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॥ लिङ्ग ध्यानम् ॥
लिङ्गमूर्तिं शिवं स्तुत्वा गायत्र्या योगमाप्तवान् ।
निर्वाणं परमं ब्रह्म वसिष्ठोऽन्यश्च शङ्करात् ॥

॥ liṅga dhyānam ॥
liṅgamūrtiṃ śivaṃ stutvā gāyatryā yogamāptavān ।
nirvāṇaṃ paramaṃ brahma vasiṣṭho’nyaśca śaṅkarāt ॥

॥ Meditation upon the Liṅgam ॥
The liṅgam is the embodiment of Śiva, and by praising it using the gāyatrī meter1 one will attain union (of ātman, the soul, with paramātman, the Supreme Spirit). Final liberation and union with the Supreme Divinity were granted to the sage Vasiṣṭha and others by śaṅkara (Lord Śiva).


अथ लिङ्गाष्टोत्तरशतनामावलिः ।

atha liṅgāṣṭottaraśatanāmāvaliḥ ।

And now the list of the 108 divine names of the śivaliṅgam.

ॐ लिङ्गमूर्तये नमः ॥ १ ॥

oṃ liṅgamūrtaye namaḥ ॥ 1 ॥

I bow to the form of the liṅgam.

ॐ शिवलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २ ॥

oṃ śivaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 2 ॥

I bow to the Lord Śiva as the liṅgam.

ॐ अद्भुतलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३ ॥

oṃ adbhutaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 3 ॥

I bow to the marvelous liṅgam.

ॐ अनुगतलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४ ॥

oṃ anugataliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 4 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam and its followers.

ॐ अव्यक्तलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५ ॥

oṃ avyaktaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 5 ॥

I bow to the unmanifested liṅgam.

ॐ अर्थलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६ ॥

oṃ arthaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 6 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that provides material prosperity.

ॐ अच्युतलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७ ॥

oṃ acyutaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 7 ॥

I bow to the imperishable liṅgam.

ॐ अनन्तलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८ ॥

oṃ anantaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 8 ॥

I bow to the infinite liṅgam.

ॐ अनेकलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९ ॥

oṃ anekaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 9 ॥

I bow to all the multifarious liṅgams.

ॐ अनेकस्वरूपलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १० ॥

oṃ anekasvarūpaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 10 ॥

I bow to the unlimited forms of the liṅgam.

ॐ अनादिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ११ ॥

oṃ anādiliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 11 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that has no beginning (i.e. has always existed).

ॐ आदिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १२ ॥

oṃ ādiliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 12 ॥

I bow to the original liṅgam.

ॐ आनन्दलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १३ ॥

oṃ ānandaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 13 ॥

I bow to the joyful liṅgam.

ॐ आत्मानन्दलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १४ ॥

oṃ ātmānandaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 14 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that brings joy to the soul.

ॐ अर्जितपापविनाशलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १५ ॥

oṃ arjitapāpavināśaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 15 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that destroys all accumulated sins.

ॐ आश्रितरक्षकलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १६ ॥

oṃ āśritarakṣakaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 16 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that provides refuge and protection.

ॐ इन्दुलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १७ ॥

oṃ induliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 17 ॥

I bow to the moon-like liṅgam.

ॐ इन्द्रियलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १८ ॥

oṃ indriyaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 18 ॥

I bow to the powerful liṅgam2.

ॐ इन्द्रादिप्रियलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १९ ॥

oṃ indrādipriyaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 19 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is precious to Indra and the other devas.

ॐ ईश्वरलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २० ॥

oṃ īśvaraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 20 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the Supreme Divinity.

ॐ ऊर्जितलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २१ ॥

oṃ ūrjitaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 21 ॥

I bow to the valiant and mighty liṅgam.

ॐ ऋग्वेदश्रुति लिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २२ ॥

oṃ ṛgvedaśrutiliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 22 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that has heard the ṛgveda.

ॐ एकलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २३ ॥

oṃ ekaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 23 ॥

I bow to the singular liṅgam.

ॐ ऐश्वर्यलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २४ ॥

oṃ aiśvaryaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 24 ॥

I bow to the majestic liṅgam.

ॐ Oम्̃कारलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २५ ॥

oṃ oṃkāraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 25 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the syllable “oṃ”.

ॐ ह्रीङ्कारलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २६ ॥

oṃ hrīṅkāraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 26 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the syllable “hrīṃ”.

ॐ कनकलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २७ ॥

oṃ kanakaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 27 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that shines like gold.

ॐ वेदलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २८ ॥

oṃ vedaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 28 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the knowledge of the vedas.

