Theosophical Society,
The
Hindu Trinity
Brahma
- Vishnu -
Shiva
Glossary of Indian Terms
acharya: spiritual teacher, preceptor.
advaita [not divided]: the one unchangeable,
indivisible Truth; the one essence that cannot be described as real or
non-real. Adi Shankaracharya
wrote extensive commentaries on the major Vedantic
scriptures to prove this conclusion.
Agni:
Vedic god of fire.
amma: mother.
ananda: divine bliss and happiness. A bliss that
is not dependent on the objects or situations in the world or the mind, but
inherent in each individual.
Aranyaka:
the third section of each of the four Vedas that includes the explanations of
the symbolism of the rituals and mental exercises for the contemplative life of
the retiree (vanaprastha ashrama)
to prepare him for the fourth stage of life (sannyasa
ashrama).
Arya Samaj: Society of Aryans, founded in 1875 by the north
Indian Swami Dayanand. He aimed to transform Hinduism
from within by removing such extraneous, and often difficult to rationalize,
elements as the Puranas, the epics that tell of the
exploits of the various deities.
Arya(n): One of noble birth or character (Sanskrit). Also,
the family of Indo-European languages, therefore, the nomadic invaders who
brought a language of this group into
ashram:
monastery, hermitage, place of retreat.
ashrama: the four orders or stages of a Hindu’s
life—brahmacharya (student), grhastha
(householder), vanaprastha (forest-dweller), sannyasa (renunciate).
Atharva
Veda: In general, this Veda contain rituals for
dealing with practical matters of life in the world. Its philosophical section
contains the Mundaka, Mandukya
and Prasna Upanishads.
Atma(n):
the essential Divinity, or light of consciousness, in each individual; often
translated into English as “Self”. See Brahman.
Avatar: an
incarnation of the Divine made flesh in response to the collective karma of the
population of a given time, not because of individual, personal karma. Examples
include Rama,
Ayurveda: a
system of the ancient knowledge (veda)
of health and medicine that is so comprehensive it includes descriptions and
drawings of the tools used in major surgeries. Its validity is now recognized
by modern medical science.
Badrinath:
one of the four great Himalayan pilgrimage centers; the Matha
established by Adi Shankaracharya
in the north for the preservation of the Hindu scriptures.
bhajan: devotional hymn or chant.
Bhagavad
Gita [Song of the Lord]: a major scriptural poem contained in the Mahabharata
epic. In the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna gives the
Divine Truth to his student Arjuna in the setting of
the battlefield of the dynastic war between the Pandavas
and Kauravas. The Gita is therefore intended as a
practical guide to persons attempting to live a spiritual life in the world,
rather than for renunciates.
bhakti/bhakta: devotion/devotee. Bhakti
Yoga is the path to enlightenment through devotion to God, the Truth, or a holy
teacher.
Bharata:
bhiksha: food obtained by begging or asking for
alms. Also, the meal served when a sadhu is invited
into the home.
Brahma
(masculine gender): the deity of the Hindu trinity who is the creator of the
universe. Do not confuse with Brahman, see below.
Brahman
(neuter gender): the impersonal God, devoid of all qualities; the Omnipresent,
All-pervading, Transcendent Reality. This supreme Reality is called Brahman
when regarded as transcendent, and Atman when regarded as the Life Principle in
the individual person. [Brahman is written in plain letters in the text.]
Brahman (Brahamana): the highest of the four Hindu castes. The
priestly caste consists of many sub-castes depending on the area the priest
comes from and the duties he performs, such as temple priest, family priest, astrologer,
teacher, cook, etc. [Brahman is written in italicized letters in the text.]
Brahma(n)
Sutras: one of the three authoritative books of Hinduism in which Sri Vyasa encapsulated the principles of Vedanta in 551 terse statements.
These short verses were originally intended for ease of memorization, thereby
ensuring their availability for mental reflection on the great truths of the Upanisads at any time or place.
Brahma(n) vichar: continually thinking on the nature of Brahman, the eternal
Truth.
Brahma(n) vidya: knowledge of the eternal Truth, Brahman.
brahmachari (m), brahmacharini
(f): One who moves in Brahman; that is, one
who
continually fixes the mind on the eternal Truth. The more common
meaning is
student, or one who practices spiritual discipline and
celibacy.
brahmacharya ashrama: the
first of the four stages of life in the Hindu system. This period of life,
usually from five to twenty-five years of age, is allotted to general education
and the study of the Vedas for the understanding of, and preparation for, life.
