Krsna Kirtana Songs
est. 2001 www.kksongs.org
KKSongs Ramayana Glossary
āditya – sons of Āditī, the mother of the demigods.
Agastya – the seer who aided Lord Rāma
in person and in spirit
Ahilyā – the wife of sage Gautama;
she was deceived by Indra and was cursed by her husband
to become a stone. Lord Rāma redeemed her in His
early pastimes.
Ahovala – the divine abode of Nṛsiḿha
Aja – father of King Daśaratha
Akṣa-kumāra – the son of Rāvaṇa who was killed by Hanumāna
Āḿsumān – son of King Sagara
Ananta – (lit. “without end”)
another name of Lord Sesa.
Ańgada – 1) son of King Vāli,
nephew of Sugrīva, commander-in-chief of the
army of apes and bears; 2) the son of Lakṣmaṇa
Añjanā – mother of Hanumān
Āñjaneya – (lit. “son of Añjanā”)
another name for Hanumān)
Aniruddha – 1) one of the four expansions of the Lord Vasudeva; incarnated on earth as Satrughna
during Rāma’s pastimes. 2) son
of Pradyumna and grandson of Lord Kṛṣṇa
Araṇya Kāṇḍa
– the canto describing Lord Rāmacandra’s forest
pastimes and Sītā’s kidnapping.
Arundhatī – wife of sage Vaśiṣṭha
asura – demoniac persons
Atikāya – son of Rāvaṇa
and Dhanyamālinī
Avadha – another name of Ayodhyā
avatāra – descent of the Lord on
Earth to exhibit pastimes (loosely defined as ‘incarnation’).
Ayodhyā – the
abode of Lord Rāma mirrored on earth; the
capital city of the
Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa
– the canto that describes the marriage of Lord Rāma
and Sītā, the declaration of coronation of Rāma, and the start of His fourteen year exile.
Bāla Kāṇḍa
– the first canto of the Rāmāyaṇa
describing the Lord’s childhood and teenage pastimes.
Balarāma – the primary expansion of Kṛṣṇa,
who appeared on earth as the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa and later
as Lord Nityānanda
bhagavān – term by Parāśara Muni used to
describe God bearing six qualities in full form: immense beauty, strength,
fame, wealth, knowledge, and renunciation
Bhagiratha – son of Dilipa
who performed rigorous penance to Lord Brahmā
and Siva in order to have the
Bharata – the
second oldest son of King Daśaratha, son of Kaikeyi; incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s
expansion Pradyumna.
Bhārata – 1) the emperor of
brāhmaṇa – the highest class in
the varṇāśrama dharma system, the
enlightened teaching class of people
Candra – the deity in charge of the moon.
caraṇa – feet
Citraketu – Lord Lakṣmaṇa’s son
Citrakūṭa – the forest area where Rāma,
Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa stayed
until Bharata’s arrival
Cyavana – a
seer who sought protection from Lord Rāma when
the demon Lavaṇa oppressed the ascetics and
devotees in
daitya – demoniac persons; sons
of Ditī
Daśagrīva – (“one with ten heads”)
another name of Rāvaṇa.
Daśānana –
another name of Rāvaṇa.
daśavatāra – the ten well-known
forms of Lord Kṛṣṇa
by Jayadeva Gosvāmī.
Daśaratha – father of Lords Rāma,
Bharata, Lakṣmaṇa, and Satrughna
deva – demigod or divine
personality
dharma – eternal religious principles and duties;
righteousness
Dhanyamālinī – second wife of Rāvaṇa, mother of Atikāya
Dilīpa – father of Bhagiratha,
ancestor of Lord Rāma
Durvāsa – the seer who was known for his curses and
short temper
Duṣaṇa – brother of Khara
Drumakulya – the village where the Brahmāstra
(by Lord Rāma’s desire) destroyed the demons to
create the fountain hood of science and medicine
Dvāpara Yuga – the age when religion and irreligion
was on equilibrium
Garuḍa – the man-eagle carrier of Lord Viṣṇu
Gañjavanta – a bear general
Gautama – the sage who cursed his wife to be a stone,
despite her innocence during an act of deceit by Indra
Guha – king of the tribal class of people outside of the
Kosala nation who was very dear to Lord Rāma
guru – (lit. “heavy”; also lit.
