* Indicates that the entry was obtained from the VedaBase glossary.
All other entries were obtained from the krishna.com glossary.

Vedic Sanskrit Glossary - K -

Kabandha — a son of Śrī. Indra once stuffed his legs and head into his belly as a punishment. Indra foretold that until his long arms were cut off by Lord Rāma (which later occurred), Kabandha would not achieve peace.

Kacchapī-vīṇā — the stringed instrument of Rādhārāṇī.

kachauri — A small, disk-shaped pastry stuffed with spiced vegetables and deep-fried.

kadambaAnthocephalus indicus, a tree whose flowers appear in balls during the rainy season.

Kaḍāra — the ointment of Lord Jagannātha, the remnants of which were used by Lord Caitanya.

Kadru — wife of Kasyapa and mother of the race of serpents.

Kailāsa — A great mountain on which Lord Śiva resides, south of Mount Sumeru.

Kailasa — the home of Lord Śiva in the Himalayas.

kaiśora — The age between eleven and fifteen years.

Kaiśora — Kṛṣṇa’s age from the eleventh to the fifteenth year.

Kaiṭabha — A great demon who with his brother Madhu stole the Vedas from Brahmā at the beginning of creation and was killed by Viṣṇu.

kaitava-dharma — cheating religion.

kaivalya — the impersonal liberation of merging into the spiritual effulgence of Brahman emanating from the Lord.

kaivalyam — the state of realization of one's constitutional position as part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, which is preliminary to manifestation of activities on the platform of devotional service.

kajjala — a preparation of lampblack used to darken the edges of the eyelids; kohl.

kaju — cashew.

kāka — crow.

kala namaksee: black salt

Kalā — a form of the Lord that is an expansion of the Lord's original form.

kala — eternal time.

kāla-sarpa — the snake of time.

kālakanyā — the invalidity of old age.

kalamata olives — Large, ink-black olives with pointed ends and shiny skin, named after the seaside town of Southern Greece where they are grown. Popular in Greek cuisine, they are flavoursome and full-bodied.

Kālanemi — A demon killed by Lord Viṣṇu in the battle between Bali and Indra. In his next life he became Kaṁsa.

Kālayavana — A barbarian king who tried to attack Kṛṣṇa. Not wanting to touch a barbarian, Kṛṣṇa arranged for him to be killed by King Mucukunda, who burned Kālayavana to ashes with his glance.

Kali — (-yuga) The fourth of four repeating ages that form the basic cycles of universal time. In each Kali-yuga the world degrades into quarrel and dishonesty. The present Kali-yuga began 5,000 years ago and will continue for another 427,000 years. Kali is also the name of the ruler of the yuga.

Kali — The personification of quarrel and hypocrisy.

Kālīsee: Durgā

Kali — the black intense form of Lord Śiva's wife. She wears a necklace of skulls. Demigoddess to whom worshipers may offer meat. Also see: Durgā.

Kali-yuga — the “Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy ” The fourth and last age in the cycle of a mahā-yuga. This is the present age in which we are now living. It began 5,000 years ago and lasts for a total of 432,000 years. It is characterized by irreligious practice and stringent material miseries. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the age is personified as an evil black man who tries to kill a helpless cow and bull. The four legs of the cow represent the four principles of religiosity — namely, truth, cleanliness, mercy and austerity. The bull represents religion itself.

Kālindī — The river Yamunā, who became one of Kṛṣṇa’s eight principal queens in Dvārakā.

Kaliṅga — a province in ancient India.

Kāliya — A many-headed serpent who poisoned a lake within the Yamunā. Kṛṣṇa subdued the serpent by dancing on his hoods and then banished him from Vraja.

Kāliya — the many-headed serpent chastised by Lord Kṛṣṇa for poisoning a section of the Yamunā River.