Buddha
[one of true wisdom]: Buddha is a title bestowed on an enlightened master. The
Buddha in the present cycle is Siddhartha Gautama
(563 BC) who was born in a small kingdom in present day
caste:
There are four castes, each with its own duties, rules, regulations and
hierarchy. Within each caste there are hundreds of subcastes,
variations and hierarchies.
The
highest caste is the Brahman(a), or priest, teacher,
scholar, advisor group. By virtue of their position in the society, they have
more duties and are accorded heavier punishments than the other castes. For
example, in the Mahabharata, a group of men had committed a crime. The Brahman(a) was given the death sentence, while the ones of
lower castes were given sentences in prison, varying according to their caste.
The
Kshatriya caste is referred to as the warrior caste. This caste includes
everyone from the king to the foot soldier, their wives and children. In modern
times, they have been court judges and administrators. Only Kshatriyas went to war, leaving the rest
of the population free to carry on with their respective duties.
The third
caste is the Vaishya, or merchant and farmer
category. In general, this has been the wealthiest caste.
The fourth
caste is the Shudra, or service caste. Anyone who performs services in the community, such as office
executives, clerks, secretaries and persons in banking, communication and
medical services.
Champak: a
tree of the magnolia tree with small cream-colored blossoms that
are very fragrant. A mature tree can reach 30 feet in height.
chandala: untouchable; one outside of the caste
system. The outcastes were generally of the aboriginal native tribes.
Chandrakaladhara, Lord [moon + small part + ornament]: During the churning of the
milky ocean by the gods and the demons, “Chandrakala”
emerged on the day of the new moon. The gods prayed to Lord Shiva to wear this crescent
moon on his head as an ornament with the hope that it would help cool his
destructive anger.
Congress
(Indian National Congress): Organized in 1885 with the assistance of Allan
Hume, a retired British civil servant, for the purpose of giving Indians more
voice in public affairs. Congress was the principal political organ in
dal: dried beans that have had the outer husk
removed. Any bean or pea may be made into a dal.
Also, any soup or curry that is made from a dal.
darshan: to see or view, usually used in the
context of “beholding”a holy person or an idol.
deva (m), devi (f)
[dev = to shine]: god/goddess. All Vedic gods are functional names of the one
supreme creative power manifesting in myriad forms; therefore, these deities,
or shining ones, preside over and have the power to bless various activities in
the world. In the context of Vedanta, the gods are symbolic of human inner
psychological powers representing one’s ability to bless or curse oneself.
dharma [dhr = to support, sustain]: the inner essence or very foundations
of a thing or being. Dharma may be translated as law, duty, harmony or essential
Truth, according to the context.
dharma shala: overnight abodes or hostels that were constructed by
pious people or kings to provide free food and shelter to traveling pilgrims.
dhoti: The
traditional men’s wear in many parts of
Dravidian:
the principal indigenous culture and language on the Indian sub-continent. It
remains the source of the South Indian culture and language, Tamil, of today.
enlightenment: the direct experience that the individual Self (Atman) is one
with the supreme Self (Brahman); also referred to as realization, Self-realization
and liberation. The Sanskrit terms for enlightenment are moksha,
mukti and nirvana.
Gandhi,
Mahatma (Mohandas K.) (18969-1948) : The leader of the
Indian nationalist movement who voiced the ideal of non-violence. He dedicated his
life to searching for Truth and devising programs for the improvement of the
lives of the impoverished masses of
Ganesha:
the elephant god of great wisdom and strength who is worshiped first in any
ritual or new enterprise. He is invoked to remove obstacles in the practical
matters of success in worship or in worldly endeavors, or to remove
obstructions in spiritual practices done to attain
enlightenment.
Gangotri:
one of the four great
Gaudapada,
Sri (700 AD): the guru of Govindapada Acharya, who was the Guru of Adi Shankaracharya. He authored the Mandukya
Upanishad’s Karika, or commentary.
