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Himalayan Institute, 2012

Tantra Basics Glossary








agama Traditional doctrine, sacred knowledge related to Shaivism as
revealed by Lord Shiva; tantric scriptures
apavarga Liberation, freedom, salvation; established in one's true nature
apurva From "a" meaning not, and "purva" meaning before. That which
did not exist, now exists by virtue of practice; a ritual-created
apurva creates a new pattern which projects into the future and
creates a new reality
Bhairava Vibrant form of Shiva; often associated with destruction; the form
of Shiva that destroys ignorance and grants mental clarity and
spiritual illumination
bindu Drop, dot; seed or source; union of Shiva and Shakti; synonym for
sexual potency which must be stabilized along with the mind and
prana to achieve the goal of yoga; in kundalini yoga, it refers to the
concentrated energy field at or above the ajna chakra (the eyebrow
center)
buddhi Rational and intuitive intelligence, one of four functions of mind;
faculty of discrimination and wisdom; inner observer
chakra An energy center in the subtle body along the spinal axis through
which consciousness manifests in human form; lit., a spinning
wheel

chakra puja A special term referring to the left-hand tantric practice that
employs liquor, meat, fish, mudra, physical union or its substitute;
the tantric practice which is done by a group of practitioners under
the supervision of a master; lit., ritual worship of the chakras



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Chamunda An aspect of Durga featured in the Durga Saptashati; so named for
destroying Chanda (aggression) and Munda(egoism)
dakini A tantric deity; a feminine embodiment of enlightened energy;
presiding deity of a chakra
dakshina South; right hand; a payment of fees
dakshina
marga

Right-hand path of kaula tantra
deva (s) Celestial being, gods, forces of nature; beings with bodies of light
devi Goddess, feminine aspect of the Divine; Divine Mother
dharana Concentration, stabilization, anchoring; the sixth of eight limbs of
the yoga system of the Yoga Sutra; the first stage of meditation
marked by an inward turning of the mind and transcendence of
body-awareness
Durga A form of the Divine Mother with the power of will, knowledge,
and action
Durga
Saptashati
Tantric scripture dedicated to different aspects of the Divine
Mother Durga; consists of 700 mantras from the Markandeya
Purana in the form of a dialogue between a sage, a merchant, and a
king
dvandva Pairs of opposites, such as light/dark, male/female, hot/cold,
pleasure/pain, positive/negative
Ganesha,
Ganesh
Elephant-headed deity; in Tantric tradition, he is the visionary
within us, the indomitable will within, the remover of obstacles,
our own intelligence and conscience, and our constant guide and
friend. He stands as the gatekeeper at the door of our conscience.
granthi Forces that bind consciousness into individual form; brahma
granthi at the muladhara (root) cakra, vishnu granthi at the heart
center, and rudra granthi at the ajna cakra; lit., knot
guru Teacher, spiritual guide; lit., dispeller of darkness



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guru chakra Energy center above the eyebrow center that connects to the inner
guru and primoridal master
hatha yoga Yoga system that works with asana, pranayama, cleansing
practices, mudras, and meditation to balance the solar/lunar,
masculine/feminine energies; the yoga of perfecting the body and
energy system of the body; lit., forceful
havan Fire offering ritual, usually involving, ghee, herbs, grains and other
ingredients offered to a sanctified fire with mantras
homa Ritual offering, especially of ghee to a consecrated fire
ida nadi Left-side axial energy channel in the subtle body; one of three
principle energy channels governing states of awareness;
terminates in the left nostril, associated with the lunar, feminine,
cooling energies
ishta deva Personal form of the Divine; a personified form of a mantra
jalandhara
bandha
Chin lock; a hatha yoga practice to stabilize the cervical spine and
connect the heart and throat chakras with energy centers in the head
japa Mental repetition of a mantra, which gradually awakens the energy
vibrations of the mantra
kama Desire; an intrinsic aspect of divine will; the first step of the
descent of consciousness toward manifestation of the material
world

kama tattva Primordial will, intention, and desire to embrace the life force;
essential nature, true reality
Kamadeva Primordial master who sits deep in the cave of our heart and drives
the chariot of life to its destination; the spirit of guru shakti, the
seer of Sri Vidya mantra, teacher and primordial master of the Sri
Chakra
kanda Bulb; egg-shaped structure in subtle body which is the origin of
nadis; located in lower pelvis at the perineum
karana sharira Causal body or linga shariram



