THE SELECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI
Vol-5 : Voice of Truth

Glossary

• Advaita: monism; non-duality or identity of the soul with Brahman
• Advaitism : doctrine of non-duality
• Advaitist : a believer in non-duality
• Ahimsa : non-violence; love
• Ananda : Joy; bliss
• Anekantavadi: a believer in many-sidedness of Reality
• Aparigraha : non-possession
• Ashrama : one of the four stages of life according to Hinduism; a hermitage; a place for disciplined community living
• Asteya : non-stealing
• Atman : spirit; soul
• Avatar : incarnation
• Bhajan : a religious song
• Bhakti : devotion
• Bhaktiyoga : the path of devotion
• Bhangi : a sweeper, a scavenger
• Brahma : the Divine Reality; the Universal Spirit
• Brahmachari : a celibate
• Brahmacharya: celibacy; pursuit in quest of god
• Chapati : thin flat cake made of flour; unleavened bread
• Charkha : a spinning wheel
• Chit : Knowledge
• Daridranarayan: God in the form of poor
• Dharma : religion; Duty
• Dvaitism : doctrine of duality
• Ganja : narcotic from the flower of Indian hemp
• Goonda : hooligan
• Goondaism : hooliganism
• Guru : a teacher, a spiritual guide
• Harijans : literally, the people of Hari, i.e. God; the name which Gandhiji gave to untouchables
• Hathayoga : a system of yoga in which the exercises of physical postures, poses and breathing are chiefly treated to discipline body and mind towards self-realization
• Hijarat : exodus or going away from one’s native land
• Himsa : violence
• Jam-i-Jam : universal provider
• Kalma : basic Muslim prayer
• Kalpadruma : a tree supposed to grant all desires
• Kamadhenu : the cow of plenty, supposed to fulfill all desires
• Kanyadana : giving away of daughter in marriage
• Karma : action
• Khaddar, Khadi: hand-spun and hand-woven cloth
• Kisan : peasant
• Mahatma : a great soul
• Mantra : a sacred formula, a sacred text used for repetition and meditation, a sacred incantation
• Moksha: salvation; freedom from birth and death
• Mukti: salvation
• Namaz : Muslim prayer
• Neti, Neti : not this, not this
• Nirvana : state of salvation, i.e., of absolute bliss & calm according to Buddihist thought
• Niyamas : rules; observances
• Pancha: arbitrator
• Panchama : one belonging to fifth caste, an outcaste
• Panchayat : village council consisting of five persons elected by the people
• Panchayat Raj: administration through Panchayat, i.e. the people
• Pariah : an outcaste
• Purna Swaraj : complete independence
• Raj : kingdom ; administration
• Ramanama : name of Rama—incarnation of God in Hindu religion, recitation of God’s name
• Rama Raj : Kingdom of Rama, beneficent rule
• Rishi : a seer
• Sadavrata : a place where free meals are served
• Sadhana : striving; practice, persistent effort
• Samadhi : state of ecstasy
• Sat : truth; that which exists
• Satya : truth
• Satyagraha : literally, holding on the truth; truth-force or soul-force
• Satyagrahi : one who practices Satyagraha
• Savarna : belonging to one of the four castes
• Shastra : a scripture
• Sthitaprajna : a man of steady wisdom
• Swadeshi : literally of one’s own country; insistence on the use of goods made in one’s own country, preferably hand-made and those too of the neighbours first
• Swaraj : self-government, home rule, independence
• Syadvad : the doctrine of “May be” in Jaina philosophy; an assertion of probability (in philosophy)
• Syadvadi : a believer in Syadvad
• Tabligh: religious propaganda and conversion
• Tapas : penance; religious austerity
• Tapasya : austerity, penance or asceticism
• Upanishadas : ancient philosophical writings of the Hindus
• Vaishnava : a devotee of Vishnu
• Varna : occupational division of Hindu society
• Varnadharma : duty enjoined by caste rules
• Varnashrama : four divisions of society according to occupations and of life into four stages, viz., student’s, householder’s, forest dweller’s and that of a recluse
• Vedas: scriptures of the Hindus
• Yajna: a sacrifice
• Yogi: one practicing religious discipline; an ascetic
• Zamindar : a landlord