YOGA DICTIONARY- SANSKRIT WORDS

A

ABHAYAM - Fearless.

ABHIMANA - Egoism, identification with the body.

ABHYASA - Spiritual practice ending in Oneness.

ACHARYA - Teacher; spiritual preceptor; propounded of a doctrine. As a title it is affixed to the names of learned men.

ADHIKARI - A qualified person.

ADHISHTHANA - Substratum, support.

ADHYASA - Superimposition or false attribution of properties of one thing on another thing.

ADHYATMIC - Spiritual.

ADI - "First", meaning original, primordial.

ADITYA - A Hindu deity.

ADVAITA - Not two, i.e. non-duality. State of sensed oneness with nature and further. It's an aspect of yogic philosophy which aims at getting over and above (beyond) duality, beyond opposites. It can be associated with monism.

AGAMA - A class of Tantric literature; Tantric scripture dealing with rites, righteousness (dharma), cosmology and the like. Agamas are works found inside the tradition of the tantrics and kaula, as opposed to that of the orthodox or Aryans known as Veda. In agamas, Shakti (femaleness) asks Shiva (masculinity deep inside) questions, and he replies.

AGNI - Fire; fire god, a bhuta (q.v.): the fire element. See tattwas.

AGNISAR KRIYA - One of the shatkarmas (cleansing practices) -intestinal cleansing

AGNIHOTRA - A Vedic sacrifice where clarified butter, milk, and curds are offered to the god of fire.

AHAM - I, embodied self; soul.

AHAMKARA - "Egoism". It's really the central I-instance inside. It can be good and bad and in between those two. It can be gross or subtle and in between those two. It can work in healty ways for our good, or take nasty turns if unhealthy or unsavoury. Realistic handling of Hindu teachings depends on healthy, central I-instances in lots of persons. One should go for it, as good learning and fit adaptations in general depend on it.

AHIMSA - It means "non-hurt" or "non-damage", i.e. on-injury in thought, word and deed. Absence of negativity from within; non-violence

AING, AIM - Mantra of Saraswati and Tara, and also of a chakra or two, according to the Tantric expert Sir John Woodroffe.

AJAPA MANTRA (JAPA) - "Hamsa" or "hang-saw" with variant spellings. Mantra to go along with the in and out flows of breath.

AJNA CHAKRA -- The mid-area between the eye-brows, associated with good and able use of the mind and the so-called third eye.

AJNANA - Ignorance; primal ignorance that is rooted in duality.

AKASHA - Ether, space

AMRITA - That which is immortal. Nectar of the Gods.

ANAHATA CHAKRA - Concentration point in the spine behind the heart; centre of emotion and the experience of unconditional love.

ANAHATA - Mystic sound heard by Yogis.

ANAHATA DHWANI - A spontaneous perpetual sound one can hear in deep concentration.

ANANDA - Bliss, happiness, joy.

ANANDA-GHANA - Cloud of bliss.

ANANDAMAYA KOSHA - The sheath ("layer") of bliss. See kosha(s).

ANANDAMAYA - Full of great happiness.

ANANDA-SVARUPA - Of the form of bliss.

ANANTA NAGA - A name of Shesha, the hydra-headed serpent.

ANNAMAYA KOSHA - The dimension of matter. The physical body. "Kosha" means sheath.

ANTAR - Inner, internal

ANTAR DHAUTI - Internal yoga cleansing (shatkarma) techniques

ANTAR KUMBHAKA - Internal breath retention. The stage of pranayama where breath is retained after inhalation.

ANTAR MOUNA - Inner stillness, and thought observation.

ANANDA-SVARUPA - Of the form of bliss.

ANTARYAMI - (Lit., one who controls from within). God residing in and controlling from within.

ANUBHAVA - Experience, realization

ANUSHASANAM - Governing or managing the subtle aspects of human personality; discipline.

ARDHA - Half

Ardha dhanurasana-half bow yoga pose

Ardha matsyendrasana-half spinal twist yoga position

Ardha padmasana-half lotus pose

ARHATA - A perfected Soul.

ARJUNA - A hero in the epos Mahabharata and thus also in the Bhagavad gita. In it, he is the one who asks Krishna about his purpose in life.

ARYA(S) - Indo-Aryans.

