Glossary

Saḿskrta Glossary [an ongoing development]

abhimána:  inflated ego

ácárya m. or ácáryá f.:  spiritual teacher qualified to teach all lessons of meditation [some times spelled "acharya"]

adharma:  that which goes against dharma

adhruva:  changing, transitory

advaeta:  non-duality

aeshvaryas:  eight occult powers:  ańimá, to become small (small enough to enter any physical particle or any crevice of another’s mind); mahimá, to become large (an expanded mind is omniscient, and feels love for the universe); laghimá, to become light (a light body can fly through air, a light mind can study the minds of others); prápti, to obtain any desired object; iishitva, to control (this supreme control may be used to guide others’ minds); vashitva, to psychically dominate others; prakámya, to materialize the desired outcome of events; and antaryámitva, to know the inner thought-wave and the inner need of any entity. These powers are also called “vibhúti”. (note that though some of the powers may be used for similar ends, the ends are achieved by different methods)

ágama and nigama:  “nigama” means questions on spiritual topics; or the theoretical side of Tantra. “ágama” means answers to the questions; or the practical, applied side of Tantra

agryábuddhi:  pointed intellect

ahaḿ:  A realm of mind, Doer "I", volitional and engaged mind, with a sense of unit self.  

ahaḿtattva:  second mental subjectivity

ahaḿkára:  pride

ájiṋá cakra:  sixth psychic-nerve plexus, located at the mid-point between the brows; the “third eye”. [see cakra]

akhańd́a kiirtana:  continuous kiirtana

amávasya ́:  new moon

anáhata cakra:  fourth psychic-nerve plexus, located at the mid-point of the chest; the “yogic heart”. [see also cakra]

ánanda:  divine bliss  

ánandáshru:  physical symptoms ensuing from much sincere spiritual effort  

anitya:  transient

annamaya kośa:  the physical body, as a layer of mind, composed of the five fundamental factors

ańu puruśa:  [see Puruśa]

anucchúnyá:  unmanifested

anuloma and pratiloma:  the circumstance of a man marrying below or above his station, respectively, according to caste hierarchy

apara:  objective; controlled. [see also para]

aparábhakti:  attraction to Apara Brahma, the expressed aspect of Brahma. [see also parábhakti]

aparájiṋána:  mundane, or worldly, knowledge [see also parájiṋána]

aparávidyá:  knowledge of the mundane [see also parávidyá]

aparokśa ánubhút: a direct experience [see also parokśa ánubhúti]

árádhaná:  irresistible urge for the Lord; forgetting oneself in the pursuit of the Lord

Árśa Dharma:  the religion of the Vedic Aryans; the assembled teachings of the rśis (“árśa” is derived from “rśi”)

artha:  anything (especially wealth) that gives temporary relief from suffering

ásana:  the third limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga. ásanas: postures for curing physical problems, especially those that interfere with sádhaná

ásana shuddhi:  meditation process to withdraw the mind from body awareness and concentrate it at one point

asat:  untruth, opposite of Sat

aśt́apásha:  eight fetters of the mind

Asura:  an Assyrian tribe.  Among the Indo-Aryans, the term took on in addition the derogatory meaning “monsters”, and came to be applied by them in this sense to certain non-Aryan peoples

átmá, átman:  soul, consciousness, Puruśa, pure cognition. the átman of the Cosmos is Paramátman, and that of the unit is the jiivátman

átmajiṋána:  self-knowledge

átma-sukha tattva:  the principle of selfish pleasure

avadhúta m. or avadhútiká f.:  literally, “one who is thoroughly cleansed mentally and spiritually”; a monk or nun of an order close to the tradition of Shaeva Tantra

