Aarti
Practiceआरती
aar-tee · HINDI
The closing act of a puja. A lit lamp is circled in front of the deity while a song is sung, and the flame is then offered to everyone present.
The Tapa Co. · Glossary
Forty words or fewer per term, in plain language — no tags, no scores, plain meanings. If a word in any guide sends you here, this is where it is defined, and where to read more about it.
आरती
aar-tee · HINDI
The closing act of a puja. A lit lamp is circled in front of the deity while a song is sung, and the flame is then offered to everyone present.
अबीर
a-beer · HINDI
A fine coloured powder, often scented, offered during puja. Close to gulal; many households use the two words for the same thing.
अभिषेक
a-bhi-shek · SANSKRIT
Bathing the deity — water, milk, honey or panchamrit poured over an idol or Shivalinga while mantras are recited.
अभ्रक
abh-rak · HINDI
Powdered mica with a soft shimmer. Offered alongside abeer and kumkum, most often in Devi puja.
आचमन
aa-cha-man · SANSKRIT
Sipping a little water three times at the start of a puja, each sip with a name of Vishnu. It marks the move from ordinary activity into the ritual.
अधिक मास
a-dhik maas · SANSKRIT
An extra lunar month added roughly every three years so that the lunar calendar keeps pace with the solar year.
आगम
aa-gam · SANSKRIT
A body of texts that sets out temple worship, the consecration of images and ritual procedure.
आहुति
aa-hu-ti · SANSKRIT
A single offering placed into the havan fire, usually ghee or samagri, made as the mantra ends on the word svaha.
अखण्ड ज्योति
a-khand jyo-ti · SANSKRIT
A lamp kept continuously lit through an observance, most often across the nine nights of Navratri. Relight it if it goes out; nothing is void.
अक्षत
ak-shat · SANSKRIT
Unbroken rice grains, usually mixed with a little turmeric or kumkum. Offered in almost every puja. The point is that the grains are whole.
अमान्त
a-maan-ta · SANSKRIT
The calendar system in which a lunar month ends on Amavasya. Followed in Gujarat, Maharashtra and the south. Festival days are the same; some month names differ.
अमावस्या
a-maa-vas-ya · SANSKRIT
The new-moon day, the last tithi of Krishna Paksha. Diwali falls on the Amavasya of Kartik.
अन्नकूट
an-na-koot · SANSKRIT
Literally a mountain of food. The large spread of dishes offered to Krishna on Govardhan Puja, the day after Diwali.
अन्त्येष्टि
an-tyesh-ti · SANSKRIT
The last rites. The final sanskar, performed for a person after death.
अर्घ्य
argh-ya · SANSKRIT
Water offered with both hands, most often to the rising or setting Sun, or to the Moon.
आसन
aa-san · SANSKRIT
The mat or cloth you sit on for a puja. Also the seat offered to the deity as one step of worship.
अष्टगन्ध
ash-ta-gan-dh · SANSKRIT
A blend of eight fragrant substances used for tilak, commonly including sandalwood, saffron and camphor. The exact eight vary by tradition.
अष्टमी
ash-ta-mee · SANSKRIT
The eighth tithi of a paksha. Janmashtami, Radha Ashtami, Ahoi Ashtami and Durga Ashtami all fall on it.
आश्विन
aash-vin · SANSKRIT
The lunar month that falls around September and October. Sharad Navratri and Dussehra fall in its Shukla Paksha.
आवाहन
aa-vaa-han · SANSKRIT
The invocation. The step at which the deity is invited into the murti, kalash or image before worship begins.
बाती
baa-tee · HINDI
A cotton wick for a diya. Round wicks stand upright in the ghee; long wicks lie along the lip of the lamp.
बताशा
ba-taa-sha · HINDI
Light, hollow drops of dried sugar syrup. Offered as naivedya, and paired with kheel in Diwali Lakshmi Puja.
भाद्रपद
bhaad-ra-pad · SANSKRIT
The lunar month that falls around August and September. Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi and Aja Ekadashi fall in it.
भजन
bha-jan · HINDI
A devotional song, sung alone or in a group. No fixed text and no count is required.
