Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj

A Short Biography of Shree Swami Samarth 239
_________________________________________________________________________________________
wars, and writing are hallmarks of Dvapara and Kali yugas. In the higher ages
(Treta and Satya), writing is unnecessary because people communicate directly by
thought; temples are unnecessary because people feel the omnipresence of God;
wars are rare but they do occur; one such war is described in the Ramayana. The
traditional timescale of the yugas is as follows- Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga -
1,728,000 years - Treta Yuga - 1,296,000 years - Dvapara Yuga - 864,000 years -
Kali Yuga - 432,000 years Upon conclusion of seventy-one (or sometimes seven)
circuits of this cycle, there is a period equally long during which the world is
inundated; then the cycle begins again.
Satya Yuga The Satya Yuga, also called Sat Yuga, Krta Yuga and Krita Yuga is the "Yuga (Age
or Era) of Truth", when humankind is governed by gods, and every manifestation or
work is close to the purest ideal and mankind will allow intrinsic goodness to rule
supreme. It is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age."The yugas are said to
succeed each other almost endlessly. After the perfect Satya Yuga, a decline marks
the Treta Yuga. Further decline brings about the Dwapara Yuga, and after it comes
the final and dark Kali Yuga, a time of wickedness, when man kills man. At the end
of the cycle a Divine Being is said to take birth and reestablish righteousness, thus
beginning a new Satya Yuga. Amongst the four eras, the Satya Yuga is the first and
the most significant one. This era extends up to 1,728,000 years. Knowledge,
meditation, and penance hold special importance in this era. All the pillars of
religion are present in totality. During Satya Yuga, all people engage only in good,
sublime deeds.
Seers Indian measure of weight. One Seer = Two pounds.
Shaktipat The ancient method of awakening and activating the Kundalini energy in the
shortest possible time. Kundalini energy is the energy dormant at the base of the
spine of every human being
Shaligram A black stone worshipped as God Vishnu
Shankaracharya Shankaracharya, (Sankaracharya in standard transliteration) is a commonly used
title of heads of mathas (monasteries) in the Advaita tradition. The title derives
from Sankara of Kaladi, an influential theologian of Hinduism, who first established
four mathas in the four regions of India. He was given the name Sankara at birth,
and acharya is a title, meaning 'learned teacher'. As the first historically recognized
teacher in the lineage, Sankara is also called Adi Sankara. (The Sanskrit word Adi
means original/first.) The four institutions traditionally said to have been
established by Adi Sankara are; the Uttaramnaya matha, or northern matha at
Joshimath, the Purvamnaya matha or eastern matha, the Govardhana matha, at
Puri, the Dakshinamnaya matha, or the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, the southern
matha, at Shringeri, the Paschimamnaya matha, or the Dwaraka Pitha, the western
matha, at Dwarka. The heads of these four institutions are considered the principal
Shankaracharya-s in India today.
Shastras Shastra is a Sanskrit word used to denote education/knowledge in a general sense.
The word is generally used as a suffix in the context of technical or specialised
knowledge in a defined area of practice. For example, Astra shastra means,
knowledge about "Handling of weapons", Astra means weapons, and Shastra is
their knowledge. The shastra is commonly used to mean a treatise or text written in
explanation of some idea/topic. There are several types of shastras in the Hindu
religion.
Shastri One who has studied the shastras
Shastries One who has studied the Hindu scriptures Shastras. Also see Footnote for Shastras.
Shivabhishek Ceremonial ablution regarding Lord Shiva
Shloka Sanskrit verse
Shodashopachar Very Elaborate way of worshipping a deity. It incorporates 16 different constituents
in worshipping a deity, they are%- Awahana, Asana, Padya, Arghya, Achamana,
Snana, Vastra, Yadnayopaweet, Gandha, Pushpa, Dhoop, Deepa, Naivedya,
Dakshina, Pradakshina, Mantra, Pushpa.
Shraddha Offerings in the memory of the manes of the deceased ancestors - death
anniversary of one of the family members
Copyright © 2006 Shree Vitthalrao Joshi Charities Trust