Glossary


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Abhavya
One who is incapable of attaining moksha.
Abhigraha
Resolution.
Abhisheka
Anointing ceremony.
Abrahma-varjana
Abandonment of all incontience.
Acaksurdarshana
Perception by means of the senses other than visual.
Acharya/ji
A Sadhu who learned, mastered and taught religious scriptures, follows them, and is now the head of a Sangh.? Head of a mendicant group, spiritual leader and monk-scholar.
Adhi
Two and a half.
Adho-loka
The lower world.? The home of infernal beings.
Agama
Scripture.? Canonical literature.
Aghati
The four types of karmas whose powers are much milder than those of the four-ghati karmas.? These powers end at the end of a life.
Agni
Fire.
Ahimsa
Non-violence, non-harming.? The supreme mahavrat or anuvrat that all Jains must adhere to.? Jain religion is remarkable in that it upholds nonviolence as the supreme religion (Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah) and has insisted upon its observance in thought, word, and deed at the individual as well as social levels.
Ahimsa Paramo Dharma
'Non-violence as the supreme religion.'
Ailaka
The highest state of a Digambara layman, wherein he retains only one piece of clothing.
Akasha
Space.
Aloka-akasha
Totally empty space.
Amari
Prohibition of animal sacrifice.
Anekaantvaad
'Non-singular conclusivity' or multiplicity of viewpoints.? The concept that humans, with obstructed knowledge, will only be able to see limited parts of any whole (situation or truth).
Antaraay
A Ghati karma that obstructs the strength of a soul.
Anuvrat
A vow that is not as strict as a Mahavrat.? Anuvrats are for people living family lives.? The five vratas are: Ahimsa (non-violence), truth, non-stealing, non-possessiveness and chastity or self-control.
Aparigraha
Non-possessiveness. One of the mahavrats and anuvrats.
Ara
One of the six divisions of time in one half of the time cycle.? Runs from thousands to billions of years.? We are currently in the 5th ara of the descending half of the time cycle, which started some 2500 years ago.
Arambhatyaga-himsa
Violence occurring either accidentally or through the performance of an acceptable occupation.
Arati
The lamp-waving ceremony.
Ardha-phalaka
A piece of cloth worn by ancient Jaina monks.
Arihant
Conqueror of internal enemies, such as anger, pride, deceit, greed, jealousy, hatred, intrigue and various other passions.
Ashrava
Karmic influx.? One of the nine tattvas.
Asteya
Non-stealing.? One of the mahavrats and anuvrats.
Atishaya
Thirty-five special attributes of Tirthankaras.
Atithi
One who may come any time, unexpectedly, without invitation, and is still welcomed with love and respect.
Atma
Soul.
Avamaudarya
Eating only a very small portion of food.
Avarsarpini
Regressive half of the time cycle.
Ayu karma
Karma that determines the span of a given lifetime.
Ayushya
An aghati karma that determines how long you will live.
Bandh
Karmic bondage.? One of the nine tattvas.
Beindriya
Souls that live with two sense, namely touch and taste.
Bhante
Repected (Lord).
Bharat
Name of a kshetra.? We live in Bharat Kshetra.? It is located in the southern part of Jambu Dweep (look at geography section for more details).
Bhav
Internal.? States of a dravya. Thoughts, contemplations.
Bhoga-antaraya
Karma that restricts enjoyment.
Brahmacharya
Physical control, abstinence, chastity.? One of the mahavrats and anuvrats.? Jainism emphasizes abstinence from over-indulgence, voluntary curtailment of one's needs, and the consequent subsiding of the aggressive urge.? For shravaks and shravikas, this also means remaining sexually monogamous to one's own spouse.? For sadhus and sadhvis this entails strict abstinence.
Brahmacharya-ashrama
The life of a student. The first of four stages that a Jain shravak and shravika are recommended to pass through in his or her lifetime.
Charitra
Conduct.
Chattari
Four
Chauvisantho
A prayer to the twenty-four Tirthankaras of this kaal in Bharat Kshetra.? We list, bow and praise them for their great virtues.
Choindriya
Soul that lives with four senses, namely touch, taste, smell and sight.
Chovisi
A group of twenty-four.