Gayatri:
the most sacred verse in the Vedas (Rg III, 62:10)
that invokes the Solar Deity, Savitri, for wisdom in
daily living. It has been used in daily worship and in initiation ceremonies
throughout the ages in Bharat.
ghat: slopes, steps; the steps that line the
sacred rivers and temple pools to enable the worshipers to easily enter the
water for a purification bath; therefore, also the most sacred places along
these pools and rivers. The term ghat is also used
for mountain ranges, such as the Western Ghats that
borders and defines the state of Kerala.
ghee:
butter that has been clarified using fire.
Gita: See
Bhagavad Gita.
grhastha ashrama: the
householder, or second stage of life of the Hindu. The householder lives according to a
behavioral code given in the Dharma Shastra. In
addition, he daily performs certain required rituals.
guru [one
who dispels darkness]: a spiritual teacher who initiates seekers into the
secrets of the sacred scriptures by the clearing of ignorance and misconceptions
of life, thereby revealing the Eternal Truth. Colloquially, a teacher of any
specialized knowledge.
Hanuman:
the deity of wind and mental prowess. As the hero monkey who aided Lord Rama in the battle against evil, he exhibited great
qualities as a supporter of dharma and devotee of the Lord. He is therefore
idolized throughout India, particularly in the North, in the region of Rama’s ancient kingdom.
Hara: an
epithet of Lord Shiva.
Hari: an
epithet of Lord Vishnu.
Harijan:
children of God; a term coined by Mahatma Gandhi for the Untouchables.
Havan: a
fire ritual accompanied by the chanting of the sacred Vedic mantras for a
communal or common purpose. In the Vedic age, Havans
were performed to give offerings of ghee, milk or grain to please the deities. With the later philosophical development of
Hinduism, their purpose evolved into a method of practicing renunciation.
Indus
Valley Civilization (ca. 4000-1,500 BC): an advanced civilization in ancient
India concurrent with the Babylonian and Egyptian civilizations. Numerous sites of ruins lie along the Indus
River in present-day Pakistan.
japa: repetition, usually mentally, of a mantra
to exclude all other thoughts and to build the power of concentration of the
mind.
jnana: knowledge; wisdom of the absolute
Reality.
Kailasa,
Mount: peak of 22,280 feet in southwest Tibet in the Kailasa
Range of the Himalayas. The pilgrimage path that girdles it is thirty miles
long and reaches a height of 18,000 feet at one point. It is also called Kamgrimpoche (Tibetan).
karma [kr = to do]: action, work, deed; the sum of the effects of
past actions producing results in the life of the world. According to the context,
karma can be translated as destiny (the results of past actions) or duty
(actions intended to produce good results in the future). In the Vedas, karma
means only the action of performing the prescribed rituals.
karma phala: fruit, results, of actions in the world.
Kedarnath:
one of the four great Himalayas pilgrimage centers.
Kerala: the
Indian state established after Independence in 1951, composed of the small
kingdoms on the Malabar coast of the Arabian Sea in
which Malayalam was spoken, including Travancore, Calicut and Cochin. kovalam: geometric or floral
designs made by the south Indians in front of their homes each morning.
Traditionally, kovalams were made with rice powder to
feed the birds and tiny crawling creatures. Now, they just use a white chalky
powder for the kovalam, which is created anew daily.
Krishna,
Lord: the ninth and most beloved Avatara. His life
was immortalized with Sri Vyasa’s Bhagavatam
and Bhagavad Gita.
Krishnamurthi, Jiddu (1895-1986): Born in Andhra
Pradesh, he was groomed as a messianic figure by the theosophist Annie Besant.
In 1928 he repudiated his role as the World Teacher and, to some extent, the
role of all spiritual teachers. He spent his life principally in Europe and America
writing and lecturing-being a spiritual teacher.
Krishnastami
Day: Lord Krishna’s birthday. He was born after midnight on the eighth day of
the dark moon in the month of Sravana (July-August)
in a prison in Mathura.
kula guru: spiritual teacher of the household
or clan.
laksharchana [lak = one
thousand]: worship by chanting the one thousand name of a god or goddess.
Lakshmi,
Sri: goddess of wealth and good fortune; symbol of auspiciousness and grace. Also called Sri, which means auspicious.
Lalita: an
epithet of Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva.
lila: divine play, particularly of the gods.
Madrasi:
resident of Madras. During the British Empire the Madras Presidency included
the sourthern states of Tamil Nadu,
Kerala, Mysore and Andhra
Pradesh.