भक्ति
bhak-ti · SANSKRIT
Devotion. Love and trust directed towards the deity, expressed through puja, song, recitation or service.
भोग
bhog · HINDI
Food prepared and offered to the deity before anyone eats. Once offered, it is shared as prasad.
भ्रान्ति
bhraan-ti · SANSKRIT
A widely repeated belief that no named source supports. Each guide corrects these in its Myths & Facts section. A Bhranti carries no score.
बिल्व
bil-va · SANSKRIT
The leaf offered to Shiva, in threes on one stem. Also called bel patra. Offered smooth side down by widespread practice.
ब्राह्म मुहूर्त
braah-ma mu-hoor-ta · SANSKRIT
The last stretch of the night, beginning about an hour and a half before sunrise. Traditionally preferred for japa and study.
चालीसा
chaa-lee-sa · HINDI
A hymn of forty verses in praise of one deity. The Hanuman Chalisa, composed by Tulsidas, is the best known.
चन्दन
chan-dan · SANSKRIT
Sandalwood, as powder or paste. Applied as tilak and offered to the deity. Rakta chandan is the red variety.
चरणामृत
cha-ra-naam-rit · SANSKRIT
The water or panchamrit that has bathed the deity, collected and given in the palm as prasad.
चतुर्दशी
cha-tur-da-shee · SANSKRIT
The fourteenth tithi of a paksha. Anant Chaturdashi and Naraka Chaturdashi fall on it.
चातुर्मास
cha-tur-maas · SANSKRIT
The four monsoon months from Devshayani to Devutthana Ekadashi. Weddings and some new undertakings are traditionally deferred through this period.
चतुर्मुख दीया
cha-tur-mukh dee-ya · HINDI
A lamp with four spouts, each holding a wick, so that it gives light in four directions.
चतुर्थी
cha-tur-thee · SANSKRIT
The fourth tithi of a paksha. Ganesh Chaturthi and Karva Chauth fall on it.
चोला
cho-la · HINDI
The coating of orange sindoor mixed with chameli oil that is applied to a Hanuman murti.
चौकी
chau-kee · HINDI
A low wooden platform. Covered with a red or yellow cloth, it becomes the seat on which the deity is placed for puja.
चुनरी
chun-ree · HINDI
A red cloth, usually edged with gold gota, offered to Devi and draped over her image or over the Tulsi plant.
दान
daan · SANSKRIT
Giving. Food, clothing, money or service given without expecting a return, often at the close of a vrat or on a festival day.
दक्षिणा
dak-shi-na · SANSKRIT
What is offered to a purohit after a ritual. Traditionally given according to means and not fixed as a fee.
दर्शन
dar-shan · SANSKRIT
Seeing the deity, and being seen. The moment of standing before a murti, in a temple or at home.
दशमी
da-sha-mee · SANSKRIT
The tenth tithi of a paksha, the day before Ekadashi. Vijayadashami, or Dussehra, falls on it.
दीप दान
deep daan · SANSKRIT
Offering a lit lamp. Yama Deep Daan is the lamp placed outside the home, facing south, on the evening of Dhanteras.
धान
dhaan · HINDI
Unhusked rice, the grain still in its husk. Offered whole in some pujas; kheel is the same grain puffed.
धर्म
dhar-ma · SANSKRIT
On this site, a practice that a named text states. Each Dharma tag carries a score from 3 to 5 for how directly the text states it.
धर्मशास्त्र
dhar-ma-shaas-tra · SANSKRIT
Texts on conduct and observance, such as the Manu and Yajnavalkya Smritis and the later digests built on them.
धूप
dhoop · SANSKRIT
Incense burnt for its fragrant smoke, as sticks, cones or loose resin. Offering it is one step of the puja.
दीया
dee-ya · HINDI
A small lamp, usually clay, filled with ghee or oil and lit with a cotton wick.
दूर्वा
door-va · SANSKRIT
A fine grass offered to Ganesha, most commonly as twenty-one blades or small bunches.