ávarańii shakti:  an expression of avidyá shakti, or Avidyámáyá, which one experiences as the delusion “If I do not think about the Supreme, the Supreme will not think about me either, and I will escape the consequences of my past actions”

avatára:  incarnation

Avidyámáyá:  centrifugal, or extroversal force; aspect of the Cosmic Operative Principle which guides movements from the subtle to the crude. [see also Vidyámáyá]

ayurveda:  the Vedic system of medicine

bhaga:  is a collection of six attributes: aeshvarya; viirya -- valour, command; yasha -- fame, reputation; shrii -- charm; jiṋána -- knowledge, especially self-knowledge; and vaerágya -- renunciation

Bhagaván:  the owner of bhaga, one who has fully imbibed the six qualities; Lord

Bhágavata dharma:  the dharma to attain the Supreme, in personal life; the ubiquitious expression throughout society of dharma and dharmic pursuits in every realm of life, of, by and for all beings.  

bala:  energy

bhajana:  devotional song

bhakta:  devotee

bhakti:  devotion

bhakti yoga:  devotional form of spiritual practice

bhaktitattva:  the cult of devotion. [see also Indian philosophies]

bhava:  the expressed universe

bháva:  idea, ideation, mental flow

bháva sádhaná:  spiritual practice of auto-suggestion

bhúta, bhútatattva, mahábhúta:  rudimental, or fundamental, factor of matter. the five bhútas are the ethereal, aerial, luminous, liquid and solid; and they carry, respectively, the tanmátras of sound, touch, form, taste and smell

biija mantra:  acoustic root; particular sound vibration from which a particular type of action stems, or an essence resonates  

Brahma:  Supreme Entity, comprising both Puruśa, or Shiva, and Prakrti, or Shakti

Brahma Cakra:  The Cosmic Cycle -- the cycle of cosmic manifestation out of Consciousness, and dissolution back into Consciousness, through saincara and pratisaincara

Bráhmańa (Brahman):  The uppermost social group in India, who traditionally perform priestly functions or live by intellectual labour

Brahmatva:  Brahma-hood, supreme stance

Brahmaváda:  philosophical system of which Brahma is the essence

bodhi:  intuition

buddhi, buddhitattva:  intellect

cakra: cycle or circle; psycho-spiritual centre, or plexus. the cakras in the human body are all located at the intersecting points of the id́á, suśumná, and piuṋgalá, anchored along the susumná canal which passes through the length of the spinal column and extends up to the crown of the head. some cakras, however, are associated with external concentration points. the concentration points: (1) for the múládhára cakra, the base of the spine, above the perineum; (2) for the svádhiśt́hána, the genital organ; (3) for the mańipura, the navel; (4) for the anáhata, the midpoint of the chest; (5) for the vishuddha, the throat; (6) for the ájiṋá, between the eyebrows; and (7) for the sahasrára, the crown of the head

Citishakti:  Cognitive Principle, Puruśa, Pure Consciousness

citta:  done “I”, objective “I”, objective mind, mind-stuff

dádá:  literally, “elder brother  

Dakśińácára Tantra:  A school of Tantra that attempts to control Máyá through propitiation or appeasement

dásya bháva:  the devotional attitude of looking upon oneself as the servant of the Lord

deva:  mythologically, a god, a deity; philosophically, any vibration, or expression, emanating from the Cosmic Nucleus

devatá:  mythologically, a god or goddess; philosophically, a minor expression of a deva, controlled and supervised by the deva (deva and devatá are sometimes used interchangeably)

devii:  a goddess, a female deity

dhárańá:  the sixth limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga: restricting the flow of mind to particular points in the body; conception. (Tattva dhárańá means restricting the flow of mind to, or conception of, the fundamental factors.)

