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material success and social prestige, one of four goals in life
artha
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one who renounces physical pleasures and worldly attachments for the sake of spiritual advancement; common in Hinduism and many other religious traditions, most notably Jainism
ascetic
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The eternal Self, which the Upanishads identify with brahman; the eternal self or soul of tan individual that is reincarnated from one body to the next
Atman
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an incarnation, or living embodiment, of a deity, usually of Vishnu, who is sent to earth to accomplish a divine purpose; Krishna and Rama are Vishnu's
Avatar
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A short section of the epic poem Mahabharata in which the god Krishna teaches the great warrior Arjuna about bhakti marga and other ways to God; Hinduism's most popular sacred text
Bhagavad- Gita
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The most popular of the three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing loving devotion to one's chosen god or goddess.
Path of Devotion
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The eternal essence of reality and the source of the universe, beyond the reach of human perception and thought.
Brahman
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The highest of the four classes of the caste system, made up of priests
brahmin
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Traditional division of Hindu society into various categories
Caste system
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Ethical duty based on the divine order of reality; one of the four goals of life
dharma
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One of three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing knowing the true nature of reality through learning and meditation
Path of Knowledge
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Pleasure, especially of sensual love; one of the four goals of life
kama
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The moral law of cause and effect of actions; determines the nature of one's reincarnation
Karma
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One of three Hindu paths to salvation, emphasizing performing right actions according to dharma
Path of Works
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The second of the four classes of the caste system, made up of warriors and administrators
kshatriya
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Cosmic illusion brought about by divine creative power
maya
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Liberation or release of the individual self, atman, from the bondage of samsara; salvation; one of the four goals of life
moksha
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the doctrine that reality is ultimately made up of only one essence
monism
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A collection of 1,017 Sanskrit hymns composed about 1500 BC or earlier; Hinduism's oldest sacred text
Rig Veda
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A trancelike state in which selfconsciousness is lost, and the mind is absorbed into the ultimate reality; the culmination of the eight steps of Yoga
samadhi
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The wheel of rebirth or reincarnation; the this-worldly realm in which rebirth occurs
samasara
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A system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, "the path of knowledge," asserting that reality comprises two distinct categories: matter and eternal selves.
Sankhya
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a wandering ascetic who has advanced to the fourth and highest stage of life
sannyasin
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the lowest of the four classes made up of servants and laborers
shudra
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A collection of over two hundred texts composed between 900 and 200 B.C. that provide philosophical commentary on the Vedas.
Upanishads
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the third of the four classes of the caste system, made up of producers, farmers, merchants, and artisans
vaishya
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A system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, "the path of knowledge," holding that all reality is essentialy Brahmanl most notable advocate is the medieval Hindu philosopher Shankara.
Vedanta
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A system of Hindu philosophy and one approach within jnana marga, "the path of knowledge," seeeking to free the eternal self from the bondage of personhood, culminating in the experience of samadhi; lowercase: physical and psychological techniques for spiritual advancement.
Yoga
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