| artha | wealth, interest |
| arthavāda | additional verbiage offering descriptions, elaborations or reasons for injunctions |
| āśrama | the stage of one's life |
| avemong | self-help |
| bhoodan | voluntary gifts of lands for redistribution of common use |
| biradari | community |
| Brahman, Brahmin | a member of the highest priestly caste |
| carita | custom |
| cheri | area |
| chotei | Japanese system of conciliation |
| dharma | essential quality of the cosmos, right behaviour |
| Dharmaśāstras | The Hindu Codes |
| Dharmasutras | Collections of right behaviour |
| dvija | a duty of not marrying a woman of varna higher than his own |
| dwapara | the third yuga |
| gramdan | voluntary gifts of villages for distribution of common use |
| jajman | patron |
| jati | sub-caste |
| kali | the present, decadent yuga |
| kali-varjyas | acts prohibited in the kali yuga |
| kama | pleasure |
| kazis | judges in Muslim communities |
| krta | the first golden yuga |
| Ksatriya | a member of the second, royal and warrior caste |
| Lok Adalat | People's Court |
| loka-vikrusta | reproved by the world |
| loka-vidvista | odious to the world |
| lokshakti | people's power for social transformation |
| matas | religious organizations, mostly temple administration |
| maulvis | Muslim divines |
| mechas | forest or hill tribes or other untouchables living on the fringe of Hindu society |
| mofussil | back-country |
| muftis | functionaries assigned the jobs of conflict resolution |
| nyaya | dharma |
| panch | the five persons of a council |
| pancha | a council of five persons |
| panchayat | a council of five persons to decide on matters of a Hindu caste, village or other body |
| pandit | the learned Brahmin |
| pradhan | a bureaucratic agent |
| raja | king, ruler |
| Ram-Rajya | the Ideal Rule |
| sadācāra | good custom |
| Sarvodaya | the welfare of all – Ghandi's idea |
| śāstras | rules, treatises of law-books |
| sÃstācāra | usages of the good |
| Smritis | Dharmaśāstras |
| sudder | chief |
| Sudra | a member of the lowest worker caste |
| tapu | form of excommunication |
| treta | the second yuga |
| ulama | an Islamic doctor |
| Vaisyaya | a member of the third, mercantile and professional caste |
| varna | status, class |
| vedas | the entire body of Hindu sacred writings |
| vidhi | precept embodying an injunction |
| yuga(s) | age(s), epoch(s) |