dharma:  characteristic property; spirituality; the path of righteousness in social affairs

dharma rájya:  literally, “reign of dharma”; rule of moralism

dharmacakra:  collective meditation; Buddha’s “wheel of dharma”

dharmakśetra:  the battlefield of the Mahábhárata war; the physical body (as the only venue in which dharma sádhaná can be performed)

dhármika:  adjective of dharma

dhyána:  the seventh limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga: meditation in which the psyche is directed towards Consciousness

dhyána mantra:  a Sanskrit verse listing the attributes of a deity, to be used for visualizing that deity in meditation

didi:  literally, “elder sister” 

dvaeta:  duality

dvaetádvaeta:  dualistic non-duality

Dvápara Yuga:  [see yugas]

ekádashii:  “eleventh” day after the new moon or full moon, days on which fasting is especially advantageous

giita:  song

gopa m. or gopii f.:  village cowherd boy or girl; devotees of the Lord

guńa:  binding factor or principle; attribute; quality. Prakrti, the Cosmic Operative Principle, is composed of: sattvaguńa, the sentient principle; rajoguńa, the mutative principle; and tamoguńa, the static principle

guru mantra:  “important” mantra  

hirańmaya kośa:  the subtlest of the kośas

hládinii shakti, Rádhiká shakti:  an expression of vidyá shakti, or Vidyámáyá, which one experiences as a desire to do something practical towards spiritual attainment

Iishvara:  the Cosmic Controller; literally, “the Controller of all controllers”

Indian philosophies the life and personality of Krśńa implies the theory of advaetadvaetádvaetaváda (non-dualistic dualistic non-dualism). in various degrees of contrast to this theory are three schools, or complete systems, of philosophy, and a number of theories which might not be considered schools, but which were associated to different extents with these three schools or with other schools. (for instance, the founders of the Vishuddha Advaetaváda school stressed the upádhiváda theory)

The three schools are: Sáḿkhya, Uttara Miimáḿsá (synonymous with both Vishuddha Advaetaváda, or Pure Non-Dualism, and Vedanta, and consisting mostly of the theory of Máyáváda, the doctrine of illusion) and Vishiśt́ádvaetaváda (Qualified Non-Dualism). (Sáḿkhya and Uttara Miimáḿsá are among the six orthodox Indian philosophies -- the remaining four, not taken up in this book, being Yoga, Nyáya, Kanáda Nyáya, and Púrva Miimáḿsá)

The various theories or approaches are: prapattiváda (“whatever is taking place in the universe is all due to the Cosmic will”); Máyáváda (doctrine of illusion); advaetaváda (non-dualism, monism); Maháviśńuváda (doctrine of Maháviśńu); dvaetaváda (dualism); Baoddha Shúnyaváda (nihilism); upádhiváda (“the difference between jiivas and Parama Puruśa lies in upádhis”, special qualities); kśańika vijiṋánaváda (doctrine of momentary existence); dehátmaváda =dehaparińámaváda =jad́aváda (materialism); dvaetádvaetaváda (dualistic non-dualism); bhaktitattva (cult of devotion); and pariprashna (spiritual questioning)

indriya:  one of the five sensory organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin) or five motor organs (hands, feet, vocal cord, genital organ and excretory organ). the eye indriya (for example) comprises the eye itself, the optical nerve, the fluid in the nerve, and the location in the brain at which the visual stimulus is transmitted to the ectoplasm, or mind-stuff

Iśt́a:  goal; one’s personal deity or goal in life

jagat:  world, universe

Janya:  Iishvara Sáḿkhya concept of a Cosmic entity instrumental for manifesting the universe

jiiva:  an individual being

jiivabháva:  finite subjectivity, feeling of the unit state, sense of the unit identity, microcosmic bearing

jiivátmá, jiivátman [see átmá]

jiṋána:  knowledge; understanding

jiṋána yoga:  a form of spiritual practice which emphasizes discrimination or intellectual understanding

jiṋánii a sádhaka:  who follows the path of knowledge or discrimination

kalá:  flow with curvature, in a stage of the Cosmic Cycle dominated by the mutative principle, rajatattva

kaola:  one who practises kula sádhaná and is adept at raising one’s own kuńd́alinii