ASANA - Yogic posture; physical posture in which one is at ease and in harmony with one's self. A bodily pose or posture.

ASHRAM(A) - (1) Any of the four stages of life of a Hindu, viz., Brahmacharya, Garhasthya, Vanaprastha, and Sannyasa. (2) It is also a traditional name referring to places where yoga is lived and taught; a home of a person or group who lead a spiritual life. Hermitage; monastery.

ASHTANGA - It refers to Patanjali's yoga with eight steps or limbs, as laid bare in the Yoga Sutras. It is claimed to be genuine royal yoga too.

ASHTANGA YOGA - The eight fold path of yoga as outlined by Patanjali: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, samadhi

Ashwini mudra - practice of contracting the anal sphincter.

ASTEYA - Non-stealing.

ASURAS - Antigods.

ASURIC -- Demoniac.

ATMA(N) - Individual soul; the Self, one's spirit. The highest or true self as distinct from the consciousness of ego. There is no difference between atman and paramatman except that caused by maya. The Atman (Self deep inside) is not necessarily embodied.

ATMA-JNANA - Self-knowledge; i.e., knowledge of the Self.

ATMA-SVARUPA - The essential nature of the Self.

ATMA VICHARA - Inquiry into the Self.

AUM -- A mantra (also spelled Om) which is described as the primordial sound; the sound through which the manifest world comes into being. It is often used as a sound-symbol of Brahman. In some Upanishadic texts it is written that enlightenment may come from chanting this mantra alone, which is used to open or close prayerful sessions etc. Aum may be heard through a particular meditation technique.

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA - A well known "universal mantra" that may be repeated by anyone, but also a personal mantra that may be given by a guru at the time of initiation.

AUSHADHI - Name of the Goddess as Mother of Herbs and medicine.

AVADHUT - A naked sage, more specifically someone who transcends body and worldly consciousness.

AVATAR(A) - The word means 'descent', from Sanskrit 'avatarati' he descends, from 'ava', away + 'tarati', he crosses over. An avatar may be an incarnation (embodyment) of a god or goddess into a human or animal form, or of divinity (more abstract).

 The Hindu god Vishnu, for example, is said to have incarnated many times, as (1) a fish; (2), a tortoise, (3) a boar, (4) a man-lion, (5) a dwarf, (6) Axe-Rama, (7) Rama, (8) Krishna, and (9) Balarama. Gautama Buddha is in some of these lists too.

 Avatarhood lore also counts with such as full (purna) and partial embodiments of divinity. And some persons that appear to embody admirable qualities, may be called avatars of those qualities.

 The word may also represent one who incarnates a particular truth or path on earth. Thus, Matsyendranath is the Avatar of the Kaula Jnana Nirnaya Tantra.

AVIDYA - Not-knowing, i.e. ignorance of reality. Ignorance. spiritual blindness. Illusion.

AYURVEDA

"Knowledge of longevity": Ancient and traditional Indian system of medicine and medical practices coupled with rigorous ways of life and recuperation adjustments too. Surgery was included in this system of medicine too.

B

BABA - Bengali for 'father'. Thus, Sai Baba may be rendered as "Father Sai".

BABU - "Mister".

BAHIR - Outside, external

BAHIR KUMBHAKA - External breath retention. The stage of pranayama where breath is retained after exhalation

BAHIRANGA TRATAKA -- Concentrating the attention (gaze) upon an external object such as a candle flame.

BANDHAS - Bandhas are a series of powerful locks designed to unlock blockages of energy in the body. Mulbandha contracts an area around muladhara chakra in the perineal area. Uddiyana bandha involves a contraction of the abdominal area. Jalandhara bandha involves a contraction of the throat. Mahabandha is a combination of all three locks.

BASTI - A colon cleansing technique (shakarma), yogic enema 

BHAGA - The divine Enjoyer in man. Also: portion.

BHAGAVAN - The Lord (lit., one endowed with six attributes, such as great spiritual power, righteousness, glory, splendour, knowledge. ( Any Godhead that has been born; one of Love and Delight. Often rendered as Blessed Lord, supreme Godhead-personality, a Person-of-Divinity born. "The Word made flesh" may correspond quite nicely to it. According to Hindu thinking, there can be more than one Bhagavan, more than one Person-God.

