Dictionary of common Sanskrit spiritual words
vichAra - vivarta

vichara

consideration, reflection, deliberation, investigation. vichAra mArga is translated as “Direct Path”.

vidhi

formula, injunction, rule, precept, law; any prescribed act, rite or ceremony; mode of conduct or behavior.

videha

bodiless, incorporeal, dead; videha mukti is deliverance by release from the body (death).

vidya

knowledge, science, learning, philosophy (as opposed to j~nAna, which rather refers to direct self-knowledge. Atma j~nAna). Atma-vidyA or brahma-vidyA is the objective knowledge of the Self taught by the scriptures and guru.

Vidyaranya

author of the Panchadashi.

vijati

literally belonging to another caste or tribe; dissimilar or heterogeneous.

vijnana

discerning, understanding, comprehending; “right apprehension” in the case of nididhyAsana as opposed to dhyAna. vij~nAna vAda is the philosophical theory of Idealism.

vijnanamayakosha

the intellectual sheath (one of the five “coverings” that surround our true essence).

vikalpa

doubt, uncertainty or indecision.

vikara

transformation, modification, change of form or nature. Also vikAratva – the state of change; and vikAravat – undergoing changes.

vikarma

prohibited, unlawful – actions that must be avoided.

vikshepa

the “projecting” power of mAyA. In the rope-snake metaphor, this superimposes the image of the snake upon the rope. See avarana, maya.

vilakshana

not admitting of exact definition.

viparyaya

error, misapprehension, mixing up the nature of one thing with another or mistaking something to be the opposite of what it actually is (literally reversed, inverted).

virama

In Sanskrit, the diagonal mark underneath a consonant to indicate that it is not to be sounded with a vowel after it. The literal meaning is “cessation, termination or end.” (All consonants are sounded with 'a' by default, unless indicated otherwise.) A consonant with such a mark is called a halanta consonant. (The term also refers to the single vertical mark to indicate the end of a sentence or single line of a verse of poetry.)

viraj or virat

gross, macrocosmic equivalent of vishva (vaishvAnara) at the level of creation.

visarga

this literally means “sending out” or “emission.” In Sanskrit, it is represented as aH but is not actually a letter and does not occur on its own. Its effect is to add a brief, breathing out sound after the vowel sound associated with a consonant; represented by two dots placed to the right of the associated letter.

vishaya

object of sensory perception; any subject or topic; the subject of an argument. (not to be confused with vishaya, with a palatal ‘sh’, meaning ‘doubt or uncertainty). Adjective – viShayika.

vishesha (noun);
visheshana (adj)

literally “distinction” or “difference between”; particular or specific. The Vaisheshika philosophy believes that the material universe is made up of nine substances, each of which is “essentially different” from any other. See Vaisheshika.
adjective - distinguishing, specifying, qualifiying.

visheshya

(noun) that which is to be distinguished (from something else).

vishishta

distinguished, particular, excellent (as in yoga vashiShTa).

vishishtadvaita

qualified non-dualism; belief that God and the Atman are distinct but not separate. Ramanuja is the scholar most often associated with this philosophy. See advaita, dvaita.

visva

the “waker ego” in the waking state of consciousness, jagrat. Also sometimes referred to as vaishvAnara. See also taijasa, prajna.

vitanda

cavil, fallacious controversy, perverse or frivolous argument, criticism; argument purely for the sake of winning the point (three types of disputation: jalpa, vitaNDa, vAda).

vivarana

literally “explanation” or “interpretation”; name of one of the two schools of Advaita. The other school is the vAcaspati or bhAmati school.

vivarta

an apparent or illusory form; unreality caused by avidyA.