Terms & Concepts
Abba
(אבא)
— An Aramaic term for 'Father' used by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, signifying an intimate relationship with the Divine.
Abhāva
(अभाव)
— Non-being or absence; a pramāṇa that reveals knowledge through the non-existence of an object.
Adharma
(अधर्म)
— The opposite of Dharma; injustice, chaos, or the failure to perform one's ethical duty.
Adhikara
(अधिकार)
— Authority, control, or right; specifically used in Gītā 2:47 regarding control over action but not results.
Adhikāra
(अधिकार)
— The qualifications, eligibility, or authority required to perform specific Vedic rituals or pursue certain spiritual paths.
Adikara
— The qualifications or authority required for a person to perform a specific Vedic ritual.
Advaita
(अद्वैत)
— A non-dualistic school of Hindu theology that explores the relationship between the knower and the known.
Discussed in:
02/10/2026,
02/03/2026,
02/17/2026,
01/29/2026,
02/19/2026,
02/24/2026,
01/29/2026,
01/27/2026,
03/24/2026,
03/17/2026,
04/14/2026
Aham Brahmasmi
— The Mahavakya from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad meaning 'I am Brahman.'
Ahamkara
— Literally the 'I-maker'; the internal faculty or ego that creates a sense of individual identity.
Ahaṃ brahmāsmi
(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)
— 'I am Brahman'; one of the four mahāvākyas expressing the identity of the self with the ultimate reality.
Ahiṃsā
(अहिंसा)
— The principle of 'no harm' or non-violence, central to the Jain tradition.
Anubhava
(अनुभव)
— Direct, intuitive experience or realization of theological truths, such as non-duality.
Anumāna
(अनुमान)
— Logical inference or the 'thinking that comes after' perception, such as inferring the existence of fire from the sight of smoke.
Aramaic
— The native language of Jesus and the likely first language of the author of Mark, influencing the text's Greek grammar.
Artha
(अर्थ)
— Material wealth and worldly success, considered one of the four valid goals of human life.
Astika
(आस्तिक)
— A theologian who accepts the authority of the Veda; in the transcript, the instructor uses this term (transcribed as 'nastika') to describe one who says 'yes' to the Veda.
Atman
(आत्मन्)
— The individual self or soul, discussed in relation to its unity with the universal essence.
AUM
(ओम्)
— A sacred syllable representing the totality of knowledge and the source of all words and vowels.
Avatar
— A divine descent; the act of God coming down to Earth in a specific form to restore order or fix what is broken.
Avatara
(अवतार)
— Meaning 'descent,' it refers to the incarnation of a deity on earth as an act of grace.
Avatāra
— A 'descent' of the divine into the world in a bodily form; distinct from incarnation in that the body and everything about it is considered divine.
Avyakta
(अव्यक्त)
— The unmanifest or undeveloped state of reality before it evolves or unfolds into the world of names and forms.
Bhakti
(भक्ति)
— The path of devotion and faith; approaching actions and the divine with the right internal intentions and love.
Bhakti mārga
(भक्तिमार्ग)
— The 'path of devotion,' which is open to all and emphasizes a personal relationship with the divine through love and service.
Bhunaktu
(भुनक्तु)
— A Sanskrit term meaning 'be nourished,' implying the spiritual and intellectual feeding of the soul through study.
Bibliobiography
— A term used by Francis Clooney to describe how one's personal biography and identity become shaped by the sacred texts they read and inhabit.
Bracketing
— A step in the phenomenological method that involves setting aside one's assumptions, biases, and expectations to observe something without intention.
Brahm
(ब्रह्म)
— The ultimate reality or ground of being mentioned in the text as the goal of the disciplined student.
Brahmacarya
(ब्रह्मचर्य)
— The first stage of life, characterized by apprenticeship and the memorization of the Veda.
Brahmacharya
(ब्रह्मचर्य)
— The first stage of life (ashrama), characterized by the role of the student who follows a teacher.
Brahman
(ब्रह्मन्)
— The universal reality or absolute; the ground of all existence discussed as the goal of theological knowledge.
Discussed in:
02/17/2026,
01/29/2026,
02/19/2026,
02/24/2026,
02/19/2026,
02/26/2026,
03/24/2026,
03/19/2026,
04/07/2026,
04/07/2026,
04/23/2026
Brahman (priest)
(ब्रह्मन्)
— The supervising priest in a Vedic ritual who remains silent to oversee the ceremony and ensure no errors are made.
Brahmana (Varna)
(N/A)
— The priestly and scholarly class within the Hindu varna system, considered the highest social rank.
Buddhi
(बुद्धि)
— The intellect or higher mind, mentioned in the context of the discipline required to attain wisdom.
Christ
(Χριστός)
— The Greek translation of the Hebrew 'Mashiach,' meaning 'the anointed one.'
