Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

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nada: (Sanskrit) "Sound; tone, vibration." Metaphysically, the mystic sounds of the Eternal, of which the highest is the transcendent or Soundless Sound, Paranada, the first vibration from which creation emanates. Paranada is so pure and subtle that it cannot be identified to the denser regions of the mind. From Paranada comes Pranava, Aum, and further evolutes of nada. These are experienced by the meditator as the nadanadi shakti, "the energy current of sound," heard pulsing through the nerve system as a constant high-pitched hum, much like a tambura, an electrical transformer, a swarm of bees or a shruti box. Listening to the inner sounds is a contemplative practice, called nada upasana, "worship through sound," nada anusandhana, "cultivation of inner sound," or nada yoga. The subtle variations of the nadanadi shakti represent the psychic wavelengths of established guru lineages of many Indian religions. Nada also refers to other psychic sounds heard during deep meditation, including those resembling various musical instruments. Most commonly, nada refers to ordinary sound. See: Aum, nadi, pranava, sound.

nadanadi shakti: (Sanskrit) "Energy current of sound." See: nada.

nadi: (Sanskrit) "Conduit." A nerve fiber or energy channel of the subtle (inner) bodies of man. It is said there are 72,000. These interconnect the chakras. The three main nadis are named ida, pingala and sushumna.--ida: (Sanskrit) Also known as chandra ("moon") nadi, it is pink in color and flows downward, ending on the left side of the body. This current is feminine in nature and is the channel of physical-emotional energy.--pinga-a: Also known as surya ("sun") nadi, it is blue in color and flows upward, ending on the right side of the body. This current is masculine in nature and is the channel of intellectual-mental energy.--sushumna: (Sanskrit) The major nerve current which passes through the spinal column from the muladhara chakra at the base to the sahasrara at the crown of the head. It is the channel of kundalini. Through yoga, the kundalini energy lying dormant in the muladhara is awakened and made to rise up this channel through each chakra to the sahasrara chakra. See: chakra, kundalini, raja yoga, tantrism.

naga: (Sanskrit) "Serpent," often the cobra; symbol of the kundalini coiled on the four petals of the muladhara chakra. See: kundalini, muladhara chakra.

naivedya: (Sanskrit) Food offered to the Deity at the temple or home altar. An important element in puja. See: prasada, puja.

nakshatra: (Sanskrit) "Star cluster." Central to astrological determinations, the nakshatras are 27 star-clusters, constellations, which lie along the ecliptic, or path of the sun. An individual's nakshatra, or birth star, is the constellation the moon was aligned with at the time of birth. See: jyotisha.

Nalvar: (Tamil) "Four devout beings." Four renowned saints of the Saiva religion (7th to 9th century): Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar--devotional mystics whose lives and teachings helped catalyze a resurgence of Saivism in Tamil Nadu. All but Manikkavasagar are among the Nayanars, 63 saints canonized by Sekkilar in his Periyapuranam (ca 1140). These four are also known as the Samayacharyas, "teachers of the faith." Their devotional poems are embodied in the Tirumurai, along with the writings of other Nayanars. Numerous South Indian temples celebrate their historic pilgrimages from shrine to shrine where they beseeched the grace of Siva through heartfelt song. Nalvar is a term not to be confused with Alvar, naming certain Vaishnava saints of the same period. See: Alvar, Nayanar, Tirumurai.

namadiksha: (Sanskrit) "Name initiation." Also known as namakarana samskara. See: samskaras of childhood.

