The Yoga Zapper--A Novel, page 32
Sambar—a type of lentil soup from South India.
Sankirtana Yajna—the Yajna (sacrifice) which is mentioned by Bhakti traditions to be the public chanting of God’s names.
Sannyasi—the life stage of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of ashramas. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women over fifty or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly and materialistic pursuits and dedicate their lives to spiritual pursuits. People in this stage of life develop vairāgya, or a state of dispassion and detachment from material life, renouncing worldly thoughts and desires in order to spend the remainder of their lives in spiritual contemplation. A member of the sannyasa order is known as a sannyasi (male) or sannyasini (female.)
Sarasvati—a) an ancient holy river in India.
b) the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts and science and companion of Brahma, also revered as his shakti (power.)
Sari—the traditional clothing of women in Vedic culture.
Savasana—the “dead man’s” yoga posture; see Asana.
Shakti—sacred force or empowerment, it is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Usually represented as a female Deity.
Shambala—In Hinduism, a mystical village in the Himalayas where Yogis and Rishis, in an invisible state, exist for thousands of years. Also the appearance place of Kalki Avatar. In Buddhism, a mythical kingdom hidden somewhere in Inner Asia. It is mentioned in various ancient texts, including the Kalachakra Tantra and the ancient texts of the Zhang Zhung culture which predated Tibetan Buddhism in western Tibet. Whatever its historical basis, Shambhala gradually came to be seen as a Buddhist Pure Land, a fabulous kingdom whose reality is visionary or spiritual as much as physical or geographic.
Shastra—scripture.
Shrivan—the “forest of plenty or opulence” used for harvesting of medicinal herbs and foodstuffs.
Siddhi—a Sanskrit noun that can be translated as "perfection", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success."
Sikha—a tuft of hair on the back of the head
Srimad-Bhagavatam—also known as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa literally meaning Divine-Eternal Tales of The Supreme Lord) is one of the maha (Sanskrit 'great') Puranic texts of Hinduism, with its focus on bhakti (religious devotion) to the Supreme, primarily focusing on Krishna. It includes many stories well known in Hinduism, including the various avatars of Vishnu and the life and pastimes of his complete incarnation, Krishna or Svayam Bhagavan.
Svaha—a) whenever fire sacrifices are made, svāhā is chanted; it is said that the gods to whom offerings are being made through yagna refuse the offerings unless the word 'svaha' is uttered during the sacrifice.
b) the wife of Agni, who is the presiding Deity of fire sacrifices.
T
Tapasya—In the yogic tradition, tapasyā may be translated as "essential energy", referring to a focused effort leading towards bodily purification and spiritual enlightenment. It is one of the Niyamas (observances of self-control) described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Tapasya implies a self-discipline or austerity willingly expended both in restraining physical urges and in actively pursuing a higher purpose in life.
Tapovan—the forest of austerities; in Vedic times, the forest where the yogis and rishis went to perform their spiritual practices.
Tirtha—an object or place of pilgrimage.
Tulasi—an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae which is native throughout the Eastern World tropics.
V
Vaimanika shastra—shastra on the topic of vimanas; sometimes also rendered Vimanika, regarding human made flying structures. See vimana.
Varnashrama dharma—an ancient social system, based on the four Ashrams and the four Varnas.The Hindu caste system is a corruption of the original Varnashram system.
Vedas—The original books of wisdom, are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. The Vedas are apauruṣeya ("not of human agency"). They are supposed to have been directly revealed, and thus are called śruti ("what is heard.")
Vimanas—flying craft mentioned in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and other Vedic scriptures.
Vipra lambha—one of the bhavas, or spiritual emotions.
Y
Yajna—a ritual of offerings accompanied by chanting of Vedic mantras derived from the practice in Vedic times; ancient ritual of offering and sublimating the havana sámagri (herbal preparations) in the sacred fire.
Yuga—an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages; the four ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga.
About the Author
Mohan Ashtakala is an initiated Hindu Vaishnava priest and has lived in yoga ashrams across India. His goal is to expose the authentic narratives of the Yoga tradition through the medium of modern, page-turning novels. He edited and published a community newspaper in Denver, Colorado for thirteen years.
Mohan lives in Calgary, Canada with his wife Anuradha, son Hrishi, daughter Gopi, and Lila, the family’s Boston Terrier. He can sometimes be spotted absent-mindedly chanting mantras in the city’s parks.
www.yogazapper.com
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Mohan Ashtakala, The Yoga Zapper--A Novel