Kalki — He is the tenth incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu. He arrives on a white horse at the end of Kali-yuga to annihilate all the remaining atheists.

kalmaṣa — sin.

kalonji seeds — also known as nigella or black onion seed no relation to the  onion. Very often these small, black, tear-drop-shaped seeds are confused with, or called, black cumin seeds, which in fact, they are not. Kalonji seeds (Nigella satival) have a peppery taste and,  when heated, have an herbal aroma. They are an important ingredient in the Bengali spice blend called  panch puran. They are available at Indian grocery stores

kalpa — A unit of cosmic time, equal to one day of Brahmā (or one night), or 4, 320,000,000 years.

kalpa — Brahmā's daytime, 4,320,000,000 years.

kalpa-avatāraslīlā-avatāras appearing in each day of Brahmā.

kalpa-vṛkṣa — wish-fulfilling trees.

kāma — Sense gratification; lust.

kāma — a high fever.

kāma — lust; the desire to gratify one’s own senses.

kāma-bīja — The seed of a particular gāyatri-mantra.

kāma-dhenus — desire-fulfilling cows in Vṛndāvana.

kāma-gāyatrī — a Vedic hymn which is composed of twenty-four and a half syllables.

kāma-lekha — exchanges of letters between a young boy and young girl concerning their awakening of attachment for one another.

kāma-muḍha — One who has lost his sense or is infatuated by the lust of attraction for sense gratification.

Kāmadeva — Cupid.

kāmadhenu — spiritual cows, in the spiritual world, which yield unlimited quantities of milk.

Kamalā — The goddess Lakṣmī, eternal consort of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu.

kamaṇḍalu — A clay or wooden waterpot, as carried by sannyāsīs and brahmacārīs.

kamaṇḍalu — the water-pot carried by sannyāsīs.

Kāmbhoja — a province situated in the north western part of India.

Kāmboja — The province of Afghanistan now known as Kabul. At the time of the Kurukṣetra war, its king was Sudakṣiṇa.

Kāmpilya — the capital of King Drupada.

Kaṁsa — The king of Bhoja and son of Ugrasena who usurped the throne of Mathurā. After sending many demons to Vraja to kill Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, he finally brought the brothers to Mathurā for a rigged wrestling tournament, where Kṛṣṇa killed him.

Kaṁsa — a demoniac king of the Bhoja dynasty and maternal uncle of Kṛṣṇa. The son of Ugrasena. He imprisoned his father and took charge of the kingdom. He killed the first six children of Devakī. Kaṁsa was killed by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

kāmya-karma — Optional Vedic rituals performed for personal gain.

Kaṇāda — the propounder of Vaiśeṣika philosophy, which states that atoms are the original cause of the creation.

kāṇaphāṭā-yogīs — beggars similar to gypsies who wear ivory earrings.

Kāñcī — A sacred city of southeastern India. It is known in Tamil as Kanjivaram. Rāmanujācārya resided there for some time.

Kāṇḍas — three divisions of the Vedas.

Kaṇika — a brāhmaṇa minister of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He advised the King to kill his enemies by any means. (Ādi Parva in Mahābhārata)

kaniṣṭha — A neophyte devotee.

kaniṣṭha-adhikārī — a neophyte devotee in lowest stage of Vaiṣṇava life.

Kaṅka — the name Yudhiṣṭhira used during the last year of exile in the kingdom of Virāṭa.

kantaki fruit — A small, golden fruit that grows on a thorny, vinelike bush.

kaṇṭhi-mālā — Beads worn around the neck by devotees of Kṛṣṇa.

Kanyākumārī — the virgin maiden; another name of the wife of Lord Śiva.

kapha — mucus, one of the three major elements of the gross body.

Kāpī — the sister of Kṛpācārya and the wife of Droṇa. Her son was Aśvatthāmā.

Kapila — (-deva) A white-complexioned incarnation of the Supreme Lord who appeared in the Satya-yuga as the son of Kardama and Devahūti. He taught His mother sāṅkhya-yoga, the path of devotional service through systematic study of the material creation.

Kapila — an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who appeared in Satya-yuga as the son of Devahūti and Kardama Muni and expounded the devotional Sāṅkhya philosophy, the analysis of matter and spirit, as a means of cultivating  devotional service to the Lord. (There is also an atheist named Kapila, but he is not an incarnation of the Lord.)

Kāraṇa Ocean — the corner of the spiritual universe in which Lord Mahā-Viṣṇu lies down to create the entirety of material universes.

karaṇāpāṭava — imperfection of the material senses.

karaṅga — waterpot carried by sannyāsīs.

Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu — The expansion of the Lord from whom all material universes emanate. Also known as Mahā-Viṣṇu.

Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu — Mahā-Viṣṇu, the expansion of the Supreme Lord from whom all material universes emanate. He lies within the Causal Ocean and breathes out innumerable universes.

karatālas — Hand cymbals used during kīrtana.

karatālas — hand cymbals used in kīrtana.

Kardama Muni — the father of Lord Kapila and one of the chief forefathers of the population of the universe.

Kardama — The ancient sage who married Devahūti and fathered the incarnation of God known as Kapila.

karela — A bitter gourd, valued in Vedic cuisine for its beneficial effect on the digestion.

karhai — a deep, rounded pan with handles on both sides, used for deep-frying or pan-frying.

karma — Material action and its reactions.

karma — 1. material action performed according to scriptural regulations; 2. action pertaining to the development of the material body; 3. any material action which will incur a subsequent reaction; 4. the material reaction one incurs due to fruitive activities; This Sanskrit word means 'action' or, more specifically, any material action that brings a reaction binding us to the material world. According to the law of karma, if we cause pain and suffering to other living beings, we must endure pain and suffering in return.

karma-bandha — the bondage of fruitive activities.

karma-bandhana — bondage to the reactions of fruitive activities.

karma-bhūmī — Bhārata-varṣa, the land where men work in accordance with the Vedic system of sacrifice.

karma-kāṇḍa — The portions of the Vedas that teach ritual sacrifices for material success in this life and the next.

Karma-kāṇḍa — the division of the Vedas which deals with fruitive activities performed for the purpose of gradual purification of the grossly entangled materialist.

Karma-kāṇḍīya — relating to karma-kāṇḍa.

karma-mīmāṁsā — one of the six main Vedic philosophies. It states that the subtle laws of nature reward or punish one according to how one acts, without reference to an independent God.

karma-niṣṭhas — those who consider devotional service to be fruitive activities.

karma-tyāga — the giving of the results of karma to the Supreme Lord.

karma-vīra — a successful fruitive worker.

karma-yoga — The process of God realization by dedicating the fruits of one’s work to God.

karma-yoga — action in devotional service; the path of God realization through dedicating the fruits of one’s work to God.

karmātmaka — one whose mind is colored with fruitive activity.

karmendriyas — The “active senses,” the faculties of speech, motion, and evacuation, located in the tongue, arms, legs, genitals, and anus.

karmendriyas — the working senses.

karmī — One whose aim in life is to achieve material elevation by acting dutifully, especially by performing Vedic sacrifices.

karmī — one engaged in kārma (fruitive activity); a materialist.

karmīs — fruitive laborers.

Karṇa — The first son of Kuntī, born to her by the sun-god before her marriage to Pāṇḍu. She abandoned the infant Karṇa by floating him in a basket on a river, and he was discovered and adopted by a mixed-caste chariot driver. Karṇa became an arch-rival of the Pāṇḍavas, who were unaware of his origin. In the Kurukṣetra battle, he was made the Kuru commander-in-chief after the death of Droṇa, and Arjuna killed him.

Karṇa — the eldest son of Kuntī before her marriage to Pāṇḍu. She had received a mantra from Durvāsā Muni that she could call any deva and conceive children. In her innocence she called Sūrya, the sun-god and conceived Karṇa. She was forced to abandon the child out of fear of her relatives. Karṇa was then raised by Adhiratha and Rādhā. He fought against the Pāṇḍavas and was killed by Arjuna in the battle of Kurukṣetra.

karṇikāraPterosper mum acerifolium, a tree with fragrant yellow flowers often used for dressing the hair.

Kārṣṇas — the members of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s family.

Kartavirya Arjuna — A demonic thousand-armed king who tyrannized much of the world but was killed by Lord Paraśurama after murdering Lord Paraśurāma’s father, the sage Jamadagni.

Kārtikka — The Vedic month corresponding to October†“November in which Lord Dāmodara is worshiped.