Kaoravas:  sons of king Dhritarastra, the adharmik forces in the Mahábhárata war

kapálika sádhaná:  a form of spiritual practice which causes the aspirant to confront and overcome all the inherent fetters and enemies of the human mind

kapha:  [see váyu, pitta, kapha and rakta]

karma:  action; sometimes, positive or negative action which produces saḿskáras

karma yoga:  a form of spiritual practice which emphasizes selfless action

karmii:  a sádhaka who follows the path of action or work

kiirtana:  collective singing of the name of the Lord, sometimes combined with a dance that expresses the spirit of surrender

kośa:  “level” or “layer” of the mind (either Macrocosmic Mind or microcosmic mind) in terms of its degree of subtlety or crudeness

krpá:  spiritual grace

Krśńasundaram:  Krśńa the Beautiful

kśattriya:  written as “kśattriya”, a person whose mentality is to dominate over matter; written as “Kśattriya”, a member of the second-highest caste in India

kuńd́alinii, kulakuńd́alinii:  literally, “coiled serpentine”; sleeping divinity; the force dormant in the kula (lowest vertebra) of the body, which, when awakened, rises up the spinal column to develop all one’s spiritual potentialities

Kurukśetra:  the battlefield of the Mahábhárata war; the world (since it is as if the world is always saying, “Kuru, kuru” -- “Do something, do something”)

liilá:  divine sport

loka:  a “level”, or “layer”, or “sphere” of the Macrocosmic Mind

madhura bháva:  [see Rádhá bháva]

Mahábhárata:  “Great India”; the name of a military campaign guided by Lord Krśńa around 1500 BCE to unify India; the epic poem written by Maharshi Vyasa about this campaign

Mahákaola:  a Tantric guru who can raise not only his own kuńd́alinii, but those of others also; in Buddhist Tantra, Mahákaola is sometimes symbolic of Parama Puruśa

Mahápuruśa:  a person highly evolved psychically and spiritually, especially one who has consequently developed a charisma felt by other people

Mahásambhúti:  when Táraka Brahma utilizes the five fundamental factors to express Himself through a body, this is known as His Mahásambhúti

Maháshúnya:  the Void

mahat, mahattattva:  “I” (“I am,” “I exist”) feeling, existential “I”

mańd́ala:     


mantra:  a sound or collection of sounds which, when meditated upon, will lead to spiritual liberation. a mantra is incantative, pulsative, and ideative

mantra caetanya:  the awakening of a mantra; conceptual understanding of and psychic association with a mantra

márga:  path

Máyá:  Creative Principle, Prakrti in Her phase of manifesting the universe. Also, the power of the Creative Principle to cause the illusion that the finite created objects are the ultimate truth

Máyáváda:  doctrine of illusion. [see also Indian philosophies]

mithyá:  false, unreal

mohana vijiṋána:  supra-aesthetic science

mokśa:  spiritual emancipation, non-qualified liberation

mudrá:  meaningful gesture; a yogic exercise similar to an ásana but incorporating more ideation;  more exactingly, the directional vectoring of prana or vritti.  

mukti:  spiritual liberation

múládhára cakra:  lowest, or basal, psychic-spiritual centre, or plexus, located just above the base of the spine. [see also cakra]

muni:  a saintly person devoted to intellectual pursuits

náda:  flow without curvature in a stage of Brahma Cakra dominated by the sentient principle

nád́ii:  psychic-energy channel; nerve

namah:  salutations

namámi:  salutations

nandana vijiṋána:  aesthetic science

Náráyańa:  the Supreme Entity; literally, “the Lord of Nára (Prakrti)”

niiti:  morality

Nirguńa Brahma:  Brahma unaffected by the guńas; non-qualified Brahma, beyond the realm of the manifest universe.

onm:  the sound of the first vibration of the manifest universe; the biija mantra (acoustic root) of the expressed universe. 

oṋḿkára: literally means “the sound onm”

ota yoga:  the association of Puruśottama with each unit being individually in pratisaincara

padavii:  [see upádhi]

painca bhútas:  five rudimental or fundamental factors -- ethereal, aerial, luminous, liquid and solid