Mahabharata:
an epic poem of ancient India detailing the history of the evolution of mankind
through the lineage of the Bharata family. Written by
Veda Vyasa, the poem of 100,000 verses is the longest
epic poem in the world. It also contains the philosophical treatise, the
Bhagavad Gita.
Maharaja:
great king; can be used as both a secular and spiritual title.
maha samadhi: the
great or final samadhi, that is, the death of a sage.
Therefore,
the burial place of a sage is also referred to as a “samadhi.”
Mahatma:
great soul.
mala: rosary used for meditation. It usually
consists of 108 beads with a central (meru) bead, or
turning bead, to enable one to count the number of repetitions of the mantra
while chanting.
Malayalam:
the native language of Kerala that originated with
the Dravidian Tamil although it has numerous additions from indigenous influences
and from Sanskrit. It is considered to be the most sanskritized
of the native Indian languages.
mantra: a
sacred syllable, word or phrase that represents the eternal Truth. Mantras may
be used in daily life for protecting the mind from falling into agitation and
for spiritual evolution by reflecting on their significance.
master: In
India and Hinduism, the term refers to one who has mastered himself and has
thereby mastered life.
Mandukya
Upanishad: a philosophical treatise in the Atharva
Veda. It is considered to be the most terse, yet most
sublime and complete, of the Upanishads.
matha: monastery, seminary; one of the four
centers established by Adi Shankaracharya
for the preservation of the four Vedas and other sacred scriptures: Badrinath (north), Shringeri
(south), Puri (east) and Dwaraka
(west). These four mathas have established subsidiary
mathas in their respective districts, such as at Kanchi and Kavir.
mauna: silence, the practice of maintaining
silence to prevent the dissipation of energy to exercise discipline over the
sense organs.
Moghul: a
dynasty established in
monsoon:
seasonal rain-bearing winds that inundate most
lunghi: Malayalam word for a wrap-around cloth
worn as a skirt by both men and women in Kerala
(dhoti in Hindi). The mundu is the top cloth worn
over the shoulder.
Nandi: the
bull that sits in front of all Shiva temples. It faces Shiva, indicating that
the materialistic, instinctual nature of creation is at peace when focused on
Lord Shiva.
Narayana, Jaya Prakash (1902-1979): the
founder of the Congress Socialists in the early 1930’s and leader of the
Socialist Party. He was one of the few Indian nationalists educated in
Narayana:
an epithet of Lord Vishnu.
Narayana
Guru (1856-1928): Born in the low Ezahava caste in Kerala, he was a respected reformer who spent his life
building temples, teaching Vedanta and preaching against social injustice.
nawab: the king or ruler of the Moslem kingdoms.
Nehru,
Jawaharlal (1889-1964): first Prime Minister of independent
Nilgiris:
the
nimbu:
nishkama karma: action performed without the taint
of personal desire for results or reward.
Panchadasi
[fifteen]: Vedantic text of fifteen chapters written
by Swami Vidyaranya. It is an advanced introductory
text (prakarana grantha) intended
to unfold all the subject of Vedanta necessary for enlightenment, or to serve
as a foundation for further study of Vedanta.
parampara: a line of teachers established by the
handing down of the Eternal Truth from teacher to student.
prakarana grantha:
introductory Vedantic texts that unfold the entire subject
matter of Vedanta with or without reference to any of the terse Upanishads. The
purpose of these texts were to explain all the concepts necessary for
enlightenment in simple terms, so the subject could be understood without
having to resort to the study of the thick scriptures and the lengthy logical
analysis typical of the scholarly approach. Some of the most known are Atma Bodha, Vivekachudamani, Panchadasi, Vedanta Sara, Vedanta Paribhasa.
pranam: a prostration; often used as a salutation
to show respect to a holy man.
prasadam: food, usually sweets, offered to the gods
during a ritual. Afterwards, it is
distributed among the participants as a consecrated offering along with ash,
sandalwood paste or other items used in the worship.
Prastana Treya: the three foundation scriptures of Vedanta: Bhagavad
Gita, Brahma(n) Sutras and the Upanishads.
prem: divine, selfless love, as opposed to
romantic, self-centered love.
puja: worship, ritual; pujya:
worshipful.
punya: good karma, or merit, accumulated from
good actions.