Namah Sivaya: (Sanskrit) "Adoration (or homage) to Siva." The supreme mantra of Saivism, known as the Panchakshara or "five syllables." Na is the Lord's veiling grace; Ma is the world; Shi is Siva; Va is His revealing grace; Ya is the soul. The letters also represent the physical body: Na the legs, Ma the stomach, Shi the shoulders, Va the mouth and Ya the eyes. Embodying the essence of Saiva Siddhanta, it is found in the center of the central Veda (the Yajur) of the original three Vedas (Rig, Yajur and Sama). Namastaraya namah shambhave cha mayobhave cha, namah shankaraya cha mayaskaraya cha, namah sivaya cha sivayataraya cha. "Homage to the source of health and to the source of delight. Homage to the maker of health and to the maker of delight. Homage to the Auspicious, and to the more Auspicious" (Krishna Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Samhita 4.5.8). See: mantra, japa.

namakarana: (Sanskrit) "Name giving." See: samskaras of childhood.

namaskara: (Sanskrit) "Reverent salutations." Traditional Hindu verbal greeting and mudra where the palms are joined together and held before the heart or raised to the level of the forehead. The mudra is also called anjali. It is a devotional gesture made equally before a temple Deity, holy person, friend or momentary acquaintance. The hands held together connects the right side of the body with the left, and brings the nerve and nadi currents into poised balance, into a consciousness of the sushumna, awakening the third eye within the greeter to worship God in the greeted. See: anjali mudra, pranama.

namaste: (Sanskrit) "Reverent salutations to you." A traditional verbal greeting. A form of namas, meaning "bowing, obeisance." See: namaskara.

Namo Narayanaya: (Sanskrit) "Salutations to Lord Vishnu." The great mantra of the Vaishnava faith. Also a popular greeting among Vaishnavites and Smartas. See: Vaishnavism, Vishnu.

Nandi: (Sanskrit) "The joyful." A white bull with a black tail, the vahana, or mount, of Lord Siva, symbol of the powerful instinctive force tamed by Him. Nandi is the perfect devotee, the soul of man, kneeling humbly before God Siva, ever concentrated on Him. The ideal and goal of the Siva bhakta is to behold Siva in everything. See: vahana.

Nandikeshvara: (Sanskrit) "Lord of Nandi." A name of Siva. Also another name for Nandinatha, the first historically known guru of the Nandinatha Sampradaya. See: Kailasa Parampara, Natha Sampradaya.

Nandikeshvara Kashika: (Sanskrit) The only surviving work of Nandikeshvara (ca 250 bce). Its 26 verses are the earliest extant exposition of advaitic Saivism, aside from the Saiva Agamas.

Nandinatha: (Sanskrit) A synonym of Nandikeshvara. See: Kailasa Parampara.

Nandinatha Sampradaya: (Sanskrit) See: Natha Sampradaya.

Narada Sutra(s): (Sanskrit) A Vaishnava text of 84 aphorisms in which Sage Narada explains bhakti yoga (ca 1200).

Narada Parivrajaka: (Sanskrit) An Upanishad of the Atharva Veda which teaches of asceticism, sannyasa, true brahminhood, and more.

Naraka: (Sanskrit) Abode of darkness. Literally, "pertaining to man." The lower worlds. Equivalent to the Western term hell, a gross region of the Antarloka. Naraka is a congested, distressful area where demonic beings and young souls may sojourn until they resolve the darksome karmas they have created. Here beings suffer the consequences of their own misdeeds in previous lives. Naraka is understood as having seven regions, called tala, corresponding to the states of consciousness of the seven lower chakras as follows: 1) Put, "childless"--atala chakra, "wheel of the bottomless region." Fear and lust (located in the hips). 2) Avichi, "joyless"--vitala chakra: "wheel of negative region." Center of anger (thighs). 3) Samhata, "abandoned"--sutala chakra: "Great depth." Region of jealousy (knees). 4) Tamisra, "darkness"--talatala chakra: "wheel of the lower region." Realm of confused thinking (calves). 5) Rijisha, "expelled"--rasatala chakra: "wheel of subterranean region." Selfishness (ankles). 6) Kudmala, "leprous"--mahatala chakra: "wheel of the great lower region." Region of consciencelessness (feet). The intensity of "hell" begins at this deep level. 7) Kakola, "black poison"--patala chakra, "wheel of the fallen or sinful level." Region of malice (soles of the feet).

