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Glossary K
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Explanation
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Karma
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Sanskrit: Karman (act). A deed, good or bad.
In Indian philosophy, karma is the influence of an individual's past actions on his future lives, or reincarnations. The moral energy
of a particular act is preserved and fructifies automatically in the next life, where it shows up in one's class, nature, disposition, and character. The process is mechanical, and no interference by
the Divine is admitted. The law of karma explains the inequalities that are observed among beings.
In the course of the chain of lives, an individual can perfect himself, until he reaches the eminence of Brahman, or he can lead a
life where he is reborn as a lower being.
According to Jainism, there are 4 Ghati and 4 Aghati types of Karmas. Effects of Ghati karmas are much stronger, and they last for many lives.
The Hindu thought that whatever someone does will come back at a later date in this life or in transmigrations in heaven or hell. Only man attains salvation by devotion to the Divine through performances of one's own duties (see Bhagavadgita).
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Karma-marga
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See: Bhakti
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Kirtana
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The kirtanais basing on the conviction, that the real word of revelation - Brahma- , being neither realized by intellect nor by the
senses, was the eternal essence of god and therefore the essential nature of the Veda. For example the shastras include many word games and contrasts, in order to motivate the student to search for the true word, the one, that unifies god and god's name totally. This realization is called sphota,
the break up of the essential sense of the name. In this sense, the practice of kirtana, the singing and praising of god's name is meant, to realize god's inner nature.
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Krishna, Krsna
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Hindu god. In the 6th to 8th century AD the authority of the Veda slowly diminished. As a consequence many local, theistic cults, being suppressed so far, experienced a revitalization. During this process, the worship of the god Krishna developed step by step. In the 4th to 7th century AD, a time, being marked by the rise of non vedical religions like Jainismand Buddhism,
the originally non vedical Krishnaism tried to take up Vedism, in order to fulfil the orthodox requirements. This was the reason, why Krishna was assimilated with Vishnu, who at that
time already claimed a firm established position in the Hindu pantheon (Agama 1.1.). Besides this, the belief was established, that Vishnu appears anytime on earth, when the dharma was endangered, in order to save the world. Krishna became an incarnation of Vishnu. The Bhagavadgita reflects the syncretic use of the vedic and the Vashudeva (Krishna) tradition in that sense, that Krishna was considered as the highest god.
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Kshatriya
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This term signifies the second social class in the Hindu caste system. The Kshatriya was the warrior, the one, who traditionally
claimed to be king. The Kshatriya were descendants from the warrior nobility of the Indo- European clan of the Aryans, who invaded India since 1500 BC. Together with the Brahmin they provided within the caste system the ruling upper class, living from the productive lower classes.
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