Puranas:
epics, or ancient legendary histories compiled by Veda Vyasa.
There are eighteen Puranas,
each of which contains the following five topics: 1) cosmology with various
symbolic illustrations of philosophical principles, 2) secondary creation after
periodic annihilation, 3) genealogy of gods and saints, 4) descriptions of the
great epochs, 5) history of the royal dynasties.
ragi: Indian millet. It is dark brown when
cooked and is the principal grain of many of the tribal and rural people.
raja: king
in the Hindu kingdoms in
Rama, Sri:
the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu; the hero-king of the epic Ramayana, who
was the model of piety, morality as well as ethical behavior in the performance
of worldly duties.
Ramakrishna,
Sri (1836-1886): A Bengali sage who accepted and demonstrated the essential
unity of all religions. He was the Guru of Swami Vivekananda, Swami Brahmananda and other founders of the Ramakrishna Mission.
Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950): A spiritual master who left home at
sixteen years of age after an experience of enlightenment to spend the
remainder of his life at Arunachala Mountain,
meditating and teaching those who came to him. Ramana
Maharshi is considered to be the last of the line of authentic
sages of the ancient tradition. Somerset Maugham visited the sage in 1938, and
later used him as the model for the holy man in The Razor’s Edge.
Ramayana:
the history of Sri Rama; the epic poem of 24,000
verses, written by Sri Valmiki. The Ramayana
dramatizes the trials of the individual, represented by Sita,
in spiritual evolution.
rani: queen in the Hindu kingdoms in
rishi: a divinely inspired poet or sage; usually
refers to the original preceptors of the Vedas, the original Hindu scriptures.
Rishikesh: a
traditional spiritual center of the Hindu sages and sadhus.
It lies at
the foot of the
Rg Veda:
The oldest Veda, therefore, it contains much historical information. It is the
only Veda that appears to have been partially formulated outside of
roti: flat, round, unleavened wheat bread that
is baked on an iron griddle, often called chapati.
rudraksha: a seed from a tree found in the
rupee: the
Indian unit of currency; in recent years the value has fluctuated between 25
and 50 rupees per U.S. dollar.
sadhana: spiritual practice; any discipline
performed for the purpose of turning one’s mind from the world and applying it
to the spiritual truths.
sadhu: a practitioner of spiritual and virtuous
values; in common usage, a sannyasi or wandering
mendicant.
Sama Veda:
The third and most poetic of the Vedas, whose mantras are to be sung during the
sacrificial fire ceremonies. It contains the Chandogya
and Kena Upanishads.
samadhi (sama = steady +
dhi = intellect): a calm and pure mind in all circumstances,
whether sitting in meditation or acting in the world. Also, a
trance-like experience of divine ecstasy.
sambhar: a thick soup made of toor
dal, vegetables, chilies and spices.
samsara: the process of the wordly
life through successive births and deaths.
sannyasa ashrama: the
fourth ashrama in the four stages of the Hindu’s life.
At this time, the life in the world is renounced for the purpose of attaining
enlightenment. Vows are administered by a sannyasi renunciate.
sannyasi: one who has renounced the world by taking
the sannyasa vows.
Sanatana
Dharma (Eternal Truth): the eternal principle of life that is the essence of
all religious teachings; that knowledge, which remains, unchanged in all
periods of time and states of consciousness. The religion based on the Vedas,
which is best known by its foreign label of Hinduism.
Sanskrit:
that which is well, or completely, done. The oldest language
of mankind; the language of the original Hindu scriptures, developed for the communication
of spiritual ideas and concepts, not for dealing with worldly or mundane
concerns.
Saraswati:
goddess of speech and learning who is the consort of Brahma, the
creator.
sat: the
essence of being, the essential, the true.
sat-chit-ananda: term used to express the ultimate experience
of oneness: sat = Truth, Existence; chit = intelligence, consciousness; ananda = divine bliss.
satsang: association or nearness with the
virtuous; therefore, discussions with, or time spent in the presence of,
spiritual masters.
sattva (n.), sattvic
(adj.): one of the three modes (gunas) of manifestation:
sattva = calm, peaceful; rajas = active, agitated; tamas = dull inactive.
Savitri:
The divine Solar deity, or the vitalizing power behind
the visible sun, immortalized in the Gayatri Mantra.
