Vedic Sanskrit Glossary - L -

laddu — A traditional Indian sweetball, made with chickpea flour, butter, and sweetener.

* laghima-siddhi — mystic ability to make one's body very light

Laghu-Bhāgavatāmṛta — Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s systematic presentation of the philosophy of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, a presentation based on Bṛhad-Bhāgavatamṛta. The basic thesis of Laghu-Bhāgavatamṛtais that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

* Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta — a book by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī describing Kṛṣṇa, His incarnations and His devotees.

lakh — One hundred thousand.

* lakh — one hundred thousand, written as 1,00,000.

* Laksman Sen — King of Bengal in the 12th century. His grandfather, Vijaya Sen, founded the city of Navadvīpa in 1063 on the eastern bank of the Ganges. Laksman Sen was crowned king in 1178, and he made Navadvīpa his capital. The ruins of his kingdom can still be found in the villages of Bamanpukur and Māyāpura. He was a great patron of learning and sponsored the famous Jayadeva Gosvāmī, author of Gītā-govinda.

Lakṣmaṇa — The eldest of Lord Rāmacandra’s three younger brothers. He faithfully followed Rāma and Sītā into forest exile and stood by Rāma’s side throughout the struggle to defeat Rāvaṇa.

* Lakṣmaṇa — a very brave son of Duryodhana. He was killed by Abhimanyu during the battle of Kurukṣetra.

* Lakṣmaṇa — a younger brother of Lord Rāmacandra's. An incarnation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, He accompanied Rāma and Sītā in Their exile.

Lakṣmī — (-devī) The eternal consort of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. She presides over the infinite opulences of Vaikuṇṭha, and her partial expansion dispenses opulences in the material world; money.

* Lakṣmī — the goddess of fortune and the eternal consort of the Supreme Lord as Lord Nārayaṇa, who resides in the unlimited spiritual realm of Vaikuṇtha.

Lakṣmī-kāṇṭa — Lord Viṣṇu, the beloved husband of the goddess Lakṣmī.

Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa — Expansions of Rādhārāṇī and Kṛṣṇa worshiped in the mood of awe and reverence, as in the Vaikuṇṭha planets.

* Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa — the transcendental couple of Lord Kṛṣṇa in His four-armed form and the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī.

* Lakṣmī-vijayotsava festival — the pastime of Lakṣmī’s victory during the Ratha-yātrā festival.

Lalitā — One of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s intimate friends, who are Her principal expansions, the original potencies behind all spiritual and material creations. Being a little older than Rādhārāṇī, Lalitā often advises Her on proper behavior.

Laṅkā — The demon Rāvaṇa’s island kingdom (or, also, his capital), often identified with the modern country Sri Lanka. Rāvaṇa’s kingdom was demolished by Lord Rāmacandra’s army.

* Laṅkā — the golden city of Rāvaṇa, situated some eight hundred miles south of India, in Ceylon.

* laos — see: Galangal

* lāphrā-vyañjana — combination of green vegetables, often mixed with rice.

* lassi — a sweet or salty yogurt drink.

Laulyam — Greed; usually refers to intense desire to see Kṛṣṇa.

 League of Devotees — A short-lived precursor to ISKCON established by Śrīla Prabhupāda in India prior to coming to America.

* lemongrass — Used as a culinary herb is South East Asian cooking, especially Thai and Indonesian cuisine. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a typical grass but has a bulbous base and a strong taste and smell of lemon. It is available in powdered form (called Sereh powder), in flakes, or sometimes fresh, from Asian grocery stores. Since very little is used at any one time, the dried flakes or powder are more practical to have on one's spice shelf.

