A

Ahangkar: The ego-sense which claims the impressions of the mind for its own and reacts to them.

Akal: Beyond death. Undying

Amrit Sanchar: The baptism of the double-edged sword established by Guru Gobind Singh. This is the self-initiation into life as a Khalsa.

Amrit Vela: Nectar hours. The early hours of the morning, before the sun rises, in which we rise and do Sadhana. These are the hours of the day when it is most beneficial to meditate and prepare yourself for the day to come.

Anand Sahib: The song of bliss. It was written by Guru Amar Das, and describes the experience of spiritual consciousness.

Ang Sang Waheguru: Feeling the presence of God in every pore and cell of your body. It is an exclamation of ecstacy.

Aradhna: A conscious routine in life. If you maintain this way of life it will give you Prabhupati.

Arti: A Hindu lamp lighting ritual performed in the evening. Guru Nanak wrote a shabd called Arti - a song about devotion, worshiping and remembering God.

Asa Di War: A Shabd of Guru Nanak sung in the Amrit Vela. It describes the creation of the Universe and the Nam as the creative force.

Ashtanga: Eight-limbed.

Atman: The essential Self, present within all creatures. Pure consciousness. The mind merely reflects that consciousness, so appears to be conscious.

B

Bani: The songs of the Gurus. The sound current keeps our mind focused on God and Guru.

Benti Chaupai: the final section of Tre Chritr the final section of the Ustat of the Weapons of War.

Bhagvad Gita: A chapter in the Mahabharata. Dialogue between Arjuna, leader of the Pandavas, and Krishna (reincarnation of the Hindu trinity (Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu). A clear statement of Karma Yoga‚ selfless action.

Bhakti: Total love and submission to God within and without.

Brahm or Brahma: Spirit. The True Self. The universe before Creation.

Buddhi: The component of the mind which discriminates and classifies the impressions which the manas receives.

C

Chauri Sahib: A whisk of horsehair waved over the Guru to clean the energy field around it as well as the practical use of keeping flies and other insects off of the Guru.

Chitta: The Universal Mind.

 

D

Dharma: Righteous path of duty. "Where there is dharma there is no karma." Action aligned with one's Infinite Self.

 

E

Ek Ong Kar: ‘The One Creative Power and its manifested forms.’ Ek Ong Kar is the first line of the Mul Mantra, the seed mantra, which explains that there is One Creator who is one with the Creation.

 

G

Gunas: The three powers that control earthly life: Tamas – earth, sluggishness; Rajas – heat, fire, the call to action, and Satvas: ether, lightness, calm, neutrality and balance.

Gurdwara: The holy place of the Sikhs. It is the court of the Guru and the Sadh Sangat (congregation) where we come to pray, and hear the Guru’s hukumnama.

Gurmukhi: The written and spoken language of the Sikh Gurus. The common tongue of the people at the time of the Gurus. The Gurus used the common language because at that time people paid the Brahmin priests to do prayers for them and the Gurus wanted to eliminate the “middle-man” between a Sikh and God. Guru Arjan Dev developed the written Gurmukhi script to its full potential and wrote the Adi Granth in Gurmukhi.

Guru Ka Langar: One of the pillars of the Sikh Way. Pangat – a meal prepared of pure vegetarian food with love and devotion and served to all freely, regardless of caste or station. Everyone sits side by side on the ground, at the same level, and all are served equally.

Guru Mantra: “WaheGuru!” The cry of ecstacy. “Wow! God!”

Gyan: Divine inner knowledge of the nature of the universe gained through direct personal experience of spiritual reality. It cannot be gained through books or study. It is beyond the mind.

 

H

Hinduism: Founded on the Upanishads.

Hukamnama or Hukam: This is the Guru’s order or direction. When the Siri Guru Granth Sahib is opened with love and devotion and the first passage that comes to the eye is read aloud we receive the Gurus guidance for the time and space at hand.

 

I

Ida: This is the energy channel (Nadi), which flows from the right nostril to the left gonad. The pranic energy flows through the Ida and Pingala into the central Nadi, the Sushmana, and then to the pineal and the pituitary glands causing them to vibrate and secrete.

Isht: Something for which you have a great reverence. A form or image of God used as a focus for worship. The place where you bow your head. Your altar of worship.

 

J

Jaap Sahib: Bani which was written by Guru Gobind Singh. This Bani protects us and makes us fearless.

Japji Sahib: Bani written by Guru Nanak. It nourishes the soul and attunes us to the etheric realms.

 

K

Karma: The law of cause and effect. Rooted in the ignorance of Atman. Remove the ignorance and karma is removed.

Khalsa: Those Sikhs who have received the baptism of the Amrit Sanchar and chosen to live according to the Rehit of Guru Gobind Singh. This word comes from the Persian word ‘Khalis,’ which means “pure”.