Christology
(Χριστός)
— The philosophical and theological investigation into the nature and person of Jesus as the Christ.
Comparative Theology
— A theological method involving the study of a second tradition to gain insights that are then brought back to one's home tradition to deepen understanding.
Covenant
(בְּרִית)
— A formal, two-sided agreement between God and humans, involving mutual obligations and divine promises.
Darshana
— Derived from the root 'drish' (to see), it refers to a 'view' or 'perspective' and the reciprocal act of seeing and being seen by the divine.
Darśana
— The act of seeing and being seen by the deity, which serves as an act of grace and a crossing point between the human and the divine.
Decapolis
(Δεκάπολις)
— A group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire where the healed demoniac proclaimed Jesus's deeds.
Dharma
(धर्म)
— Ethical responsibility, righteousness, and the moral order that sustains society and the individual.
Dharmakṣetra
(धर्मक्षेत्र)
— The 'field of Dharma'; the sacred ground where the battle of the Mahābhārata takes place, symbolizing the arena of moral and spiritual struggle.
Dvaitam
— Duality; the state of perceiving a distinction between the self and the other.
Eisegesis
— The act of reading one's own ideas or biases into a text, which is contrasted with hearing the word without mediation.
Epistemic Confidence
— The level of certainty that one's perceived phenomenon strongly correlates with the actual thing itself, increased by consulting diverse perspectives.
Epistemology
— A branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge, specifically asking how humans know what they claim to know.
Exegesis
— The process of pulling the meaning out of a text rather than reading one's own biases into it.
First Principles
— The foundational questions that theology investigates through a canon, such as the nature of the self and one's place in the world.
Ghee
(घृत)
— Clarified butter used as a primary oblation in Vedic fire sacrifices to nourish the deities.
Grace
— A free gift from the divine; in the context of the Gītā, it is the act of revealing or concealing the divine form for the benefit of the devotee.
Grihastha
(गृहस्थ)
— The second stage of life, the householder stage, focused on family, children, and social duties.
Guna
— A term described by the instructor as being 'like a lump' in the context of material reality and the analogy of clay.
Gṛhastha
(गृहस्थ)
— The householder stage of life, focused on family and the performance of Vedic rituals.
Hermeneutics
— A method or set of rules for interpreting a text.
Hosanna
(הוֹשַׁע נָא)
— A shout of praise or adoration used by the crowds during Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, often interpreted as 'save us' or a song of praise.
Immediately
— A characteristic keyword in the Gospel of Mark used to create a sense of urgency and rapid movement in the narrative.
Intentionality
— A key phenomenological term describing how the brain's expectations and intentions significantly impact what it decides to perceive, add, or ignore.
Ishta Deva
(इष्टदेव)
— The 'chosen deity'; the manifestation of the divine in a form that is most accessible and beloved to the individual practitioner.
Iṣṭa-deva
(इष्टदेव)
— A 'chosen deity'; the specific form of the divine that an individual relates to, granted as an act of grace.
Iṣṭa-devatā
— One's own chosen deity; the doctrine that the Absolute is one but is imagined, named, and worshiped in different ways.
Jñāna
(ज्ञान)
— The path of knowledge or wisdom that destroys ignorance and purifies the individual like a fire reducing wood to ashes.
Jñāna mārga
(ज्ञानमार्ग)
— The 'path of knowledge' or wisdom, emphasizing liberation through the realization of one's true nature.
kai
(καὶ)
— The Greek word for 'and,' used excessively by the author of Mark to begin almost every sentence.
Kama
(काम)
— Desire; described in the Nasadiya Sukta as the first seed of the mind that arose in the beginning.
Karavāvahai
( करवावहै)
— A Sanskrit term implying working with one's hands to heroically transform the world for the benefit of others.
Karma
(कर्म)
— Meaning 'action' or 'work'; in this context, it refers specifically to Vedic ritual and the sacrificial acts discussed in the Mimamsa school.
Karma mārga
(कर्ममार्ग)
— The 'path of action' or ritual, specifically referring to the performance of Vedic sacrifices and duties.
Kshatriya
(N/A)
— The warrior and ruler class within the Hindu varna system, to which King Harishchandra belongs.
Kurma
(कुर्म)
— The Sanskrit word for tortoise; used as an inside joke in the class regarding a student's unique pronunciation of the word.
Kāma
(काम)
— Desire, pleasure, and aesthetic enjoyment, which must be pursued within the bounds of Dharma.
Legion
— The name given by the Gerasene demoniac to the unclean spirits possessing him, referencing a Roman military unit and symbolizing an occupying force.
Lokasangraha
(लोकसंग्रह)
— The act of 'holding the world together' or the welfare of the people, which serves as the motivation for a liberated person's actions.
Lokasaṃgraha
(लोकसंग्रह)
— The act of holding the world together; the motivation for action that seeks the benefit and unity of all people.