ॐ परमलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ २९ ॥

oṃ paramaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 29 ॥

I bow to the supreme liṅgam.

ॐ व्योमलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३० ॥

oṃ vyomaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 30 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the sky.

ॐ सहस्रलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३१ ॥

oṃ sahasraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 31 ॥

I bow to the thousand liṅgams.

ॐ अमृतलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३२ ॥

oṃ amṛtaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 32 ॥

I bow to the immortal liṅgam.

ॐ वह्निलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३३ ॥

oṃ vahniliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 33 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the sacrificial fire3.

ॐ पुराणलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३४ ॥

oṃ purāṇaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 34 ॥

I bow to the the ancient liṅgam4.

ॐ श्रुतिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३५ ॥

oṃ śrutiliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 35 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that hears.

ॐ पाताललिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३६ ॥

oṃ pātālaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 36 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of the underworld.

ॐ ब्रह्मलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३७ ॥

oṃ brahmaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 37 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as Lord Brahma.

ॐ रहस्यलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३८ ॥

oṃ rahasyaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 38 ॥

I bow to the mysterious liṅgam.

ॐ सप्तद्वीपोर्ध्वलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ३९ ॥

oṃ saptadvīpordhvaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 39 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that towers over the whole world5.

ॐ नागलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४० ॥

oṃ nāgaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 40 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam coiled by a serpent.

ॐ तेजोलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४१ ॥

oṃ tejoliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 41 ॥

I bow to the resplendent liṅgam.

ॐ ऊर्ध्वलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४२ ॥

oṃ ūrdhvaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 42 ॥

I bow to the upright liṅgam.

ॐ अथर्वलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४३ ॥

oṃ atharvaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 43 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the atharvaveda.

ॐ सामलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४४ ॥

oṃ sāmaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 44 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the sāmaveda.

ॐ यज्ञाङ्गलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४५ ॥

oṃ yajñāṅgaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 45 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is required to complete the sacrificial ritual.

ॐ यज्ञलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४६ ॥

oṃ yajñaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 46 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the sacrificial ritual.

ॐ तत्त्वलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४७ ॥

oṃ tattvaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 47 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of true principles.

ॐ देवलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४८ ॥

oṃ devaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 48 ॥

I bow to the divine liṅgam.

ॐ विग्रहलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ४९ ॥

oṃ vigrahaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 49 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is an image of the Supreme Being.

ॐ भावलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५० ॥

oṃ bhāvaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 50 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of devotional consciousness6.

ॐ रजोलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५१ ॥

oṃ rajoliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 51 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the rajasik — active, neither good nor bad — quality of nature (see footnote for guṇas, below).

ॐ सत्त्वलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५२ ॥

oṃ sattvaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 52 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the sattvik — good, pure — quality of nature (see footnote for guṇas, below).

ॐ स्वर्ण लिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५३ ॥

oṃ svarṇaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 53 ॥

I bow to the golden liṅgam.

ॐ स्फटिकलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५४ ॥

oṃ sphaṭikaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 54 ॥

I bow to the crystalline liṅgam.

ॐ भवलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५५ ॥

oṃ bhavaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 55 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of created existence.

ॐ त्रैगुण्यलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५६ ॥

oṃ traiguṇyaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 56 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that encompasses all three guṇas7.

ॐ मन्त्रलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५७ ॥

oṃ mantraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 57 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of mantras.

ॐ पुरुषलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५८ ॥

oṃ puruṣaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 58 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of humankind.

ॐ सर्वात्मलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ५९ ॥

oṃ sarvātmaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 59 ॥

I bow to the souls of all beings as the liṅgam.

ॐ सर्वलोकाङ्गलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६० ॥

oṃ sarvalokāṅgaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 60 ॥

I bow to every being in every world8 as the liṅgam.

ॐ बुद्धिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६१ ॥

oṃ buddhiliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 61 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of objective wisdom.

ॐ अहङ्कारलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६२ ॥

oṃ ahaṅkāraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 62 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of the individualized Self (the sense of separation of the individual from the Supreme Being; the ego).

ॐ भूतलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६३ ॥

oṃ bhūtaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 63 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the five elements of creation (mahābhūta: ākāśa (ether), vāyu (air), tejas (fire), āpa (water), and pṛthvī, earth).

ॐ महेश्वरलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६४ ॥

oṃ maheśvaraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 64 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the supreme deity (Lord Śiva).

ॐ सुन्दरलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६५ ॥

oṃ sundaraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 65 ॥

I bow to the beautiful liṅgam.

ॐ सुरेश्वरलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६६ ॥

oṃ sureśvaraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 66 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the Supreme Lord of all divine beings.

ॐ सुरेशलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६७ ॥

oṃ sureśaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 67 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the lord of the gods.

