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Glossary of Sanskrit Terms

Vaidha-dharma - duties which have been prescribed by the Vedas or their corollary sastras.
Vaidhi-bhakti - devotion prompted by the regulations of sastra. When sadhana-bhakti is not inspired by intense longing, but is instigated instead by the discipline of the sastra, it is called vaidhi-bhakti.
Vaidhi-prakrti - the nature of the sadhaka which impels him to follow the rules and regulations of sastra. As long as the intelligence is under the control of maya, human nature must be regulated by rules and prohibitions. Thus, in this condition the vaidhi nature will certainly be in effect.
Vaidhi-pravrtti - the proclivity to follow the religious codes of sastra.
Vairagya - detachment or indifference to this world; a spiritual discipline involving the acceptance of voluntary austerities to achieve detachment from the sense objects.
Vaisesika - a later division of the nyaya school of philosophy, also known as vaisesika-darsana. It was founded by Kanada Rsi and differs from the nyaya system of Gautama (see Kanada in the Glossary of Names). Kanada accepted six principles: (1) dravya (elementary substances which are nine in number - earth, water, fire, air, ether, time, space, the soul, and the mind), (2) guna (characteristics of all created things such as form, taste, smell, sound, and tangibility), (3) karma (activity), (4) samanya (universality; the connection of different objects by common properties), (5) visesa (individuality; the essential difference between objects), and (6) samavaya (inseparable concomitance; the relation which exists between a substance and its qualities, between a whole and its parts, or between a species and its individuals). According to the vaisesika-darsana the jivas are innumerable. The merit or demerit attaching to a man’s conduct in one state of existence and the corresponding reward or punishment which he receives in another is called adrsta (that which is beyond the reach of consciousness or observation). Due to the force of this unforseen accumulated karma, the jiva falls into the cycle of creation and undergoes birth, death, happiness, and distress. When the jiva obtains philosophical knowledge of the six principles, his adrsta is destroyed and he can attain liberation from the bondage of material existence. The vaisesikas define mukti as final release from material misery. There is no direct mention of Isvara in the vaisesika-darsana of Kanada.
Vaisesika-jnana - knowledge of worldly phenomena; classification of such phenomena into various categories such as dravya (objects), guna (qualities) and so on.
Vaisnava - literally means one whose nature is ‘of Visnu’ in other words, one in whose heart and mind only Visnu or Krsna resides. A bhakta of Sri Krsna or Visnu.
Vaisnava-dharma - the constitutional function of the soul which has as its goal the attainment of love for Krsna. This is also known as jaiva-dharma, the fundamental nature of living beings, and nityadharma, the eternal function of the soul.
Vaisya - the third of the four varnas or castes in the varnasrama system; agriculturalists and businessmen.
Vanaprastha - the third asrama or stage of life in the varnasrama system; retired life which entails freedom from family responsibilities and the acceptance of spiritual vows.
Vandanam - principally refers to the offering of prayers or the recitation of Sanskrit slokas composed by suddha-bhaktas. Akrura attained perfection through vandana, offering prayers. Vandanam may also be divided into another three categories: (1) kayika, by the body; (2) vacika, by speech; and (3) manasika, by the mind. Although vandanam is actually included within arcana (worship), it has been listed as an independent anga to show its importance. To offer obeisance with one hand, to offer obeisance directly facing the Deity, behind the Deity, or with one’s right side facing the Deity are all considered to be offenses. Vandanam is one of the nine primary angas of bhakti.
Vantasi - one who eats his own vomit. This refers to one who abandons household life and formally enters the renounced order, but who again establishes connection with women.
Varna - one of the four social orders, castes - priest, administrator, businessman, or laborer - in which one carries out corresponding socio-religious duties in the system known as varnasrama.
Varnasrama-dharma - the Vedic social system, which organizes society into four occupational divisions and four stages of life (varnas and asramas).
Vastava-vastu - any really existing or abiding substance; that which is grounded in transcendence; Bhagavan, His atomic parts (the jivas), and His potency (maya).
Vastu - an object, thing, or substance; that which has existence.
Vastu-siddhi - the stage in which the vastu, or substantive entity known as the jiva is fully liberated from matter. After giving up the material body, the living entity who has already attained svarupasiddhi enters into Sri Krsna’s manifest lila, where he or she receives the association of Krsna and His eternal associates for the first time. There one receives further training from His eternal associates. When one becomes established in the mood of their prema and one’s eternal service to Krsna, one gives up all connection with this world and enters His spiritual abode. At this point the jiva becomes situated in his pure identity as a vastu, known as vastu-siddhi.
