Glossary
Words you'll meet on this site.
Short, plain-English definitions for the Sanskrit terms scattered through our articles and product pages.
- Yantra
- A sacred geometric diagram used as a focusing instrument for meditation, mantra and devotional practice. Each yantra is associated with a deity or cosmic energy.
- Mantra
- A sound, syllable or phrase repeated to focus the mind and invoke a chosen energy. The Gayatri mantra is the most recited mantra in the Vedic tradition.
- Bija mantra
- A 'seed' syllable — short, dense, and usually a single sound — that carries the essence of a deity. ‘Shreem’ is the bija of Mahalaxmi; ‘Aim’ of Saraswati.
- Sankalpa
- A clearly stated intent set before a ritual. Specific, present-tense, and singular. Sankalpa transforms an action into a practice.
- Sri Yantra
- The mother of all yantras — nine interlocking triangles forming 43 smaller triangles around a central bindu (point). Represents Devi as the source of creation.
- Bindu
- The dimensionless central point of a yantra. The seed. The unmanifest from which all geometry emerges.
- Puja
- Devotional worship ritual. Bhagya Cards are consecrated through a traditional Vedic puja before dispatch.
- Pran Pratishtha
- The ritual of installing prana (life force) into a deity image or yantra — transforming it from a representation into a living instrument.
- Kundali
- A Vedic astrological birth chart. Mapped at the moment of birth and used to read karmic patterns.
- The nine astrological influences in Vedic astrology — Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.
- Ishan
- Northeast direction. The most auspicious corner of a home or business — traditionally where the altar or sacred objects are placed.
- Mahalaxmi
- The goddess of wealth, abundance, prosperity and dignity. Consort of Vishnu. Her bija is ‘Shreem’.
- Gayatri
- The mother of all mantras and the personification of the Gayatri verse from the Rig Veda. Patron of wisdom, light and right discernment.
- Rudraksha
- Sacred bead from the Rudraksha tree, used in malas for mantra counting. Associated with Lord Shiva.
- Mala
- A string of 108 beads used to count mantra repetitions. A single round of 108 is the traditional unit of practice.