द्वादशी
dwaa-da-shee · SANSKRIT
The twelfth tithi of a paksha, the day after Ekadashi. The Ekadashi fast is broken on Dwadashi morning, inside the Paaran window.
एकादशी
e-kaa-da-shee · SANSKRIT
The eleventh tithi of a paksha, kept as a vrat for Vishnu. Twenty-four fall in a year, two in every lunar month.
गंगाजल
gan-gaa jal · HINDI
Water from the river Ganga. Sprinkled to purify the space and the samagri, and added to the kalash.
घटस्थापना
ghat-sthaa-pa-na · SANSKRIT
The installation of the kalash on the first day of Navratri, performed in the morning while Pratipada prevails and before Hindu midday.
घी
ghee · HINDI
Clarified butter. Used to light the diya, poured into the havan fire, and one of the five ingredients of panchamrit.
गोमती चक्र
go-ma-tee chak-ra · SANSKRIT
A small flat disc of shell with a natural spiral on one face, found at Dwarka. Placed in Lakshmi puja.
गोत्र
go-tra · SANSKRIT
The family lineage, named after a rishi. Spoken in the sankalp. If you do not know yours, leave it out.
ग्रहण
gra-han · SANSKRIT
An eclipse. Surya Grahan is a solar eclipse, Chandra Grahan a lunar one.
गृह प्रवेश
gri-ha pra-vesh · SANSKRIT
The ceremony of entering a new home for the first time, usually with a puja and a havan.
गुग्गुल
gug-gul · SANSKRIT
A fragrant tree resin. Burnt on hot coals as dhoop and added to havan samagri.
गुण
gu-na · SANSKRIT
One of the three qualities the Bhagavad Gita describes in all of nature: sattva, rajas and tamas.
हल्दी
hal-dee · HINDI
Turmeric. Used as powder for tilak and for colouring akshat. Haldi gaanth is the whole dried root, offered uncut.
हरि वासर
ha-ri vaa-sar · SANSKRIT
The first quarter of the Dwadashi tithi. The Ekadashi fast is not broken until it has ended.
हवन
ha-van · SANSKRIT
Offerings of ghee and samagri made into a consecrated fire while mantras are recited.
हवन कुण्ड
ha-van kund · SANSKRIT
The vessel or pit that holds the havan fire. At home, usually a square vessel of copper or iron.
हवन सामग्री
ha-van saa-mag-ree · SANSKRIT
A mixture of dried herbs, roots, resins and grains offered into the havan fire with each ahuti.
जागरण
jaag-ran · SANSKRIT
Staying awake through the night in song, reading or recitation. Kept on some vrats by those who choose to; many do not.
जनेऊ
ja-ne-oo · HINDI
The sacred thread. In puja it is offered to the deity as one step of worship.
जप
jap · SANSKRIT
Repeating a mantra, aloud or silently, usually counted on a mala. 108 is the conventional count.
जौ
jau · HINDI
Barley. Sown in a clay bowl at Ghatasthapana on the first day of Navratri, and offered into the havan fire.
कलश
ka-lash · SANSKRIT
A brass or copper pot filled with water, topped with mango leaves and a coconut. It stands for the presence invited into the space.
कल्प सूत्र
kal-pa soo-tra · SANSKRIT
Ritual manuals attached to the Vedas, covering both the large public rites and the rites of the household.
कमल गट्टा
ka-mal gat-ta · HINDI
Dried lotus seeds. Offered to Lakshmi, and strung as a mala for her japa.
काण्ड
kaan-d · SANSKRIT
A book or section of the Ramayana. The Ramcharitmanas has seven; Sundarkand is the fifth.
कन्या पूजन
kan-ya poo-jan · SANSKRIT
Honouring young girls as forms of Devi on Ashtami or Navami of Navratri, by washing their feet and serving them a meal.
कपूर
ka-poor · HINDI
Camphor. Lit for the aarti; it burns away completely and leaves nothing behind.
करण
ka-ran · SANSKRIT
Half a tithi. One of the five limbs the panchang tracks each day.
कार्तिक
kaar-tik · SANSKRIT
The lunar month that falls around October and November. Karva Chauth, Diwali, Chhath and Tulsi Vivah fall in it.