Līlā
(लीला)
— Divine play; the concept that creation is an effortless and playful manifestation of the divine.
Mahavakya
(महावाक्य)
— A 'Great Saying' from the Upanishads that expresses the identity of the self and the absolute, such as 'I am Brahman'.
Mahāvākya
(महावाक्य)
— Literally 'Great Sentence'; the four core philosophical utterances in the Upaniṣads that summarize the nature of reality.
Manas
(N/A)
— The intellect or mind, which serves as a tool for internal awareness and agency in the pursuit of liberation.
Markan Priority
— The scholarly consensus that the Gospel of Mark was the first Gospel written and served as a source for Matthew and Luke.
Messiah
— Meaning 'anointed one' (Mashiach in Hebrew, Christos in Greek); in the Hebrew scriptures, a figure who establishes the kingdom of God or builds the temple.
Messianic Secret
— A literary motif in the Gospel of Mark where Jesus commands his followers and the spirits he exorcises to keep his identity as the Messiah hidden.
Mimamsa
(मीमांसा)
— One of the six orthodox systems of Hindu theology mentioned as a focus of study alongside Vedanta.
Moksha
(मोक्ष)
— Liberation from the cycle of birth and death, described as the result of attaining wisdom or enlightenment.
Mokṣa
(मोक्ष)
— The ultimate goal of liberation and understanding the purpose of life.
Murti
— A three-dimensional image or statue of a deity that becomes a sacred seat for God through ritual invocation.
Mutually Constitutive Correlates
— Pairs of concepts, such as father/son or knower/known, that define each other and are relative to context.
Myth
(N/A)
— A story believed so deeply it is often unrecognized as a belief, functioning like a lens through which one views reality.
Mā vidviṣāvahai
(मा विद्विषावहै)
— A Sanskrit phrase meaning 'no smoke' or 'no beef,' pleading that differences in perspective do not turn into hostility or poison.
Mīmāṃsā
(mīmāṃsā)
— The school of hermeneutics and exegesis focused on the earlier sections of the Veda.
Mūrti
— A sacred image or idol created by humans that serves as a 'pointing finger' or a 'seat' (pīṭha) for the divine to descend into.
Nama-rupa
— Literally 'name and form,' referring to the individualizing characteristics of beings in the phenomenal world.
Nastika
(नास्तिक)
— Schools or individuals who reject the authority of the Veda, such as Buddhism and Jainism.
Neti neti
(नेति नेति)
— A Sanskrit expression meaning 'not this, not that,' used as a method of negative theology to describe Brahman by what it is not.
Nirguna
(निर्गुण)
— God conceived as being beyond all qualities, attributes, or forms.
Non-dualist
(अद्वैत)
— A theological perspective, associated with Śaṅkara, that identifies the individual self with the ultimate reality, Brahman.
Noumena
— The 'things themselves' as they exist independently of human perception, which are not created by the mind.
Noumenon
— The 'thing itself' which is not created by the mind, existing independently of human perception.
Nyāya
(nyāya)
— The orthodox school of logic and reasoning, focused on valid sources of knowledge and inference.
Nāstika
(नास्तिक)
— Traditions that say 'no' to the authority of the Veda, such as Buddhism and Jainism.
OM
(ॐ)
— A sacred syllable representing the four states of consciousness and the phonetic movement from the back of the throat to silence.
Ontology
— The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of being and existence.
Oral Tradition
— The practice of passing down sacred texts through memorization and recitation rather than writing, valued for discipline and ethical training.
Pancha kosha
(पञ्चकोश)
— The 'five sheaths' described in the Taittiriya Upanishad that layer the self, including the physical, subtle, and causal bodies.
Parable of the 10th Person
(N/A)
— A story used by Śaṅkara to illustrate that spiritual ignorance is removed when the seeker realizes they are the very thing they are looking for.
Phenomena
— The mental images or constructs created by the brain based on sensory input and intentionality.
Phenomenological Discourse
— The practice of carefully describing perceived phenomena to others and listening attentively to their descriptions from different vantage points.
Phenomenology
— A scientific method of philosophical inquiry that helps distinguish between phenomena (mental constructs) and noumena (the things themselves).
Phenomenon
— A mental image or perception that is both perceived by and created by the mind based on sensory data.
Pitha
— A 'seat' or place where a deity is invited to reside during ritual worship.
Postmodern Phenomenology
(Phänomenologie)
— A scientific method of inquiry that distinguishes between phenomena (mental constructs) and noumena (things themselves).
Prajnanam Brahman
(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)
— One of the four Mahavakyas, meaning 'Consciousness is Brahman,' identifying the ultimate reality with the nature of awareness.
Prajñānam Brahma
(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)
— One of the four mahāvākyas, meaning 'Consciousness is Brahman,' found in the Aitareya Upanishad.