The seven-fold hellish region in its entirety is also called patala, "fallen region." Scriptures offer other lists of hells, numbering 7 or 21. They are described as places of torment, pain, darkness, confusion and disease, but none are places where souls reside forever. Hinduism has no eternal hell. See: hell, loka, purgatory (also, individual tala entries).

Narasinha Purvatapaniya: (Sanskrit) "The ascetic's surrender to Narasinha (incarnation of Vishnu as half-man, half-lion)." An Upanishad of the Atharva Veda which deals with worship of Vishnu.

Narayana: (Sanskrit) "Abode of men." A name of Lord Vishnu. See: Vishnu.

Narayanakantha: (Sanskrit) Great exponent of Saiva Siddhanta (ca 1050).

nastika: (Sanskrit) "One who denies; unbeliever." Opposite of astika, "one who asserts." The terms astika (orthodox) and nastika (unorthodox) are a traditional classification of Indian schools of thought. Nastika refers to all traditions that reject and deny the scriptural authority of the Vedas. This includes Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, the Charvaka materialists and others. Astika refers to those schools that accept the revealed authority of the Vedas as supreme scripture. This includes the four major sects: Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism. See: atheism, Charvaka, materialism.

Nataraja: (Sanskrit) "King of Dance," or "King of Dancers." God as the Cosmic Dancer. Perhaps Hinduism's richest and most eloquent symbol, Nataraja represents Siva, the Primal Soul, Parameshvara, as the power, energy and life of all that exists. This is Siva's intricate state of Being in Manifestation. The dance of Siva as Natesha, Lord of Dancers, is the dance of the entire cosmos, the rhythmic movements in all. All that is, whether sentient or insentient, pulsates in His body. Nataraja is art and spirituality in perfect oneness, chosen to depict the Divine because in dance that which is created is inseparable from its creator, just as the universe and soul cannot be separated from God. Nataraja is also stillness and motion wrought together. The stillness speaks of the peace and poise that lies within us all, at the center. The intense motion, depicted by His hair flying wildly in all directions, is an intimation of the fury and ferocity, the violent vigor, which fills this universe wherein we dwell. The implication of these opposites is that God contains and allows them both, that there is divine purpose at work in our life, whether we find ourselves engaged in its beauty or its "madness." Dance and dancer are one; not an atom moves on any plane of existence but by His Will. Thus, this elegant symbol embodies the underlying unity of all.

Siva's Dance, or all that happens, is composed of an ever-flowing combination of His five potent actions, panchakritya: 1)srishti: creation, or emanation, represented by His upper right hand and the damaru (drum), upon which he beats Paranada, the Primal Sound from which issue forth the rhythms and cycles of creation; 2)sthiti: preservation, represented by His lower right hand in a gesture of blessing, abhaya mudra, saying "fear not;" 3)samhara: destruction, dissolution or absorption, represented by the fire in His upper left hand, posed in ardhachandra mudra, "half-moon gesture;" 4)tirobhava: obscuring grace, the power which hides the truth, thereby permitting experience, growth and eventual fulfillment of destiny, represented by His right foot upon the prostrate person (Apasmarapurusha), the principle of ignorance, or anava; 5)anugraha: revealing grace--which grants knowledge and severs the soul's bonds--represented by Siva's raised left foot, and by His lower left hand, held in gajahasta ("elephant trunk") mudra, inviting approach. These five cosmic activities are sometimes personalized respectively as Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheshvara and Sadasiva--or as Sadyojata (creation), Vamadeva (preservation), Aghora (reabsorption), Tatpurusha (obscuration) and Ishana (granting grace).

