Glossary
Every unfamiliar word in the guide, explained the way you would to a friend over coffee. While reading, tap any underlined word to see its meaning without leaving the page.
Abhimanyu
uh-bhi-MUN-yooArjuna's young son, killed in the war by many warriors at once.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaAdvaita (non-dualism)
ad-VY-tuhThe school that teaches there is only one ultimate reality, Brahman. Seeing yourself as separate from it, or the world as made of many separate things, is a kind of mistake the wise see through. The name means "not two".
Agamas and Tantras
AH-guh-muhsManuals for temple building, image making and daily worship, and related texts on ritual. Most temple worship follows them.
Agni
UG-neeThe fire god of the Vedas, who carries offerings to the other gods.
Aham brahmasmi
uh-HUM bruh-MAHS-mee"I am Brahman": a line of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, saying that the self and ultimate reality are one.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsAhimsa
uh-HIM-sahNon-harm: the principle of not hurting any living being. It is one of the highest values in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain thought.
Hindu thoughtHard passages in both textsAlvars and Nayanars
AHL-vahrs, NAH-yuh-nahrsTamil poet-saints of about the 6th to 9th centuries: the Alvars sang of Vishnu, the Nayanars of Shiva.
Anirvachaniya
uh-nir-vuh-CHUH-nee-yuh"Cannot be put into words": a way Advaita describes the world, as neither fully real nor fully unreal.
Hindu thoughtMonism and the personal GodApaurusheya
uh-pow-ROO-shay-yuh"Not made by any person": the belief that the Vedas have no human author and are eternal.
Apologetics
uh-pol-uh-JET-iksGiving clear, reasoned answers for why you believe what you believe. "Apology" here means defence, not saying sorry.
Ways of reasoningArjuna
AR-joo-nuhOne of the five Pandava brothers, and the finest archer. In the Gita he freezes before a battle against his own relatives and asks Krishna what to do.
Ashwatthama
ush-WUT-thuh-mahDrona's son. An elephant with the same name is killed so that Drona can be told "Ashwatthama is dead".
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaAtharva Veda
uh-TAR-vuh VAY-duhThe fourth Veda: spells and prayers for everyday needs such as health, protection and harvest.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsAtman
AHT-munThe true self or soul inside every person. Advaita says it is the same as Brahman.
Avatar
AV-uh-tarA god coming down to earth in a form. Vishnu is said to have come many times, and the best known are Rama and Krishna.
Avidya
uh-VID-yah"Ignorance." In the Upanishads, not knowing that your true self is Brahman. They treat this, not sin, as the root problem.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsAyodhya
uh-YODE-yuhRama's city and kingdom in north India.
Hindu thoughtThe RamayanaBalarama
BUH-luh-rah-muhKrishna's elder brother, who taught Duryodhana and condemned the foul blow that killed him.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaBhagavad Gita
BUG-uh-vud GEE-tah"Song of the Lord": a 700-verse conversation between the warrior Arjuna and Krishna just before a battle. It is the most widely read Hindu text.
Hindu thoughtMade to know and be knownBefore you beginAll the Hindu texts, and how they fitThe Mahabharata and the GitaThe Puranas and the godsLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsThe Bible: one story of redemptionHow the texts are builtMonism and the personal GodPunished for a life you cannot rememberCan every path be true?Preserved, but who can understand?Hard passages in both textsSin, forgiveness and the LambFrom argument to gospelBhagavata Purana
BHUG-uh-vuh-tuh poo-RAH-nuhA Purana devoted to Vishnu that tells the life of Krishna at length. It is the main text of Krishna devotion.
Bhakti
BUCK-teeLoving devotion to a personal God. It is the path of trust and worship rather than knowledge or ritual.
Bhima
BHEE-muhThe second Pandava brother, famous for his great strength.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaBhishma
BHEESH-muhThe grand elder of the family. Bound by a vow to defend the throne, he fights for the Kauravas even though he loves the Pandavas.
Brahma
BRAH-muhThe creator god, one of the three main gods. Not the same as Brahman, the ultimate reality.