Vastuta-jasa-mukti - liberated in terms of one’s constitutional make-up as a vastu, or conscious living entity; permanent release from the encasement of the gross and subtle bodies which cover the atma and facilitate the jiva’s interaction with the material energy; complete freedom from all contact with matter and the material world. This refers to vastu-siddhi.
Vatsalya - love or attachment for Sri Krsna expressed in the mood of a parent.
Vedanta - the end of Vedic knowledge. The Upanisads are the latter portion of the Vedas, and the Vedanta-sutra summarizes the philosophy of the Upanisads in concise statements. Therefore, the word Vedanta especially refers to the Vedanta-sutra (see uttaramimamsa). Srimad-Bhagavatam is considered to be the natural commentary on Vedanta-sutra by the same author, Vyasadeva. Therefore, in the opinion of the Vaisnavas, Srimad-Bhagavatam is the culmination or ripened fruit of the tree of all Vedic literature.
Vibhava - the causes for tasting bhakti-rasa. These are of two types: (1) alambana, the support (this refers to Krsna and His bhaktas who possess in their hearts spiritual love known as rati which can be transformed into rasa by combination with the other four ingredients of rasa); and (2) uddipana, the stimulus (objects connected to Krsna which arouse one’s spiritual love for Him and cause that love to be transformed into rasa).
Vibhinnamsa - Sri Bhagavan’s separated portions; the living entities.
Viddha-Vaisnava-dharma - religious practices which go by the name of Vaisnava dharma but which are adulterated with karma and jnana.
Vidhi - rule, law, religious injunction or regulation.
Vidhi-marga - the path of bhakti which follows rules and regulations.
Vidya - knowledge, learning, science, philosophy.
Vidyadhara - a class of supernatural beings who possess magical powers and knowledge of various heavenly arts and sciences, especially singing and dancing.
Vidyadhari - females of the above class of supernatural beings.
Vigraha - (1) individual form, shape, or embodiment. (2) the Deity form of Krsna.
Vijnana - realized knowledge; knowledge distinguishing one thing from another; science.
Vikarma - prohibited acts; actions against the codes of sastra.
Vikasita-cetana - budding consciousness. This refers to human beings who have an increased sense of morality and have also awakened faith in God. It also refers to those who have developed a taste for the practice of sadhana-bhakti in accordance with the directions of sastra.
Vilasa - (1) pastimes, especially the playful amorous pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna in Vraja. (2) a particular type of manifestation of the Lord. That form which, although manifesting different bodily features for the purpose of accomplishing particular pastimes, is almost identical with its original root form, is known as vilasa.
Vina - a stringed musical instrument of melodious sound, the favorite instrument of Narada Muni and of various other celestial personalities.
Vipaksa-vaisistya - is a specific incident that is either seen (drsta) or is inferred (anumati) about relating with vipaksa (an opposing party).
Visaya - an object of the senses, anything perceptible by the senses; any object of affection, concern, or attention; sensual enjoyment.
Visaya-jnana - knowledge of material objects, knowledge acquired through the senses.
Visayalambana - the object of the transcendental senses on which there is alambana (dependence) for the advancement of prema. This is an aspect of vibhava, which is one of the five essential ingredients of rasa (see vibhava).
Visayi - a materialistic person, a sensualist.
Visesa-guna - special characteristic quality. The special characteristic quality of a truly abiding entity, or vastava-vastu, is its svabhava.
Visnu - the Supreme Lord of the cosmos (see Glossary of Names).
Visnu-maya - Sri Bhagavan’s external potency, also known as Durga.
Visrambha - lit. vigita means ‘completely devoid of’ and srambha means ‘awarness of his majesty or greatness’ i.e. complete intimacy without feelings of inferiority or worship. (1) loosening, absence of restraint, confidence, trust, intimacy, love. (2) In his Locana-rocani commentary on Ujjvala-nilamani (14.108) Jiva Gosvami has defined visrambha as the feeling of complete identification with the beloved such that one’s identity is not separate from that of the beloved. In his Ananda-candrika commentary on the same sloka, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has defined visrambha as deep faith, devoid of formality. Visrambha impels one to think that one’s life, mind, intelligence, body, and possessions are one in all respects with the life, mind, intelligence, and body of the beloved.