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karmashaya Storehouse of samskaras; a well-defined group of karmas, stored in
one place with the ability to mature at the same time and to be
processed in a particular manner; lit., pouch, basket, package,
container, repository of karma
Kaula School of tantra which uses worldly means and objects and external
ritual for spiritual unfoldment
kula; kula devi Lineage; family deity; spiritual lineage
kunda Pond; fire pit; resting place of kundalini; sacred fireplace
kundalini Coiled up energy; the dormant potential energy in all living
beings; self-contained totally independent locus point; a point of
reference which is saturated with the principle of creativity
kundalini shakti The primordial Divine force; the dormant energy which resides in
the human body in the latent form and can be awakened with yoga
Kundalini yoga A systematic method of awakening the dormant force and leading it
step by step to the sahasrara, the highest center of consciousness
Lalita The goddess of Sri Chakra and Sri Vidya; Kameshvara is her
consort
Maha
Mrityunjaya
Mantra
Famous healing mantra from the Yajur Veda and further elaborated
in tantric scriptures; the mantra of the great conqueror of death; the
form of Shiva that grants immortality and freedom from all pains
and miseries
mani Gem lit by its own inherent light; in mythology, a cobra has a mani
in its hood, and he is lifeless without his mani; a mani bestows
special powers.
manipura
chakra
Energy center associated with the navel and solar plexus, and the
fire element; pura means filled or full; the body is an island of
gems of self-efflugence
mantra Revealed sounds used for meditation or to effect change on the
subtle level; that which guides and protects; usually passed from
guru to student via initiation



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Matangi A goddess often associated with Sarasvati, the goddess of wisdom
and fine arts
mulabandha Root lock; an important bandha which restrains downward flowing
pranic energy
nadi Energy channel of the subtle body in which prana moves; conduit
for the life force; the three main nadis are ida, pingala, and
sushumna
nadi
shodhanam
A pranayama practice of inhaling and exhaling through alternate
nostrils; used to purify nadis and balance the nervous system; lit.,
channel purification
nauli kriya A practice for the navel center; a vigorous rotation of the
abdominal muscles, one of the six cleansing actions of hatha yoga
navarna mantra The nine-syllabled mantra of the Divine Mother; a particular
variation of the mantra which belongs to the Sri Vidya tradition.
Parashurama Disciple of sage Dattatreya; the sage who received the knowledge
of Tripura; and important sage in Sri Vidya tradition
Patanjali Sage who compiled the Yoga Sutra around the second century BC;
also authored an authoritative commentary on Panini's Sanskrit
grammar and an Ayurvedic text
pingala nadi Right-side principle energy channel governing the flow of the life
force and states of consciousness; terminates in the right nostril;
associated with solar, heating, and masculine energies
prakriti Primordial nature, the ultimate cause of the material world;
primordial phenomenal world, comprised of three primary qualities
(gunas) sattva, rajas, tamas, whose interplay permeates the material
world; in Ayurveda, an individual's inborn tendencies and inherent
nature
prana Life force, the vital force that nourishes both body and mind; the
breath of life; five major aspects are prana, apana, vyana, udana,
and samana; and five minor aspects: naga, kurma, krikara,
devadatta, and dhananjaya; also the cosmic vibratory power
underlying creation