Brahman
BRAH-munIn Hindu philosophy, the ultimate reality: the one infinite source and ground of everything.
Brahmin
BRAH-minThe priestly class in traditional Hindu society, historically the keepers of the Vedas.
Hindu thoughtCanon
The official, finished list of writings that make up the Bible.
Christ
KRYSTNot a surname but a title: "the Anointed One", the Greek form of Messiah. Christians confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and Lord of all.
Christian wordsCircular reasoning
Using a claim to prove itself. For example: "The Vedas are true because the Vedas say so."
Ways of reasoningThe Vedas and the UpanishadsCodex Sinaiticus
sy-NAY-ih-tik-usA Greek Bible copied by hand around AD 350 and found at St Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai. It contains the complete New Testament and is one of the oldest and best-known manuscripts.
Christian wordsHow the texts were passed downCodex Vaticanus
vat-ih-KAY-nusAnother very early Greek Bible, about the same age as Codex Sinaiticus, kept in the Vatican Library.
Christian wordsHow the texts were passed downCovenant
A solemn, binding promise between God and His people. The Bible speaks of an old covenant with Israel and a new one through Jesus.
Christian wordsThe Bible: one story of redemptionDarshanas (the six schools)
DUR-shuh-nuhsSix classical schools of Hindu philosophy: Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta. The name means "viewpoint".
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsDevi
DAY-vee"Goddess": the Mother Goddess, worshipped as Durga, Kali, Parvati and others.
Hindu thoughtThe Puranas and the godsDevi Mahatmya
DAY-vee muh-HAHT-myuh"The Glory of the Goddess": a text praising the Mother Goddess, in the form of Durga, as the highest power.
Hindu thoughtThe Puranas and the godsDharma
DAR-muhDuty and the right way to live. It means doing what is right for your role and station in life.
Dhritarashtra
dri-tuh-RAHSH-truhThe blind king, father of the Kauravas. The Mahabharata and the Gita are told to him.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaDraupadi
DROW-puh-deeThe wife of the five Pandavas. Her shaming in the royal court is a turning point of the Mahabharata.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaDrona
DROH-nuhThe teacher who trained both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He fights for the Kauravas out of duty.
Duryodhana
dur-YOH-dhuh-nuhThe eldest Kaurava, who holds the throne and refuses to share it with the Pandavas. He is the main enemy in the Mahabharata.
Dushasana
doosh-SAH-suh-nuhA Kaurava brother of Duryodhana, who drags Draupadi into the royal court.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaDvaita (dualism)
DVY-tuhThe school that teaches God and souls are two different, eternal things. God is the Lord and souls depend on him forever. The name means "two".
Dvapara Yuga
DWAH-puh-ruhThe third of the four ages, from the word for "two". Right living stands on two legs. It is the age of Krishna and the Mahabharata war, and lasts about 864,000 years.
Hindu thoughtTwo shapes of realityEquivocation
ih-kwiv-uh-KAY-shunUsing one word in two different senses in the same argument, so it seems to prove more than it does.
Ways of reasoningMonism and the personal GodEx nihilo
eks NEE-hee-lohLatin for "out of nothing": the Christian teaching that God made the world without using anything already there.
Ways of reasoningGandhari
gahn-DHAH-reeThe mother of the Kauravas. After the war, grieving for her hundred sons, she curses Krishna.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaGanges (Ganga)
GAN-jeezIndia's great river, worshipped as a goddess. Hindus believe bathing in it washes away sin.
Hindu thoughtThe Puranas and the godsGautama
GOW-tuh-muhA Vedic sage, husband of Ahalya. Not the Buddha, who has the same family name.
Hindu thoughtThe Puranas and the godsGospel
"Good news": that Jesus died to forgive our sins and rose again, so anyone can be made right with God.
Grace
A gift you do not earn: God's kindness and forgiveness given freely.
Hanuman
HUH-noo-mahnThe faithful monkey who serves Rama. He is worshipped across India as a model of devotion.
