Adivarapupeta — the village in India where Shivabalayogi was born and did twelve years of tapas. More on Adivarapupeta.
arthi — giving honor by offering light, burning camphor.
ashram — the guru’s residence.
baba — literally “father” or “respected old man”, it is a term of respect used like “swamiji”.
balayogi — boy yogi; one who undertakes tapas while still a child.
bhajan — songs in praise of God; from a root meaning of worship. Shivabalayogi on bhajans.
bhakti — devotion; the path of love. Shivabalayogi on bhakti.
bhava — literally existence, it also refers to modes of existence, moods, or attitudes, and therefore states of trance.
bhava samadhi — divine trance; any of different ecstatic states induced through the presence of divine souls, particularly during bhajans (spiritual song). Shivabalayogi on bhava samadhi.
Brahma — God in the form of the Creator.
darshan — seeing a holy being. Shivabalayogi on darshan.
dhyana — meditation in which the concentration is focused at a single point. Shivabalayogi on meditation technique.
guru — teacher, guide. Shivabalayogi on guru.
homa — offerings through sacred fire (yagna).
linga — a taller, rounded stone symbolizing the divine soul, Shiva. Shivabalayogi on idols.
mahasamadhi — the great or final samadhi; the process by which a yogi drops
his or her physical form.
More on
Shivabalayogi’s mahasamadhi.
mandir — temple.
Parvati — a manifestation of the Divine Mother and the consort of Shiva.
prashad — blessed food. Shivabalayogi on prashad.
rishi — a yogi of ancient times.
sadhu — a holy man.
samadhi — an advanced spiritual consciousness in which the mind is
still. Shivabalayogi often had it translated as enlightenment, although in
many spiritual traditions, the English word “enlightenment” is used to refer to
Self realization.
“Samadhi” also refers to a physical place where the presence of a yogi has been
anchored, particularly the tomb where his or her body is buried.
Shivabalayogi on the state of
samadhi.
Shiva — God in the form of a yogi, the Destroyer of Illusion; Shivabalayogi’s guru. Shivabalayogi on Shiva.
Shivalinga — a rounded form, usually of hard stone, worshipped as a form of the Divine Soul, Shiva. Shivabalayogi on idols.
Swami — master. The suffix “-ji” adds a meaning of respect. Shivabalayogi typically referred to himself in the third person as Swami, and his devotees often addressed him as Swamiji.
tapas — meditation in samadhi, usually at least twelve continuous hours each day. This spiritual austerity, sometimes referred to as penance, is successful when God physically manifests and declares the tapas completed. Shivabalayogi on tapas.
tapasvin — one who undertakes tapas.
vibhuti — ash, usually ash that has been imbued with spiritual energies. Shivabalayogi on vibhuti.
Vishnu — God in the form of the Sustainer. Among Vishnu’s incarnations are Rama and Krishna.
yogi — one who has attained Self realization (or God realization, they are the same) through tapas. Shivabalayogi used the word "yogi" in this very particular sense. Shivabalayogi on the meaning of yogi.