Glossary

GLOSSARY

Mrs. Anjali Mukul Gadgil
Mrs. Anjali Gadgil has been doing spiritual practice under the Sanatan organization’s guidance since August of 2001. She has progressed rapidly on the Path of Guru’s grace since then. Her primary spiritual practice is music for attaining God. Under His Holiness (H. H.) Dr. Athavale’s guidance, she has provided spiritually effective tunes of various chants to invoke particular Forms of Divine Principles (Deities) and divine frequencies. As a part of spiritual practice, she also looked after the Sanatan organization’s Subtle Department for several months. Since late 2003,at the instruction of H. H. Dr. Athavale, she has started receiving guidance directly from the Teaching Aspect of God, namely, the Guru principle. When co-compiling this Holy text on ego destruction, she has also shared her efforts and success in reducing the ego.

Shri Gagangiri Maharaj
A Paratpar Guru from Gaganbavda, India, who is spreading knowledge of the Sanatan Sanskruti (culture) since last century.

Gajanan Maharaj
A Saint from the town of Akkalkot in Maharashtra, India. He lived in the 17^th century.

Lord Ganapati

Principle of Absolute Knowledge. Lord Ganapati is the vanquisher of obstacles and is the One Who converts the language of light into the language of sound. Also known as Lord Ganesh.

Lord Ganesh
Another Name for Lord Ganapati. See also Shri Ganeshaya Namaha.

Ganesh Atharvashirsha
Sanskrut prayer to Lord Ganesh, seeking His protection and blessings.

Ganesh panchayatam
A group of five deities in which Lord Ganesh is the main deity.

Ganga
Flowing from its source in the Himalayas down through the plains to the Bay of Bengal, the river Ganga is considered to be the most sacred river in India, and all the land through which the river flows is considered holy.

Gayatri Mantra
A mantra (chant) of the sun deity, hence related to the Tej Principle.

Ghee
Clarified butter. A sattvik form of butter commonly used in Indian foods and Hindu rituals.

Gita
One of the world's greatest works of spiritual literature, a part of the epic Mahabharata. In the Gita, Lord Krushna (the complete incarnation of Lord Vishnu) explains the paths to Final Liberation to Arjun (Disciple of Lord Krushna) on the battlefield.

Give-and-Take Account Center
A center in the subconscious mind where the accumulated account (sanchit) of our actions are stored.

Saint Godbole Maharaj
A Saint from Madhya Pradesh, India.

Gomutra
Cow's urine - it is sattvik and especially effective in warding off negative energies.

Saint Gondavalekar
A Saint who advocated the path of chanting and was a devotee of Lord Rama.

Gramadevata
The deity of a village.

Granth
A Holy text in the Sikh religion. See Guru Granth Sahib.

Gross
That which is within the comprehension of the five senses, mind and intellect.

Gruhasthashrama
The stage of life of a married householder.

Gujarati
The local language spoken in Gujarat, India.

Saint Gulabrao Maharaj
A Saint from Maharashtra, India.

Shri Vamanravji Gulavni Maharaj
A Guru from Maharashtra, India.

Guru
The manifest form of the teaching principle of God.
'Gu' refers to darkness assuming the form of ignorance. 'Ru' refers to radiance in the form of spiritual knowledge. This radiance dispels the darkness of ignorance. Thus, the Guru is One Who with His radiance, dispels the darkness of ignorance in His disciple. A Guru is of at least a 70 % spiritual level.

Gurubandhu (Gurubrethren)
Co-seekers or other disciples under the grace of the same Guru.

Gurucharitra (Srigurucharitra)
A composition on the lives of H.H. Shripad Shrivallabh and H.H. Shri Narasinha Saraswati, the incarnations of Lord Dattatreya, Who is considered to be the Guru of all Gurus.

Gurudakshina
Offering made by a disciple to his Guru upon completion of his studies.

Gurudev
Respectful way of addressing one’s Guru.

Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Granth Sahib is a Granth (book) originally compiled by the Fifth Guru and named as Adi Granth, and later recompiled by all the gurus that followed him. Guru Granth Sahib was appointed as the Eleventh Guru by Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. It is the ultimate teacher of the Sikhs. More detailed information can be found at http://www.sgpc.net/sikhism/guru-granth-sahib.html.