Pandavas:  the sons of king Pandu, the dharmic forces in the Mahábhárata war

pápa:  sin

pápii:  sinner

para:  subjective; controlling. [see also apara]

parábhakt: i highest devotion to the Supreme; devotion to Para Brahma, the unexpressed aspect of Brahma. [see also aparábhakti]

parájiṋána:  spiritual knowledge

Paramá Prakrti:  Supreme Operative Principle

Parama Puruśa:  Supreme Consciousness

Paramashiva:  [see Puruśottama]

Paramátmá, Paramátman:  Supreme Consciousness in the role of witness of His own macropsychic conation. Paramátman comprises: (1) Puruśottama, the Macrocosmic Nucleus; (2) Puruśottamá’s association with all of the universe in His extroversal movement (prota yoga); and (3) Puruśottamá’s association with each unit being individually (ota yoga) and (4) with all collectively (prota yoga) in His introversal movement

paráshakti:  introversive pervasive force

parávidyá:  spiritual knowledge, knowledge of the Great

pariprashna:  a question on a spiritual topic. [see also Indian philosophies]

parokśa ánubhúti:  indirect knowledge or experience

Párthasárathi:  literally, “Arjuna’s charioteer”; Krśńa in the role of a king

pátaka:  sin. there are two kinds: pápa, sin of commission, and pratyaváya, sin of omission

pitta:  [see váyu, pitta, kapha and rakta]

Prabháta Saḿgiita:  a collection of 5018 spiritual and psycho-spiritual songs composed by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar (Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti)

Prakrti, Paramá Prakrti:  Cosmic Operative Principle

Prakrtitattva:  essence of Prakrti

práńa:  energy; vital energy

práńáh:  vital energy

prańásha:  dissolution, total annihilation

práńáyáma:  the fourth limb of aśt́áḿga (eight-limbed) yoga: process of controlling vital energy by controlling the breath.  

prapatti:  “whatever is taking place in the universe is all due to the cosmic will”. [see also Indian philosophies]

pratisaincara:  in the Cosmic Cycle, the step-by-step introversion and subtilization of consciousness from the state of solid matter to the Nucleus Consciousness. (“prati” means “counter” and “saincara” means “movement”)

pratyáhára:  the fifth limb of aśtáḿga (eight-limbed) yoga: withdrawing the mind from absorption in the physical senses

prota yoga:  the association of Puruśottama with all the universe in His extroversive movement and with all the unit beings collectively in His introversive movement

puráńa:  mythological story with a moral import; educative fiction

purashcarańa:  upward movement of the kulakuńd́alinii from múládhára cakra to sahasrára cakra, including the phases of mantrágháta and mantra caetanya

Puruśa:  Consciousness. Supreme Consciousness, the consciousness of the Cosmos, is Parama Puruśa, and a unit consciousness is an ańu puruśa

Puruśatattva:  essence of Puruśa

Puruśadeha:  the entire created substance, causal, subtle and crude, of the Macrocosm; Cosmic “I” + Cosmic doer “I” + Cosmic done “I”

Puruśottama, Paramashiva:  the Nucleus Consciousness, the witness of saincara (extroversion from the Nucleus) and pratisaincara (introversion to the Nucleus)

quinquelemental:  composed of the ethereal, aerial, luminous, liquid and solid factors, or elements

Rádha bháva, madhura bháva:  “Rádha bháva” means literally the devotional attitude which Rádhá held as the beloved of Krśńa. “madhura bháva” means literally the “sweet”, or “honey”, devotional attitude

Rádhiká shakti:  [see hládinii shakti]

rajoguńa:  [see guńas]

rakta:  [see váyu, pitta, kapha and rakta]

Rámáyańa:  an epic poem of India. it is the story of king Rama, or Ramchandra

Ráŕh:  the territory, mostly in Bengal, stretching from the west bank of the Bhagirathi River to the Parasnath Hills

rasa:  cosmic flow; taste

rásaliilá:  “Parama Puruśa has created an endless network of waves from the Cosmic Nucleus according to his own sweet will . . . each of these waves is a deva, but the fundament upon which these waves have been created is called rasa . . . the divine sport of these innumerable waves is called the rásaliilá”

rśi:  sage; one who, by inventing new things, broadens the path of progress of human society

rúpa tanmátra:  inferential waves conveying vision, i.e., the sense of form. [see also tanmátra]