करवा
kar-va · HINDI
A small clay pot with a spout, filled with water and used to offer arghya to the Moon on Karva Chauth.
कथा
ka-tha · SANSKRIT
The narrative recited as part of an observance, such as the Satyanarayan Katha or an Ekadashi vrat katha. It is read out in full.
कौड़ी
kau-dee · HINDI
Cowrie shells. Once used as currency, they are placed in Lakshmi puja at Diwali.
केसर
ke-sar · HINDI
Saffron. A few strands are added to chandan for tilak, and to milk or kheer offered as bhog.
खील
kheel · HINDI
Puffed paddy. Offered with batasha in Diwali Lakshmi Puja.
कृष्ण पक्ष
krish-na pak-sha · SANSKRIT
The waning half of a lunar month, from the day after Purnima to Amavasya.
कुमकुम
kum-kum · SANSKRIT
A red powder made from turmeric and lime. Used for tilak and offered to the deity in almost every puja.
कुश
ku-sha · SANSKRIT
A sacred grass. Worn as a ring and laid as a seat in shraddha and tarpan.
कुट्टू
kut-too · HINDI
Buckwheat. A seed, not a grain, which is why its flour is eaten on fast days.
लक्ष्मी चरण
laksh-mee cha-ran · SANSKRIT
A pair of small footprints, drawn or placed at the entrance at Diwali, pointing into the home.
लोबान
lo-baan · HINDI
Benzoin resin. Burnt on hot coals for its dense, sweet smoke.
मास
maas · SANSKRIT
A lunar month, made of two pakshas. Twelve make a year; an Adhik Maas is added when the calendar needs to catch up.
माहात्म्य
maa-haat-mya · SANSKRIT
A passage or text that sets out the merit of a particular vrat, place or deity. The Ekadashi kathas of the Padma Purana are Vrata Mahatmyas.
माला
maa-la · SANSKRIT
A string of 108 beads, of tulsi or rudraksha, used to count japa. The same word means a flower garland.
मन्त्र
man-tra · SANSKRIT
A fixed set of sacred syllables or verses, recited as given. Used in puja, japa and havan.
मौली
mau-lee · HINDI
A red and yellow cotton thread. Tied on the wrist at the start of a puja and wound around the kalash.
मिश्री
mish-ree · HINDI
Rock sugar in crystals. Offered as naivedya and shared as prasad.
मोदक
mo-dak · SANSKRIT
A sweet dumpling of rice flour filled with coconut and jaggery. The offering most associated with Ganesha.
मुहूर्त
mu-hoor-t · SANSKRIT
A window of time considered suitable for a ritual, calculated from the panchang. A recommendation, not a deadline — a puja done later is still complete.
मूर्ति
moor-ti · SANSKRIT
The image of a deity, in clay, metal or stone, before which puja is offered.
नैवेद्य
nai-ved-ya · SANSKRIT
Food offered to the deity as one step of the puja. The everyday word is bhog.
नक्षत्र
nak-shat-ra · SANSKRIT
One of twenty-seven segments of the sky through which the Moon moves. One of the five limbs the panchang tracks each day.
नारियल
naa-ri-yal · HINDI
Coconut. Placed on top of the kalash, and a whole dry coconut is offered into the havan fire at the end.
नवदुर्गा
na-va-dur-ga · SANSKRIT
The nine forms of Durga, one honoured on each day of Navratri, from Shailaputri to Siddhidatri.
नवमी
na-va-mee · SANSKRIT
The ninth tithi of a paksha. Rama Navami and Maha Navami fall on it.
निर्जला
nir-ja-la · SANSKRIT
A fast kept without food or water. One recognised form among several, and not a requirement.
निशीथ काल
ni-sheeth kaal · SANSKRIT
The midnight period. The Krishna Janmashtami puja is timed to it.
पान
paan · HINDI
Betel leaf. Offered with supari to the deity at the close of the puja.
पारण
paa-ran · SANSKRIT
Breaking a fast, within a stated window on the morning after. For Ekadashi it must fall after sunrise and before Dwadashi ends.
