Glossary of Sacred Terms

Attar, ruh oil, puja, and abhishekam are words on this site that come from Sanskrit and Hindi. Here is what each one means, in plain English, so you can shop and worship with confidence whether or not you grew up with these terms.

AartiAAR-teeLamp Offering Ceremony

A worship ceremony in which a lit lamp is circled before the Deity and incense, water, cloth and flowers are offered, while devotees sing.

Abhishek & Puja ItemsDeity Bathing & Worship Items

Sacred powders and botanical blends for Vedic abhishek ceremonies and deity worship, prepared according to traditional shastric guidelines. See Abhishek & Puja Items →

Abhishekamuh-bhi-SHAY-kumDeity Bathing Ceremony

The ceremonial bathing of the Deity with pure water, milk, honey and fragrant oils, offered with prayer and chanting as loving devotional service.

Agarbattiug-ur-BUT-teeSacred Incense Sticks

Incense sticks -- fragrant paste formed on a thin bamboo core -- lit so the smoke can be offered to the Deity as dhupa, or carried through a home.

AsanaMeditation Seat

A seat or mat used for meditation, japa and worship, traditionally woven from kusha grass.

BhapkaReceiving Vessel

The receiving vessel -- traditionally charged with sandalwood oil -- into which the fragrant vapor from the deg is condensed to make an attar.

BhogBHOHGDeity's Meal Offering

The cooked meal prepared for the Deity and presented at the altar; once offered it is honored as prasadam.

ChameliJasmine

Jasminum grandiflorum -- the classic jasmine of Western perfumery, sweet and green.

ChandanCHUN-dunIndian Sandalwood

Sanskrit for true sandalwood (Santalum album) -- sold as fragrant heartwood, distilled oil, incense, or the cooling paste offered to the Deity and worn as tilaka.

ChandanwoodCHUN-dunSandalwood Heartwood

Pure chandan (sandalwood) heartwood chips for deity worship, home fragrance, and sacred rituals. Sourced responsibly. See Chandanwood →

DegCopper Still

The copper still in which flowers, woods or resins are distilled with water over an open flame, in the traditional deg-bhapka process.

Deity WorshipServing the Deity Daily

The daily personal service of the Lord in the sacred form He accepts -- bathing, dressing, feeding, and offering flowers, incense and fragrance -- in temple and at home.

DhoopDHOOPBamboo-Free Incense

Incense with no bamboo core -- dhoop sticks, cones, cakes or loose resin and herb powder -- burnt as the dhupa offering in worship.

DiyaDEE-yahGhee or Oil Lamp

A small clay or metal lamp that burns ghee or oil on a cotton wick, offered as light in worship and lit for festivals -- not a wax candle.

Gulabgoo-LAABRose

Gulab is rose: ruh gulab is the pure distilled rose oil, and a rose (gulab) attar is that same rose carried in a sandalwood base.

HavanHUH-vunSacred Fire Offering

A yajna is a Vedic offering rite; in a havan, ghee, grains, wood and fragrant herbs are offered into a consecrated fire with chanted mantras.

ItraAnother Spelling of Attar

A regional spelling of attar. See Attar for the full definition -- one canonical term, several spellings.

JuhiWild Jasmine

Wild jasmine, Jasminum auriculatum -- a lighter, more transparent floral character than mogra.

KalashSacred Ritual Water Pot

A metal or clay pot filled with water and topped with mango leaves and a coconut, worshipped as a seat of divine presence in many ceremonies.

KasturiMusk

A warm, spicy, animalic fragrance note traditionally associated with musk.

KesarKAY-sarSaffron

Saffron -- the crocus spice; here a warm, honeyed fragrance for worship and wear rather than culinary threads.

KewdaKAYV-dahScrewpine Flower

Kewda (ketaki) is the fragrant male flower spike of screwpine, distilled into a honeyed, rose-like attar -- not the grassy pandan leaf used in cooking.

KhusVetiver Root

Vetiver -- an earthy, grassy root oil with a cooling, rooty depth, distilled from Chrysopogon zizanioides.

KirtanKEER-tunGroup Devotional Chanting

Group call-and-response chanting of God's holy names, sung with drum and hand cymbals -- you can join in without knowing the words.

KumkumKOOM-koomSacred Red Powder

A red powder offered in worship and then applied to the forehead as an auspicious blessing mark -- a consecrated offering, not a cosmetic.

KushaSacred Grass

A sacred grass traditionally woven into seats (asana) used for meditation, japa and puja.

LobanFrankincense Resin

A fragrant tree resin, sweet and balsamic, burned as incense in worship.

MograMOHG-rahArabian Jasmine

Arabian jasmine, Jasminum sambac -- small white blossoms, creamier and fruitier than the grandiflorum jasmine of Western perfumery.

Naivedyamnye-VAY-dyumFood Offered to Deity

Food -- from a single fruit to a full meal -- formally offered to the Deity in worship; once accepted it becomes prasadam, to be shared.

Natural Incense & Dhoop

Hand-rolled incense and dhoop sticks made from pure botanical ingredients. Free from synthetic binders and artificial fragrances. See Natural Incense & Dhoop →

OudOODAgarwood

The resin-saturated heartwood of the Aquilaria tree, and the rare oil distilled from it -- deep, warm and long-lasting.

PanchamritaFive Sacred Nectars

A mixture of milk, yogurt, ghee, honey and sugar, offered to the Deity -- often used in abhishekam and then shared as prasadam.

ParijaatCoral Jasmine

Night-blooming coral jasmine -- a delicate, sacred fragrance traditionally offered in night puja.

Prasadampruh-SAA-dumBlessed Returned Offering

Anything -- food, flowers, water or fragrance -- first offered to the Deity and then received back by devotees as sanctified mercy.

PujaPOO-jahWorship With Offerings

A ceremony in which the Deity is honored as a guest with water, flowers, incense, lamplight, food and fragrance -- at home shrines and in temples alike.

Puja ParaphernaliaWorship Items & Sets

Complete puja sets and sacred items for deity worship, including the traditional Sodasupacara Puja Set for elaborate deity service. See Puja Paraphernalia →

Pure Attarsuh-TARBlended Pure Oils

Oil-blended attars — traditional perfumes carried in a base of sandalwood or other sacred oils. See Pure Attars →

Raat RaniNight-Blooming Jasmine

The "Queen of the Night" -- a night-blooming flower (Cestrum nocturnum) with an intoxicating evening fragrance.

RajinigandhaTuberose

Tuberose -- a rich, creamy, heady white flower prized in Indian worship tradition.

Ruh OilsROOHPremium Pure Oils

Pure, steam-distilled essential oils — the highest form of botanical essence for sacred use. See Ruh Oils →

Samagrisaa-MUG-reeRitual Worship Materials

Materials gathered and set apart for one specific ceremony -- for puja, the articles of worship; for havan, the herb-and-wood blend offered into the sacred fire.

SodasupacaraSixteen Offerings

The sixteen traditional steps of formal Deity worship, from offering a seat through to bidding farewell -- the complete ceremonial sequence.

Sringarshrin-GAARDeity Dressing

The daily service of dressing and adorning the Deity in fresh garments, jewelry, garlands and fragrance, changed with the season and festival calendar.

TulsiTOOL-seeSacred Basil (Tulsi Devi)

Tulsi Devi -- sacred basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum, never the basil used in cooking -- revered in Vaishnava tradition as a devotee in plant form.