HInduism

• Agni is the god of fire, the link between humans and gods
• an incarnation or manifestation of a deity in earthly form 


  Avatar
• Bhakti


  Intense devotion to a particular deity; often expressed through music
• Brahma


  A deity who is considered the creator of the universe and is a part of the Hindu holy trinity (Trimurti)
• Diwali


  The Hindu festival of lights that takes place at the end of October or the beginning of November celebrates the triumph of good over evil
• Hindu Trinity 


  A concept that unites the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva into one entity
• Krishna 


  The eighth incarnation of the god Vishnu
• Kshatriya 


  A member of the military caste in the caste system
• Mahabharata


  An epic Hindu poem, comprising of about 100,000 verses probably compiled between 400BCE and 400CE It tells the story of the struggle between two forces - the Pandavas and the Kauravas
• Meditation


  Deep concentration that leads to a trance-like state in which the individual tries to become one with brahman
• Om


  A sacred syllable that invokes the essence of Brahman when chanted. it is believed to be the sound of all reality
• Parvati 


  A mother goddess who represents female energy
• prasad


  a practice that involves redistributing food that has been offered to the deities to devotees (people who believe and practice Hinduism)
• Rama


  The seventh incarnation of Visnu the hero of the Hindu epic, Ramayana
• Shakti


  The generic name for all manifestations of female energy, which may be represented in as gentle or fierce
• Shiva 


  A deity who is considered the destroyer and restorer of the universe; part of the Hindu Trinity
• Shivism 


  A sect of Hinduism whose followers worship the god shiva. It is practiced predominantly in southern India
• Shruti


  Knowledge that is revealed to or "discovered" by the wise men of Hinduism (i.e content of the Vedas)
• Smriti


  Human-made literature, or knowledge that is "remembered" (content of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana)
• Sudra


  A member of the lowest caste system in Hinduism
• Swami 


  The holy men of Hinduism
• Upanayana Ceremony 


  Ancient Hindu thread ceremony for when a boy begins the student stage of life
• Vaishnavism


  A sect of Hinduism whose followers worship the god Vishnu. It is predominantly practiced in southern India
• Vishnu


  A deity who is considered the preserver of the universe; part of the Hindu trinity
• Yogi


  A spiritually evolved individual who practices medititation
• Ahimsa


  The principle of non violence
• Ascetic


  Someone who practices severe self-discipline or obtains from physical pleasures for religious purposes
• Atman


  The true self
• Bhagavad Gita


  A sacred Hindu story about Prince Arjuna and Krishna
• Caste


  A traditional Hindu social level or class
• Dharma


  One's personal code of conduct relating to family and society; ones duty
• guru 


  wise teacher
• Karma

  The law of cause and effect of ones actions having an impact on ones future life
• Mandir


  A hindu temple
• Mantra


  Sacred sounds, words or phrases repeated in ritual
• Maya


  An illusion
• Moksha


  Freedom or liberation from samsara or the cycle of rebirth
• Murti


  An image of a Hindu Deity
• Puja


  Hindu worship ceremony
• Ramayana


  An Hindu epic about prince Rana and sita