पाठ
paath · SANSKRIT
Reading a sacred text aloud from beginning to end, as in a Sundarkand Paath.
पद्धति
pad-dha-ti · SANSKRIT
A handbook of procedure that sets out how a ritual is carried out, step by step. A convention of practice, distinct from the scripture it serves.
पक्ष
pak-sha · SANSKRIT
Half a lunar month. Shukla is the waxing half, Krishna the waning half. Every festival date names one.
पंच मेवा
panch me-va · HINDI
Five dry fruits offered together as naivedya. Which five varies by region and household.
पञ्चामृत
pan-chaam-rit · SANSKRIT
Five ingredients mixed for abhishek and prasad — milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar. Made fresh, distributed after.
पञ्चाङ्ग
pan-chaang · SANSKRIT
The almanac. It tracks five things for each day: tithi, vara, nakshatra, yoga and karana.
पञ्चोपचार
pan-cho-pa-chaar · SANSKRIT
Worship in five steps: sandal paste, flowers, incense, a lamp and food.
पीली सरसों
pee-lee sar-son · HINDI
Yellow mustard seeds. Added to the havan offerings and scattered around the space at the start of some pujas.
फलाहार
pha-laa-haar · SANSKRIT
A fast kept on fruit, milk and permitted flours. The most commonly kept form.
पिण्ड दान
pind daan · SANSKRIT
The offering of rice balls to departed ancestors, made during shraddha.
पीताम्बर
pee-taam-bar · SANSKRIT
A yellow cloth offered to Vishnu, Krishna or the Shaligram as their garment.
पितृ पक्ष
pit-ri pak-sha · SANSKRIT
The fortnight set aside for ancestors, ending on Sarva Pitru Amavasya just before Sharad Navratri.
प्रदक्षिणा
pra-dak-shi-na · SANSKRIT
Walking clockwise around the deity, a temple or the havan fire, keeping it on your right.
प्रदोष
pra-dosh · SANSKRIT
The twilight period after sunset. Pradosh Vrat is kept for Shiva on Trayodashi, when that tithi covers this period.
प्रसाद
pra-saad · SANSKRIT
Food or flowers that have been offered to the deity and are then shared among everyone present.
प्रथा
pra-tha · SANSKRIT
A custom kept by a region, community or family. Real and valid, and not scripture. Each Pratha tag carries a score of 1 or 2 for how widely it is attested.
प्रतिपदा
pra-ti-pa-da · SANSKRIT
The first tithi of a paksha. Navratri begins on the Shukla Pratipada of Ashwin and of Chaitra.
पूजा
poo-ja · SANSKRIT
Worship offered to a deity with water, flowers, light, incense and food, at home or in a temple.
पूजन
poo-jan · SANSKRIT
The act of performing a puja. On this site, a Pujan is also the boxed samagri assembled for one ritual.
पुण्य
pun-ya · SANSKRIT
Merit. What a vrat, daan or act of devotion is understood to generate.
पुराण
pu-raan · SANSKRIT
A class of Sanskrit texts carrying stories, genealogies and ritual instruction. There are eighteen Mahapuranas, including the Padma, Skanda and Bhagavata.
पूर्णाहुति
poor-naa-hu-ti · SANSKRIT
The final, full offering that completes a havan.
पूर्णिमा
poor-ni-ma · SANSKRIT
The full-moon day, the last tithi of Shukla Paksha. Sharad Purnima and Kartik Purnima are among those observed.
पूर्णिमान्त
poor-ni-maan-ta · SANSKRIT
The calendar system in which a lunar month ends on Purnima. Followed across North India, and the system our dates use.
पुरोहित
pu-ro-hit · SANSKRIT
The person who conducts a ritual on a household's behalf. The word applies to any gender.
राहु काल
raa-hu kaal · SANSKRIT
A span of about ninety minutes each day that many households avoid for beginning new work. A custom, and not a rule: no puja is undone by it.
रामचरितमानस
raam-cha-rit-maa-nas · HINDI
The retelling of the Ramayana composed by Tulsidas in Awadhi in the sixteenth century, in seven kandas.