The ring of fire (prabhamandala), in which Siva dances is the hall of consciousness, chitsabha; in other words, the light-filled heart of man, the central chamber of the manifest cosmos. Siva dances the universe into and out of existence, veiling Ultimate Reality for most, unveiling it for devotees who draw near and recognize Parasiva, Ultimate Reality, in the chamber of their own inner being. Yea, all are dancing with Siva. See: nada, Parameshvara, Parashakti, Parasiva, Sadasiva.

Natchintanai: (Tamil) "Good thoughts." The collected songs of Sage Yogaswami (1872
1964) of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, extolling the power of the satguru, worship of Lord Siva, the path of dharma and the attainment of Self Realization. See: Kailasa Parampara.

Natha: (Sanskrit) "Master, lord; adept." Names an ancient Himalayan tradition of Saiva-yoga mysticism, whose first historically known exponent was Nandikeshvara (ca 250 bce). Natha--Self-Realized adept--designates the extraordinary ascetic masters (or devotees) of this school. Through their practice of siddha yoga they have attained tremendous powers, siddhis, and are sometimes referred to as siddha yogis (accomplished or fully enlightened ones). The words of such beings naturally penetrate deeply into the psyche of their devotees, causing mystical awakenings. Like all tantrics, Nathas have refused to recognize caste distinctions in spiritual pursuits. Their satgurus initiate from the lowest to the highest, according to spiritual worthiness. Natha also refers to any follower of the Natha tradition. The Nathas are considered the source of hatha as well as raja yoga. See: Kailasa Parampara, Natha Sampradaya, siddha yoga.

Natha Matha: (Sanskrit) "Adepts' monastery." As a proper noun, a synonym for Siddha Siddhanta. See: Siddha Siddhanta.

Natha Sampradaya: (Sanskrit) "Transmitted doctrine (or theology) of the masters." Sampradaya means a living stream of tradition or theology. Natha Sampradaya is a philosophical and yogic tradition of Saivism whose origins are unknown. This oldest of Saivite sampradayas existing today consists of two major streams: the Nandinatha and the Adinatha. The Nandinatha Sampradaya has had as exemplars Maharishi Nandinatha and his disciples: Patanjali (author of the Yoga Sutras) and Tirumular (author of Tirumantiram). Among its representatives today are the successive siddhars of the Kailasa Parampara. The Adinatha lineage's known exemplars are Maharishi Adinatha, Matsyendranatha and Gorakshanatha, who founded a well-known order of yogis. See: Kailasa Parampara, Natha, Saivism, sampradaya.

Nayanar: (Tamil) "One who shows the way." The 63 canonized Tamil saints of South India, as documented in the Periyapuranam by Sekkilar (ca 1140). All but a few were householders, honored as exemplars of radical devotion to Lord Siva, though their biographies are perhaps historically inaccurate and the actions of some were violent, even heinous. Several contributed to the Saiva Siddhanta scriptural compendium called Tirumurai. See: Nalvar, Tirumurai.

neo-Indian religion: Navabharata Dharma. A modern form of liberal Hinduism that carries forward basic Hindu cultural values--such as dress, diet and the arts--while allowing religious values to subside. It emerged after the British Raj, when India declared itself an independent, secular state. It was cultivated by the Macaulay education system, implanted in India by the British, which aggressively undermined Hindu thought and belief. Neo-Indian religion encourages Hindus to follow any combination of theological, scriptural, sadhana and worship patterns, regardless of sectarian or religious origin. Extending out of and beyond the Smarta system of worshiping the Gods of each major sect, it incorporates holy icons from all religions, including Jesus, Mother Mary and Buddha. Many Navabharatis choose to not call themselves Hindus but to declare themselves members of all the world's religions. See: panchayatana puja, Smartism, Smarta Sampradaya, syncretism, universalist.