BHAGAVAD GITA - Literally, "Song of the Lord (Krishna)" A part of the very large Mahabharata epic poem which contains Sri Krishna's teachings. It's just one big chapter inside a section of the Sanskrit epic poem. The gita (song) takes the form of an eighteen chapter long dialogue between a chariot-driving Krishna and the bowman Arjuna, his friend, while they stand still on the battlefield between two sides on the brink of war. Arjuna is filled with doubt and questions how good this particular warfare could be. Krishna, in turn, explains what is called good and great. The Gita contains a medley of old philosophies. A version of the text is available here.

BHAGAVATA - Name of a Purana (a work dealing with doctrines of creation, gods and myths, fabled kings and royal dynasties, teachings of sages, sayings for living and so on). There are over 18 main Puranas. All these works along with the Vedas are ascribed to the ancient expert of writing Vyasa. Yet they hail different and in part much competing gods of the Hindu pantheon. Siva Purana is one of them. Vishnu Purana is another, Markandeya Purana still another.

BHAJAN - Devotional song. Bhajans are a form of chanting. Usually, they are traditional Sanskrit passages, with several or many verses, and are sung to traditional melodies. In such ways and others, spiritual texts were passed on. In contrast kirtans are generally shorter and repeated many times.

BHAKTA - A devotee, or a devotee of God.

BHAKTI - Devotion. Also, more loosely, the yoga of devotion, bhakti yoga, which is one of the main branches of yoga.

BHAKTI-YOGA - Devotional yoga; path of devotion; a way of spiritual discipline.

BHARAT(A) - Land immersed in light; It can be taken to mean India nowadays. Pakistan was not excluded earlier.

BHASTRIKA - A dynamic diaphragmatic breathing practice, known as bellows breathing, in which the breath is forcibly drawn in and out in equal proportions through the nostrils.

BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA - 'bellows' breathing technique in which the breath is forcibly drawn in and out through the nose in equal proportions, like the pumping action of the bellows.

BHAVA(NA) - Essentially: attitude; continued contemplation (meditation); steady concentration of mind. Also: deep feeling and that state of being, according to Tantra.

BHOGA - Sexual enjoyment. Enjoyment of the senses.

BHOGI - Enjoyer.

BHOJANA - Food. "That which is enjoyed": There are three types: "Lunar", composed of sense impressions; "Solar", composed of the prana, or vital essences; "Fiery", composed of edibles and water. So they say.

BHUJANGASANA - "Cobra" pose

BRAHAMARI PRANAYAMA - Breathing practice in which a soft "humming-bee" sound is produced during exhalation to stimulate the Ajna Chakra

BHUH LOKA - Dimension of consciousness related to the dimension of earth and mooladhara chakra.

BHUTA - Seed, or "root". Also beeja.

BHUTA(S) - The five elements, "Ether", Air, Fire, Water, Earth. (Lit., what has come into being, an entity as opposed to the unmanifested) Any of the five elementary constituents of the world, called akasha (ether), vayu (wind, air) agni or tejas (fire), apas (water) and kshiti, (earth)). These five are called maha-bhutas or tanmatras too. According to Hindu cosmogony - and Taoism too - these are manifestations of the Absolute, as such they constitute whatever exists, being compounded with one another. They start as subtle (fine) and then turn into gross bhutas that serve in the make-up of the physical world.

BHUVAH LOKA - Dimensions of consciousness related to the element of water and swadhisthana chakra.

BIJA - Seed, or "root". A "root" or "seed" sound or syllable of a mantra (sound). Sperm. Also beeja.

BINDU - The source; a drop; psychic centre, concentration point at the top back of the head where the hair whorls. The point without a center from which proceeds cosmic sound (nada): Dot. Semen.

BENARES (BANARAS)

A holy pilgrimage centre of Hindus, now called Varanasi. It is in Uttar Pradesh, India.

BODHISATTVA - A being who, having developed the Awakening Mind (a mind infused with the aspiration to attain the state of Buddhahood), devotes his life to the task of achieving Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings.

BRAHMA - The creator of the Cosmos.

BRAHMACHARYA

(a) Study years in youth. (b) Celibate student's stage. (c) Maintaining celibacy.