“one who removes ignorance”) spiritual master
Hanumān – (Hanumat)
eternal devotee of Lord Rāma
Hari – a name of Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa
Indra – the king of the demigods
Indrajīt – a name of Meghnada
in lieu of defeating and kidnapping Indra
Ikṣvāku – king of the Raghu dynasty
Jāmbavanta – the king of bears, son of Brahmā who assisted Lord Rāma,
minister of Sugrīva; father of Satyabhāmā, father-in-law of Lord Kṛṣṇa
Janaka – foster-father of Sītā,
father-in-law of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, ascetic-king of the
nation Videha
Janasthāna – the forest Sītā,
Rāma, and Lakṣmaṇa stayed at before their
final forest pastimes ended
Jaṭāyu – the great aged vulture who was killed by Rāvaṇa
while trying to protect Sītā
Jaya – 1) victory 2) the
gatekeeper of Vaikunṭha who was cursed with Vijaya
to be born as demons for three births.
Kabandha – the torso-shaped demon with long arms, slayed by Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to free him from the curse
Kālanemi – 1) demon killed by Viṣṇu 2) demon sent
by Rāvaṇa to distract Hanumān from finding the sañjīvanī plant
Kaikasi – wife of Viśravā,
mother of Kumbhakarṇa, Rāvaṇa, and Vibhiṣaṇa
Kaikeyi – mother of Bharata;
extracted the two boons from Daśaratha to make Bharata the king and exile Lord Rāma
for fourteen years
Kaliyuga – the present age of quarrel and hypocrisy; started
roughly five thousand years ago
Kauśalya – mother of Lord Rāma
Kesari – father of Hanumān,
a general of the ape army
Khara – one of Rāvaṇa’s distant brothers
Kiṣkindhā – the city consisting of
bears and apes, ruled once by Vāli, then Sugrīva
Kiṣkindhā Kāṇḍa
– canto describing pastimes and the friendship of Lord Rāma
and Sugrīva
Kṛṣṇa – the Supreme Personality
of Godhead
Kumbhakarṇa – younger brother of Rāvaṇa and elder brother of Vibhiṣaṇa
Kuśa – son of Lord Rāma,
elder brother of Lava
Kuśadhvaja – father of Maṇḍavī
and Srutakīrtī; father-in-law of Bharata and Satrughna
Lakṣmaṇa – 1) Lord Rāma’s younger brother, third oldest son of Daśaratha, son of Sumitrā,
incarnation of Sańkarṣana 2) son of Duryodhana in
the Mahābhārata
Lakṣmī – the eternal consort of Lord Viṣṇu
Lańkā – the nation in an island south of
Lańkā Kāṇḍa – see Yuddha
Kāṇḍa
Lańkeśa – “lord of Lańkā” name for
Laṇkinī – the demoness
who protected Laṇka by Lord Brahmā’s
orders; defeated by Hanumān
Lava
– son of Lord Rāma, younger brother of Kuśa
Lava
Kuśa Kāṇḍa
– the canto describing the epilogue of the Rāmāyaṇa
Lavaṇa – the demon tyrannical king of
līlā – divine pastimes of the
Lord
Mainaka – the mountain in the sea between
Māndhātā – arrogant and powerful
king of the solar dynasty who was defeated by Lavaṇa
Mārīca – the uncle of Rāvaṇa who took form of golden deer to divert the attention of Lord Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa
Mahābhārata – the epic written by Vyāsadeva describing the history of
Maṇḍavī – wife of Bharata
Mantharā – maid of Kaikeyī
who instigated a plot to send Rāma to the forest
Mālyavān – the maternal
grandfather of Rāvaṇa
Maya
– father of Mandodarī who was well known for his
role as a sculptor, he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and
offered the Pāṇḍavas the palace of
illusion
Māya – “that was it not”; the Lord’s illusory
energy
Māyavada – impersonal philosophy
Meghnāda – eldest of Rāvaṇa and Mandodarī;
“thunder-voiced”
Mandodarī – the principal queen of Rāvaṇa; mother of Meghnāda
Nandigrāma – the outskirt forestland of Ayodhyā were Lord Bharata
lived in exile for fourteen years
Nala – an ape who assisted Rāma
in building the bridge across the sea; twin of Nīla
Nārada Muni – the son of Brahmā who travels the worlds singing Lord Nārāyaṇa’s name
Nikumbilā – the family deity of the royal family of Lańkā
Nīla – an ape who assisted Rāma
in building the bridge across the sea; twin of Nala
Niśāda – 1) the seventh note in
the Indian musical scale 2) the tribal class of people
Nṛsiḿha – Lord Kṛṣṇa’s
fiercest incarnation as a man-lion to protect Prahlāda
Mahārāja
Nṛsiḿha pañcaka – the five