Kārttika — the name of a Vedic month occurring around October-November of the solar calendar, in which the Dāmodara form of Lord Kṛṣṇa is worshiped.

Kārttikeya — the younger son of Lord Śiva and Pārvatī. He is the presiding deity of warfare. Also known as Subrahmanya or Skanda.

karuṇa-rasa — The mood of compassion, one of the seven indirect devotional relationships with the Supreme Lord.

karuṇa-rasa — the indirect relationship of compassion.

kāśa — Saccharum spontaneum, a tall grass.

kāśamdi — a kind of pickle.

Kāśī — Vārāṇasī (Benares), the favorite city of Lord Śiva, located on the river Gaṅgā between Prayāga and Patna. It is one of the seven holy places that grants liberation.

Kāśī — one of the oldest sacred places of learning in India. The Purāṇic name of the modern city of Benares in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the place of Lord Śiva and generally the followers of Lord Śiva live there. Ambā, Ambikā and Ambālikā were abducted by Bhīṣma from this city. This was the site of Lord Caitanya's famous conversion of the leading impersonalist scholar of the day, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī.

Kaśyapa — One of the original Prajāpatis, the populators of the universe. Son of Brahmā’s first mind-born son, Marici, he married thirteen of Dakṣa’s daughters and fathered many demigods, demons, and species of animals.

Kaśyapa — a great saint who was the father of many demigods and also of the Supreme Lord’s incarnation Vāmanadeva; one of the seven mental sons of Lord Brahmā.

Kaṭha Upaniṣad — one of the 108 Vedic scriptures known as Upaniṣads.

kathā — Sacred narrations.

katha — stories and discussion on religious themes, especially from the purunas.

Kathakali — Keralan religious dance.

Kātyāyanī — A form of the goddess Durgā the young gopīs worshiped in Vṛndāvana to obtain Kṛṣṇa as their husband.

Kātyāyanī — the material energy personified. She is also known as Durgā and Kālī and by many other names.

kauḍis — small conchshells.

kaumāra — The age of up to five years.

Kaunteya — the son of Kuntī (usually refers to Arjuna).

kaupīna — Loincloth.

kaupīna — the thick belt and underwear worn by saintly persons.

Kaurava — The descendants of Kuru who fought against the Pāṇḍavas in the battle of Kurukṣetra.

Kauravas — the descendants of King Kuru who fought against the Pāṇḍavas in the Battle of Kurukṣetra.

Kauśalyā — One of the three wives of King Daśaratha of Ayodhyā. She gave birth to Daśaratha’s eldest son, Lord Rāmacandra.

Kaustubha gem — a jewel worn by Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, on His chest.

kaustubha — A jewel worn by Lord Viṣṇu on His chest. It is one of the few marks visibly distinguishing Him from His devotees in Vaikuṇṭha.

Kavacī — one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma. (Karṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)

Kavi-karṇapūra Gosvāmī — a noted sixteenth-century author of Sanskrit poems and plays. He is one of the leading followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

kavirāja — An Ayurvedic doctor.

kavya — Food ritually offered to the ancestors.

Kayādhu — The wife of Hiraṇyakaśipu and mother of Prahlāda.

Kāyastha caste — a Hindu community who are expert in managing business and government affairs; they are very reliable and faithful servants.

kejap manis — a thick, sweet or salty variety of soy sauce from Indonesia featured in Indonesian and Malaysian cooking.

Kekaya — A kingdom in the northwest of Punjab, between the Śatadrū and Vipāśā rivers. Kekaya princes fought on both sides of the Kurukṣetra battle.

Kekaya — a province in ancient India. Five princes from this country joined with Yudhiṣṭhira in the battle of Kurukṣetra, and they were killed by Droṇa. (Droṇa Parva in Mahābhārata)

Keśa-avatāras — the false story of the incarnations of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma from respective black and white hairs of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.

Kesava Gaudiya Matha — This temple was established by Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja, the sannyasa-guru of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The presiding Deities are Sri Sri Radha-vinoda-vihari.

Kesava Kasmir — learned scholar in Caitanya-lila.