Nepal: (Sanskrit) Ancient land between India and Tibet--50,000 square miles, population 24 million. It was the birthplace of Buddha and Sata, the original home of Matsyendranatha and is renowned for its Pashupatinatha Siva temple. Hinduism is the state religion.

neti neti: (Sanskrit) "Not this, not that." An Upanishadic formula connoting, through negation, the undefinable and inconceivable nature of the Absolute. It is an affirmation which the meditating yogi applies to each thought and phase of the mind as he penetrates deeper and deeper in his quest for Truth. Ultimately he transcends all "this-ness" to realize That which is beyond the mind. See: kundalini, samadhi, raja yoga.

neuter: Having no sex or gender.

neutron star: A star which has collapsed in on itself and is extremely dense. A neutron star the size of an orange would weigh more than the entire earth.

new age: According to Webster's New World Dictionary: "Of or pertaining to a cultural movement popular in the 1980s [and 90s] characterized by a concern with spiritual consciousness, and variously combining belief in reincarnation and astrology with such practices as meditation, vegetarianism and holistic medicine."

New Year: The majority of Hindus in India celebrate the New Year according to traditional, pre-colonial calendars, several of which are still in use. There are, therefore, various New Year's days in different states of India, the two major ones being Dipavali in October-November, observed in North India, and the day when the sun enters Mesha (Aries) in April, celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Bengal and Nepal.

Nimbarka: (Sanskrit) Mystic, philosopher and founder of the Minandi Vaishnava school of Vedanta (ca 1150). He acclaimed the guru's grace as the only true means to salvation. See: Vedanta.

Nirguna Brahman: (Sanskrit) "God without qualities." See: Brahman.

Nirukta Vedanga: (Sanskrit) "Etymology Veda-limb." Auxiliary Vedic texts which discuss the origin and development of words; among the four linguistic skills taught for mastery of the Vedas and the rites of yajna. Nirukta relies upon ancient lexicons, nighantu, as well as detailed hymn indices, anukramani. Five nighantus existed at the time of Yaska (320 bce), whose treatise is regarded a standard work on Vedic etymology. See: Vedanga.

nirvahana: (Sanskrit) "End; completion." Conclusion.

nirvani and upadeshi: (Sanskrit) Nirvani means "extinguished one," and upadeshi means "teacher." In general, nirvani refers to a liberated soul, or to a certain class of monk. Upadeshi refers to a teacher, generally a renunciate. In Dancing with Siva, these two terms have special meaning, similar to the Buddhist arhat and bodhisattva, naming the two earthly modes of the realized, liberated soul. After full illumination, the jivanmukta has the choice to return to the world to help others along the path. This is the way of the upadeshi (akin to bodhisattva), exemplified by the benevolent satguru who leads seekers to the goal of God Realization. He may found and direct institutions and monastic lineages. The nirvani (akin to arhat) abides at the pinnacle of consciousness, shunning all worldly involvement. He is typified by the silent ascetic, the reclusive sage. See: satguru, vishvagrasa.

nirvikalpa samadhi: (Sanskrit) "Enstasy (samadhi) without form or seed." The realization of the Self, Parasiva, a state of oneness beyond all change or diversity; beyond time, form and space. Vi means "to change, make different." Kalpa means "order, arrangement; a period of time." Thus vikalpa means "diversity, thought; difference of perception, distinction." Nir means "without." See: enstasy, kalpa, raja yoga, samadhi.

nishchitartha: (Sanskrit) "Engagement (to be married); resolution of aim." Synonym for vagdana. See: marriage covenant, samskaras of adulthood.

Nityananda: (Sanskrit) The reclusive sage (?--1961) known as Bhagavan, "the exalted one," who lived an extraordinary mystic life near Mumbai, India, and initiated a number of disciples, including Swami Muktananda.

nivedana: (Sanskrit) "Announcement, presentation, making known."

niyama: (Sanskrit) "Restraint." See: yama-niyama.

niyati: (Sanskrit) "Necessity, restriction; the fixed order of things, destiny." A synonym for karma, niyati is the eighth tattva. It is part of the soul's five-fold "sheath," pancha kanchuka (or vijnanamaya kosha), along with kala (time), kala (creativity), vidya (knowing) and raga (attachment, desire). The soul thus encased is called purusha. See: karma, tattva.