Prajñānaṃ Brahma
(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)
— One of the four Mahavakyas, translated as 'Consciousness is Brahman,' identifying the ultimate reality with pure awareness.
Prajñānaṃ brahman
(प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म)
— One of the four mahāvākyas meaning 'Consciousness is Brahman'; it identifies the ultimate reality with the power of knowing.
Prajāpati
(प्रजापति)
— The 'Lord of All Beings,' a creator deity who emerges from the Golden Embryo to establish the heavens and the earth.
Prakriti
(प्रकृति)
— Material nature or the creative power through which the divine manifests in the physical world.
Prakṛti
(prakṛti)
— Physical matter or the material substance of the universe.
Pramana
(प्रमाण)
— A valid means of knowledge; the methods by which humans can gain accurate understanding of reality.
Pramāṇa
(प्रमाण)
— A valid source of knowledge in Hindu philosophy used to establish the truth of a claim.
Pratyakṣa
(प्रत्यक्ष)
— Direct perception through the five senses, considered the most immediate and least problematic source of knowledge.
Preya
(प्रेयस्)
— The path of the 'pleasant' or worldly gratification, which is temporary and ultimately unsatisfying.
Preyas
(प्रेयस्)
— That which is pleasant, providing immediate or short-term sensory gratification.
Purusha
(पुरुष)
— The primal cosmic person whose sacrifice created the universe; the text discusses the 're-membering' of this entity through ritual.
Puruṣa
(पुरुष)
— A term mentioned by students in relation to Prakriti (matter) and the source of the many, representing a correlate to the material world.
Puruṣārtha
(पुरुषार्थ)
— The four fundamental aims or goals of human life: Artha, Kāma, Dharma, and Mokṣa.
Puruṣārthas
(पुरुषार्थ)
— The four aims of human life: Dharma (ethics/duty), Artha (prosperity), Kāma (pleasure), and Mokṣa (liberation).
Pīta
(पीठ)
— A 'seat' or throne where God graciously descends to reside within a murti.
Pūrva Mīmāṃsā
(पूर्वमीमांसा)
— The 'earlier inquiry' focused on the ritual and earlier sections of the Veda through hermeneutics and exegesis.
Sabbath
— The Jewish day of rest; Mark's Gospel depicts Jesus challenging traditional interpretations of what actions are permissible on this day.
Saguna
(सगुण)
— God conceived as having qualities, attributes, and form.
Saha
(Saha)
— A Sanskrit word meaning 'together,' emphasized in the opening mantra to highlight the collaborative nature of learning between teacher and student.
Samanvaya
(समन्वय)
— The theological method of harmonizing and reconciling different scriptural passages to find their underlying unity.
Sannyasa
(संन्यास)
— A term mentioned by the instructor as a key word included in his translation of the Bhagavad Gita, often associated with renunciation.
Sannyāsa
(संन्यास)
— The final stage of life involving total renunciation of possessions, name, and social ties to seek enlightenment.
Sat
(सत्)
— Pure being or existence; the underlying reality that remains constant throughout all modifications of form.
Satkāryavāda
(सत्कार्यवाद)
— The theory of causality which states that the effect pre-exists in its cause, implying transformation rather than creation from nothing.
Satya
(सत्य)
— Truth; emphasized in the text through the example of the truthful man and the repeated assertion 'that is the true, that is the self'.
Satyam
(सत्यम्)
— Truth or truthness; an abstract noun derived from Sat, implying that truth is the nature of ultimate being.
Shabda
(शब्द)
— Verbal testimony or sacred sound, considered a valid means of knowledge (pramana) for things that cannot be known through the senses.
Shabda matram devata
(शब्दमात्रं देवता)
— The Mīmāṃsā teaching that 'God is nothing but a word,' implying that the power of the deity resides in the Vedic sound itself rather than an external agent.
Shanti
(शान्ति)
— A Sanskrit word meaning 'peace,' often repeated three times to represent peace in the physical, mental, and spiritual dimensions.
Shreya
(श्रेयस्)
— The path of the 'good' or the spiritually beneficial, which leads to long-term fulfillment and liberation.
Shruti
(श्रुति)
— That which is 'heard'; refers to the body of most authoritative ancient Hindu religious texts, including the Vedas and Upanishads.
Smriti
(स्मृति)
— Literally 'that which is remembered'; refers to human-authored sacred texts that are secondary in authority to Shruti.
Smṛti
(स्मृति)
— That which is 'remembered'; sacred texts of human origin.
Soma
(सोम)
— A sacred plant and ritual drink used in Vedic sacrifices, often associated with divine insight.
Suffering Servant
(עֶבֶד יהוה)
— A figure described in the Book of Isaiah (specifically chapter 53) who is innocent yet suffers for the benefit of others.