BRAHMA-JNANA - Knowledge of Brahman.

BRAHMAN - From the root 'brih', to grow, expand. (a) God or Pan (Omnipresence). (b) Mind (consciousness) which allows growth to take place.

BRAHMANDA - The universe of gross and fine (subtle) entities.

BRAHMARANDHRA - The hole of Brahma, the spiritual centre at the top of the head.

BRAHMA-SUTRAS - Classical Vedantic scripture that is as well as impossible to understand (needing commentaries).

BRAHMA-VIDYA - Knowledge of Brahman, learning pertaining to Brahman or the absolute reality. Knowhow of how to gain in Brahma mind.

BRAHMIN - Ideally, one who knows Brahma, Godhood inside.

BRIHADARANYAKA - An Upanishad (an ancient Hindu religious-philosophical work).

BUDDHA - The Enlightened One.

BUDDHI - Discerning, discriminating aspect of mind; from the route "bodh" meaning to be aware of, to know; intellect.

BUDDHI - Intellect.

C

CHAITANYA - Pure Consciousness.

CHAKRA - (a) Centres of energy in the human system. Wheel; vortex of prana; psychic centre, "lotus". Chakras are subtle energy centres in the body: The main chakras in the body are situated along the spinal column. (b) Circle or wheel, often applied to the diagrams or yantras used in ritual worship. (c) A place of worship.

CHANDOGYA -- A Upanishad.

CHANDRA - Name of the Moon.

CHANDRA NADI - Ida Nadi

CHARVAKA - The founder of a materialistic school of thought; pertaining to this school of thought.

CHELA - Disciple; pupil of a Guru.

CHIDAKASHA -- Psychic space in front of the closed eyes, just behind the forehead.

CHIN MUDRA - Hand gesture in which the first finger is kept at the root of the thumb, the last three fingers are unfolded.

CHIRANJIVI - One who has gained eternal life.

CHIT - Consciousness. Loosely

subconscious mind.

CHITTA - (a) Aspect of mind which receives impressions of the present experience and stores it for future use. (b) Individual consciousness including the subconscious and unconscious layers of the mind (memory, thinking, concentration, attention, enquiry).

D

DAHARA VIDYA - Contemplation of the deity in the heart.

DAIVIC - Devic or divine.

DAKINI  - A quite elemental embodiment of supernatural knowledge and ability.

DAMA - Control of senses.

DANDA - Rod,stick.

DANTA DHAUTI - Teeth cleansing technique

DARSHAN(A) - (a) Vision, sight; (b) any system of Hindu philosophy.

DASNAMI - The sannyasa tradition of Shankarcharya consists of ten branches. They are: Arana, Ashrama, Bharati, Giri (mountain), Parvati, Puri, Sagara, Saraswati, Teertha and Vanam.

DATTATREYA - A Hindu guru of ancient times.

DAYA - Mercy.

DEVA(S) - Literally. Shining ones. God(s); heavenly beings,, angels.

DEVA -YAJNA - A sacrificial rite enjoined on householders.

DEVI - Goddess or shakti: There are many devis, or aspects of a primordial goddess that is Devi.

DHANURASANA -- 'Bow' pose; backward bending yoga pose.

DHARANA - Concentration on one point.

DHARMA - Duty, what needs to be done. Righteous way of living as enjoined by scriptures, virtue.

DHAUTI - Second of the shatkarmas; cleansing technique of the eyes, ears, tongue, forehead, oesophagus, stomach, rectum and anus.

DHOTI - Unstitched cloth used as lower garment.

DHYANA - Contemplation, also called Zen; the seventh rung in the ladder of eightfold yoga, and hence a facet of interiorisation of the mind.

DIKSHA - Initiation (into any form of spiritual discipline); from the verb 'see' or 'concentrate'.

DIVALI - Festival of Light, traditional celebration in India when the goddess Lakshmi gives blessings.

DOSHA --Three humours of the body; see kapha, pitta, vata.

DUGDHA NETI - Nasal irrigation or cleansing technique using milk.

DUKHA - Pain, suffering.

DVAPARA YUGA - Second great period of time described in old Hindu works, especially the Laws of Manu. The term is much similar to the Bronze Age.

