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Glossary

You may be in a yoga class and hear the teacher using Sanskrit words for different aspects of body, mind & soul exercises. We thought you might find this list helpful in translating some of the more commonly used terms. Use always the box on the right to navigate our Glossary. Feedback for corrections and additions is welcome: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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VAIRAGYA - renunciation, freedom from worldly desire, homesickness; second stage of jnana yoga


VAIKUNTHA
- sky, Vishnu's paradise


VAISHYA
- a member of the Hindu caste of peasants and merchants; symbol of the trunk


VASANA
- latent thought or desire


VEDANTA
- "end of the Vedas", one of the six schools of Indian philosophy
- ADVAITA VEDANTA - the doctrine of non-dualism, of universal oneness
- DVAITA VEDANTA - the doctrine of dualism


VIDEHMUKTA
- "liberated with the body", finally liberated


VIJNA
- knowledge, learning
- BRAHMAVIJNA - knowledge of the absolute truth


VIJNANA
- science, erudition


VIGYANMAYA KOSHA
- the sheath of intellect


VIKALPA
- giving up of a resolve or a plan


VIKSHEPA
- disruption, absent-mindedness, scatterbrainedness


VISHNU
- one of the Divine Trinity, maintainer and protector of the universe
- VISHNU MANTRA - a mantra dedicated to Vishnu


VISHUDDHI CHAKRA
- the laryngeal centre


VIVEKA
- the power to differentiate true from false, real from unreal, essential from unessential, right from wrong, useful from useless, the first stage of jnana yoga


VRITTI
- wave, rotating
- CHITTA VRITI - thought wave