Dana
Charity.? Alms-giving.
Dana-antaraya
A type of karma that hinders the practice of charity.
Darshan
Vision.? Intuition.? Insight.? Perception.? A system of philosophy. A pure soul has infinite vision.
Darshana varaniya
A ghati karma that obstructs the capacity of a soul to see things clearly.
Dev
A soul in heaven, or at a high spiritual level.
Deva-dusya
'Divine' cloth.? A finely woven piece of cloth.
Devlok
Heaven.? The place where devs reside.
Dhariya
Patience.? A pure soul has infinite patience.
Dharma
Holy law.? Elements in Buddhist doctrine.? Righteousness (ten forms).
Dharma dravya
The principle of motion.
Dharma tirtha
Holy path.
Dhivyadhvani
Miraculous sound.? When a Tirthankara attains enlightenment, this sound emerges from them, silent, yet understood by every living thing in his or her own language.
Digambara
Sky-clad.? Name of the Jaina sect whose mendicants practice ascetic nudity.
Dravya
Substance.
Dukkadam
Forgive me (or dissolve my mistakes).
Dvija
Twice-born.
Dweep
Island.? A large isolated area.? There are two and a half dweeps, each with three kshetras in them.
Eka
One or unitary.
Eka sataka
A mendicant who wears a single piece of cloth.
Ekantavada
Extremism.? Absolutist doctrine.
Ekendriya
A being with only one sense faculty- that of touch.? A synonym for sthavara beings.
Ganadhara/ji
The first mendicant disciples of Tirthankaras. Supporters of the order.? Mahavir had eleven, the most famous of which was Gautamswami.
Gandhasti
The best elephant.
Ghati
The four types of karmas, whose powers are much stronger than those of the aghati karmas.? Karmas that have a vitiating effect upon the qualities of the soul.? These powers may last for many lives.
Ghoratavassi
One who practices severe austerities.
Gnan (jnana)
Knowledge. A pure soul has infinite knowledge.
Gnanavaraniya
A ghati karma that obstructs the capacity of soul to know things in their purest forms.
Gotra karma
Karmas that determine environmental circumstances.
Gruhasth-ashrama
Family life.? The second of four stages that a Jain shravak and shravika are recommended to pass through in his or her lifetime.
Gunastana
The fourteen stages of purification.
Gunavratas
Retraints that reinforce the practice of anuvratas.
Himsa
Injury, harming violence.
Hundavasarpini
A period of avasarpini in which extraordinary events may take place.
Indriya
Sense organ.
Jaina
Followers of a Jina, a synonym for Nigantha.? One who has samyak-darsana.
Jaina-brahman
Laypeople in charge of priestly functions within certain Jaina communities.
Jainabhasa
False Jainas.
Jambu dweep
'The continent of the rose-apple tree.' The realm in the universe that is inhabited by humans.? This region is transverse by six mountains which divide the region into seven regions. The most important regions are India in the south, Airavat in the north, and Mahavideha in the middle. It is believed that in these three regions, humans may find rewards for religious pursuits and that deliverance may be possible.
Janma-kalyana
Birth.? One of the five auspicious events in the career of a Tirthankara.
Jina
'Conqueror.' He who has conquered love and hate, pleasure and pain, attachment and aversion, and has thereby freed `his' soul from the karmas obscuring knowledge, perception, truth, and ability, is a Jina. The Jains refer to the Jina as God.
Jina-agama
Jaina scripture.
Jina-bhavana
Jaina temple
Jina-bimba
Image of a Jina.
Jiv
Soul.
Jiva Daya
Compassion toward living beings.
Jyotish Chakra
Area of space in which zodiac planets, stars, etc. are located
Kaal
Time.? Time stages within the progressive and regressive half-cycles.? Runs into more than billions of years, per cycle.
Kalyanaka
Auspicious moments.
Kanyadana
Ceremony of giving away the bride.
Karemi
'I do.'
Karma
Action.? A deed, good or bad.? A form of matter.? Upon maturing, it delivers its fruit.? There are 4 Ghati and 4 Aghati types of karmas.? Powers of Ghati karmas are much stronger, and they last for many lives.
Kashaya
Passion.