Sadáshiva:  Shiva (literally, “eternal Shiva”)

sádhaka:  spiritual practitioner

sádhaná:  literally, “sustained effort”; spiritual practice; meditation

sádhu:  virtuous person, spiritual aspirant. [see also sádhaka]

sadrsha parińáma:  homogenesis, a sequence of similarity of curvatures in the phase of manifesting the universe dominated by rajoguńa

sadvipra:  spiritual revolutionary

Saguńa Brahma:  Brahma affected by the guńas ; qualified Brahma

sahasrára cakra:  highest, or pineal, psychic nerve plexus, located at the crown of the head

saincara:  in the Cosmic Cycle, the step-by-step extroversion and crudification of consciousness from the Nucleus Consciousness to the state of solid matter. (saincara literally means “movement”)

sakhya:  adjective of sakhá, “friend” (two sakhás, literally, are two persons who have separate physical bodies, but have the same mental body, because there is so much love)

sakhya bháva:  the devotional attitude of looking upon the Lord as one’s dearest friend

samádhi:  “absorption” of the unit mind into the Cosmic Mind (savikalpa samádhi) or into the átman (nirvikalpa samádhi); there are also various kinds of samádhi that involve only partial absorption and have their own distinguishing characteristics, according to the technique of spiritual practice followed

samája:  society

samája cakra:  social cycle

sama-samája tattva:  the principle of social equality

Sáḿkhya:  the oldest school of philosophy, first propounded by Maharshi Kapila. the word sáḿkhya means “that which is related to saḿkhyá, or numerals”. [see also Indian philosophies]

saḿsára:  the world as a dimension of relentless, unceasing movement;  the original meaning of "chaos" in Greek matches saḿsára

saḿskára:  mental reactive momentum, potential mental reaction

samvit shakti:  an expression of vidyá shakti, or Vidyámáyá, which one experiences as the realization that life has a higher purpose

sannyásii m. or sannyásinii f.:  literally, “one who has surrendered one’s everything to the Cosmic will” or “one who ensconces oneself in Sat, the unchangeable entity”; a renunciant

sárathi:  charioteer

Sat, Satya, Satyam “that which undergoes no change”; Absolute Reality

satsaunga:  good company

sattvaguńa:  [see guńas]

shabda:  sound

Shaeva, Dharma Shaivism:  the theoretical or philosophical side of spirituality as taught by Shiva

Shaeva Tantra, Shiva Tantra:  the applied, or practical side of spirituality as taught by Shiva

shákta:  a follower of Sháktácára, the Shakti Cult; hence, any aspirant who embodies the characteristics of Sháktácára, especially the judicious application of power

Shakti:  Prakrti; energy; a deification of Prakrti

Shambhúliunga:  fundamental positivity

shástra:  scripture

Shiva:  a great Tantric guru of around 5000 BCE who guided society while His mind was absorbed in Consciousness; hence, Infinite Consciousness, Puruśa

Shivabháva:  the stance, or bearing, of Infinite Consciousness

Shiva-liunga:  originally a phallic symbol, later given philosophical significance as “the entity from which all things originate”

shloka:  a Sanskrit couplet expressing one idea

shúdra:  Written as “shúdra”, a person with a mentality of physical enjoyment only, a member of the labourer social class; written as “Shúdra”, a member of the lowest caste in India.

siddha mantra:  a mantra “perfected” by the guru

siddhi:  Self-realization; spiritual attainment

svarúpa parińáma:  homomorphic evolution, a state before the universe manifests in which all the guńas are in equipoise