Self: The
nearest English equivalent of the Sanskrit word “Atman”, the essential Divinity
of an individual.
seva: noble, altruistic service.
sevak: one who does seva,
or service.
Shankara:
an epithet of Lord Shiva; see Shankaracharya, Adi.
Shankaracharya: title given to the head of each of the four mathas
set up by Adi [first] Shankaracharya
and their subsidiaries.
Shankaracharya, Adi (730-820 AD): the great master of Advaita Vedanta who synthesized the Vedantic
teaching with clear commentaries, wrote many scriptural books, as well as
composed beautiful devotional hymns; commonly referred to by the name: Shankara. He renovated and established temples and founded mathas in the four directions in
shastras: all the scriptures of the Hindu religion.
Shiva: the
third god of the Hindu trinity who is entrusted with the task of destruction,
thereby enabling regeneration.
Shivaratri:
Shiva’s night; the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month Magha (February) on which a rigorous fast is observed in
honor of Lord Shiva.
Shringeri:
The matha in the South established by Adi Shankaracharya in approximately
the seventh century.
Shruti [shru = to hear]: the Holy Scriptures that were heard by the
ancient rishis through direct revelation; the Vedas.
Sri (m), Srimati (f): a title of respect used in direct address or
in writing; equivalent to Mr. and Mrs. in English.
swami (m), swamini (f): the title used by a sannyasi
who has taken the vows of renunciation; literally one who is with oneself.
Swamiji:
term used when directly addressing a swami, the suffix “ji”added
to a name indicates respect in direct address.
Tamil: the
language of the Dravidians of South India, from which Malayalam is derived.
Tamil Nadu: the state of
tapas: to shine, blaze or converge inner heat.
Austerities on the physical level include yoga postures; on the mental level,
consistent concentration; on the intellectual level, applying the concentration
and thought to a divine ideal.
Tilak, Bal Gangadar (1856-1920): One of
India’s first prominent nationalist leaders. His efforts towards
turya: the substratum in which the waking, dream
and sleep are perceived in the phenomenal or waking point of view; for
convenience, it is referred to as the fourth, or turya,
state of consciousness. It can be compared to water, which appears in the three
states of ice, liquid and steam.
Upanayanam:
the sacred thread ceremony for the bestowal of the Gayatri
Mantra. The ceremony for the purpose of “bringing near or leading to”the Truth is performed by a priest and presided over by
the father of the boy being initiated.
Upanishad
(seated below): the culmination, or philosophical section, of each of the four
Vedas that reveals the essential oneness between God and man. These treatises
are believed to have been compiled from 800 to 500 BC. They were meant to be
taught by an enlightened teacher to students of a humble and receptive attitude, that is both mentally and physically “seated
below.”
upasana (seated near): being near to the Lord
through continual mental visualization of his form.
Uttarkasi:
the Himalayan mountain village that has been the residence of many sages,
including Swami Tapovanam.
vanaprastha ashrama: the
third stage of a Hindu’s life. As a forest-dweller, he lives in semi-retirement
at the edge of the family estate where he is separate from the family, but
available in an advisory capacity as his sons take over his former duties. He
passes the day in contemplation and study of the Aranyaka
section of the Vedas.
vasana: innate tendency. These subconscious
tendencies color all levels of our personality: our perceptions, emotions,
thoughts and actions. It is postulated that they are brought with us into this
life from previous births.
Vedanta
(end of knowledge): system of non-dualistic philosophy based on the Upanishads,
which are found in the last section of the Vedas. Vedanta proves the
non-difference between the individual Self (Atman) and the Supreme Self (Brahman).
Vedas: the
four principal books of sacred knowledge: Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. Each Veda is divined into four sections to guide
the four ashramas (stages) of life. The first, or Samhita, section contains the many mantras, which are
hymns, prayers and formulas to be used in the various rituals during the grahastha ashrama. The second, or
Brahmana, section is commentary on the meaning of the
mantras with directions for their use in various rituals to produce results in
worldly endeavors. The third section consists of treatises for contemplation
and study including the symbolic meanings of the elements of the rituals. These
mental exercises are meant to be used by those of the vanaprastha
ashrama. This section is therefore named the Aranyaka or forest treatises. The fourth section contains
the philosophical treatises, the Upanishads, intended for the final realization
by those in the sannyasa ashrama.
Theosophical Society,