Kuru dynasty, 13, 71, 72–73
Kurukshetra, 13, 14–15
L
lila, 149 lotus, 125, 149
love: of God, 204–6; selfless, 170
M
madbhavam, 158
Madhusudana, 237
Mahabharata: basis in actual events, 15; defined, 13; and human good and evil, 237; Krishna in, 113; and Kurukshetra, 13, 14–15; as metaphor,
; and morality of war, 75; relationship of Bhagavad Gita to, 14, 18–
Mallory, George Leigh, 8 manas, 39 mantram: Krishna as, 181; Om as, 161, 181, 245; Om Tat Sat as, 245
maya: about, 28–30; in Bhagavad Gita, 150; defined, 28, 150; and Krishna,
112, 150; in Rig Veda, 151; in Sankhya philosophy, 150; in Vedanta, 150; and wheel of time, 254
meditation: consciousness in, 26; evidence in Indus Valley, 16; final stage, 26, 192; finding place for, 135–36; and one-pointed mind, 135, 136; reasons for doing, 134, 205; as samadhi, 125–26; unity within, 26; and yoga, 134; see also raja yoga
Meera, 126
mind: and change, 25; comparing to flame, 137; as field of forces, 25, 37,
43, 46, 212; in final stage of meditation, 26, 192; at hour of death,
158–59, 160; impact of selflessness on, 53, 59; levels of awareness, 26; making one-pointed, 135, 136; and material elements, 41; and renunciation, 51; role in directing the soul toward rebirth, 158; and Sankhya, 37, 39–40; still, 47–48; training, 87, 137–38; see also consciousness moha, 150–51 Mohammed, 56, 203
moksha, 24, 30, 126, 252 morality of war, 74–75
Moses, 56, 134
Muhammad, see Mohammed
mukta, 126
N
Nakula, 72 nirvana, 30, 52 nirvikalpa samadhi, 192
nishkama karma, 52, 53
O
offerings, 114, 171; see also yajna Om (mantram), 161, 181, 245
Om Tat Sat (mantram), 245
Oppenheimer, Robert, 193
P
pada, 230
Pandavas, 72, 73
Patanjali, 133, 159, 192
Paul, St., 205
Perennial Philosophy, 17, 18, 22 physics, 24–25, 29, 37, 44, 164 pipal trees, 229 Prahlada, 181
prakriti: about, 37, 43–44, 56; aspects of, 212; components of, 211; as field, 212, 213; and gunas, 43, 221–23; and karma, 212; nature of, 221–23; in Sankhya philosophy, 148; union with Purusha, 148 pranas, 160–61, 231
Purusha: defined, 37, 38; as knower, 213; liberation from gunas, 222–23; in Sankhya philosophy, 148; Shiva as, 214; union with prakriti, 148; in Upanishads, 151
Purushottama, 179
R
raja yoga, 49, 134; see also meditation
rajas: defined, 44, 45; as one of three gunas, 44, 46, 102, 103, 243, 244–45; as quality of prakriti, 221, 222; transforming tamas into, 47; and work, 253
rakshasas, 244
Rama, 181, 237
Ramakrishna, 126, 147–48
Ramana Maharshi, 126
Ramayana, 181 Ravana, 237
realization, see Self-realization; vijnana rebirth, 84, 111–12, 170 reincarnation, 35; see also rebirth
renunciation: and Bhagavad Gita, 51, 53–54; defined, 58; as essence of Bhagavad Gita, 51; and gunas, 252; as path to real peace of mind, 206; sannyasa type vs. tyaga type, 251–52 Rig Veda, 16, 22, 151, 181, 230 rishis, 17, 24
Rudra, 181
Ruysbroeck, Jan van, 27, 29, 57
S
sada, 126
sadhana, 244 sadhu, 136, 172, 212 Sahadeva, 72 samabuddhi, 135
samadhi: Arjuna’s, 191–93; defined, 30; at moment of death, 161; nirvikalpa, 192; potter’s wheel analogy, 59; savikalpa, 192; as state of profound meditation, 125–26, 179 samsara, 24, 35, 84, 86