nondual (nondualism): See: dvaita-advaita, monistic theism, Vedanta.

nonhuman birth: The phenomenon of the soul being born as nonhuman life forms, explained in various scriptures. For example, Saint Manikkavasagar's famous hymn (Tiruvasagam 8.14): "I became grass and herbs, worm and tree. I became many beasts, bird and snake. I became stone and man, goblins and sundry celestials. I became mighty demons, silent sages and the Gods. Taken form in life, moveable and immovable, born in all, I am weary of birth, my Great Lord." The Upanishads, too, describe the soul's course after death and later taking a higher or lower birth according to its merit or demerit of the last life (Kaush. U. 1.2, Chand. U. 5.35.10, Brihad. U. 6.2).

These statements are sometimes misunderstood to mean that each soul must slowly, in sequential order incarnate as successively higher beings, beginning with the lowest organism, to finally obtain a human birth. In fact, as the Upanishads explain, after death the soul, reaching the inner worlds, reaps the harvest of its deeds, is tested and then takes on the appropriate incarnation--be it human or nonhuman--according to its merit or demerit. Souls destined for human evolution are human-like from the moment of their creation in the Sivaloka. This is given outer expression in the Antarloka and Bhuloka, on earth or other similar planets, as the appropriate sheaths are developed. However, not all souls are human souls. There are many kinds of souls, such as genies, elementals and certain Gods, who evolve toward God through different patterns of evolution than do humans.

One cause of unclarity is to confuse the previously mentioned scriptural passages with the theory of biological evolution developed by Charles Darwin (18091882), which states that plant and animal species develop or evolve from earlier forms due to hereditary transmission of variations that enhance the organism's adaptability and chances of survival. These principles are now considered the kernel of biology. Modern scientists thus argue that the human form is a development from earlier primates, including apes and monkeys. The Darwinian theory is reasonable but incomplete as it is based in a materialistic conception of reality that does not encompass the existence of the soul. While the Upanishadic evolutionary vision speaks of the soul's development and progress through reincarnation, the Darwinian theory focuses on evolution of the biological organism, with no relation to a soul or individual being. See: evolution of the soul, kosha, reincarnation, soul.

noninjurious: Which does not cause harm or injury.--noninjuriousness: A translation of ahimsa, the principle of not causing harm or injury to living beings, whether by thought, word or deed. See: ahimsa.

nonperseverance: The act, practice or attitude of not persisting, giving up too easily. See: yama-niyama.

nonviolence: See: ahimsa.

Northern Saivism: A name for Kashmir Saivism. See: Kashmir Saivism.

notable: Worthy of being noted. Remarkable.

novelty: Newness. The constant changes and enchantments of life.

novitiate: Same as novice. A newcomer to a monastic or religious community, on probation, before taking final vows.

nucleus of the soul: See: atman, impersonal being, soul.

nunk: A contemporary word coined by Catholic theologian Raimundo Panikkar to describe women contemplatives or female monks, in contrast to the word nun which commonly describes a religious teacher or service-oriented woman under vows. A nunk is a celibate woman following strict, perhaps austere and usually solitary, spiritual disciplines and lifestyle. By balancing the masculine and feminine energies within herself through sadhana and yoga, she is a complete being, detached from the thoughts and feelings of others, free to follow the contemplative and mystical life in pursuit of the Self within. To accomplish this, she works to permanently conquer her feminine instincts and the emotional tendencies of a woman's body. She strives to transmute her sexuality into the Divine, giving up her womanliness so thoroughly that she is indistinguishable from a monk. In Hinduism, nunks may be sannyasinis, yoginis or sadhikas. See: monastic, sannyasin, monk.

nurturance: Same as nurture, to nourish. The act or process or furnishing the essentials to growth, development or education.

Nyaya: (Sanskrit) "System; rule; logic." See: Gautama, shad darshana.

