sam.ska ̄ra “rite of passage” marked by ritual activity.
sam.skr.ta (sanskrit)sacred language used by learned classes; language of
sacred texts.
samudaya arising (of duh.kha), which is the second of the Four Noble Truths.
sana ̄ tana dharma “eternal dharma”; modern, indigenous term used for the
Western concept of “religion.”
sangat “brotherhood” in Sikhism; refers to the notion of equality.
sankı ̄rtan.a singing or chanting the name of the divine.
s ́a ̄ stra (shastra)texts which explain or elaborate upon particular topics.
sat-chit-a ̄ nanda being/truth-knowledge/intellect-bliss; the ultimate goal, i.e.,
knowing/being the truth brings about bliss; term often associated with
Veda ̄nta philosophies.
satı ̄ ideal woman/wife; later, the practice of widow burning on a funeral
pyre.
sattva one of three strands/qualities (gun.a) of which the universe is
comprised (see also: rajas,tamas).
satya truth.
savikalpa knowing the One, according to S ́an.kara.
sharı ̄‘a (A) the “law” of Islam in accord with the Qu‘ra ̄n, qiya ̄s,sunna, and
ijma ̄’.
s ́ikhara (shikara)part of Hindu temple architecture; literally, “pointed,
peak, or pinnacle.”
s ́ilpa (shilpa)art of appearance; S ́ilpas ́a ̄strasare manuals describing just how
to create, for example, iconography and temple architecture.
s ́ivara ̄ tri literally, “the great night of S ́iva,” celebrated on the moonless night
of the month of Phalguna (the fourteenth day in the dark half ).
skandha “aggregates” or “bundles” of senses which constituted the person
in early Buddhism.
s ́loka (shloka)verse; type of Sanskrit meter that is prevalent in epic
literature, consisting of two lines of text, sixteen syllables each.
soma fire ritual of early A ̄ryans; “intoxicating” drink that gives power;
probably the sap of a plant.
s ́ra ̄ ddha Hindu funeral ritual.
s ́rama (shrama)weariness, exercise, religious, or studious effort.
s ́ramana (shramana)ascetic, renouncer; name usually applied only to non-
Vedic ascetics, e.g., Buddhists and Jains.
s ́rauta (shrauta)public ritual.
s ́ruti (shruti)“that which is heard”; refers to Vedas, as opposed to smr.ti
literature which is “remembered” and, therefore, not necessarily
“revealed/heard.”
stha ̄la pura ̄n.a history of a temple or place, usually written from an insider’s
perspective. (Tamil: ta ̄ lapura ̄n.a).
256 Glossary