Sanjaya, 74, 255
Sankhya philosophy: about, 37–38; categories of gunas in, 102–3, 253; defined, 37; and mango analogy, 40; mind and matter, 38–43; prakriti and Purusha in, 37–38, 148; vs. yoga, 37, 124 sannyasa, 123, 124, 251; see also renunciation Sanskrit language, 16 sat, 245
sattva: defined, 44, 45; harnessing energy of rajas into, 47; as one of three gunas, 44, 46, 102, 243, 244; as quality of prakriti, 221, 222; and spiritual disciplines, 244; and work, 253 savikalpa samadhi, 192
Self: Atman as, 30; at climax of meditation, 26, 48; at conception, 231; and gunas, 46; and Krishna, 22, 58, 180, 181, 229; relationship to action, 56, 113; see also Atman self-discipline, 135, 244
Self-knowledge, 60, 125
Self-realization, 58–59, 83–87, 134 self-will, 52–53 selfishness, 51, 102; see also renunciation selfless action, 51–52, 53, 99, 124–25; see also karma yoga selfless love (bhakti), 170 selfless service, 57–58, 99–103, 114, 124, 244 senses: as “gates” of body, 160; and sense objects, 41–43; training, 87
Sermon on the Mount, 14, 20, 60 Shakti, 213–14 shama, 134
Shankara, 18, 37, 59, 126, 181
Shaw, Bernard, 62 Shiva, 16, 22, 181, 213, 214 shraddha, 63–65, 243–44
shruti, 18 siddhi, 253–54
soul, see jiva
sudurachara, 172
T
tamas: defined, 44, 45; as one of three gunas, 44, 46, 102, 103, 243, 244, 245; as quality of prakriti, 221–22; transforming into rajas, 47; and work, 253 tanha, 52 tanmatras, 41 tapas, 244–45 Tat, 230, 245 tattvas, 38–43
Teresa of Avila, St., 62, 126, 192 Troy, 15 turiya, 28, 29–30
tyaga, 206, 251–52
U
unity: in climax of meditation, 26; discovering, 42; glimpsing, 126; as goal of evolution, 47; as multiplicity, 29–30; as state of consciousness, 28; unitive state, 27, 28 universe, cyclical, 157, 163–64
Upanishads: about, 8–9, 23–24; account of death process, 36, 159–60, 161; as background for Bhagavad Gita, 22–36; discoveries of brahmavidya in, 17–18; as minimum sources of Hinduism, 18; and Perennial Philosophy, 18; and pranas, 231; Purusha in, 151; states of consciousness in, 28; in Vedas, 18; vs. Bhagavad Gita, 22, 203–4
V
Varuna, 23, 181
Vasudeva, 182
Vedanta, 150
Vedas, 18, 169–70, 181, 203, 230 vibhutis, 179, 182 vijnana, 147, 148, 150
Vishnu: as Creator, 149; defined, 112; Krishna as, 71, 112, 113, 180, 192; measuring cosmos, 230; role of Brahma in, 149; Shiva and Shakti, 214
Vrishni, 182
Vyasa, 19, 21, 74, 182, 255
W
wheel of time, 254 wisdom, see jnana; vijnana work, see selfless action world-tree, 229
worship, see yajna
Y
Yadavas, 71 yajna, 57, 114 yoga: and Bhagavad Gita, 22, 48–49; bhakti, 49; central principle, 47; common meaning, 51; defined, 30, 85, 134; jnana, 48, 50, 101–2; karma, 49, 50, 51–52, 99–103, 114, 124–25, 134; raja, 49, 134; significance of word, 56; vs. Sankhya, 124
Yoga, as school of meditation, 37 Yoga, Lord of, 16, 193 yoga psychology, 37–48
Yoga Sutras, 133, 159, 192 Yogeshvara, 16
yogis: in Bhagavad Gita, 133–35; defined, 134; role in process of death, 159–60, 161; true, 135 Yudhishthira, 72, 73 yugas, 164
