Page 56 - Sri Canakya Niti

Glossary

Jīva—spirit soul.
Jñāna—realized knowledge or spiritual knowledge, distinguished
from mere vidyā (acquired learning, material knowledge).
Jñāna-yoga—the path of abstruse philosophical speculation as one
of the three ways to attain the Absolute Truth (the other two being
karma-yoga, the path of fruitive work, and bhakti-yoga, the path of
devotional service to the Supreme Lord).
Jyotiṣa-śāstra—the Vedic science of astronomy and astrology.
K

Kāla—time.
Kāla-cakra—the wheel of time.
Kali-yuga—the Age of Kali, the last in the universal cycle of four
ages (yugas), characterized by an increase in irreligion. It began fi ve
thousand years ago. See: Yuga.

Kalki, Lord—the incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu who appears at the end
of Kali-yuga and is the last of the cyclically recurring incarnations.
Kalpa—a day in the life of Lord Brahmā, comprised of a thousand
cycles of all four yugas (Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali). One kalpa
lasts 4,320,000,000 earth years.
Kāma—(1) satisfaction of sense desires (one of the four Vedic goals
of human life); (2) lust, or desire for sense gratifi cation. See also:
Artha, Dharma, Mokṣa.
Kapila(deva), Lord—an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa who appeared
as the son of sage Kardama and Devahūti. He instructed His mother
extensively on the principles of spiritual life (recounted in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam).
Karma—(1) action or activity; (2) ritual activities, performed under
the direction of the karma-kāṇḍa portion of the Vedic literature, aimed
at achieving a higher birth or the heavenly realm; (3) the principle
governing material action and reaction; (4) destiny, the effect of
previous activity.

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