Kirtan Sohila: Bani containig the writings of the first four Gurus. This bani is read before we go to sleep at night (the “little death”) it is a conscious preparation for the death of the body.

 

M

Mahabharata: Maha means great. Bharata is an ancient name for India. An enormous epic depicting rivalries of two clans, the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

Manas: The recording component of the mind, which receives impressions gathered by the senses from the outside world.

Manji: The manji is a little bed where the Guru resides ( the throne of the Guru.) The Guru Granth Sahib is placed placed upon it while being moved from one place to another.

Maya: The illusion of the reality of sensory experience of one's self and the world around us. Usually thought of as what takes us away from, or blinds us from perceiving God.

Miri Piri: The two swords of Guru Hargobind. They represent the spiritual (Miri) realm and the earthly (Piri) realm.

Moksa: Release, when we realize we are Purusha, and enter into right relationship with Prakirti.

 

N

Naad: The sound current. It is produced when we recite the Gurus banis or while reading from the Guru.

Nam Simran: See “Simran” below.

Namaskar: The bow of respect used to greet another with reverance.

Namastang: A deep bow of reverence, submission and respect.

Nitnem/Gutka: The nitnem contains the five daily banis given to us by the Gurus. These are the five prayers recited daily by Khalsa Sikhs.

 

P

Prakash: This word means, aura, glow or light. Prakash is also what we call, waking the Guru, and placing it on the palki, inorder to reside in the Gurus courts (Gurdwara) for the upcoming day.

Pavan Guru: The Guru of the air. Literally the vibrations of the Shabd carried through the air to our listening ears.

Pingala: This is the energy channel (Nadi), which flows from the left nostril to the right gonad. The pranic energy flows through the Ida and Pingala into the central Nadi, the Sushmana, and then to the pineal and the pituitary glands causing them to vibrate and secrete.

Prabhupati: The state of being so in harmony with God that the universe comes to serve you at every turn. Literally “The Master of God”.

Prakirti: Matter. Primal Nature. Evolves under the influence of Purusha, so the Self may enjoy experience. Composed of the three gunas.

Pratayahara: This is the process of controlling one’s own mind through withdrawal of the senses from the external.

Purusha: Unmanifest spirit.

 

R

Raag: The musical scale according to the Indian tradition. Different raags are tuned to different times of day and states of mind and music played in these raags has the power to evoke the corresponding state of mind.

Rehiras Sahib: The evening prayer. This bani helps to calm us at the end of the day. To let go of the day and prepare ourself for the energy of the evening.

Rehit: This is the code of conduct given to all Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh, in order to help guide us in our lives. The Rehit guides us on diet, sexual behavior, dress and lifestyle.

Reincarnation: The cycle (or wheel) of birth and death. One's condition in life is determined by the balance of the karma.

 

S

Sadhana: Sadhana is a commitment and dedication to you and to God, that you will rise in the early hours of the morning (Amrit Vela) and remember God.

Samskaras: Tendencies, potentialities and latent states which exist in the subconscious and unconscious areas of the mind. They are built up by the continued action of the thought-waves, and create new thoughtwaves.
Our samskaras define our character.

Shakti: The essence of feminine power or potency. It is the core source of all power within all living things.

Shashara: The “tenth gate” or Crown Chakra. This is the energy center located at the top of the skull (the fontanel or main cranial suture). When it is opened, brings complete merger of self into the Infinite.

Siddhis: Yogic powers. The powers to control the elements earth, air, fire and water. The power to become invisible, to become as small or as large as you wish; to travel anywhere in the universe in an instant.

Sikh: From the Sanskrit “Shisha” meaning student or disciple. A student or disciple of Truth. One who accepts the guidance of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib.

Simran: Simran is the constant remembrance of God by chanting his Name, with your whole body.

Sarovar: The Sarovar is the tank of water surrounding the Golden Temple or any other holy place. The Sarovar is a place where you can go and have a sip and a dip in the holy waters and wash away your karmas thereby cleansing your body and mind.

 

T

Tattva bandh: The Maha Bhand or “great lock”. A yogic posture that controls and focuses all the energies of the body.

Tattwas: The five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether.

Tresha Guru: The “three in one”. Ad Guru, Jugad Guru, Sat Guru. The embodiment of the first three Sikh Gurus.

 

U

Upanishads: The earliest yogic writings, written over 1000 years ago. 108 in all. Many dialogues between kings and yogis.

 

V

Vedanta: Basic spiritual philosophy of the Vedas upon which Hinduism is based.

Vedas: The oldest religious books in the world. Literature of Brahminism, an ancient religion of India.

 

W

Wahe Guru: The Guru Mantra (see above).