Repeating (chanting) of the Name of the Lord that occurs automatically. It is so named as it is the intermediate stage between Vaikhari and Pashyanti modes of chanting.
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Madhyama Repeating (chanting) of the Name of the Lord that occurs automatically. It is so named as it is the intermediate stage between Vaikhari and Pashyanti modes of chanting. |
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Mahabharata A Hindu scripture written by Sage Vyas, which depicts the epic battle between the descendents of the king and saint Bharata. That is, the great battle between the Pandavas and the evil Kauravas. This holy text shows how evil was overcome by God’s grace (Lord Krushna’s support) for the Pandavas. |
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Mahagayatri
purascharan Chanting the Gayatri mantra 2.4 million times. |
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Mahalok Fourth of the seven regions (lokas) of the universe. |
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Mahaprasad A dinner after holy celebration to partake the holy sacrament offered to God during the celebration/worship. |
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Mahapurascharan Mahagayatri purascharan or chanting the Gayatri mantra 2.4 million times. |
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Maharaj A respectful way of addressing religious scholars, Saints, kings, etc., in India. |
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Mahatma 'A great soul' - the title bestowed on Gandhiji by the Indian people. |
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Mahatma
Gandhi 'Father of modern India', who led India to its freedom from the British rule using spiritual principles, such as non-violence. |
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Mahesh Another Name for Lord Shiva. |
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Mandal Sprinkling a thin circular line of water mixed with holy ash around any object to protect it from negative energy. |
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Mrs.
Mangala Marathe A senior seeker of the Sanatan in Goa, India. She is presently doing the satseva of heading the department of development of spiritual emotion and removal of negative energy in seekers. |
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Mandir Temple. |
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Mantrik A practitioner of mantra. |
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Sage Manu A great sage of the Hindu philosophy. |
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Manusmruti A Hindu holy text. |
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Marak See Destroyer (of evil) aspect of the divine principle. |
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Marathi A language spoken in Maharashtra, India. |
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Maruti A Deity in the Hindu religion Whose worship results in removal of negative energies. He is also known as Lord Hanuman. His five aspects are:
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Maruti
Stotra Prayer in Marathi to Lord Hanuman. |
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Mass Ritualistic celebration in the Roman Catholic Church and some Protestant churches. |
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Math A hermitage for renunciants (Sannyasis). |
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Matzo A type of unleavened bread. |
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Maya The Great Illusion. |
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Saint
Meerabai (Mirabai) Daughter of King Ratansingh of Udaypur, India and a great devotee of Lord Krushna. |
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Messiah Messiah means the 'anointed' or chosen one, from the Aramaic and Hebrew languages. The term is used to describe the mission of Jesus. |
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Minakshi The Principle of Multiplication of Creation. One of the five principle deities (Panchadevata). |
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Moksha Final Liberation. Being perpetually in the state of Bliss, which is defined as the most superlative happiness. |
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Prophet
Mohammad Prophet Mohammad [Peace be upon Him] was born in Makkah around 570 C. E. [Christian era]. He was the last prophet of Islam. Not much is known about His spiritual practice until the age of 35. In the year 605 C. E., the draperies on the outer wall of the Ka'bah took fire and the reconstruction of the Ka'bah was undertaken. On the wall of the Ka'bah, a black stone had been set to identify the place where to begin the ritual of circumambulation, probably by Prophet Abraham Himself. Mohammad [Peace be upon Him] was known as appellation of al-Amin [the honest]. Hence, the stone was set in its proper place by Mohammad [Peace be upon Him] with everybody's consent. It was from this moment that Mohammad [Peace be upon Him] became more and more absorbed in Spirituality. He used to retire to a cave in Jabal-an-Nur (mountain of light) during the whole month of Ramadan. The cave was called `Ghar-i-Hira' or the cave of research. There, He used to pray, meditate and share His meager provisions with all travelers who happened to pass by. He was forty years old at the time, and it was the fifth consecutive year since his annual retreats to the mountain of light (Jabal-an-Nur), when one night towards the end of the month of Ramadan, an angel visited Him. The angel announced that God had chosen Mohammad as God's messenger to all mankind. The angel taught Mohammad the mode of ablutions, the way of worship and the 'conduct of prayer'. The divine revelations came in fragments to Prophet Mohammad through out His life. The Prophet began preaching these divine teachings among the masses. He emphasized the understanding that the Truth is One, that is, there is but One God. Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon Him) started to document the divine revelations (Glorious Kuran) He was receiving, and encouraged His followers to learn and practice them well. He continued to spread the divine teachings all through His life. |
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Mosque A place of worship for those who practice the religion of Islam. |
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Mother
Mary Mother of Jesus Christ, wife of Joseph. She conceived Jesus as a virgin through the Holy Spirit. |
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The
Mother of Pondicheri 'The Mother', as she fondly came to be known, was born Mirra Alfassa in Paris, France on February 21,1878. Her spiritual potential was evident from an early age itself. She went to Tlemcen, Algeria, in 1906 and 1907 to study Spirituality with Max Theon and his wife Alma. Between 1911 and 1913 she gave a number of talks on Spirituality to various groups of seekers in Paris. In 1914 the Mother voyaged to Pondichery, Southern India, to visit Shri. Aurobindo. He accepted Mother as His disciple and guided Her on the spiritual path. Mother had to return to France at the time the First World War started. After four years in Japan, in 1920, Mother rejoined Shri Aurobindo in Pondichery. Six years later, when the Shri Aurobindo Ashram was founded, Shri Aurobindo entrusted it to Mother. Under Mother's guidance and inspiration (which covers nearly fifty years) the Ashram flowered into a large and multi-faceted spiritual community as it is at present. She also established a school "Sri Aurobindo International Center of Education" in 1952, and an international township "Auroville" in 1968. The Mother renounced Her body on November 17, 1973. |
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Saint
Mouli Baba A Saint from Nanded, India. |
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Mudras Mud means to impart Bliss. This is the root from which the word mudra is derived. The word mudra has two meanings; a symbol (e.g., abhaymudra – the sign of protection) and an act imparting Bliss. According to the spiritual practice and sects, mudras acquire different meanings. For more information on mudras, refer to Science of Spirituality: Vol 15: Path of Deliberate Rigour (Hathayoga). |
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Mukti
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Mumukshutva Intense motivation for Liberation from the cycle of birth and death. |
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Muni Lit. “one who is silent.” An enlightened person, a classification of sage. See also “Rushi.” |
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