe in Siva.
smArta	follower of smR^iti
smR^iti, smruti	remembrance, social law book
Soham	It is I ; God is myself ; One of the Sadanas required for elevating the Soul to the Presence of God ; used also as Hamsa.
Soham bavana	Imagining God as oneself.
Soma (symbolic)	Prameya or object, apana
Soma nadi	The Pingala nadi carrying apana
Sorupam	Form.
Spanda	Apparent motion in the motionless Siva which brings about the manifestation, maintenance and withdrawal of the universe; Svatantrya Sakti, creative pulsation.
Sphuratta	Gleam; a throb-like gleam of the absolute Freedom of the Divine bringing about the world-process; spanda; the light of the spirit.
Srsti ; Srishti	letting go; emanation; manifestation ; Creation ; origination.
Srsti-bija	Mantra-bija, the Supreme I-consciousness which brings about manifestation.
Sruti	The Vedas
Stabdha	immovable.
sthala purANa	history of the place/temple
sthala vR^ixa	abode tree
Sthana-Kalpana	A mode of anava upaya concerned with concentration of external things.
Sthiti ; Sthithi	gross ; Development ; sustentation.
Sthiti Krtya	Maintenance of manifestation
Sthula bhutani	Gross elements-ether, air, fire, water and earth.
Sthula Sarira	Gross physical body ; The body of the Soul in the waking state or Jagra avastha.
Sugata	The Buddha
Suddha Adhva	The course of extra-mundane manifestaion from Siva upto Suddha Vidya
Suddha tattva	Parama Siva
Suddha Vidya	The fifth tattva, counting from Siva. In this tattva, the consciousness of both I and This is equally prominent. Though the germinal universe is seen differently, yet identity runs through it as a thread. There is identity in diversoty at this stage. Kriyais predominent in this tattva. The consciousness of this state is 'I am I and also this.'
Suddha Vikalpa	The thought of one's self being essentially Siva
Suksma or Linga Sarira	The body of the Soul in the Swapna avastha or Dream condition ; The inner subtle body, puryastaka
Sunya	void; the state in which no object is experienced.
Sunya (Bauddha)	A state in which there is no distinct consciousness of knower, knowledge and known; an indefinable state of Reality.
Sunya-pramata	The experient who is identified with objectless consciousness; pralayakala
Sunya (Saiva)	A state in which no object is experienced.
Sunyata	vacuity
Sunyatisunya	absolute void
Suprabuddha	One who has awakened to the transcendental state of consciousness and in whom that consciousness is constantly present.
Surya (symbolic)	Prana, pramana (knowledge)Jnana-sakti
Surya nadi	The Ida nadi carrying prana
sthApana	installation
sushumnA	central nADi very important in yoga
Susuptata or sausuptam	Delusive condition caused by primal ignorance.
Susupti	Sound, dreamless sleep.
Sushupthi avastha	State of dead sleep.
Susupti (apavedya)	Very deep sleep in which there is complete absence of all objective consciousness.
Susupti (savedya)	Sound sleep in which there remains a slight trace of the sense of pleasure, lightness etc.
Svacchanda	The absolutely Free Being, Siva; Bhairava
Svacchandya	Absolute Freedom of the Supreme
Svalaksana	An object limited in its particular space and time.
Svaprayojanam	Selfish end ; one's own good.
Svasamvedana	An intuitive apprehension of oneself without the aid of internal and extenal sense.
Svapna	Dream; dreaming condition; vikalpas or fancies limited to particular individuals;
Svapna srsti	The plane of existence in which the bhuvana, body and objects are subtle like dream.
Svarupa	one's own form; real nature; essence; essential nature
Svarupapatti	Attaining one's essential nature or true Self.
Svasthiti or Svastha	staying in one's essential state.
Svathanthryam	A free right.
Svatma	one's own Self.
Svatantra	The Absolute, of unimpedede Will
Svatantrya	Absolute Freedom of Will; Vimarsa Sakti
Svatma-satkr	To assimilate to oneself; to integrate to oneself
Sveccha	Siva's or Sakti's own Will, synonymous with svatantrya
svAdhiShTAnam	own base, second mystical circle (chakra)
Swapna avastha	Dreaming state.