Glossary

Aarti - A collection of verses recited after Rehras Sahib that when performed according to traditional maryada is performed with ghee lamps (deepas), conch (shank) and incense (dhoop)

Aasan - posture

Aatamdev - Term used for Brahman

Adhyatamic - Concerning ‘aatam’ or the Self

Bihangam - Lit. birds, denoting sadhus who live unattached and have no fixed residence

Bunga - Institutions of learning that were built up around Sri Harmandir Sahib

Bhai - A term denoting a Sikh of great merit.

Bhekh - Lit. Appearance, denoting an order of sadhus

Brahm-gyani - One who has attained to the stage of having ‘knowledge’ or rather wisdom of God

Chela - Disciple or student, a shish

Dharmshala - A place for the exposition of dharma

Dyaa - Compassion

Dera - Both a monastery and a place for the exposition of dharma

Dharam - A context-specific term used in this sense to denote righteousness

Fakeer - Sufi saint

al-Ghazali,Imam - Important Islamic scholar and Sufi master

Ghaoshala - A sanctuary for cows

Granth - A scriptural text

Gristhi - Householder, one of the four ashrams

Gyani - Knowledgeable one, a learned Sikh

Gurdev - A guru, teacher of vidya

Gurmukh - One whose face is turned towards the Guru

Guru Granth Sahib - The Shabad Guru

Hikmat - Medicine

Ishnaan - The act of washing/ritual immersion

Ishtadev - The sagun form of Aatmdev

Jain, Jainism - Indian religion that holds the virtue of ahimsa (non-destruction) paramount

Katha, Kathakar - Commentary, one who performs commentary

Kimiya-i-sa’adat - Classic Taswuf text, abridged and translated into Farsi

Langar - The communal kitchen

Mahasamadhi - Lit. Great immersion, denoting death of a spiritually enlightened individual

Mala - A rosary

Manjh - A plant used by the Sewapanthis to make rope

Maryada - Lit. rememberance of death, the prescribed code of conduct

Masnavi - Rumi’s masterpiece written in farsi, lauded by the legendary Sufi ‘Jami as ‘The Qur’an in Persian’

Murti - Lit. ‘form’

Nam Simran - The continual remembrance of Naam

Nishkam - Without desire

Nirmala - Lit. one without blemish, a traditional Sikh order of scholar saints

Paaras Bhag - Punjabi translation of Kimiya-i-sa’adat

Parampara - Lineage

Pir - Sufi master

Puratan - Lit. pertaining to the puranas, used to denote something that is old or ancient

Qazi - One learned in Islamic law, Shariat

Raag Vidiya - The science of ‘raag’ or Hindustani sangeet

Rehit - Code of conduct

Roop - Form

Rumi, Jalluludin - Legendary Sufi poet, and figurehead of the Mevlevi suf tariqat

Sadh Sangat - Congregation of saadhs or ones devoted to truth

Saafa - A head-wrapping made of a piece of cloth

Sahit - Writings

Samparadaya/Samparda - Order

Sant - A spiritually realized Sikh, often living as virakat

Santhya - The study of correct pronunciation and meaning

Santokh - Contentment

Sat - Context-specific; here it means Truth

Sattva Guna - One of the three qualities posed in the Samkhya darsana, meaning calmness, balance, purity, etc

Satsang - True congregation

Shaant Ras - Essence of peace

Sewapanthi - One who takes the path of service

Tapasya - The practice of ‘making heat’ – the performance of austerities for spiritual gain

Tasuwuf - Arabic term for Sufism

Tikana - Lit. a place

Tika - A commentary, corrupted term is ‘steek’

Topi - Hat

Tyaagi - One who has forsaken everything

Udasi - Detachment, one of the four traditional Sikh samprada-s

Vaishnav - The panth of Vishnu and his incarnations (avtarvad)

Vairagya - Here meaning indifferent detachment

Vedant - Lit. Veda – end, denoting the Upanishads found at the end of each Veda

Vivek - Here meaning correct discrimination and subsequent knowledge and understanding

Vichar - Thoughts of truth

Vichar Mala - An Advait Vedantic text writtern by Pandit Anath Das ji

Vidiya - Knowledge, a science

Vidyala - A school in which Vidya is taught

Virakat - Lit. sanskrit is ‘carefree living’, meaning an unmarried, renunciate

Yog Vasistha - The classic vedantic scripture narrated by Rishi Vasistha