Glossary
The terms of the tradition, gathered in one place — search, and follow each to where it is explained.
- Ashtavakra Gitaअष्टावक्र गीताTextA short non-dual dialogue between Ashtavakra and King Janaka, uncompromising in its treatment of the self as already free.
- श्रीविद्याइच्छा • क्रिया • ज्ञानConceptAt its heart, Shree Vidya is not merely about worshipping the Divine as something external. It is a journey toward recognising the sacred presence that, according to its non-dual interpretations, permeates existence and one's own deepest awareness. Where the geometry of existence, the power of consciousness and the journey of self-realisation converge.The ultimate essence of Śrī Vidyā is the recognition that the Divine is not merely something to be worshipped outside oneself, but the very consciousness through which all experience becomes possible.
- KaliकालीStudyThe first of the ten Mahavidyas, studied across the registers the platform keeps distinct — what the tradition teaches, what the texts state, how scholars place it, and what remains open.
- KulaकुलConceptFamily, clan or totality. A term whose meaning varies enough across texts and lineages that no single definition serves.
- नाद ब्रह्मचैतन्य • अनाहत • परब्रह्मTraditionNaad Brahm is an inward spiritual journey toward the primordial principle from which sound, knowledge, creation, and consciousness arise. It moves beyond external forms of practice to explore the living essence of Shabda the subtle inner sound through which awareness turns inward. Through disciplined practice and guidance, the seeker gradually moves from the audible to the subtle, from sound toward silence, and from experience toward direct awareness. Its deeper purpose is not merely to hear a sound, but to recognize the consciousness from which sound itself emerges.
- Tattvaतत्त्वConceptA category of reality. The number and ordering of tattvas differ between systems and should not be treated as one shared scheme.
- The Ten Mahavidyasदश महाविद्याStudyA study of the group of ten goddesses as a set — how the grouping arose, what holds it together, and where the lists disagree.
- Dikshaदीक्षाConceptInitiation. What it confers, and what it is understood to do, differs by school — this is one of the terms where a general definition misleads most.
- Naad Brahmaनाद ब्रह्मStudySound as the ground of manifestation — the doctrine, its textual basis, and its relationship to the philosophy of speech.
- Nyasaन्यासPracticeThe ritual placing of mantra or deity onto parts of the body. Documented as embodied ritual, described here as context rather than procedure.
- BijaबीजConceptA seed syllable. It carries no dictionary meaning; its role is set entirely by the tradition and the transmission.
- Brahmastra Vidyaब्रह्मास्त्र विद्याStudyThe Baglamukhi material, and the sense in which the tradition calls it a Brahmastra. Lineage-specific throughout.
- Mantraमन्त्रConceptA formula of sound whose function is defined by its tradition. The philosophy of sound behind it is substantial and specific.
- MalaमलConceptImpurity, in the technical sense of a limiting condition on consciousness — not moral stain and not the rosary of the same spelling in English.
- The RamayanaरामायणTextThe epic read on two registers at once: the story as it is told, and the decoded essence the founder points to beneath it.
- Shaktiशक्तिConceptPower or capacity. In Shakta and non-dual Shaiva traditions, the active aspect of reality — though what that means differs sharply between schools.
- ShivaशिवConceptIn non-dual Shaiva philosophy, the name for consciousness itself. The philosophical use is distinct from the puranic deity of the same name.
- Sri Yantraश्रीयन्त्रConceptThe best-documented yantra of the Sri Vidya tradition: nine interpenetrating triangles within enclosures, read as a diagram of manifestation.
- SadhanaसाधनाPracticeSustained practice — the move from knowledge to experience that the knowledge architecture is built to end in.
- ब्रह्मास्त्र विद्यासामर्थ्य • शक्ति • सन्तुलनTraditionBrahmāstra Vidyā is presented not as an external weapon or a collection of rituals, but as a profound inner discipline rooted in Brahm, consciousness, self-mastery and surrender. It cannot be reduced to a course, mantra or intellectual knowledge. Its foundation lies in adhikāra, purification, discipline, Guru-guidance, devotion and surrender ultimately leading the practitioner from limited identity toward the direct recognition of Brahm through lived experience.
- Surya Yantraसूर्ययन्त्रConceptA yantra associated with the sun, used in the graha traditions. Its documented context is astrological and ritual rather than philosophical.
- Spandaस्पन्दTraditionA concept in the Kashmir Shaiva traditions describing consciousness as inherently dynamic rather than inert.
- Spandakarikaस्पन्दकारिकाTextThe root verse text of the Spanda material, with several surviving commentaries.