रंगोली
ran-go-lee · HINDI
A pattern drawn on the floor at the entrance with coloured powder, rice flour or flowers.
रोली
ro-lee · HINDI
A red powder used for tilak. In North India the word is often used for kumkum; some households keep the two separately.
रुद्राभिषेक
rud-raa-bhi-shek · SANSKRIT
An abhishek of the Shivalinga performed while the Rudra hymns of the Yajurveda are recited.
रुद्राक्ष
rud-raak-sha · SANSKRIT
The dried seed of the rudraksha tree, strung as a mala and associated with Shiva.
साबूदाना
saa-boo-daa-na · HINDI
Small pearls of starch, in India made from tapioca root. Not a grain, which is why it is eaten on fast days.
सामग्री
saa-mag-ree · SANSKRIT
Everything a ritual needs, gathered before it begins. Each guide lists its own.
सामक
saa-mak · HINDI
Barnyard millet, often sold as vrat ke chawal. The tradition classes it apart from grains, so it is eaten on fast days.
समिधा
sa-mi-dha · SANSKRIT
Small sticks of wood fed into the havan fire to keep it burning.
सङ्कल्प
san-kalp · SANSKRIT
The resolve stated at the start of a vrat or puja — what you are doing, and for whom. Said aloud or silently, in any language.
संक्रान्ति
san-kraan-ti · SANSKRIT
The day the Sun moves into a new zodiac sign. There are twelve in a year; Makar Sankranti in January is the most widely observed.
संस्कार
sans-kaar · SANSKRIT
A rite of passage. Tradition counts sixteen across a life, from before birth to the last rites.
सरगी
sar-gee · HINDI
The meal eaten before dawn on Karva Chauth, before the day's fast begins.
सात्त्विक
saatt-vik · SANSKRIT
Describes food that is fresh, light and vegetarian. For a vrat this usually means cooking without onion or garlic.
सेंधा नमक
sen-dha na-mak · HINDI
Rock salt. Used in place of ordinary salt in food cooked for a fast.
शालिग्राम
shaa-li-graam · SANSKRIT
A dark, smooth stone from the Gandaki river, worshipped as a form of Vishnu. Tulsi is wedded to it in Tulsi Vivah.
शंख
shankh · SANSKRIT
A conch shell. Blown at the start of a puja and at aarti, and used to pour water in abhishek.
शिवलिङ्ग
shiv-ling · SANSKRIT
The form in which Shiva is most often worshipped. Abhishek is poured over it.
षोडशोपचार
sho-da-sho-pa-chaar · SANSKRIT
Worship in sixteen steps, from invoking the deity through bathing, dressing and feeding to the final aarti. The full form of a puja.
श्राद्ध
shraad-dh · SANSKRIT
Rites performed for departed ancestors, with tarpan and pind daan. Kept on the death tithi and during Pitru Paksha.
श्रावण
shraa-van · SANSKRIT
The lunar month that falls around July and August, associated with Shiva. Its Mondays are kept as Sawan Somwar.
श्रुति
shru-ti · SANSKRIT
Literally what was heard. The Vedas, held to be revealed and not composed.
शुभ लाभ
shubh laabh · SANSKRIT
Two words written at the entrance at Diwali: shubh, auspiciousness, and labh, gain.
शुक्ल पक्ष
shuk-la pak-sha · SANSKRIT
The waxing half of a lunar month, from the day after Amavasya to Purnima.
सिन्दूर
sin-door · SANSKRIT
Vermilion powder. Red sindoor is offered to Devi; orange sindoor, mixed with chameli oil, is offered to Hanuman.
सिंघाड़ा
sin-ghaa-da · HINDI
Water chestnut. Dried and ground into a flour that is eaten on fast days.
स्मृति
smri-ti · SANSKRIT
Literally what was remembered. Texts composed by named authors, including the Dharmashastras, the epics and the Puranas.
सोलह श्रृंगार
so-lah shrin-gaar · HINDI
The sixteen adornments, among them bindi, sindoor, bangles and kajal. Offered to Devi as a set.
