Glossary
28 key Sanskrit terms · each page has a direct answer block and chapter links
The individual soul — eternal, unchanging, and distinct from the body and mind. The Bhagavatam teaches that the atman is…
The divine descent — the incarnation of Vishnu into the world whenever dharma declines. The Bhagavatam describes the Das…
The Supreme Being who possesses all divine qualities in full: beauty, strength, fame, wealth, knowledge, and renunciatio…
Devotional love and surrender to God — the central teaching of the Srimad Bhagavatam. The text presents bhakti as the hi…
The ultimate, undivided spiritual reality. The Bhagavatam's famous opening verse establishes the Absolute as Satyam (Tru…
The ten principal avatars (descents) of Vishnu: Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (half-man half…
Right conduct, cosmic order, and one's duties according to nature, stage of life, and relationship to God. The Bhagavata…
The three qualities or strands of material nature (prakriti): sattva (purity, clarity), rajas (activity, passion), and t…
The spiritual teacher and guide, essential for navigating the path of bhakti. The Bhagavatam emphasizes approaching a ge…
Sacred narrative or discourse about Hari (Vishnu/Krishna) — the very activity that constitutes the Srimad Bhagavatam. Th…
Spiritual knowledge or wisdom — the understanding of the self as distinct from matter. The Bhagavatam regards jnana as n…
The current cosmic age — the shortest and most spiritually difficult of the four yugas. The Bhagavatam describes Kali Yu…
The law of action and its consequences, which drives the cycle of rebirth. The Bhagavatam teaches that actions performed…
The playful, joyful divine activity of God — the acts of creation, preservation, and dissolution performed not out of ne…
The divine illusory power (shakti) of the Supreme that causes the appearance of multiplicity in what is ultimately one u…
Liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara). The Bhagavatam teaches that moksha achieved through pure devotio…
Liberation or release from material existence — synonymous with Moksha. The Bhagavatam describes five types of mukti: sa…
Divine love in its highest, most selfless form — specifically the love between the soul and Krishna. The Bhagavatam, esp…
One of the eighteen great narrative scriptures of Hinduism, containing teachings on cosmology, genealogy, dharma, and de…
The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth driven by karma and desire. The Bhagavatam's central promise is that hearing and …
That which is heard — referring to the Vedas as divinely revealed sound. The Bhagavatam presents itself as the natural c…
Austerity and spiritual discipline — the focused application of energy for spiritual growth. The Bhagavatam contains num…
Sacred pilgrimage sites associated with divine events or the presence of sages. The Bhagavatam lists numerous tirthas bu…
Detachment or renunciation — dispassion toward material objects and pleasures. The Bhagavatam presents vairagya not as c…
The foundational scriptures of Hinduism, revealed at the dawn of creation. The Bhagavatam presents itself as the essence…
The sacred region of north India centered on Mathura and Vrindavan, associated with Krishna's birth and early life. Vraj…
The sacred forest on the banks of the Yamuna river where Krishna spent his childhood and adolescence. Described in Skand…
The four cosmic time cycles that repeat in a vast sequence: Satya Yuga (age of truth, 1.728 million years), Treta Yuga, …