Hindu thoughtThe RamayanaHarivamsa
HUH-ri-vum-shuhA later appendix to the Mahabharata that tells the life of Krishna and his family. It links the epic to the Puranas.
Hindu thoughtHastinapura
hus-ti-NAH-poo-ruhThe capital of the kingdom the two families fight over in the Mahabharata.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaIncarnation
in-kar-NAY-shunGod becoming a real human being in Jesus, once, and for good.
Christian wordsTwo shapes of realityIndra
IN-druhThe storm god and king of the gods in the oldest Vedic hymns.
Inerrancy
in-AIR-un-seeThe Christian teaching that the Bible, as God originally gave it, is true and without error in everything it affirms.
Christian wordsHow the texts were passed downInfinite regress
REE-gressA chain of "because" that never reaches a start. If every cause needs an earlier cause forever, nothing is ever finally explained.
Ways of reasoningKarma and the endless chainIshvara
ISH-vuh-ruh"The Lord": God seen as a personal ruler and creator.
Itihasa
ih-tee-HAH-suh"So it was": the name for the two epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, which Hindus treat as history-like narrative.
Hindu thoughtJnaneshwar
gyah-NAYSH-wurA 13th-century Marathi poet-saint who wrote a commentary on the Gita in Marathi, the Jnaneshwari.
Kabir
kuh-BEERA 15th-century poet-saint who mocked idols and empty ritual, and sang of one God beyond Hindu and Muslim forms.
Kali Yuga
KUH-lee YOO-guhThe fourth and darkest age, "the age of strife". Tradition says it began in 3102 BCE and that we live in it now. It is not the goddess Kali.
Kamban
KUM-bunA 12th-century poet who retold the Ramayana in Tamil.
Karma
KAR-muh"Action", and the idea that every action has a result that comes back to you, in this life or a later one.
Karna
KAR-nuhA great archer who fights for the Kauravas. He is secretly the Pandavas' eldest brother, born to Kunti before her marriage.
Kauravas
KOW-ruh-vuhsThe hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra, led by Duryodhana. They are the Pandavas' cousins and their enemies in the war.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaKrishna
KRISH-nuhNot a Pandava or a Kaurava: he is the Pandavas' cousin and Arjuna's close friend. In the war he fights for no one, but drives Arjuna's chariot and speaks the Gita. Many Hindus worship him as God himself, appearing in human form.
Hindu thoughtAll the Hindu texts, and how they fitThe Mahabharata and the GitaThe RamayanaThe Puranas and the godsHow the texts are builtTwo shapes of realityMonism and the personal GodKarma and the endless chainCan every path be true?Hard passages in both textsSin, forgiveness and the LambFrom argument to gospelKshatriya
KSHAT-ree-yuhThe warrior and ruler class in traditional Hindu society, the role Arjuna holds.
Hindu thoughtHard passages in both textsKunti
KOON-teeThe mother of the Pandavas, and of Karna.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaKurukshetra
koo-roo-SHAY-truhThe battlefield where the great war of the Mahabharata is fought and where the Gita is spoken.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaLakshmana
LUKSH-muh-nuhRama's younger brother, who goes with him into exile.
Lanka
LUNK-uhRavana's island kingdom in the Ramayana.
Hindu thoughtThe RamayanaLord
A title of ruling authority. In the New Testament it is the name given to Jesus: "Jesus is Lord" is the earliest Christian confession, meaning He has authority over everything and is worthy of worship.
Christian wordsMadhva
MUDH-vuhA thirteenth-century teacher of the view that God and souls are eternally separate.
Mahabharata
muh-hah-BAH-ruh-tuhA huge ancient epic poem about a war inside one royal family. The Gita is one short section within it.
Mahayuga
muh-hah-YOO-guh"Great age": one full round of the four ages, about 4.32 million years, after which the cycle starts again.
Hindu thoughtTwo shapes of realityMaitreyi
my-TRAY-eeYajnavalkya's wife, who asks him how to become immortal.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsManusmriti
MUH-noo-smri-teeThe best known Hindu law book. It sets out duties for each person and class, and is one of the most debated Hindu texts today.