ॐ महेशलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६८ ॥

oṃ maheśaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 68 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the great Lord.

ॐ शङ्करलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ६९ ॥

oṃ śaṅkaraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 69 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the cause of all auspiciousness.

ॐ दानवनाशलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७० ॥

oṃ dānavanāśaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 70 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the annihilator of demonic forces.

ॐ रविचन्द्रलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७१ ॥

oṃ ravicandraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 71 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as both the sun and the moon.

ॐ रूपलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७२ ॥

oṃ rūpaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 72 ॥

I bow to the essential nature of the liṅgam.

ॐ प्रपञ्चलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७३ ॥

oṃ prapañcaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 73 ॥

I bow to the expansive liṅgam.

ॐ विलक्षणलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७४ ॥

oṃ vilakṣaṇaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 74 ॥

I bow to the myriad forms of the liṅgam.

ॐ तापनिवारणलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७५ ॥

oṃ tāpanivāraṇaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 75 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that prevents suffering.

ॐ स्वरूपलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७६ ॥

oṃ svarūpaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 76 ॥

I bow to the characteristic nature of the liṅgam.

ॐ सर्वलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७७ ॥

oṃ sarvaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 77 ॥

I bow to all liṅgams (or the liṅgam that is everything).

ॐ प्रियलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७८ ॥

oṃ priyaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 78 ॥

I bow to the precious liṅgam.

ॐ रामलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ७९ ॥

oṃ rāmaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 79 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is Lord Rāma.

ॐ मूर्तिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८० ॥

oṃ mūrtiliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 80 ॥

I bow to the form of the liṅgam.

ॐ महोन्नतलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८१ ॥

oṃ mahonnataliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 81 ॥

I bow to the immensely tall liṅgam.

ॐ वेदान्तलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८२ ॥

oṃ vedāntaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 82 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the embodiment of the teachings of the upaniṣads.

ॐ विश्वेश्वरलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८३ ॥

oṃ viśveśvaraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 83 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the lord of the universe.

ॐ योगिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८४ ॥

oṃ yogiliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 84 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the accomplished yogi (one who has achieved union of consciousness with the soul, and the soul with the Supreme Being).

ॐ हृदयलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८५ ॥

oṃ hṛdayaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 85 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam of the heart.

ॐ चिन्मयलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८६ ॥

oṃ cinmayaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 86 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as pure consciousness9.

ॐ चिद्घनलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८७ ॥

oṃ cidghanaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 87 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as condensed consciousness (usually referring to ātman, the individualized soul).

ॐ महादेवलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८८ ॥

oṃ mahādevaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 88 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the Great Divinity (Lord Śiva).

ॐ लङ्कापुरलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ८९ ॥

oṃ laṅkāpuraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 89 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the city of Laṅkā.

ॐ ललितलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९० ॥

oṃ lalitaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 90 ॥

I bow to the charming, playful liṅgam.

ॐ चिदम्बरलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९१ ॥

oṃ cidambaraliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 91 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is clothed only in consciousness.

ॐ नारदसेवितलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९२ ॥

oṃ nāradasevitaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 92 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is attended to by the divine sage Nārada.

ॐ कमललिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९३ ॥

oṃ kamalaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 93 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the pink lotus flower.

ॐ कैलासलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९४ ॥

oṃ kailāsaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 94 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the holy Mount Kailāsa.

ॐ करुणारसलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९५ ॥

oṃ karuṇārasaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 95 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the feeling of compassion.

ॐ शान्तलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९६ ॥

oṃ śāntaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 96 ॥

I bow to liṅgam of divine peace.

ॐ गिरिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९७ ॥

oṃ giriliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 97 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam in the mountains.

ॐ वल्लभलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९८ ॥

oṃ vallabhaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 98 ॥

I bow to the most precious liṅgam

ॐ शङ्करात्मजलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ ९९ ॥

oṃ śaṅkarātmajaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 99 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam as the self-created source of all auspiciousness.

ॐ सर्वजनपूजितलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०० ॥

oṃ sarvajanapūjitaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 100 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is worshipped by all peoples.

ॐ सर्वपातकनाशनलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०१ ॥

oṃ sarvapātakanāśanaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 101 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that obliterates all transgressions.

ॐ गौरिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०२ ॥

oṃ gauriliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 102 ॥

I bow to the radiant liṅgam.

ॐ वेदस्वरूपलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०३ ॥

oṃ vedasvarūpaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 103 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam whose very essence is the wisdom of the vedas.

ॐ सकलजनप्रियलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०४ ॥

oṃ sakalajanapriyaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 104 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is precious to all humankind.

