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Glossary

Abadhut
an ascetic who has renounced the world.
Acharya
a family name or title of Brahmans, lit., teacher.
Adwaita Acharya
an elderly scholar of Shantipur and associate in Chaitanya's devotions before he became a sannyasi.
Arati
divine service performed to a god in the early morning or after dusk, with lamps, incense, and instrumental music, especially bells.
Balaram
the elder brother of Krishna; the images of the two with that of their sister Subhadra between them, are worshipped in the temple of Jagannath.
Bania
grocer, (also acts as banker).
Bhagabat
an adorer of Bhagaban or Vishnu as God; the Bhagabat, the name of a Puran, regarded by the Vaishnavs as their Scripture.
Bhakta
a devotee, who seeks salvation through faith.
Bhakti
faith, devotion.
Bharati
the title of an order of monks.
Bhattacharya
a title of Brahmans.
Bhog
see prasad.
Dhoti
a sheet of cloth worn round the lower limbs by Hindu males.
Gandharva
a class of celestial musicians.
Garuda
a bird ridden by Vishnu, sacred to the Vaishnavs.
Gaur
(1) a city in the Malda district, the capital of Bengal during the Pathan period; also applied to the whole country of Bengal, (Gaur). (2) or Gauranga, a title of Chaitanya.
Gauriya
a native of Bengal.
Ghaghar
a musical instrument.
Ghat
bathing stairs in a river, usually sacred.
Ghee
melted butter.
Gopis
milk-maids of Brindaban with whom Krishna disported.
Goswami
a title of respect, usually given to spiritual leaders among the Vaishnavs.
Govardhan
a sacred hill near Brindaban.
Guru
spiritual preceptor, initiator into learning or a faith.
Haridas
a Muhammadan who had turned Vaishnav under Chaitanya's influence. There was another Haridas, a born Hindu, among Chaitanya's followers.
Jagannath
or Lord of the Universe, name of the idol of Krishna worshipped in the temple at Puri; also applied to the town of Puri.
Jharikhand
the jungle country, Chota Nagpur and the Santhal parganas.
Kali yug
the present or iron age of the world.
Katak
the capital of Orissa and the seat of King Pratap Rudra of the Gajapati dynasty.
Kholan
instrument of music, being a long earthenware drum covered at both ends with leather; distinctive of the Bengali Vaishnavs.
Kirtan or sankirtan
chanting God's name to the accompaniment of dance and song.
Kulin
(1) a man of blue blood (kul), descended from a mythical ancestor of high character or social position in a very far-off age. (2) the name of a village in Bengal.
Kunda
a pool of water, sacred to some god or saint.
Lila
the antic or sport of a god, particularly of Krishna.
Madhav Pun
also Madhavendra, a monk, the spiritual guide of that Ishwar Puri who was the guru of Chaitanya.
Maha-patra
minister of the Rajah of Orissa.
Maha-prasad
food offered to Jagannath and thereafter considered as holy.
Mangal-arati
early morning worship, see arati.
Mantra
spell, sacred verse (usually in Sanskrit).
Mahanta
the abbot of a Hindu monastery.
Nilachal
the Blue Mountain. Name of the mound on which the temple of Jagannath at Puri is situated.
Nimai
a nick-name of Chaitanya.
Nupur
bells tied to the feet in dancing.
Odhra
Orissa.
Pandas
attendants at a temple (such as Jagannath); they act as guides to pilgrims for a consideration.
Pandit
scholar, one versed in Sanskrit.
Parichha
the highest servitor of the temple of Jagannath.
Prasad
food dedicated to a god at his worship, and thereafter eaten by the faithful as something holy.
Prayag
the town of Allahabad, at the junction of the Ganges and the Jamuna.
Prem
love, the highest form of bhakti or devotion.
Puri
(1) a town on the sea-coast in Orissa, containing the temple of Jagannath. (2) the title of an order of monks.
Purushottam
a title of Vishnu; usually applied to the temple of Jagannath at Puri.
Rarh
the upland of Burdwan and Birbhum districts, west of the Ganges.
Sankirtan
see kirtan.
Sannyasi
ascetic, monk, religious mendicant.
Sarvabhauma
i.e., "universal doctor," a man of encyclopaedic knowledge. In the book this title is applied to a great scholar and Vedantic philosopher of Navadwip, who had settled at Puri and was held in high honour by the local king. His father was the scholar Visharad, a fellow-student of Chaitanya's maternal grandfather. His sister's husband was Gopinath Acharya, who, too, lived at Puri. Also called the Bhattacharya, and Bhatta; not to be confounded with the Bhattacharya (i.e., Balabhadra) of ch. xv-xxiii.
Shalgram
a round dark pebble, worshipped as an emblem of Vishnu, (found in the Gandak river).
Shantipur
a town on the Ganges, some miles below Navadwip.
Shastra
Scripture.
Shikdar
the revenue collector of a district, local governor.
Shloka
a complete verse, couplet or quatrain.
Shripad
a title of respect, here applied to Nityananda.
Shri-Vaishnav
one of the four main sects of the Vaishnavs; they adore Narayan and Lakshmi (=Shri), instead of Krishna and Radha.
Shudra
the lowest caste among the Hindus.
Subhadra
the sister of Krishna.
Thug
a class of professional robbers who used to strangle or poison their victims, after mixing with them on the way, disguised as travellers.
Tirtha
sacred place, usually containing a bathing place.
Tulsi
(1) the Indian Basil plant, sacred to Vishnu, and venerated by the Vaishnavs as almost divine. "She is the Indian Daphne" (Birdwood). (2) the name of a minister of the king of Orissa.
Vaikuntha
the heaven of Vishnu.
Vaishnav
worshipper of Vishnu, the preserver, one incarnation of whom is Krishna. The Shaivas are the worshippers of Shiva the destroyer, while the Shaktas are the worshippers of Shakti or energy, the wife of Shiva.
Varaha
the "Boar," the 3rd incarnation of Vishnu.
Vidya-nagar
Rajmahendri, in the Madras presidency.
Vrihaspati
the teacher of the gods; hence, a man versed in all the branches of learning.
Vishwarup
Chaitanya's elder brother, who turned a sannyasi under the title of Shankarayana and died in the monastery of Pandharpur in Southern India.
Yug
era or cycle of time.

[Illustration: King Pratap Rudra Bowing to Chaitanya]
(From an old painting in the possession of the Zamindar of Kunjaghata)