GLOSSARY



AAZHVARS

Ardent devotees of Sriman Narayana. The most famous Vaishnavaite Aazhvars are 12 in number. They are : Pei aazhvaar,  Poigai  aazhvaar,  Boothathaazhvaar,  Thiruppaanaazhvaar, Periaazhvaar, Thirumangai aazhvaar, Thondar adipodi  aazhvaar,  Madhurakavi  aazhvaar,  Kulasekhara aazhvaar,  Thirumazhisai  aazhvaar,  Nammaazhvaar  and Andal.

AD MAJORUM DEI GLORIUM

For The greater Glory of God.

ASHOKA VANA A beautiful garden in Lanka, where, Sri Sita was kept as a prisoner.
AYODHYA The capital city of the Kosala kingdom of Sri Rama.
ANJANEYA A great devotee of Sri Rama. Minister to the monkey king, Sugriva. Also known as Hanuman, Maruti & Bajrang Bali.
AVATHARAS Whenever righteousness fails and anarchy flourishes, God is  said  to  be  born  in  the world,  to  protect  the  good  and punish the bad. There art 10 Avatharas of Sriman Narayana (Dasavathara):

Mathsya,Koorma,Varagha,Narasimha, Vamana, Parasurama, SriRama, Balarama, Sri Krishna & Kalki Avatars.
BHAGAVAD GEETHA The way of life, taught by Sri Krishna, to Arjuna, right in the middle of the battle field of Kurukshethra. It forms part of the great Epic, Mahabharatha.
BIKSHA

Rice collected from the public, for food, by a sanyasin.

BRAHMA The Creator and  The Son of MahaVishnu.
COELESTIS RELATUM

The divine relationship.

DWAPARA YUGA One of the of 4 yugas : Krita, Thretha, Dwapara and Kali Yugas. This yuga consists of 8.6 million years.
ELDORADO

A golden land, where wealth is easily made. 

ELOR EMPAAVAAI

"My girl! Consider and accept this!" 

GITACHARYA Author of Bhagavad Gita: Lord Sri Krishna
GOPI

cowherd woman.

HASTHINAPURA

The capital city of Kauravas.

JAMBAVAN

The bear King. A chiranjeevi, that is, an immortal person, who helped Sri Rama.

JEEVATHMA

 

 An integral part of The Lord, which, according to its karma, is born and re-born,  until it merges with The Lord again.
JUS DIVINUM

The Divine Law.

KAIKEYI The third wife of King Dasaratha.
KARMA BHOOMI Bharath.  Karma means deed. It is believed that one is re-born after death, in the karma bhoomi, as per one's deeds, good or bad, while alive.
KARNA The eldest Pandava. By a quirk of fate, he becomes the closest friend of Dhuryodhana and fought for him. Famous for his philanthropy.
KAURAVAS The 100 sons of the blind king Dhridharashtra, who was the elder brother of Pandu. They were called Kauravas, as they were born in kuru vamsa.
KISHKINDA The monkey kingdom of Sugriva.
KUDAKOOTHU A kind of folk dance.
KUMBAKARNA Younger brother of Ravana: the king of Lanka. A great sleeper, who slept for 6 months in a year at a stretch.
KURUKSHETHRA The battle field, where the Kauravas and the Pandavas fought with each other.
LUX DIVINUM The Divine Light.
MAA MALLAPURAM A beach resort,  near Chennai(Madras) city,India.  The Pallava King, Mahendra, has made it a wonder world of sculpture.
MAHABHARATHA The great Epic of India, featuring the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
MAHABALI A king, who was the cause of The Vamana avathara.
NONBU A ritual performed with certain rules and regulations, with a goal in view.
PANDAVAS The 5 sons of the king Pandu, of Hasthinapura. They are Dharmaputra, also known as Yudhishtra, Bhima, Arjuna, also known as Partha, Nakula and Sahadeva. Devotees of Sri Krishna.
PAANCHARAATHRA AAGAMAA Rules and regulations laid down, with regard to maintenance of Vaishnavaite temples.
PARAMATHMA The supreme Lord.
PARASARA BUTTER An important guru of Vaishnavism.
PUNYA The fruit of righteous deeds.
QUO VADIS Where do you go ?
RADHA The cowherd woman, the favourite of Sri Krishna.
RAMANUJA The greatest preceptor of Sri Vaishnavism. Also known as Udaiyavar, Thiruppaavai Jeeyar.
RAMAYANA The famous Epic of India, featuring Lord Rama.
RUKMANI Consort of Sri Krishna. Mother Goddess Mahalakshmi
SANCTUM SANCTORUM The place where the divine icon of The Lord is kept.
SANJAYA The minister of Dhridharaashtra.
SAPTHA RISHIS The seven great sages.
SRIMAN NARAYANA The  Lord  Supreme.  The  other  names  are  :  Govinda, Srinivasa, Kesava, Madhava, Krishna, Kanna, Rama, Ranganatha, Chella pillai. Janardhana, Vasudeva, Parthasarathy, Hrishikesa, Purushothama, Manivanna etc, etc., ( 1008 names )
SRIRANGAM The temple of Lord Ranganata. A beautiful island in the midst the  river Cauvery in South India.
SRIVATSAM The divine mole on The Lord's chest.
SUGRIVA The king of monkeys, who helped Sri Rama.
THIRKKURAL The great Tamil work by Thiruvalluvar.
THIRUVENGADAM Usually known as The Seven Hills. A very holy and famous pilgrimage center in Andrapradesh, South India. The presiding deity is  Lord Venkateshwara.  Also  known  as  Govinda, Srinivasa and Ezhumalaiyaan.
THULASI A plant, whose leaves are the favourite of The Lord. Garland made out of Thulasi leaves are considered very holy.
UPANISHAD The explanatory notes on the vedas.
VAIKUNTAM The abode of Sriman Narayana.
VEDAS Unwritten law of Hinduism. There are 4 vedas : Rig, Yajur, Sama and Adharvana. Vedas are learnt by way of mouth only, even now.
VIDURA The illegal brother of Dridharaashtra. A Devotee of Sri Krishna.
VISWAMITRA A great sage. Also called Kousika
VISWAROOPA The gigantic, Cosmic manifestation of The Lord.
VAISHNAVISM One of the cults of The Hinduism
VASISHTA A great sage and the Rajaguru for King Dasaratha.
VALMIKI A great sage. The author of The Original Ramayana.
VAMANA A dwarf.
VISISHTADHWAITHAM A principle of Hinduism, followed by the vaishnavaites. It advocates the philosophy that the Paramathma and the Jeevathma are the same and that Jeevathma is separated from Paramathma temporarily and that it reaches and merges with Paramathma ultimately.
VYASA

A great sage. The author of the epic, Mahabharatha. Also known as Veda Vyasa.

YAMA The God of Death.
YAMUNA Tributary of the river Ganges.
YAGNA Rituals conducted by pundits in vedas for the welfare of the world, or for any specific purpose.
YOGIC SLEEP The know-all sleep of The Lord.