Keśava — Kṛṣṇa (or Viṣṇu), who has beautiful hair (keśa), who is the Lord of both Brahma (Ka) and Śiva (Īśa), and who killed the demon Keśi.

Keśava — the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, who has fine, long black hair.

Keśi — A demon who assumed the form of a wild horse and attacked Vraja. Kṛṣṇa thrust His hand into the demon’s mouth and killed him.

Keśī — a demon who attacked the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana in the form of a wild horse but was killed by Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Keśi-tīrtha — The sacred spot in Vṛndavana on the shore of the Yamuna where Kṛṣṇa killed the demon Keśi.

kevala — devotional platform of seeing the unlimited potency of Kṛṣṇa but still considering oneself equal with Him; pure, uncontaminated emotion.

Kevalādvaita-vādīs — Māyāvādī philosophers.

kewra essence — this essential flavouring is derived from the shrub known as screw pine, (Pandanus tectorius), which grows in the humid swampy backwater areas of South India and South East Asia. The flowers have an exquisite rose-like perfume. In Indian cooking, kewra essence is used to flavour sweet dishes. It is available in the form of kewra essence or kewra water at Indian grocers.

khadi — Homespun cotton cloth.

khāḍi — cotton cloth.

khājā — a kind of light sweetmeat.

khaṇḍa — a valley between two mountains;  a section of a book.

Khāṇḍava — A forest near the Pāṇḍava capital, Indraprastha. Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna fought against Indra to allow the fire-god, Agni, to consume the forest.

Khāṇḍavaprastha — another name for Indraprastha. The forest in the part of the Kuru kingdom was devoured by Agni with the help of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.

khañjana — Awagtail; symbol of restlessness and the eyes of the beloved.

khasādayaḥ — classes of lowborn men.

Khaṭvāṅga — a saintly king who is famous for attaining unalloyed Kṛṣṇa consciousness just moments before his death.

Khetari — birthplace and residence of the great Vaiṣṇava Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura and site of a magnificent festival and Deity installation in which thousands of devotees took part, located in the West Bengal district of Rajasahi.

Kīcaka — brother-in-law of King Virāṭa. He was killed during the last year of the Pāṇḍavas exile in the kingdom of Virāṭa. When he lusted after Draupadī, he was killed by Bhīma.

kidney beans — the popular kidney-shaped red bean from the plant Phaseolus vulgaris. Kidney beans can be used in many types of cuisine — as an alternative to borlotti beans in Italian cooking, and as an alternative to pinto beans in Mexican-style cooking, or in stews, soups, and casseroles. Red kidney beans are known as rajma in India and are featured in the spicy chili-style dish of the same name popular in the Punjab. They are available at any grocery store or supermarket.

Kikaṭa — the present state of Gaya, in north-central India.

kikhi bird — Indian bluejay.

Kimpuruṣa-loka — (-varṣa) One of the nine divisions of Jambūdvīpa, the central part of the earthly planetary system. Hanumān resides there.

Kimpuruṣas — A class of celestial beings who have half-human, half-animal bodies.

Kindama — a sage who was killed by Pāṇḍu in the forest. Kindama had taken the form of a deer and was enjoying sex with his wife. Pāṇḍu, thinking the deer fit for sacrifice, killed the deer and its mate. Before leaving his body, Kindama cursed Pāṇḍu to die while he was enjoying his wife.

Kinnaras — minor demigods inhabiting the heavenly planets. They can change their form at will.

Kirāta — a mountainous region near modern Udaipur, Rajasthan, where Arjuna did penance. Lord Śiva took the form of a Kirāta and fought with Arjuna.

Kirāṭas — A degraded tribe of mountain-dwelling hunters.

Kirīṭī — another name for Arjuna.

Kirmīra — a fierce Rākṣasa and the brother of Baka. He was killed by Bhīma during their exile in the forest. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata)

kīrtana — The primary devotional practice of chanting the Supreme Lord’s glories.

Kīrtana — glorification of the Supreme Lord. Narrating or singing the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His Holy Names; the devotional process of chanting the names and glories of the Supreme Lord.

kīrtana — glorification of the Supreme Lord; the devotional process of chanting.