Gurudwara
Literally, it means '(doors of) the Guru's abode'. It is a Sikh holy place or place of worship.

Guruji
Respectful way of addressing a Guru.

Gurukul
Schools - generally, outdoors - in ancient India, where the teaching was on all areas of life, including spiritual practice and was done by Gurus or Sages.

Gurukrupayoga
Guru means a Spiritual master, ‘krupa’ means grace and yoga means pathway leading to the union with God. Hence, the Path of Guru's Grace. No matter which path one follows, the path of Action, Knowledge, Meditation, Yoga or Devotion, ultimately all preach the same thing, that salvation is attainable only with the grace of a Guru. Spiritual practice according to the Path of Guru's grace incorporates:

	Repetition of The Lord's Name (Based on one's religion of birth, i.e., Christian - Hail Jesus or Hail Mary (Catholic); Islam - Allah ho Akbar; Hindu - Family Deity; Jews - Jehovah or Adonai; Buddhist - Namo Buddhaya, etc.)
	Spiritual meetings (Satsangs)
	Service in the cause of the Absolute Truth (Satseva)
	Sacrifice unto the Absolute Truth (Tyag)
	Unconditional Spiritual love. (Priti)

Gurumantra
Upon being accepted by a Guru, a disciple receives a Gurumantra. Though the word Gurumantra includes the word mantra in it, it mostly implies to which Name of the Lord a disciple should chant. The Gurumantra does not contain mere letters but has spiritual knowledge, divine consciousness and the Guru's blessings. Due to these the spiritual progress of the disciple is rapid.

Guru Nanak

Guru Nanak was the founder of the Sikh religion. He was born on October 20, 1469, Talwandi, India (today's Pakistan.) His goal was to unify the Hindus and Muslims. So he studied both religions and founded Sikhism, which combined the principles of both. 'Sikh' means 'disciple'. Guru Nanak taught that one can make spiritual progress only through the grace and guidance of a Guru. Guru Nanak worked incessantly for the spiritual evolution of humanity. He spread the importance of chanting The Lord's Name. He started the institution of 'Sangat' and 'Pangat' (free kitchen.) 'Sangat' referred to remaining in satsang and 'Pangat' to the free kitchen, giving opportunities for satseva. In both these institutions, men and women were welcomed irrespective of caste, color or creed. It was a community life. "Dana Pani Guru Ka, Taihal Bhawna Sikhan Ki" was a common saying of the time, which means, "Provisions are made by Providence (God) and service is rendered by the Sikhs." Sikhism has spread not only in North India, but also in America, Singapore and Africa. He renounced His body on September 22, 1539 at Kartarpur Sahib, Punjab (a state in India.)

Guru Principle (Gurutattva)
Unmanifest form of the Guru (God) Who guides seekers.

Gurupaurnima (Gurupournima, Gurupurnima)
It is the pure full moon day of the Hindu calendar month of Ashadh. This day/festival is celebrated every year to express gratitude unto the Guru (Principle). The ArchGuru, Shri (or Sage) Vyas (founder of Guru lineage) is worshipped on this day. This festival is a greatest festival in the life of a seeker. Of course, even this celebration in gratitude to the Guru is done for the seeker's spiritual progress, since the Guru is a manifest form of the Lord Himself. The Guru Principle is a thousand times more active on this day than any other through out the year. Under the pretext of this celebration, the festival provides an unmatchable opportunity to progress spiritually through service and sacrifice unto the Truth. That is why, seekers and disciples participate in this mission for the Truth with all their body, wealth, and mind. Many have had spiritual experiences proving the truth behind this.

Guruprapti
When a Guru accepts one as His disciple, it is known as Guruprapti. This happens when a seeker reaches a minimum spiritual level of 55%, and has sacrificed more than 50% of his body, mind and wealth.

Gurupujan
Ritualistic worship of the Guru.

Gurpurbs
Gurpurbs are Sikh festivals celebrating holy days associated with anniversaries - Sikh Guru's birth or death, martyrdom day and anniversary of the installation of the Adi Granth Sahib. Gurupurb literally means the Guru's Remembrance Day

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