Hridaya (Heart)

Hridaya

Sanskrit: हृदय
Transliteration: Hṛdaya (IAST)
Translation: “heart; center or core of something; essence; the Self”

Definition: The psycho-physical center where an individual feels pleasure and pain. The space where the inbreath and outbreath merge. The true heart. The place where the breath is still in the state of merging.

Reference:

Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press

Shabda (Sound)

Shabda

Sanskrit: शब्द
Transliteration: Śabda (IAST)

Translation: “verbal testimony; verbal knowledge; sound; word; scriptural authority (from the verb root śabd – “sound”)”

Definition: It is one of the five subtle essences of the elements. According to Advaita Vedānta, the truth revealed by Śabda is the fundamental unity of Being.

Reference:

Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press

Vasudeva (Universal God)

Vasudeva

Sanskrit: वासुदेव
Transliteration: Vāsudeva (IAST)

Translation: “universal God; one of the manifestations of God (Īśvara); the son of Vasudeva; the indweller (from vasu = “dweller, indwelling” + deva = “luminous, god”); i.e., the God who dwells within all”

Definition: He is the highest Self and possesses all the six attributes: knowledge (Jñāna), strength (Bala), lordship (Aiśvarya), potency (Śakti), virility (Vīrya), and splendor (Tejas). He hypostatizes into Keśava, Nārāyaṇa, and Mādhava.

Reference:

Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press

Radha | राध

Radha

Sanskrit: राधा
Transliteration: Rādhā (IAST)
Translation: “consort of Kṛṣṇa; the most celebrated of the Gopīs; fortunate or successful”

Reference:

Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press

Manah-Shuddhi (Purity of the Mind)

Manah-Shuddhi

Sanskrit: मनःशुद्धि
Transliteration: Manaḥ-Śuddhi (IAST)
Translation: “purity of the mind”

मनः – Manaḥ – mind; one of the aspects of the internal organ (from the verb root man – “to think”)

शुद्ध – Śuddha – pure (from the verb root śudh = “to purify”)

Reference:

Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press

Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion)

Bhakti Yoga

Sanskrit: भक्तियोग
Transliteration: Bhakti Yoga (IAST)
Translation: “Yoga of devotion; path to union with God”

Definition: One of the principal paths to liberation. It is of the nature of the supreme love of God. On attaining it, a person becomes perfect, immortal, and eternally blissful. It depicts the Divine and human relationship from the human side.

Reference:

Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press

Buddhi (Intellect)

Buddhi

Sanskrit: बुद्धि
Transliteration: Buddhi (IAST)
Translation: “intellect; the discriminative faculty (from the verb root budh – “to enlighten, to know”)”

Definition: The ascertaining intelligence and the impersonal or superpersonal state of consciousness of a limited individual. The first evolute of primordial Nature (Prakṛti). It is the basis of the intelligence of the individual. It is the determinative faculty and by it one resolves upon a course of action.

Reference:

Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press