Kiṣkindha — The capital city of the Vānara ape-men, ruled during the time of Lord Rāmacandra first by Vāli and later by Vāli’s brother Sugrīva. The Vānara army, led by Sugrīva and ministers like Hanumān, helped Lord Rāma defeat Rāvaṇa.

kiśora — A boy aged ten to fifteen.

Kiśora-gopāla — Kṛṣṇa as a young boy.

kitava — a great cheater.

Kleśa-ghnī — description of devotional service indicating that it reduces or nullifies all kinds of suffering.

Kosala — The kingdom of north-central India ruled by great kings like Sagara, Bhagīratha, Khaṭvānga, Raghu, Daśaratha, and Lord Rāmacandra. Its capital was Ayodhya.

Kosala — a prosperous kingdom in ancient India. Bhīmasena conquered this country for Yudhiṣṭhira before the Rājasūya sacrifice.

koṭī — ten million.

Kovil — temple in Tamil Nadu.

Kratu — one of the seven great sages who were born directly from Lord Brahmā.

Krishnanagar — a town that is the government headquarters of a sub-division of the West Bengal district of Nadia. It is about ten miles east of Śrī Māyapura.

kriyā-hīna — devoid of spiritual behavior.

kriyā-vidhāna — injunctions for Vedic rituals.

krodha — anger.

kṛpā — Mercy.

kṛpā-siddha — one who as attained perfection by the mercy of superior authorities.

kṛpā-siddhi — perfection attained simply by the blessings of the Lord or a great devotee.

krpā-siddihi — perfection attained simply by the blessings of a great devotee or transcendentalist.

Kṛpācārya — the son of Śaradvān. He was a brāhmaṇa by birth, but was inclined to the duties of a kṣatriya. He learned the Dhanur Veda from his father, and taught the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the sons of Pāṇḍu what he had learned from his father. Due to politics he took the side of Duryodhana during the battle of Kurukṣetra. He later became the teacher of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

kṛpaṇa — A miser.

kṛpaṇa — a miserly man who wastes his life by not striving for spiritual realization.

Kṛṣṇa Caitanya — The name received by Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu from His sannyāsa-guru, Śrī Keśava Bhāratī. See Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana — another name of Śrīla Vyāsadeva.

Kṛṣṇa — (-candra) The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His original form, enjoying as a youthful cowherd with His family and friends in Vṛndavana and later as a valiant prince in Mathura and Dvāraka.

Kṛṣṇā — another name of Draupadī.

Kṛṣṇa — the original, two-armed form of the Supreme Lord, who is the origin of all expansions.

kṛṣṇa-ākarṣiṇī — description of pure devotional service indicating that it gradually attracts Kṛṣṇa toward the devotee.

Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha — bereft of one’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma — The presiding Deities of the ISKCON temple in Vṛndavana, India.

Kṛṣṇa-bhakta — a devotee of Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa-bhakti — devotion to Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa-bhāvita — Absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Kṛṣṇa-dāsa — servant of Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa-karma — doing all work for the sake of Kṛṣṇa.

kṛṣṇa-kathā — Discussions about Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa-kathā — discussions or topics spoken by or about Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana — the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s name and pastimes.

kṛṣṇa-līlā — Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.

Kṛṣṇa-līlā — the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

kṛṣṇa-nāma — Kṛṣṇa’s holy name.

Kṛṣṇa-pāriṣada — associates of the Lord.

Kṛṣṇa-prasādamsee: Prasādam

kṛṣṇa-prema — Pure ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. It is the perfection of life.

Kṛṣṇa-prema-dhana — the treasure of love for Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa-viraha — the feeling of spiritual separation from Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī — The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmi — author of the immortal Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, considered the greatest work on the life and philosophy of Lord Caitanya. He composed it in his nineties, despite bodily infirmity. This book is especially revered by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. He was ordered by Lord Nityānanda in a dream to go to Vṛndāvana where he studied the Gosvāmī literature under the direction of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

kṛṣṇāliṅgita-vigraha — the spiritual master, who is always embraced by Kṛṣṇa.

kṛṣṇaloka — The eternal abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Krṣnaloka — the planet in the spiritual world where Krṣna resides. See also: Goloka Vṛndāvana

Kṛṣṇe matir astu — greeting of Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs meaning “Let your attention be on Kṛṣṇa.”