ॐ सकलजगद्रक्षकलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०५ ॥

oṃ sakalajagadrakṣakaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 105 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam that is the guardian of all worlds.

ॐ इष्टकाम्यार्थफलसिद्धिलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०६ ॥

oṃ iṣṭakāmyārthaphalasiddhiliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 106 ॥

I bow to the liṅgam whose ceremonial worship grants fulfillment of all material desires.

ॐ शोभितलिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०७ ॥

oṃ śobhitaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 107 ॥

I bow to the beautifully adorned liṅgam.

ॐ मङ्गललिङ्गाय नमः ॥ १०८ ॥

oṃ maṅgalaliṅgāya namaḥ ॥ 108 ॥

I bow to the auspicious liṅgam.

इति लिङ्गाष्टोत्तर शत नामावलि समाप्तः

iti liṅgāṣṭottaraśatanāmāvali samāptaḥ

Thus concludes the list of the 108 divine names of the śivaliṅgam.

  1. Gāyatrī is the name of a form of ādiparāśakti, the supreme goddess. It is also the name of a poetic meter consisting of three verses of 8 syllables each. The famous gāyatrī mantra, composed in said meter, was given to the great sage Viśvāmitra by Gāyatrī Devi. The mantra is traditionally prefaced with the phrase “oṃ bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ”, but that is not technically part of the mantra. The actual mantra is as follows:

    oṃ tatsaviturvareṇyam
    bhargo devasyadhīmahi ।
    dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt ॥

    It is very common for different deities to have their own gāyatrī mantras, consisting of 24 syllables. I have composed one such gāyatrī mantra for the śivaliṅgam. It is as follows:

    oṃ śivarūpāya vidmahe
    devāvyaktāya dhīmahi ।
    tannoliṅgaḥ pracodayāt ॥

    “Let us envision the essential nature of Lord Śiva. Let us meditate on the unmanifested divinity. May the Śivaliṅgam ever inspire our efforts.”

  2. Indriya means a power or a force, and is derived from the name of the god Indra. The term is most often associated with ten organs of the human body: five organs of perception for perceiving the world (jñānendriyāṇi, i.e. eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin, the five senses), and five organs of action for interacting with the world (karmendriyāṇi, i.e. larynx for speaking, hands for doing, feet for moving, anus for eliminating, and genitals for procreating).

  3. Vahni means “conveyance” or “one who carries”, and very often refers to the god of fire Agni, who is seen as the conveyor of oblations to the gods during a sacrificial fire. During a yajña, or fire ceremony, Agni is invoked and worshipped first, and then is asked to carry all the offerings made to the fire to whichever deity is being worshipped.

  4. Purāṇa means “ancient” or “belonging to ancient times”, and usually refers to a group of scriptures compiled by the great sage Vyāsa. These purāṇas are the “histories” of the Hindu pantheon, and contain most the stories of the gods that we know today.

  5. The purāṇas describe the geography of the world as being made up of seven islands, called “saptadvīpa”. Some modern indologists consider these to be the seven continents.

  6. Bhāva means “emotional state of being, condition, disposition”, and very often refers to an elevated state of consciousness (akin to samādhi, but to a lesser degree), achieved through bhakti, or devotional practices. The five bhāvas of bhakti are:

    • śāntabhāva — a calm, peaceful mental state.
    • dāsyabhāva — a feeling of being the Lord’s devoted servant.
    • sākhyabhāva — the feeling of being the Lord’s dear friend (exemplified by the relationship of Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa).
    • vātsalyabhāva — the feeling of a mother’s love towards her child (exemplified by Yaśoda’s love for the child Kṛṣṇa).
    • mādhuryabhāva — the feeling of a lover for their beloved (exemplified by Rādhā’s love for Kṛṣṇa).
  7. The word guṇa means “quality”, “aspect”, or “tendency”. The three main guṇas are part of the sāṃkhya school of Hindu philosophy (though they were later widely adopted by most other schools, especially vedānta). They are: sattva (purity, balance, goodness), rajas (activity, passion, neither goodness nor badness), and tamas (impurity, chaos, badness). It is a general principle that associating with activities, materials, or individuals that are predominantly sattvik can facilitate spiritual growth, while associating with predominantly tamasik ones can be a spiritual hindrance.

  8. Sarvaloka can mean “all worlds” or it can mean “the whole world”. It can also mean “everyone (in the world)” or “all beings (of the world)”. Aṅga means “limb”, “subdivision”, or “constituent piece”.

  9. Cinmaya means “made of pure consciousness”, and is used to describe the Supreme Spirit itself, as well as the undifferentiated universe created from the consciousness of the Supreme Spirit.