स्तोत्र
sto-tra · SANSKRIT
A hymn of praise composed by a named author, such as the Bilvashtakam. Recited as devotion; it is not a ritual instruction.
सुन्दरकाण्ड
sun-dar-kaand · SANSKRIT
The fifth kanda of the Ramcharitmanas. It tells of Hanuman's leap to Lanka, his finding of Sita and his return.
सुपारी
su-paa-ree · HINDI
Areca nut. Offered with paan. By widespread practice, a single whole nut is set down to stand for Ganesha when there is no murti.
सूतक
soo-tak · SANSKRIT
A period before and during an eclipse in which some activities are set aside. It applies only where the eclipse is actually visible.
स्वाहा
svaa-ha · SANSKRIT
The word spoken at the end of a mantra as each ahuti goes into the havan fire.
स्वस्तिक
swas-tik · SANSKRIT
An auspicious mark drawn in kumkum or haldi at the start of a puja, on the kalash, the chowki or the threshold.
तपस्या
ta-pas-ya · SANSKRIT
Sustained, disciplined effort kept for a purpose, such as a fast, a vow or a daily practice. Its root, तप्, is the word behind our name.
तर्पण
tar-pan · SANSKRIT
Water mixed with black sesame, poured from the hands as an offering to departed ancestors.
थाली
thaa-lee · HINDI
The plate on which the samagri for a puja or aarti is arranged.
तिल
til · HINDI
Sesame seeds. Kala til, the black variety, is used in tarpan and offered into the havan fire.
तिलक
ti-lak · SANSKRIT
A mark of kumkum, chandan or roli placed on the forehead, of the deity first and then of those present.
तिथि
ti-thi · SANSKRIT
The lunar day, and the thing that fixes almost every festival date. A tithi can start and end at any hour, which is why dates shift each year.
तोरण
to-ran · SANSKRIT
A string of mango leaves or marigolds hung across the top of the doorway.
त्रयोदशी
tra-yo-da-shee · SANSKRIT
The thirteenth tithi of a paksha. Dhanteras and Pradosh Vrat fall on it.
तुलसी
tul-see · SANSKRIT
Holy basil. Its leaves are offered to Vishnu and Krishna, and the plant itself is worshipped in the home.
उदया तिथि
u-da-ya ti-thi · SANSKRIT
The tithi prevailing at sunrise. Many observances are dated by it; some festivals follow the tithi at midday, dusk or midnight instead.
उद्यापन
ud-yaa-pan · SANSKRIT
The concluding ceremony of a vrat kept over a set number of days, weeks or years.
उपवास
u-pa-vaas · SANSKRIT
Fasting. Literally staying near: the day is meant to be spent closer to the deity, and going without food is the means.
उपला
up-la · HINDI
A dried cake of cow dung. Used to kindle the havan fire.
वार
vaar · SANSKRIT
The weekday. One of the five limbs the panchang tracks each day.
वस्त्र
vas-tra · SANSKRIT
Cloth offered to the deity as a garment, one step of the puja. A length of mauli is often offered in its place.
वेद
ved · SANSKRIT
The four oldest texts of the tradition: Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva.
विधि
vi-dhi · SANSKRIT
The procedure. The steps of a ritual in the order they are performed. In every guide, step one is the sankalp.
विसर्जन
vi-sar-jan · SANSKRIT
The farewell at the close of a puja, when the invoked deity is requested to depart. For Ganesha and Durga, the murti is immersed in water.
व्रत
vrat · SANSKRIT
A vow kept for a day. Fasting is often part of it and is rarely the whole of it — the vow is the observance, the food rule is one expression.
यजमान
yaj-maan · SANSKRIT
The person on whose behalf a ritual is performed and who takes the sankalp. In a home puja, the householder.
यज्ञ
yag-ya · SANSKRIT
A fire ritual in which offerings are made with Vedic mantras. A havan is its household form.
योग
yog · SANSKRIT
In the panchang, one of twenty-seven divisions calculated from the positions of the Sun and Moon. One of the five limbs tracked each day.
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How this differs from Concepts
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