Svadharma
(स्वधर्म)
— One's own particular duty or purpose, determined by one's unique nature and position in life.
Sāṃkhya
(sāṃkhya)
— A dualistic school of philosophy that views spirit and matter as two distinct eternal entities.
Ta Agathon
(τὸ ἀγαθόν)
— The Greek term for 'The Good,' used by Socrates to describe the ultimate transcendent reality or first principle.
Tad Ekam
— A Sanskrit phrase meaning 'That One,' referring to the singular primordial reality mentioned in the Nasadiya Sukta.
Talitha koum
(ταλιθα κουμ)
— An Aramaic expression used by Jesus meaning 'Little girl, get up,' illustrating the oral and historical roots of the Gospel text.
Tamas
(तमस)
— Darkness or heat; a primordial quality mentioned in the Nasadiya Sukta as existing before the manifestation of the world.
Tat Tvam Asi
(तत्त्वमसि)
— The Mahāvākya meaning 'That Thou Art,' identifying the individual self with the subtle essence of the universe.
Tejas
(Tejas)
— A Sanskrit word translating to light, brilliance, or fire, representing goodness and positive energy in the context of study.
Temple
— The sacred center of Jewish worship; the instructor noted that the Passover lamb was traditionally sacrificed here.
The Cut
— In epistemology, the moment when analog sensory data (like light waves) is converted into digital signals (binary neural responses) in the brain.
The Little Apocalypse
— A term for Mark 13, which contains revelations or disclosures regarding future suffering and the destruction of the temple.
Theology
— Defined in this course as a philosophical investigation of first principles anchored in a particular canon, usually in the form of texts.
Theology of Religion
— A branch of theology that investigates the meaning and purpose of religious diversity and the relationship between different faiths.
Theology of Religions
— A branch of theology that asks why religious diversity exists and how different traditions relate to one another.
Theophany
(N/A)
— A visible manifestation of the divine to a human being, such as Krishna's revelation of his universal form.
Three Debts
(N/A)
— The traditional obligations that an adult human has to repay to their parents, ancestors, and teachers.
Tirtha
(तीर्थ)
— A 'crossing point' or bridge between the human and the divine.
Tri-ṛṇa
(त्रि-ऋण)
— The three existential debts owed by a person to their parents, ancestors, and teachers.
Triputi Pratyakshavada
(त्रिपुटी प्रत्यक्षवाद)
— The epistemological theory that the knower, the known, and the act of knowing mutually arise in every act of perception.
Triputi-pratyakṣa-vāda
(त्रिपुटीप्रत्यक्षवाद)
— The doctrine that in any act of perception, the triad of the perceiver, the perceived, and the act of perceiving manifest simultaneously.
Tripuṭī-pratyakṣa-vada
(त्रिपुटीप्रत्यक्षवाद)
— Prabhakara's doctrine of 'threefold direct perception' stating that the knower, known, and the act of knowing mutually arise in any act of perception.
Tripuṭī-Pratyakṣavāda
(त्रिपुटीप्रत्यक्षवाद)
— An epistemological theory mentioned as a bonus topic stating that the knower, the known, and the act of knowing mutually arise.
Turiya
(तुरीय)
— The fourth state of consciousness that encompasses and transcends waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.
Upamāna
(उपमान)
— Comparison or analogy; a source of knowledge where one learns about an unknown object by its similarity to a known object.
Upasamhara
(उपसंहार)
— The concluding portion of a text or argument that sums up the essential findings or truths established.
Upasaṃhāra
(उपसंहार)
— A theological method of coordination used to bring different texts or ideas into a coherent relationship.
uttappati
— A term used in the transcript (likely a transcription error for Upamāna) referring to knowledge gained through comparison, analogy, or metaphor.
Uttara Mimamsa
(उत्तरमीमांसा)
— One of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy, focused on the 'end of the Veda' (Vedanta).
Uttara Mīmāṃsā
(उत्तर मीमांसा)
— One of the six orthodox schools (ṣaḍdarśana) of Hindu philosophy, also known as Vedanta, focusing on the philosophical investigations of the Upaniṣads.
Uttaramīmāṃsā
(उत्तरमीमांसा)
— One of the six orthodox schools (ṣaḍdarśana) of Hindu philosophy, focused on the later portion of the Vedas.
Vach
(N/A)
— Sacred speech or the 'word' which, along with intellect, provides the agency necessary for Sunahshepa to unbind himself.
Vaiśeṣika
(vaiśeṣika)
— The orthodox school of atomism, which posits that the universe is made of indivisible atoms containing both matter and spirit.
Vak
(वाच्)
— Sacred speech or the 'Word'; an instrument mentioned in the text through which Sunahshepa prays to the gods.
Vanaprastha
(वानप्रस्थ)
— The third stage of life, the forest-dweller stage, involving retirement and reflection on the meaning of rituals.