DVIJA - "Twice-born". In the Hindu social system, members of the three upper social classes are regarded as twice-born. They are the Brahmans (priests and teachers), Kshatriya (warriors), and Vaisya (traders, merchants). Their sacrament (initiation rite), where they are invested with a cotton thread, is regarded as a second or spiritual birth, and signifies that the male child enters the life of a student (brahmacarin) and is accepted as a regular member of his community. The thread consists of a loop made of three knotted and twisted strands. It is replaced regularly to be worn throughout the lifetime of the owner, normally over the left shoulder and diagonally across the chest to the right hip. However, less and less persons observe the initiation ceremony.

 More specifically, the second birth is said to have taken place during the student's initiation when the guru (holy teacher) to the student imparts to him the Gayatri mantra, which is a sacred verse of the Rigveda.

E

EKAGRA - The state of one-pointed attention.

EKAGRATA - (a) One-pointed attention, i.e. one-pointedness. (b) Concentrating on one thing at a time.

EMKARA - The syllable "Aing", also written "Aim" - seed mantra associated with Tara and Sarasvati (goddesses).

F

FOURTH (STATE) - "Turiya". Super-mind, super-mentality above waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Also, super-consciousness.

G

GANDHARVA - Celestial musicians on the plane (loka) of Indra.

GARBHA - The womb.

GAUNA - Secondary, indirect.

GAYATRI MANTRA

A very old three-line verse from the Rigveda; "Om bhuh bhuvah swaha / tat savator varenium / bargo devasya de mahe / deya yona prachodhyat". There are variants of spelling and interpretations of it. One is:

"We meditate on the supreme splendour of Savitr (sunlight) that he may inspire our intelligence."

The three-lined mantra is a gift from the Vedic seer Vishvamitra, and found in the third book of the Rigveda (3;62;10). "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God / So may he stimulate our prayers." (Ralph Griffith's translation).

 It is a blessing recited at sunrise, noon and sunset. The words hail divine deeds as well as being "Sunlit" from above, that is, well inspired. Our role may be to bring the inner light of inspired bliss to fruition. As it is said, Gayatri is for "new insight and inspiration or to increase memory and concentration [and much else]". Many Hindus today hold that the Gayatri mantra is not restricted to any certain community, but is a treasure for all the world, and properly belongs to humanity. 

GITA - Song, often rendered 'words'.

GOMUKHASANA - cow's face' posture

GORAKSHASANA - Yogi Gorakhnath's' pose.

GRANTHI - Knot.

GRIHASTHA -- Householder.

GUNA - There are three gunas, or "underlying classification devices". A guna is a classificatory attribute, or quality: Tamas is supposed to be intertia or laziness, i.e., something quite passive; Rajas activity; and Sattva 'goodness'.

GUPTASANA - The "secret" pose.

GURU - Guide in a spiritual life; teacher, dispeller of a certain ignorance or 'darkness'; can be 'uplifter' as well.

GURUPARAMPARA - A serial line of teachers.

GYANA - Wisdom; path of understanding and knowledge. Also written Jnana.

H

HAM - Bija mantra (seed mantra) for vishuddhi chakra.

HAMSA - "Swan" (duck and goose too in ancient Sanskrit), a very good mantra fit for boring inside in meditative practice, if carefully, mentally pronounced and regulated according to sensible ways of diving inside (contemplation). The method is made public today. See also HONG-SAU .

HATHA YOGA - Practices to balance ha and tha energies, solar and lunar energies and also other pranic currents of body and mind. "Sun-moon yoga" exercises for better physical health.

HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA - classic text on yoga.

HINDU CALENDER:

Chaitra - 30 days (March - April)

Vaishaka - 31 days (April - May)

Jyaistha - 31 days ( May - June)

Asadha - 31 days ( June - July)

Srawana - 31 days (July - August)

Bhadrapada - 31 days (August - September)

Asvina - 30 days (September - October)

Kartikka - 30 days (October - November)

Magasirsa - 30 days ( November - December)

Pousha - 30 days (December - January)

Magha - 30 days (January - February)

Phalguna - 30 days (February - March)

Indian days of the week

Raviara - Sunday (day of Sun)

Somavara - Monday (day of Moon)

Mangalva - Tuesday (day of Mars)