O

objective: 1) Quality of thinking or perception relating to the object as it truly is. Not biased or colored by one's personal point of view or prejudices, which then would be subjective thinking. 2) A target, goal or anything sought for or aimed at. Cf: subjective.

oblation: An offering or sacrifice ceremoniously given to a God or guru. See: sacrifice, yajna.

obscuration: Same as obscuring grace. See: grace, Nataraja.

obscuring grace: See: grace, Nataraja.

obstacle: See: upasarga.

obstinate (obstinacy): Overly determined to have one's own way. Stubborn.

occult: Hidden, or kept secret; revealed only after initiation. See: mysticism.

odic: Magnetic--of or pertaining to consciousness within ashuddha maya, the realm of the physical and lower astral planes. Odic force in its rarified state is prakriti, the primary gross energy of nature, manifesting in the three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas. It is the force of attraction and repulsion between people, people and their things, and manifests as masculine (aggressive) and feminine (passive), arising from the pingala and ida currents. These two currents (nadi) are found within spine of the subtle body. Odic force is a magnetic, sticky, binding substance that people seek to develop when they want to bind themselves together, such as in partnerships, marriage, guru-shishya relationships and friendships. Odic energy is the combined emanation of the pranamaya and annamaya koshas. The term odic is the adjective form of od (pronounced like mode), defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "a hypothetical force held by Baron von Reichenbach (1788-1869) to pervade all nature, manifesting itself in certain persons of sensitive temperament (streaming from their fingertips), and exhibited especially by magnets, crystals, heat, light and chemical action; it has been held to explain the phenomena of mesmerism and animal magnetism." See: actinic, actinodic, guna, kosha, odic, subtle body, tattva.

offset: Made up for, compensated for, counterbalanced by.

offspring: The young of animals. Children. Sanskrit: apatya.

olai: (Tamil) "Leaf." An ancient form of Indian books used in South India, made of strips of fronds from the palmyra (trindruma) and talipot (talapatra, "fan-leaf") palms. Prepared birch bark (bhurja pattra) was the medium in the North. The pages were loosely tied, with cord passed between one or two holes and usually bound between wooden covers. Ink, made from lampblack or charcoal, was applied with a reed pen. Or, more commonly in the South, the letters were scribed with a stylus, then rubbed with powdered lampblack. These books are small in size, averaging about 2 inches high and 8 inches wide and up to 11 or 12 inches thick, wound with string and generally protected in colored cloth. See: grantha.

old soul: One who has reincarnated many times, experienced much and is therefore further along the path. Old souls may be recognized by their qualities of compassion, self-effacement and wisdom. See: evolution of the soul, soul.

Om: (Sanskrit) "Yes, verily." The most sacred mantra of Hinduism. An alternate transliteration of Aum (the sounds A and U blend to become O). See: Aum.

ominous: Foreboding; frightening, sinister.

omnipotent: All-powerful. Able to do anything.

omnipresent: Present everywhere and in all things.

omniscient: Having infinite knowledge, all-knowing.

oneness: Quality or state of being one. Unity, identity, especially in spite of appearances to the contrary--e.g., the oneness of soul and God. See: monism.

ontology: The branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of reality.

orbit: The path taken by a celestial object gravitating around another.

ordain (ordination): To confer the duties and responsibilities, authority and spiritual power of a religious office, such as priest, minister or satguru, through religious ceremony or mystical initiation. See: diksha.

original sin: See: sin.

orthodox: "Straight opinion." Conforming to established doctrines or beliefs. Opposite of heterodox, "different opinion." See: astika.

outgrow (outgrown): To grow faster or larger than and, therefore, to lose or be rid of in the process of growing.

outstretch: To extend, to stretch out, as one's arms or a large cloth.

overshadow: To cast a shadow over or be more important than; to dominate.

overwhelm: To overcome or overpower as with great force or emotion.