Masoretic text
mass-uh-RET-ikThe standard Hebrew text of the Old Testament, carefully copied by Jewish scribes over the centuries.
Christian wordsHow the texts were passed downMaya
MAH-yahIn Advaita, the veil that makes the one reality look like many separate things. It is often translated "illusion", though thinkers say it is more like an appearance than a lie. In the Gita it is also God's own mysterious power.
Hindu thoughtMonism and the personal GodMessiah
meh-SY-uhThe promised king and rescuer sent by God. "Christ" is the same word in Greek, and Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah.
Christian wordsMimamsa
mee-MAHM-suhA school of Hindu thought devoted to the right reading and performance of the Vedic rituals.
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsMirabai
MEE-rah-byeA 16th-century Rajput princess and poet devoted to Krishna.
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsMoksha
MOKE-shuhLiberation: being set free from the cycle of rebirth. It is the highest goal in most Hindu paths.
Monism
MON-iz-umThe belief that everything is ultimately one thing, so the many differences we see are not the final truth.
Ways of reasoningNachiketa
nuh-chi-KAY-tuhThe boy in the Katha Upanishad who asks Yama, the god of death, what happens after we die.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsNakula and Sahadeva
NUH-koo-luh, suh-huh-DAY-vuhThe twin brothers, the youngest of the five Pandavas.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaNaraka
NUH-ruh-kuhThe Hindu hells, places of punishment after death. They are not final: afterwards the soul is reborn.
Hindu thoughtOne life, two destiniesNirguna Brahman
nir-GOO-nuhUltimate reality "without qualities": beyond any description, with no personality, no love and no will.
Non-contradiction
The basic rule of thought that two opposite claims cannot both be true in the same way at the same time.
Ways of reasoningCan every path be true?Nyaya
NYAH-yuhA school of Hindu philosophy concerned with logic and how we know things.
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsPandavas
PAHN-duh-vuhsThe five royal brothers at the center of the Mahabharata, sons of the late king Pandu: Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. They fight the Kauravas for the throne.
Pandu
PAHN-dooThe late king whose five sons are the Pandavas.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaPapa
PAH-puhSin or wrongdoing, in the sense of an action that harms you and others and gathers bad karma.
Hindu thoughtSin, forgiveness and the LambParva
PAR-vuhA major section of the Mahabharata, 18 in all.
Passover
The Jewish feast remembering how God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt, when a lamb's blood marked the homes He passed over.
Patanjali
puh-TUN-juh-leeThe teacher traditionally credited with the Yoga Sutras.
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsPluralism
PLOOR-uh-liz-umThe belief that many different religions can all be equally true paths to the same God.
Ways of reasoningCan every path be true?Prapatti
pruh-PUH-teeComplete surrender to God, trusting him to save instead of trying to earn it.
Hindu thoughtSin, forgiveness and the LambPrasad
pruh-SAHDFood first offered to an idol, then shared with worshippers as a blessing.
Hindu thoughtGo and make disciplesPuja
POO-jahWorship done with offerings such as flowers, light and food, usually before an image or at a home shrine.
Hindu thoughtGo and make disciplesPuranas
poo-RAH-nuhsStories of the gods, the creation of the world and the ages of time. There are 18 major ones, and they are later than the Vedas.
Purusha
POO-roo-shuh"Person" or spirit. In some texts it names the cosmic person from whom the world comes.
Hindu thoughtSin, forgiveness and the LambRama
RAH-muhThe hero of the Ramayana, a prince of Ayodhya. Many Hindus worship him as an avatar of Vishnu.
Rama Rajya
RAH-muh RAHJ-yuh"The rule of Rama": the Hindu picture of a perfect kingdom, based on Rama's reign.
Hindu thoughtThe RamayanaRamanuja
rah-MAH-noo-juhAn eleventh-century teacher of the "qualified" view, in which God is personal and souls are his devoted servants.