Varna
(वर्ण)
— The four-fold social division (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra); the myth challenges the rigidity of this system through the characters' actions.
Varṇa
(वर्ण)
— The fourfold division of society into Brāhmaṇa (scholars/priests), Kṣatriya (government/warriors), Vaiśya (merchants/craftspeople), and Śūdra (service roles).
Vav
— The sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which functions as the word 'and' and was used to connect sentences in ancient oral-style writing.
Vavatu
(ववतु)
— A Sanskrit term meaning 'be protected,' referring to the protective power of wisdom for oneself and loved ones.
Vedanta
(वेदान्त)
— Literally the 'end of the Veda'; a school of philosophy focused on the teachings of the Upanishads.
Vedānta
(वेदान्त)
— One of the six orthodox systems of Hindu theology focused on the interpretation of the Upaniṣads.
Veeryam
(वीर्य)
— A term meaning vigor, strength, or heroism, implying the use of knowledge to heroically transform the world for the benefit of others.
Vicarious Death
— A death or sacrifice where one entity suffers in the place of another to provide protection or liberation.
Vishishtadvaita
(विशिष्टाद्वैत)
— Qualified non-dualism; the theology associated with Ramanuja that acknowledges unity but maintains internal distinctions within the divine.
Vishwa-rupa
(विश्वरूप)
— The 'universal form' of God, representing the one that has become many and contains all of existence.
Viśiṣṭādvaita
— Qualified non-dualism; mentioned as a perspective to be explored in the context of the 'two Mimamsas'.
Viśvarūpa
(विश्वरूप)
— The 'Universal Form' of Krishna, showing the entire universe, including all time and matter, within himself.
Vyakta
— The manifest or unfolded state of reality.
Vāk
(वाच्)
— Sacred speech or the 'Word'; the agency through which divine reality is manifested and human liberation is achieved.
Vānaprastha
(वानप्रस्थ)
— The 'forest dweller' stage where one retires to reflect on the meaning of scriptures and rituals.
Vīryam
(वीर्यम्)
— Heroism, vigor, or strength; the energy used to heroically transform the world for the benefit of others.
vīryaṃ
(vīryaṃ)
— A Sanskrit term meaning vigor, strength, or heroism, used in the mantra to inspire students to heroically transform the world for the benefit of others.
Yajamāna
(यजमान)
— The patron or 'sacrificer' who sponsors and receives the primary benefits of a Vedic ritual.
Yajna
(यज्ञ)
— A Vedic ritual of sacrifice, often involving offerings made into a consecrated fire to nourish the deities.
Yajña
(यज्ञ)
— The Sanskrit term for sacrifice or Vedic ritual, which involves an offering and an impulse or motivation.
Yoga
(yoga)
— The school focused on the 'yoking' or joining of spirit and matter, and the practices used to bring them into balance.
Yoni
(योनि)
— A term meaning womb or vagina, used in the text to describe the source of creation and the 'womb' of power to which one returns.
Ācārya
(आचार्य)
— A highly respected teacher and expert who has written authoritative commentaries on sacred scriptures.
Āstika
(आस्तिक)
— Traditions that say 'yes' to the authority of the Veda.
Ātman
(आत्मन्)
— The true Self or innermost core of an individual, which in Advaita theology is identified as being non-different from Brahman.
Āśrama
(आश्रम)
— The four stages of life: Brahmacarya (student), Gṛhastha (householder), Vānaprastha (forest dweller), and Sannyāsin (renunciant).
Śabda
(शब्द)
— Verbal testimony or 'the word,' specifically referring to the authoritative knowledge found in the Veda regarding matters beyond sensory perception.
Śloka
(श्लोक)
— A specific verse meter consisting of four quarters (padas) used in the majority of the Bhagavad-Gītā.
Śreyas
(श्रेयस्)
— That which is truly good, leading toward the ultimate goal of liberation or spiritual flourishing.
Śruti
(श्रुति)
— That which is 'heard'; the most authoritative category of scripture, considered to be of non-human origin.
Śānti
(Śānti)
— A Sanskrit word for peace; chanted three times to invoke physical, mental, and spiritual peace, as explained by Ādi Śaṅkarācārya.
Ṣaḍdarśana
(ṣaḍdarśana)
— The six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy that accept the authority of the Veda.
Persons
Abraham
(אַבְרָהָם)
— The patriarch in the Hebrew Bible who is commanded by God to sacrifice his son as a test of faith and obedience.
Adi Sankaracarya
(शङ्कराचार्य)
— A prominent Hindu theologian and philosopher who argued that every word in scripture is meaningful and explained the three-fold nature of peace.
Adi Śaṅkarācārya
(आदि शङ्कराचार्य)
— An 8th-century Hindu theologian who explained that the three-fold repetition of peace refers to the body, mind, and spirit.