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prana
anusadhana
Examination, study, research, or investigation of prana; usually in
the context of breath awareness training or pranayama
prana
dharana
Concentration and stabilization of the pranic force using pranayama
and inner focus to direct and hold prana in a specific inner field;
activating, intensifying, and stablizing prana shakti
prana
pratishtha
Establishing and localizing prana, often in a physical object;
invoking a divine energy in the heart for meditation
prana shakti Awakened aspect of the primordial pool of consciousness and
energy; the life force, resulting in vigor, self-confidence,
motivation and insight
pranayama Breath control; restraint and augmentation of prana; the most
important technique of hatha yoga; the fourth limb of ashtanga
yoga of the Yoga Sutra; breathing techniques leading to the
mastery over the pranic force; the science of prana that enables an
aspirant to gain access to the pranamaya kosha, the pranic body that
lies beyond the physical body
prarabhda
karma
Karmas that have begun producing their fruits, and are in the
process of manifesting in the form of destiny
purana Collection of legends and myth-like stories carrying the message
and meaning of the Upanishads and Vedas; lit., ancient
purashcharana The practice of completing a specific amount of mantra japa in a
specific period of time while observing a specific set of disciplines;
lit., moving ahead, or taking the next step
Rudra Another name for Siva, especially the aspect that destroys the
world or those tendencies that keep us caught in the worldly net
rudra granthi Rudra's knot; one of the three knots which block pranic flow
through sushuma nadi
sadhana Spiritual practice; spiritual path to realization; spiritual discipline



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samaya The purely meditative school of tantra in which all practices are
done while maintaining an awareness of oneness with the Divine
within
samsara Cycle of birth and death; the phenomenal world, worldly cycles,
the constant flux of events which is the realm of karma, birth,
death, suffering, and ordinary human life
samskara,
sanskara
Subtle impressions of our actions stored in the unconscious mind;
latent mental or behavior pattern produced by past experiences
sankhya,
samkhya
Philosophical system related to yoga; one of six darshanas of
Indian thought, based on duality of prakriti (material and mental
nature) and purusha (pure spirit); systematized by Sage Kapila
circa 600 BC
Saundarya-
Lahari
Important Tantric text attributed to Shankaracharya, delineating the
practice and philosophy of Sri Vidya
shakti Creative principle of existence; the feminine active power of a
deity; the Divine Mother; consort of Shiva; the vibrant self-
conscious energy through which the whole universe evolves
shakti sadhana Spiritual discipline that leads to the realization of Shakti, the divine
force within
shariram Body; the three bodies are the causal body (karana or linga
shariram), the subtle body (sukshma shariram), and the gross body
(sthula shariram)
Sri Chakra Geometrical form of Sri Vidya; the highest yantra which is a
complete map of the microcosm and macrocosm; the chakra of the
Divine Mother Sri
Sri Vidya The most complete and comprehensive of the ten Mahavidyas, or
paths to ultimate realization; presiding deity of Sri Cakra; lit.,
auspicious wisdom.
sthula shariram Gross body composed of material elements (bhuta)
sukshma
shariram
Subtle body; inner or psychic level of existence which remains
after death of physical body



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surya bhedana A pranayama practice for enlivening the solar plexus and navel
center; similar to bhastrika pranayama, surya bhedi strongly
activates and expands the pranic body from the navel center, and
like nadi shodhanam, equally stimulates the flow of energy in the
two master nadis, ida and pingala
tanmatra The five sensory potentials or subtle elements, the subtle aspect of
the material elements of sense experience; the potentials of sound
(shabda), touch (sparsha), form (rupa), taste (rasa), and odor
(gandha)
Tantra,
Tantrism
Spiritual path which includes philosophy and practical instruction
in use of hatha yoga, pranayama, meditation, mantra, yantra,
mudras, rituals and hundreds of esoteric techniques for engendering
worldly and spiritual prosperity
tattva (s) Principles or elements; according to Samkhya philosophy there are
24 and according to Shaktism there are 36; lit., that-ness
uddiyana
bandha
Upward flying lock; one of three important bandhas in hatha yoga
which connects energy from pelvic centers and the heart center; a
contraction and upward drawing of the abdomen
vasana Traits of personality; combinations of samskaras (subliminal
activators); inclinations produced by samskaras; lit., fragrance
yajna Ritual; fire ceremony; the ceremonial ritual of life; a key concept in
Vedic philosophy and practice; sacrifice of lower desires to achieve
cosmic awareness