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Explanation
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Sadhaka
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(fem. sadhika): someone trying hard to practise religious exercises
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Sadhana
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from ‚sadh’, to execute, to be servile: instrument, mean (specially for reaching salvation), complex of religious exercises,
fulfilment, devotion
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Sadhu
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Hindu term for holy men and wandering mendicants.
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Samadhi
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Total self-collectedness, in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religion and philosophy, the highest state of mental concentration that a person can achieve while still bound to the
body and which unites him with the highest reality. At a certain degree, body can be left for never returning to it again.
Samadhi is a state of profound and utterly absorptive contemplation of the Absolute that is undisturbed by. desire, anger, or any other
ego-generated thought or emotion.
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Samkhya
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Samkhyasignifies a philosophical system, describing the different world principles. The wise Kapila is considered as the author of this philosophy. Its classical form, which was most probably influenced by the older Upanishads and the Bhagavadgita, is included in the Samkhya-Karika of Ishvarakrishna (350 BC). According to this work, there exist innumerable passive souls and an active original matter (prakriti).
All materiality developed in the process of evolution out of prakriti. The individual soul, due to its attachment to the material body, is subject to karma, suffering and eternal
rebirth (Samsara).
Realizing this truth, the soul can attain liberation. Being free from Samsara, the soul will remain eternally pure consciousness. The entire world process happens without any influence of god, being influenced only
by the cosmic law. The existence of a worldly ruler is clearly denied in this philosophical system.
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Samsara
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The term samsara means 'to live through, or to wander through different states'. It signifies the theory of reincarnation, being included in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Samsara is the beginningless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. It is a process, that is influenced strongly by karma.
The only way to liberate oneself from this cycle is to follow certain ethical and ritual rules, being included in this theory.
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Sangh
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Fourfold society, as founded by a Tirthankara, consisting of male and female Sadhus and householders, all following the principles of Jainism.
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Sannyasa
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lit. throw down, lay down, fourth period of life, total renunciation of the ascetic. After being a disciple for a certain time (brahmacharya), the ascetic
receives Sannyasa from his Guru together with an initial rite.
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Sannyasi, Sannyasin
see also Sannyasa
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The term sannyasi means: to renounce world. It signifies at the same time the initiation ritual and the state of being a sannyasi. Sannyasiis
used exclusively as a literary term in the brahmanical and Hindu tradition from the 2nd century AD, signifying in these traditions the practice of world renouncement. It is not used in the Vedas, in Buddhistand Jain literature.
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Sastras, Sastra, Shastras
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The sastraswere books, which included knowledge as well as rules and practical advices for almost all worldly affairs. For
example: medicine, astrology, architecture, politics, ethics and the like. The sastras were written very often in metrical form. The most popular sastras were the dharma-sastras by Manu (written 200 BC-300AD) and the artha-sastra by Kaultilya (written
400 BC-300AD).
See: Manusmriti.
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Shiva, Siva, Shivaism, Sivaism
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The myth of the god Shiva was fixed literary in the hymns of the Rigveda (1200-1000 BC; hymns 10.61 and 1,71). Shiva was worshipped since ancient times by many Hindus as the highest god. There are many different religious sects, who worship Shiva.
Most of them agree, that they want to explore the relation between Shiva in his manifestation as Pashupati (Lord of the animals and souls) and the individual soul and to search for liberation by worshipping Shiva.
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Shudra, Sudra
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This term signifies the fourth social Caste within the HinduCaste system. Originally it included the lowest social strata of the
Indo-European tribes of the Aryans, which migrated to India since 1500 BC. The varnatheory, that was fixed in the dharma-sastras, provided the Shudraswith the duties and rights to serve the upper three Castes (Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya) as well as different forms of trade. Together
with the Vaishyas the Shudras were considered as the mass of producers, including farmers, trader and the like. Although being according to the law of the dharma-sastras considered as socially inferior to the upper classes, their economical position elevated them step by step socially, especially since the rise of the trade with the Mediterranean world and the significance of urban trade of this time.
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Sikkhism
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The term sikh (from Pali: sikha and Sanskrit: sisya) means: student. The community of the Sikh are considered as the descendants of the ten gurus, beginning with
Nanak (born 1469 AD) and ending with Gobindh Singh (who died 1708 AD). In a scripture of the fifth guru Arjun Dev in the year 1604 AD the term sikh was defined as 'one, who beliefs in the ten gurus and in the Granth Sahib'.
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Smriti, Smrti
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During the time of the migrations of the Indo-European tribes of the Aryans since 1500 BC, the Vedas came into existence. Before being fixed literary, they were for many centuries handed down verbally. For the Aryans these hymns were the centre of their religion, being mainly important for their various sacrifices. The vedic corpus (Vedas, Brahmanas, Upanishads) were
considered as a revelation, that was listened to(sruti) by the holy and wise men (rishi). Furthermore those scriptures were considered as the authoritative and timeless truth and as a guarantor for orthodoxy. The later parts
of the tradition were considered as memory (smriti), describing human endeavour, to understand, analyze and develop the ultimate truth of the revelation.
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