prayers read by Lord Rāma during His exile when
He passed over Ahovala, the abode of Lord Nṛsiḿhadeva
Pañcavaṭī – the forest
Paraśurāma – Lord Kṛṣṇa’s
form as a brāhmaṇa to destroy the demoniac
administrative class of men twenty-one times before retiring
Pradyumna – 1) an expansion of the Lord who took form
as Bharata during Lord Rāma’s
pastimes 2) the son of Rukmiṇī and Kṛṣṇa
(NOTE: Pradyumna of Krsna
lila and the expansion Pradyumna are not the same)
Prahasta – one of Rāvaṇa’s sons
Puṣkala – Bharata’s son
Puṣpaka – the great swan aerial car that carried Sītā, Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, the ape generals, Vibhiṣaṇa, and other
devotees to Ayodhyā, originally owned by Kubera but seized by Rāvaṇa
Raghu – the great-grandfather of Lord Rāma;
one of the founders of the royal (solar) dynasty Lord Rāma
appeared in
Rāma – 1) a name for Lord Kṛṣṇa
meaning “reservoir of pleasure” 2) Lord Rāmacandra
who took form to destroy Rāvaṇa and establish the role of
the perfect man and perfect king 3) Lord Balarāma
Ramā – Lakṣmī, Lord
Rāmāyaṇa – the epic written by Vālmīkī describing all of Lord Rāma’s pastimes
Rāma navami – the
appearance day celebration of Lord Rāma; (ninth
day of the month of Caitra (March-April))
Rāvaṇa – son of Kaikasī and Viśravā;
demoniac king of Lankā, kidnapped Sītā and was slain by Lord Rāma
Rumā – Sugrīva’s
wife, held captive by Vālī until his death
Rṣyamukha – the mountain where Sugrīva
and his minister stayed until Lord Rāma’s visit
Sagara – a king of solar dynasty whose sons were burnt by Kapila Muni’s wrath
Sabharī – the tribal woman who served Lord Rāma fruits
Sampāti – Jaṭāyu’s older brother whose wings were burnt
sañjīvanī – the plant that could
bring the dead to life
Satrughna – son of Sumitrā
and twin of Lakṣmaṇa
Siḿhikā – the lion-faced demon
who was killed by Hanumān
Sītā – 1) Lord Rāma’s
eternal consort 2) Advaitācārya’s wife (Thakurani)
Siva
– deity in charge of checking the mode of ignorance; destroyer
Srutakīrtī – 1) Arjuna’s
son with Draupadi 2) Satrughna’s
wife
Srutasena – Satrughna’s son
Subahu – 1) demon that Rāma
slayed 2) Satrughna’s son
Sugrīva – the king of the apes after Vālī’s death, friend and devotee of Lord Rāma
Sumantra – the royal minister of Ayodhyā
Sumitrā – mother of and Satrughna
and Lakṣmaṇa
Sunayanā – Janaka’s wife
Sundara Kāṇḍa –
canto written to glorify Hanumān
Surasā – the she-demon that tested Hanumān’s intelligence
Sūrpanakhā – Rāvaṇa’s sister whose nose was disfigured by Lakṣmaṇa’s sword
Surya – the deity of the sun; royal deity of the Raghus
Suṣeṇa – the royal physician of Lankā who helped cure Lakṣmaṇa when He was injured
during the war
Tāḍakā – Mārica’s
mother, slayed by Rāma
Takṣa – Bharata’s son
Tārā – Vālī’s wife
Urmilā – Lord Lakṣmaṇa’s wife
Uttara Kāṇḍa –
the coronation of Lord Rāma
Vaidehī – Sītā
Vālī – the elder brother of Sugrīva,
killed by Lord Rāma
Vālmīkī – author of the Rāmāyaṇa; sheltered Sītā
during Her banishment and became the spiritual master of Lava and Kuśa
Varuṇa – demigod of the sea
Vaśiṣṭha – the spiritual preceptor
and royal priest of the solar dynasty
Vāsudeva – 1) name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, son
of Vasudeva 2) expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa that
took form as Lord Rāma
Vedavatī – the devotee of Viṣṇu who was
harassed by Rāvaṇa; took form as the shadow image of Sītā
Vibhiṣaṇa – youngest brother of Rāvaṇa, after being thrown out of his nation for his devotion, he sought Lord Rāma’s shelter and aided Him through the war, became
future king of Lankā
Virāgha – a demon during the forest exile, killed by
Lord Rāma
Viṣṇu – the expansion of Kṛṣṇa
as maintainer of the mode of goodness
Viśvāmitra – a well known seer who
had Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa accompany him to the
forest to protect the seers from demoniac attacks
Vyāsa – (also known as Vedavyāsa
or Kṛṣṇa
Dvaipayana Vyāsa)
compiler of the Vedic literatures and author of the Mahābhārata
Videha – The nation Janaka ruled
Yuddha Kāṇḍa –
the war canto and Lord Rāma’s stay in Lankā