Visrambha-guru-seva - service to guru which is imbued with deep faith and intimacy (see visrambha). Service devoid of formality. Complete absence of any feeling of separateness from the guru. This type of service is possible only in an advanced stage.
Visuddha - completely pure; beyond the influence of material nature.
Visuddha-sattva - the state of unalloyed goodness; the quality of existence which is beyond the influence of material nature. Sridhara Svami has defined visuddha-sattva in his commentary on a sloka from the Visnu Purana (1.2.69): tad evam tasyas try-atmakatve siddhe yena svaprakasata-laksanena tad-vrtti-visesena svarupam va svarupa sakti-visistam vavirbhavati, tad-visuddha-sattvam tac-canya-nirapeksas tat-prakasa iti jnapam jnana-vrttikatvat samvid eva, asya mayaya sparsabhavat Visuddhatvam - “The Lord’s cit-sakti is known as svaprakasa. The term sva-prakasa means that it reveals itself and illuminates others also. Just as when the sun rises it makes itself known and illuminates other objects, so when cit-sakti arises in the heart, one can then understand the nature of cit-sakti and come to know oneself according to one’s true spiritual identity.
“Because the cit-sakti is sva-prakasa, its vrtti is also sva-prakasa. The word vrtti literally means function, which refers to the active agency through which the cit-sakti operates. The cit-sakti is composed of hladini, sandhini, and samvit. The particular svaprakasavrtti of this three-fold cit-sakti which reveals Bhagavan, His form, and the transformations of His cit-sakti, such as His associates and dhama, is known as visuddha-sattva. In other words, visuddhasattva is the self-revealing agency of the cit-sakti, through which the Bhagavan and His paraphernalia are revealed to the bhaktas. Because it has no contact with the external energy, it is known as visuddha-sattva.”
Visvasa - belief, trust, faith, confidence.
Viveka - discrimination; conscience; judgment; spiritual knowledge.
Viveki - one who discriminates; one whose spiritual consciousness is awakened.
Vraja-rasa - the mood of ecstatic love for Krsna which inundates the hearts of Krsna’s eternal associates in Vraja (see rasa).
Vyabhicari-bhava - one of the five essential ingredients of rasa; thirty-three internal spiritual emotions which emerge from the nectarean ocean of sthayibhava, cause it to swell, and then merge back into that ocean. These include emotions like despondency, jubilation, fear, anxiety, and concealment of emotions. They are of two kinds: dependent (paratantra) and independent (svatantra). Dependent emotions are those that are under the control of either mukhya or gauna-rati. Mukhya dependent emotions are either superior (vara) or inferior (avara). The superior mukhya dependent emotions are those that (a) arise in connection with rati, and also (b) nourish the rati. Of these, the direct (saksat) superior mukhya emotions nourish mukhya-rati, and the separated (vyavahita) superior mukhya emotions nourish gauna-rati. The inferior (avara) mukhya dependent emotions are those that arise in connection with rati, but do not nourish either the mukhya or the gauna-rati.
The independent vyabhicari-bhavas (svatantra), are those that are not controlled either by the mukhya or gauna-rati. These are divided into the following three categories:
(1) Rati-sunya: emotions that arise in people who do not have krsna-rati.
(2) Raty-anusparsana: emotions that do not have the quality of krsna-rati, but which contact rati later, due to some particular incident.
(3) Rati-gandhi: emotions that manifest a trace of rati, even though they are independent.
Vyabhicari-bhavabhasa - refers to vyabhicari-bhavas that are observed in improper or inappropriate persons or things. There are two types: antagonistic (pratikulya) and improper (anaucitya). Antagonistic vyabhicari-bhavas are emotions that arise in people who are hostile to Sri Krsna, and who have no rati. There are two types of improper abhasa: non-existence (asatyatva) and incapability (ayogyatva). When a bhakta experiences some emotion toward Krsna and projects that feeling upon non-moving living entities or animals as if they were experiencing that emotion, the abhasa is said to exhibit non-existence in the case of the nonmoving entities and incapability in the case of animals. However, these distinctions do not apply to Krsna’s eternal associates in Vraja, who serve Him in species such as trees, plants, and animals.
Vyakula - agitated and restless
Vyavahara - behavior, conduct, social customs, practice.
Vyavaharika - routine, common, ordinary; relating to practical life and social customs.