Ajigarta
(N/A)
— Sunahshepa's biological father, a Brahmana who sells his son for one hundred cows due to extreme hunger and greed.
Ajīgarta
(अजीगर्त)
— The biological father of Śunaḥśepa who represents human greed, having sold his son for one hundred cows.
Anant Rambachan
— A contemporary theologian and proponent of Advaita Vedānta whose work is used to explore the relationship between scripture and knowledge.
Anantanand Rambachan
— A contemporary professor and expert on Shankara's Advaita theology, author of 'The Advaita Worldview'.
Anantaranand Rambachan
— A contemporary theologian whose writings on the nature of the Atman were assigned for the class.
Anselm
— A theologian discussed in the context of the longing to see God, where the effort of seeking results in the feeling of being seen.
Arjuna
(अर्जुन)
— The third Pandava brother and a master archer who faces a moral crisis on the battlefield, serving as the protagonist of the Bhagavad Gītā.
Centurion
(κεντυρίων)
— A Roman officer who, upon witnessing Jesus' death, proclaims him as the Son of God.
Chad Meyer
— A scholar mentioned in the discussion whose work interprets Jesus as a political figure attempting to bring justice to an unjust regime.
David
(דָּוִד)
— The biblical king and ancestor of the Messiah; the crowd in Mark 11 shouts about the coming kingdom of their ancestor David.
Edmund Husserl
— A brilliant early 20th-century philosopher who developed the phenomenological method to scientifically analyze how the brain constructs perception and belief.
Essenes
— A community that sequestered themselves in caves to write down and preserve Hebrew texts; some scholars suggest John the Baptist may have been connected to them.
Francis Clooney
— A Harvard scholar considered one of the intellectual fathers of modern comparative theology.
Ganesha
— The elephant-headed deity who serves as the guardian of pathways and doors, often honored at the beginning of worship.
Gautama
(गौतम)
— The theologian associated with the Nyāya school and the author of a bhashya on the Nyāya Sūtras.
George Wald
(null)
— A scientist quoted in class to illustrate the relationship between the knower and the known, specifically how the physicist is the atom's way of knowing about atoms.
Hagar
(הָגָר)
— The Egyptian slave of Sarah and mother of Abraham's first son, Ishmael.
Harishchandra
(हरिश्चन्द्र)
— A legendary king who prayed for a son and promised to sacrifice him to the god Varuna (or Indra) in return.
Hariścandra
(हरिश्चन्द्र)
— A legendary king who vows to sacrifice his first-born son to the god Varuṇa.
Isaac
(יִצְחָק)
— The son of Abraham and Sarah, seen as the embodiment of the divine promise and the future of the covenant.
Ishmael
(יִשְׁמָעֵאל)
— Abraham's firstborn son through Hagar, traditionally regarded as the ancestor of the Arab peoples.
John the Baptist
— A prophetic figure who performed baptisms in the wilderness and is identified in the Gospels as a precursor to Jesus.
Krishna
(कृष्ण)
— An avatar of Vishnu who serves as Arjuna's charioteer and spiritual teacher, representing the divine or the voice of moral conscience.
Kumarila Bhatta
(कुमारिल भट्ट)
— A famous Mimamsa philosopher mentioned in the lecture's 'Easter egg' as a competitor to Prabhakara.
Kumārila Bhaṭṭa
— A highly influential Mīmāṃsā acharya and theologian known for his work on epistemology and the pramāṇas.
Naciketas
(नचिकेतस्)
— The young protagonist of the Katha Upanishad who seeks the truth about death from Yama after being sent to the underworld by his father.
Narasiṃha
(नरसिंह)
— A descent (avatar) of Vishnu in the form of a man-lion (nara meaning man and simha meaning lion).
Nicholas of Cusa
— A 15th-century Christian theologian who was a focus of the instructor's doctoral studies.
Peter
(Πέτρος)
— Also known as Simon; the disciple whose name means 'rock' but who famously denies Jesus three times during the Passion.
Pharisees
— A Jewish sect often depicted in the Gospel of Mark as attempting to trap Jesus in his speech, particularly regarding legal and political matters.
Pontius Pilate
— The Roman governor of Judea who presided over the trial of Jesus and ordered his crucifixion to appease the crowd.
Prabhakara
(प्रभाकर)
— A philosopher of the Mimamsa school whose epistemological theories regarding perception were discussed in relation to Advaita.
Prabhākara
(प्रभाकर)
— A Mīmāṃsā theologian whose epistemological framework involves the mutual arising of knower, known, and knowing.
Raimon Panikkar
(N/A)
— A theologian who interprets the Sunahshepa story as a myth of the human condition, identifying characters as archetypes of desire, attachment, and liberation.
