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Babaji Maharaj: the great incarnation (Mahavatar) of God who re-introduced the lost spiritual science of Kriya Yoga in 1861.

Bhagavad Gita: the most revered of all Hindu scriptures. A short text of  700 verses arranged in eighteen chapters, it takes the form of a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, His closest friend and disciple. The Lord advises Arjuna on how to behave in the impending Mahabharata war.

Bhagavan (or Bhagawan, Bhagwan): God; a Sansrkit title given to a great realized saint, such as Ramana Maharshi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, etc.

bhakti yoga: the yoga of divine love.

Bharata:  Sanskrit name for India; one of the first kings of India; an epithet for Arjuna (sometimes also for Yudhishthira).

bhava: Sanskrit word meaning mood; being; feeling.

bhaya: Sanskrit word meaning fear.

Bhima: one of the five Pandava brothers; he was the second son of Kunti, born mystically through union with the god Vayu (air).

Bhishma: the commander-in-chief of the Kauravas.

bhuh-loka: Sanskrit word meaning the first of the seven upper spheres of existence (loka).  Corresponds to the money (earth) center.

bhuvah-loka: Sanskrit word meaning the second of the seven upper spheres of existence (loka). Corresponds to the procreation (water) center.

bija: Sanskrit word meaning seed.

bija mantra (“seed word”): Sanskrit word meaning seed-syllable (most basic mantra).

Birbal: Born as Maheshdas, a poor brahmin Hindu. He rose to be a minister at the Muslim court of the emperor Akbar, where he was both admired and envied for his skills as an administrator, a warrior, and a jester. The interactions between Akbar and Birbal have been enthroned in countless wisdom tales.

Brahma: the first god of the Vedic trinity, symbolizing the creative aspect of God.

brahmachari: Sanskrit word meaning one who observes the vow of brahmacharya.

brahmacharya: Sanskrit word meaning literally celibacy and sense-control.

Brahman: God the Absolute, beyond attributes or form. The name is derived from the root brih meaning “to grow” or “to expand”.

brahmananda: Sanskrit word meaning divine bliss; the perennial joy of God.

Brahma Sutras: one of the three fundamental scriptures (known collectively as prasthana trayi) for God-realization, written by Veda Vyasa.

brahma vidya: Sanskrit word meaning the knowledge of the Absolute.

brahmin: the first caste in the ancient Vedic social system of priests and teachers; metaphorically those who are on the spiritual path; to be in God (Brahman).

Buddha: born Siddhartha Gautama around 563 B.C. in Kapilvastu (an Indian province at that time, now in Nepal) in a royal family. At age 30, he left a life of luxury to seek how to end human suffering. After attaining enlightenment, he became known as Buddha ("the awakened") and taught the way to nirvana (liberation) until his demise at age 80.

buddhi: Sanskrit word meaning the intellect; faculty of decision.

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