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Advaita for the 21st Century

Dictionary of common Sanskrit spiritual words
vAchArambhaNa - vibhUti

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Note that words appear in order of the Roman alphabet, not the Sanskrit alphabet.

English ITRANS Sanskrit Meaning
V      
vacharambhana or vagalambana vAchArambhaNa or vAgAlambana vacarMÉ[ vagalMbn depending on mere words or some merely verbal difference.
Vachaspati vAchaspati vacSpit name of one of the two schools of Advaita, after the philosopher vAchaspati mishra. It is also called the bhAmatI school. The other school is the vivaraNa school.
vachyartha vAchyArtha vaCyawR the directly expressed meaning (literal description), as opposed to lakShyArtha.
vada vAda vad speech, proposition, discourse, argument, discussion, explanation or exposition (of scriptures etc.); dispute with the aim of reaching the right conclusion, irrespective of who 'wins'. (Three types of disputation: jalpa, vitaNDa, vAda).
vaidarmya vaidharmya vExMyR difference, heterogeneity.
vaidharmya vaidharmya vExMyR having different nature or qualities; heterogeneity.
vaikhari vaikharI vEorI speech; the fourth stage in the production of sound.
vaikuntha vaikuNTha vEk…{Q heaven.
vairagya vairAgya vEraGy detachment or dispassion; indifference to the pleasure that results from success or the disappointment that results from failure. Literally to be "deprived of" (vai) "passion or desire" (rAga). See sadhana, chatushtaya sampatti.
vaisheshika vaisheShika vEzei;k one of the six classical Indian Philosophies, a later development of nyAya by the theologian, Kanada; named after the nine "essentially different substances" believed to constitute matter. See darshana, vishesha.
vaishvanara vaishvAnara vEñanr the gross physical condition, or waking state of man (more usually known as vishva, the waker). brahman "located in" the bodily form. Literally means "relating to or belonging to all men, universal." The word is also used for the macrocosmic level, virAj or virAT.
vaishya vaishya vEZy a working man, trader or farmer - the third of the traditional four castes in India.
vaitathya vaitathya vEtWy falseness. Equivalent to mithyAtva. Used in second chapter of Gaudapada's kArikA-s on Ma. U. to explain meaning of prapa~nchopashamam in 7th mAntra.
vak vAch vac! speech, language sound; speech personified as the Goddess, wife of prajApati (lord of creatures).
Vakyapadiya vAkyapadIya vaKypdIy book on Sanskrit grammar, written by bhartRRihari.
valli vallI v‘I relating to the sections of particular Upanishads.
vanaprastha vanaprastha vnàSw the third stage of the traditional Hindu spiritual path, in which the Brahman retires from life and becomes a "forest dweller," living as a hermit. Traditionally speaking, "a properly initiated dvija or twice-born." See also brahmacharya, grihasta, sanyasa.
vandya putra vandhyA putra vNXya puÇ literally 'son of a barren woman'; used in general to refer to anything that is imaginary or impossible.
vasana vAsanA vasna literally "desiring" or "wishing" - latent behavioral tendency in one's nature brought about through past action (karma) and the saMskAra that resulted from this. See karma, sanskara.
Vasishta vAsiShTha vaisó eponymous sage of the "Yoga Vasishta" one of the classical works of Advaita.
vastava vAstava vaStv substantial, real, true.
vastu vastu vStu a thing that exists, object, subject matter. Strictly speaking, there is only one vastu - Atman. Everything else is incidental - it comes and goes. Only Consciousness is always there, intrinsic.
vastu-tantra vastu tantra vStu tÙ objective, governed by reality (as opposed to kartRRi-tantra or puruSha-tantra, the result of 'doing').
vayu vAyu vyu air (or wind) - one of the five elements or pa~nchabhUta. Associated with touch.
veda veda ved knowledge, but the word is normally only used to refer to one of the four Vedas (see Vedanta) and vidyA is used for knowledge per se. See vidya.
Vedanta vedAnta vedaNt literally "end" or "culmination" (anta) of knowledge (veda) but veda in this context refers to the four Vedas, the Hindu equivalents of the Christian bible (called Rig, RRig veda; Sama, sama veda; Atharva, atharva veda; Yajur, yajur veda). Traditionally, the last part of the vedas (i.e. "end") is devoted to the Upanishads. See upanishad.
Vedantasara vedAntasAra vedaNtsar literally "essence of Vedanta"; a treatise on Vedanta by Sadananda Yogindra.
vesha veSha ve; dress, apparel, exterior, assumed appearance etc.; used in the sense of the disguise or outward appearnace that conceals one's true nature.
vibhu   vibhUti ivÉUit all-pervading, omnipresent, eternal; mighty, powerful; lord, ruler, soveriegn (also applied to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).
vibhuti vibhUti ivÉUit (Adj.) pervading, abundant, powerful. (Noun) plenty, abundance, superhuman power, splendor, glory, magnificence; the ashes of cow dung, smeared on the forehead. (In devotional ceremonies, a small ball of cow dung, together with a flower is used to represent the god gaNesha to protect the house. A new ball is used each day and these are collected and then burnt to produce the ash.)
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Page last updated: 10-Jul-2012