Ramanuja
(रामानुज)
— An 11th-12th century theologian who founded the Vishishtadvaita (qualified non-dualism) school of Vedanta.
Raymond Panachar
— A scholar mentioned by the instructor who uses the metaphor of multiple paths up a mountain to describe religious diversity.
Rishi
(ऋषि)
— A 'seer' or perceiver who was in tune with reality enough to 'hear' the eternal sounds of the Veda.
Rohita
(रोहित)
— The son of King Harishchandra who seeks a substitute to avoid being sacrificed to the gods.
Rāmānuja
(रामानुज)
— An influential theologian associated with Viśiṣṭādvaita (qualified non-dualism) who offered a different perspective on the Vedanta tradition than Śaṅkara.
Sadducees
— A Jewish group that denied the resurrection of the dead and challenged Jesus with a hypothetical question about marriage in the afterlife.
Sannyāsin
(संन्यासिन्)
— An enlightened renunciant who has given up material possessions and identity to live as a guide and teacher.
Sarah
(שָׂרָה)
— The wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac who gave birth in her old age as a result of a divine promise.
Shankara
(शङ्कराचार्य)
— An 8th-century Hindu theologian from southern India and the most influential philosopher of the Advaita Vedanta school.
Shankaracharya
— An 8th-century Hindu theologian and commentator on the scriptures.
Shiva
— A major deity associated with meditation and the creation/destruction of the universe through his gaze.
Sri Aurobindo Ghosh
— An Indian philosopher from the 1930s-40s whom the instructor studied regarding ecological ethics.
Sunahshepa
(शुनःशेप)
— A figure from the Aitareya Brahmana who is sold by his father to be sacrificed as a substitute for the prince Rohita.
Svetaketu
(श्वेतकेतु)
— The son and student in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad who returns from twelve years of study with arrogance before being taught by his father.
Titus
— The Roman General (and later Emperor) who sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE.
Uddalaka
(उद्दालक)
— The father and teacher in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad who instructs his son Svetaketu on the nature of Sat.
Uddālaka
(उद्दालक)
— The sage and father in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad who provides spiritual instruction to his son Śvetaketu.
Vajashrava
(वाजश्रव)
— The father of Naciketas, also referred to as Uddalaka, who performs a flawed sacrifice and sends his son to Death in a fit of anger.
Vamadeva
(वामदेव)
— A Vedic sage who, according to the Aitareya Upanishad, achieved liberation and recognized his identity with the divine while still in the womb.
Varuna
(N/A)
— The Vedic deity associated with the cosmic order (rta) and the law, who binds those who violate cosmic balance.
Varuṇa
(वरुण)
— The god to whom King Hariścandra makes a vow and who insists on the performance of the sacrifice.
Vishnu
— A major deity in Hindu tradition who sustains the universe and descends in various avatars to restore order.
Vishvamitra
(N/A)
— A powerful sage who adopts Sunahshepa as his eldest son and superior after the boy is liberated from sacrifice.
Vishwamitra
(विश्वामित्र)
— A powerful sage who adopts Sunahshepa after his liberation, representing the 'functional' father who provides spiritual lineage over biological ties.
Viśvāmitra
(विश्वामित्र)
— A prominent Vedic sage and priest who adopts Śunaḥśepa after his liberation.
Vājaśrava
— The father of Naciketas who performs an insincere sacrifice, leading to Naciketas's journey to the house of Death.
Vāmadeva
(वामदेव)
— An ancient seer mentioned in the Aitareya Upanishad who realized his identity with Brahman while still in the womb.
Wilfred Cantwell Smith
— A scholar of religion who argued that scripture is 'inscrutable' and defined by the community's ongoing relationship to it.
Yama
(यम)
— The Hindu deity of Death who acts as the teacher in the Katha Upanishad, granting Naciketas three boons and teaching him the nature of the Atman.
Yaśodā
— Krishna's mother, who experienced a theophany when she looked into his mouth and saw the entire universe.
Ādi Śaṅkarācārya
(Ādi Śaṅkarācārya)
— An influential Hindu theologian and philosopher who provided a commentary on the Śānti mantra, explaining the need for physical, mental, and spiritual peace.
Śaṅkara
— A foundational philosopher of Advaita Vedānta who emphasized the non-dual nature of reality and the primacy of scripture in revealing the self.
Śaṅkarācārya
(शङ्कराचार्य)
— The influential 8th-century philosopher and theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedānta.
Śunaḥśepa
(शुनःशेप)
— A figure from Hindu scripture (the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa) who is sold for sacrifice by his father but saved through the intervention of deities.
Śvetaketu
(श्वेतकेतु)
— The son of Uddālaka who returns from Vedic study with arrogance and is taught the nature of the Self.
Ṛṣi
(ऋषि)
— A 'seer' or perceiver who heard the truth of the Veda directly from the fabric of the cosmos.