* lemons and limes — lemons (Citrus limon) and limes (Citrus aurantifolia)  play a significant role in cuisines of the world. Lemon juice is very much favoured as a souring agent in European and Eastern cuisines alike; the essential 'oil of lemon', which is concentrated in the rind or zest, is particularly well-liked in European cakes and sauces. Limes are especially used in tropical countries, where they are more easily available. Lime juice when used in cooking, gives a markedly different flavour to lemon juice, lime juice being more sour and slightly more bitter than lemon juice. These juices also act as a preservative in cooked foods. Lemons and limes are wonderful sliced as garnishes, and, of course, are excellent thirst-quenchers. In serving an Indian-style meal, a wedge of lemon or lime is essential as an accompaniment.

* lentils — used extensively in cuisines of the world. Brown lentils (from the plant Lens culinaris) and red lentils (called masoor dal in India) are probably the most well-known. Toovar dal (arhar dal) is another lentil well-loved in Indian cooking. Lentils contain almost 25% protein, 54% carbohydrate and vitamin A, some of the B vitamins, and good amounts of minerals, including iron and calcium. Brown and red lentils are available at almost any supermarket or grocery store. Toovar dal is available at Indian grocery stores. (Note that due to their very high protein content, red lentils are not consumed by strict followers of the Vedic culture.)

* liberation — freedom from the material concept of life; being situated in one's constitutional position as an eternal servant of God.

līlā — “Pastimes,” the eternal activities of the Supreme Lord in loving reciprocation with His devotees. Unlike the affairs of materially conditioned souls, the Lord’s līlās are not restricted by the laws of nature or impelled by the reactions of past deeds. Finite souls who enter those līlās also become completely free.

* līlā — a transcendental “pastime” or activity performed by God or his devotee.

līlā-avatāras — Incarnations of the Supreme Lord who descend specifically to display pastimes in this world.

* Līlā-avatāras — innumerable incarnations, like Matsya, Kurma, Rāma and Nṛsiṁha, who descend to display the spiritual pastimes of the Personality of Godhead in the material world.

* Līlā-śakti — Kṛṣṇa’s internal potency, the energy that helps to enact His pastimes.

līlā-smaraṇa — “Remembrance of the Supreme Lord’s pastimes,” an elevated internal form of devotional service that can be rightly practiced only by those whose hearts are thoroughly pure.

* lima beans — popular in European cuisine, lima beans (Phaseolus lunatas), are also known as butter beans, and are available large or small. They are tasty additions to soups, stews, and salads and are featured in this book in Lima Bean and Cheese Croquettes. They are available at supermarkets and grocery stores.

* lime leaves — the fresh or dried leaves of the lime tree. They are used in South East Asian and especially, Indonesian cooking. The leaves are used in rice, stews, and vegetable dishes to impart a pleasant lime taste.

* liṅga — the subtle body: mind, intelligence and false ego.

* liṅgam — phallic symbol which is used in the worship of Lord Śiva.

* lobha — greed.

* Locana dāsa Ṭhākura — a great Kṛṣṇa conscious spiritual master.

Loi Bazaar — A shopping district in Vṛndāvana specializing in devotional items.

* loka — planet.

* loka-pāla — a generic term for the deity presiding over one of the directions: Indra for the east, Agni for the southeast. Yama for the south, Sūrya for the southwest, Varuṇa for the west, Vāyu for the northwest, Kuvera for the north, and Candra for the northeast.

* loka-pratāraka — a pretender.

Lokāloka — The immense mountain range that separates the part of the universe illumined by the sun (loka) from the outer regions of darkness (aloka).

* Lokāyatikas — a class of philosophers, akin to the Buddhists, who existed when Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke Bhagavad-gītā and who accept that life is a product of a mature combination of material elements.

* Lomaśa — a sage who guided the Pāṇḍavas during their exile in the forest. He took them to many places of pilgrimage. (Vana Parva in Mahābhārata)

* lorry — truck

 lotus feet — With the lotus regarded as an emblem of beauty in the material world, the term “lotus” is accepted to describe the all-pure and all-attractive feet of the Supreme Lord or His pure devotee.