Ramayana
rah-MAH-yuh-nuhThe second Hindu epic, the story of Prince Rama, whom many Hindus worship as an avatar of Vishnu.
Ramcharitmanas
rahm-chuh-rit-MAH-nuhs"The Lake of the Deeds of Rama": Tulsidas's Hindi retelling of the Ramayana, the version most North Indian Hindus know.
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsRavana
RAH-vuh-nuhThe ten-headed king of Lanka who kidnaps Sita. He is the villain of the Ramayana.
Rebirth
The belief that after death a soul is born again in a new body, shaped by what it did before.
Rig Veda
RIG VAY-duhThe oldest of the Vedas: a collection of over a thousand hymns to the gods.
Righteous
Right and good in God's sight, with nothing held against you.
Rta
RIH-tuhThe order of the cosmos in the Vedas, which the rituals are meant to keep in balance.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsRudra
ROO-druhA fierce storm god of the Vedas, later identified with Shiva.
Hindu thoughtHard passages in both textsSaguna Brahman
suh-GOO-nuhUltimate reality "with qualities": God as a personal Lord who can be known, loved and worshipped.
Hindu thoughtMonism and the personal GodSama Veda
SAH-muh VAY-duhThe third Veda: melodies for chanting, taken mostly from the Rig Veda.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsSamkhya
SAHNK-yuhA school of Hindu philosophy that divides all reality into spirit and matter.
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsSamsara
sum-SAH-ruhThe endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth that a soul is caught in until it is set free.
Hindu thoughtKarma and the endless chainSamskaras
sum-SKAH-ruhsImpressions or tendencies left by past actions, said to carry over from one life to the next.
Hindu thoughtPunished for a life you cannot rememberSanjaya
SUN-juh-yuhThe king's minister, who is given the gift of seeing the battle from afar and tells Dhritarashtra everything, including the Gita.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaSanskrit
SAN-skritThe ancient language of the Vedas and the Gita. Few people speak it today, so most read these texts in translation.
Satya Yuga
SUT-yuh YOO-guhThe first age, "the age of truth", when right living is said to be complete.
Hindu thoughtTwo shapes of realitySeptuagint
sep-TOO-uh-jintAn ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, made about 250 years before Jesus.
Christian wordsHow the texts were passed downShaiva
SHY-vuhBelonging to the worship of Shiva as the highest God.
Hindu thoughtHard passages in both textsShakta
SHAHK-tuhBelonging to the worship of the Goddess (Devi or Shakti) as the highest power.
Hindu thoughtHard passages in both textsShakuni
SHUH-koo-neeThe Kauravas' uncle, who tricks Yudhishthira at dice and drives the family toward war.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaShankara
SHUN-kuh-ruhAn eighth-century teacher who gave Advaita its classic form.
Shikhandi
shi-KHUN-deeA warrior born a woman, behind whom Arjuna shelters to shoot Bhishma, who had vowed never to fight a woman.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaShiva
SHEE-vuhOne of the three main gods, the destroyer and renewer. Many Hindus worship him as the supreme God.
Shruti
SHROO-tee"What is heard": the Vedas, seen as revealed truth, with fixed wording that must not be changed.
Sita
SEE-tahRama's wife, kidnapped by Ravana and later sent away by Rama.
Hindu thoughtThe RamayanaSmriti
SMRIH-tee"What is remembered": the epics, laws and stories handed down by tradition. Unlike Shruti, they can be retold and adapted.
Sukta
SOOK-tuhA single hymn in the Vedas.
Hindu thoughtSin, forgiveness and the LambSurdas
SOOR-dahsA 16th-century blind poet who sang about the child Krishna.
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsSurya
SOOR-yuhThe sun god.
Hindu thoughtThe Puranas and the godsSutra
SOO-truhA very short saying packed with meaning, written to be memorised and then explained by a teacher.
Tat tvam asi
TAHT tvum AH-see"That you are": a key line of the Upanishads, saying that your true self is one with Brahman.