Svayambhúliunga:  ultimate point of negativity, or crudity, in the human body

tamoguńa:  [see guńas]

táńd́ava:  a vigorous dance for male spiritual aspirants, originally formulated by Shiva. it develops the glands in a way that enhances courage and fearlessness. when Shiva Himself does this dance (Shiva Nat́arája), the dance becomes a metaphor in which Supreme Consciousness sends vibrations throughout the universe and causes all objects of the universe in turn to radiate vibrations

tanmátra:  literally, “minutest fraction of that,” i.e., of a given rudimental factor of matter. also translated “generic essence” or “inferential wave”. the various types of tanmátras convey the senses of hearing, touch, form (vision), taste and smell

Tantra:  a spiritual tradition originating in southern Asia in prehistoric times and further systematized by Shiva. It emphasizes the development of human vigour, both through meditation and through confrontation of difficult external situations, to overcome all fears and weaknesses. also, a scripture expounding that tradition

Táraka Brahma:  Supreme Consciousness in Its liberating aspect, tangent between Nirguna Brahma and Saguna Brahma.  

upadharmas:  secondary dharmas

upádhi and padavii:  the special and ordinary quality or characteristic of anything

Uttara Miimáḿsá, Vishuddha Advaetaváda, Vedanta Pure Non-Dualism; [see also Indian philosophies]

-váda and -vádiis:  suffixes meaning, respectively, “doctrine of”, or “ism”; and “followers (of a doctrine)”

Vámácára Tantra:  a school of Tantra that attempts to overcome Máyá by fight, but without any clear goal

vaeshya:  written as “vaeshya”, a person of acquisitive mentality, a member of the capitalist social class; written as “Vaeshya”, a member of the second-lowest caste in India

Vaeśńava, Vaishnavite:  pertaining to the Viśńu Cult or Religion

vashiikára: 

vátsalya bháva:  the devotional attitude of looking upon the Lord as one’s child

váyu, pitta, kapha and rakta:  váyu comprises (1) the ten basic energy flows in the body, performing specific functions; (2) the gas that is created in the digestive tract when the energy flows become distorted. pitta is the expression of the luminous (fire) factor in the human body, responsible for digestion and preservation of body heat. Examples of pitta are the liver bile and pancreatic juice. kapha denotes mucus, phlegm, and all physical factors (such as some factors of the blood) which tend to create mucus. rakta is blood

váyus:  the ten basic energy flows in the human body

veda:  literally, “knowledge”; hence, a composition imparting spiritual knowledge. also, a religious or philosophical school which originated among the Aryans and was brought by them to India. it is based on the Vedas and emphasizes the use of ritual to gain the intervention of the gods

Vidyá, Vidyámáyá:  centripetal, or introversal force; force of attraction to the Nucleus Consciousness; aspect of the Cosmic Operative Principle which guides movements from the crude to the subtle. [see also Avidyámáyá]

viirácárii:  a follower of Viirácára Tantra; a Tantric who adopts a particularly “heroic” ideation while seeking to confront and overcome all mental weaknesses

vikśepa shakti:  an expression of avidyá shakti, or Avidyámáyá, which one experiences as the delusion that if one remains aloof from the Supreme, the Supreme will not be in a position to control his or her destiny

vimukha:  anger, permanent displeasure

vinásha:  transformation through destruction

vipra:  written as “vipra”, a person who controls others by his wits, a member of the intellectual social class; written as “Vipra”, a member of the highest caste in India.

Vishiśt́ádvaetaváda:  [see Indian philosophies]

Vishuddha Advaetaváda:  [see Indian philosophies]

viveka:  conscience, power of discrimination between good and evil

vraja:  the spirit of joyful movement

Vrajagopála:  Vraja Krśńa as “that entity who takes people forward through joy, amidst various expressions of bliss”

vrtti:  mental propensity

Yama and Niyama:  moral codes

yoga:  spiritual practice leading to unification of the unit átman with Paramátman


yugas:  the mythological four ages (Satya Yuga, or Golden Age, Treta Yuga, or Silver Age, Dvápara Yuga, or Copper Age, and Kali Yuga, or Iron Age), representing the step-by-step decline of morality and spirituality