Kṛta — (-yuga) The first of four repeating ages that form the basic cycles of universal time. During its 1, 728,000 years, purity and spiritual competence are prominent. It is also called Satya-yuga.

Kṛta-yuga — Satya-yuga.

Kṛtavarmā — a king of the Vṛṣṇi dynasty, and the son of Hādīka. He took the side of Duryodhana during the battle of Kurukṣetra. He was killed during the fratricidal war of the Yadus.

kṣara — perishable.

Kṣatradeva — the son of Śikhaṇḍī. He was killed by Lakṣmaṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.

Kṣatradharman — one of the sons of Dhṛṣṭadyumna. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.

Kṣatrañjaya — one of the sons of Dhṛṣṭadyumna. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.

Kṣatravarman — one of the sons of Dhṛṣṭadyumna. He was killed by Droṇa during the Kurukṣetra war.

kṣatriya — third of the four orders of the varṇāśrama system. A warrior who is inclined to fight and lead others. The administrative or protective occupation according to the system of four social and spiritual orders.

 kṣatriya — A members of the second of the four occupational classes in the varnashrama social system. The kṣatriyas are the political and military leaders of society. They are expected to be heroic, charitable, selflessly dedicated to the welfare of all citizens, respectful of the spiritual authority of the brāhmaṇas, and ready to use force to stop wrongdoing.

Kṣattā — a name of Vidura.

kṣepaṇa — subordinate ecstatic symptoms, including dancing and bodily contortions; a division of anubhāva.

kṣetra — Literally, “field.” A holy district, especially that of Jagannātha Puri.

kṣetra — field of activities, the body of the conditioned soul.

kṣetra-sannyāsa — vow to leave household life and live in a place of pilgrimage devoted to Lord Viṣṇu.

kṣetrajña — one who is conscious of the body. Both the soul and the Supersoul are kṣetrajña, for the individual soul is conscious of his own particular body and the Supersoul is conscious of the bodies of all living beings.

kṣīra — Sweetened condensed milk.

Kṣīracorā — Gopīnātha Deity who stole condensed milk for Mādhavendra Purī.

Kṣīrodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu — The third of the three Puruṣas, incarnations of the Supreme Lord for the creation of the material universe. Kṣīrodaka-śāyī Viṣṇu resides on the island of Śvetadvīpa in the Milk Ocean and expands into the heart of every materially embodied being as the Supersoul.

Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu — the Viṣṇu expansion of the Supreme Lord who enters within each atom and between each atom of the universe and enters the heart of every living entity. He is also called the Supersoul.

kṣudhā-tṛṣṇā — hunger and thirst.

ku-viṣaya — sense gratificatory activities performed under sinful conditions.
an auspicious grass used in Vedic rituals and sacrifices.

Kubjā — A hunchback woman of Mathurā employed as a seller of fragrant ointments. Attracted to Kṛṣṇa when He entered Mathurā, she happily agreed to supply Him ointment without payment and applied it to His body. As a reward Kṛṣṇa transformed her into a beautiful young lady. Kṛṣṇa later visited her home along with Uddhava.

kulācala — the place where there is no disturbance.

Kulaśekhara — a great devotee-king and the author of Mukunda-mālā stotra, prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Kumāras — The first four sons of Brahma. Brahma requested them to beget children, but they refused, preferring to remain forever celibate in the bodies of five-year-olds.

Kumāras — four learned ascetic sons of Lord Brahmā appearing eternally as children, who became great devotees of the Lord and great authorities on devotional service..

kumbha — pitcher.

Kumbha-melā — a fair held every twelve years at Prayāga for spiritual upliftment; attended by people from all over India.

kumbhaka-yoga — complete stoppage of the air currents within the body as part of the eightfold mystic process.