The Lamb
A name for Jesus, who like the Passover lamb gives His life so that others go free from judgment.
Theistic
thee-IS-tikBelieving in a personal God who knows and loves, not just an impersonal force.
Ways of reasoningKarma and the endless chainTorah
TOR-uhThe first five writings of the Bible, the foundation of Jewish Scripture.
Christian wordsHow the texts are builtTreta Yuga
TRAY-tuhThe second of the four ages, from the word for "three". Right living stands on three of its four legs. Tradition places Rama and the Ramayana here, and it lasts about 1,296,000 years.
Hindu thoughtTwo shapes of realityTrinity
The Christian teaching that there is one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who have loved each other forever.
Christian wordsMonism and the personal GodTukaram
TOO-kah-rahmA 17th-century Marathi poet-saint devoted to Vithoba, a form of Krishna.
Tulsidas
TOOL-see-dahsA 16th-century poet who retold the Ramayana in Hindi as the Ramcharitmanas.
Upanishads
oo-PAN-ih-shadsPhilosophical texts at the end of the Vedas that explore what ultimate reality is and who we really are. Vedanta schools build on them.
Hindu thoughtMade to know and be knownAll the Hindu texts, and how they fitThe Vedas and the UpanishadsLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsHow the texts are builtMonism and the personal GodKarma and the endless chainPunished for a life you cannot rememberHow the texts were passed downPreserved, but who can understand?Hard passages in both textsVaisheshika
vy-SHAY-shi-kuhA school of Hindu philosophy that explains the world as made of tiny atoms and categories.
Hindu thoughtLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsVali
VAH-leeA monkey king in the Ramayana. Rama shoots him from hiding to help Vali's brother Sugriva.
Hindu thoughtThe RamayanaValmiki
vahl-MEE-keeThe sage traditionally credited with composing the Ramayana.
Varna
VAR-nuhThe four classes of Hindu society: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors and rulers), Vaishyas (merchants and farmers) and Shudras (servants and laborers). Over time it hardened into the caste system.
Varuna
VUH-roo-nuhA Vedic god of cosmic order and the waters, who watches over oaths and punishes wrongdoing.
Veda
VAY-duhThe oldest Hindu texts: hymns, prayers and rituals, passed on by memory for centuries before being written.
Hindu thoughtMade to know and be knownAll the Hindu texts, and how they fitThe Vedas and the UpanishadsThe Puranas and the godsLaw books, philosophy and devotional poemsHow the texts are builtHow the texts were passed downPreserved, but who can understand?Hard passages in both textsSin, forgiveness and the LambVedanta
vay-DAHN-tuhA big family of Hindu schools that build their teaching on the Upanishads, the Gita and a short summary text. Advaita and Dvaita are both Vedanta schools.
Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism)
vi-SHISH-tuh-ad-VY-tuhA middle view: God and souls are one reality, yet souls stay distinct, like a body and the person living in it. It treats God as truly personal and is taught by Ramanuja.
Vishnu
VISH-nooOne of the three main gods, the preserver of the world. Many Hindus worship Him, and say He comes to earth as avatars such as Rama and Krishna.
Vyasa
VYAH-suhThe sage credited with composing the Mahabharata. The name means "compiler". In the story he is also the grandfather of both families.
Yajna
YUG-nyuhSacrifice: offerings, usually poured into a fire, made to the gods. It is the center of the Vedas.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsYajur Veda
YUJ-oor VAY-duhThe second of the four Vedas: the words and actions priests use in the sacrifice.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsYama
YUH-muhThe god of death.
Hindu thoughtThe Vedas and the UpanishadsYudhishthira
yoo-DISH-tih-ruhThe eldest Pandava, known for his truthfulness. He gambles away his kingdom in the dice game and is later crowned king.
Hindu thoughtThe Mahabharata and the GitaYuga
YOO-guhOne of four ages in a cosmic cycle that repeats forever. Together they last about 4.32 million years, and we are said to live in the last, the Kali Yuga.
Hindu thoughtTwo shapes of reality