Kumbhakarṇa — One of Rāvaṇa’s brothers, a mighty demon, his appetite insatiable, who slept six months of the year. When Rāvaṇa needed help to meet the attack of Lord Rāmacandra’s army, Kumbhakarṇa was with great difficulty awakened, but he was sent to his death by Lord Rāma’s arrows.

kumera — a variety of sweet potato with a rich, orange colour, popular in New Zealand.

kumudaNymphaea esculenta, a species of night-blooming lotus with white flowers.

kuṇḍa — A lake or pond; generally refers to one of the sacred ponds in Vṛndavana.

kuṇḍa — small lake or pond.

 kundaJasminium pubescens, a species of jasmine

Kuṇḍadhāra — one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)

Kuṇḍaja — one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)

Kuṇḍalī — one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)

Kuṇḍina — (-pura) The capital of the kingdom of Vidarbha, ruled in the time of Kṛṣṇa by Bhīṣmaka, the father of Śrī Rukmiṇī.

Kuṇḍodara — one of the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was killed by Bhīma during the battle of Kurukṣetra. (Bhīṣma Parva in Mahābhārata)

kuñja — A grove.

kuṅkuma — A red cosmetic powder.

kuṅkuma — a sweetly-flavored reddish cosmetic powder which is thrown on the bodies of worshipable persons, also used by married women to decorate their foreheads.

Kuntī — (Pṛtha) One of King Pāṇḍu’s two wives. By union with various demigods, she became the mother of Karṇa, Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, and Arjuna.

Kuntī — the mother of the Pāṇḍavas and Lord Kṛṣṇa's aunt in the Mahābhārata. She was the daughter of Śūrasena and the sister of Vasudeva. She was adopted by King Kuntībhoja and later married King Pāṇḍu. Her other name is Pṛthā.

Kuntibhoja — a king of the Yadu dynasty, and the foster father of Kuntī. He took the side of the Pāṇḍavas during the Kurukṣetra war.

kurabaka — The red amaranth flower.

kurara — a type of osprey (female kurarī).

kurārī — A female sea osprey.

Kūrma Purāṇa — one of the eighteen Purāṇas. It describes the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa's tortoise incarnation.

Kūrma — Lord Viṣṇu’s form as a huge tortoise, one of the daśa-avatāras, the ten most famous incarnations of the Lord. The tortoise allowed the demigods and demons to use His back as a pivot for churning nectar from the Milk Ocean.

Kūrma — the Supreme Lord’s incarnation as a tortoise.

kurta — A tunic-like men’s shirt, commonly worn in India.

kurta — Indian shirts pullover.

Kuru — The founder of the dynasty in which the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas appeared.

Kuru — the founder of the dynasty in which the Pāṇḍavas, as well as their archrivals, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, took birth.

Kurukṣetra — “The holy field of the Kurus,” where in ancient times the members of that dynasty performed sacrifices. Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna just prior to beginning the battle fought there that decided the fate of the dynasty and ushered in the beginning of the Kali-yuga.

Kurukṣetra — a holy place due to the penances of King Kuru. It was here that the great Mahābhārata war was fought; situated about ninety miles north of New Delhi where Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, five thousand years ago. It is a place of pilgrimage.

Kurus — all of the descendants of King Kuru, but specifically the 100 sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The Pāṇḍavas were also descendants of King Kuru, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra wished to exclude them from the family tradition; enemies of the Pāṇḍavas.

 Kurus — See Kauravas.

kuśa — A sacred grass, also called darbha, essential for all Vedic sacrifices.

kutārkikas — false logicians.

kuṭi-nāṭi — duplicity or fault-finding.

kuṭīcaka — the first stage of the sannyāsa order. The kuṭīcaka lives in a hut nearby his village, and his family brings him food.

kuṭira — A hermitage-like residence. See bhajana-kuṭira.

kuṭṭamita — happy within the heart, but externally angry and offended.

kuṭumbinī — intelligence.

Kuvalayāpīḍa — An elephant deployed by King Kaṁsa to kill Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma when They came to Mathurā. Kṛṣṇa killed the elephant and later used one of its tusks to kill Kaṁsa’s soldiers.

Kuvera — The demigod who looks after the vast treasures of heaven.

Kuvera — one of the important demigods in heaven, and the treasurer of wealth. He benedicted the Pāṇḍavas during their exile in the forest; father of Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva.

 

Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra


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