Glossary¶
Each key term is rendered the same way throughout, so the commentary can be followed across the whole text. The first verse where a term appears is linked.
| Term | Rendering | First appears |
|---|---|---|
| अकर्म (akarma) | inaction, abstaining from action | 1.1.11 |
| अज्ञता (ajñatā) | ignorance (of one's own nature) | 1.29.16 |
| अधिकारिन् (adhikārin) | one qualified for the teaching | 1.2.2 |
| अनवस्था (anavasthā) | infinite regress | 2.9.29 |
| अन्तःकरण (antaḥkaraṇa) | the inner instrument: mind, intellect, ego and memory | 1.30.4 |
| अन्तेनिवासिन् (antenivāsin) | a resident student who lives near the teacher | 2.2.18 |
| अभिमान (abhimāna) | pride, ego-identification | 1.10.25 |
| अभ्यास (abhyāsa) | practice; steady repetition that forms tendencies | 2.9.34 |
| अर्थप्रतिभान (arthapratibhāna) | the appearing of objects: what the mind is | 3.4.42 |
| अविद्या (avidyā) | ignorance: the basic misreading of reality | 2.3.18 |
| असंसक्त (asaṃsakta) | unattached | 1.2.25 |
| अहंकार (ahaṅkāra) | the ego, the sense of "I" | 1.15.1 |
| आतिवाहिक (ātivāhika) | the subtle body of mind that carries a being from life to life | 2.3.9 |
| आधि (ādhi) | mental anguish, sickness of the mind | 1.8.13 |
| आधिभौतिक (ādhibhautika) | the physical body made of the elements, as opposed to the subtle body | 3.3.6 |
| आनन्द (ānanda) | bliss | 1.1.3 |
| आलस्य (ālasya) | laziness, sloth: the opposite of effort | 2.5.30 |
| आशा (āśā) | hope, expectation (a form of craving) | 1.17.3 |
| आस्था (āsthā) | trust, reliance | 1.26.1 |
| इन्द्रजाल (indrajāla) | a conjuring show; the world as magic display | 2.12.13 |
| उत्पत्ति (utpatti) | origination: how the world comes to appear | 3.1.5 |
| उपशम (upaśama) | coming to rest, quiescence | 1.1.1 |
| उपाधि (upādhi) | limiting condition, an adjunct that makes the limitless seem limited | 1.30.11 |
| उपाय (upāya) | means | 1.31.6 |
| एकवाक्यता (ekavākyatā) | agreement of one's own experience, scripture and the teacher | 2.13.11 |
| काकतालीय (kākatālīya) | 'crow and palm-fruit': a mere coincidence that seems causal | 3.2.38 |
| कृतकृत्य (kṛtakṛtya) | one who has done what was to be done; the freed one | 2.17.43 |
| कृतान्त (kṛtānta) | Death, "the one who makes an end" | 1.25.5 |
| काम (kāma) | desire, lust | 1.20.3 |
| करुणा (karuṇā) | compassion | 1.20.43 |
| कर्म (karma) | action | 1.1.6 |
| काल (kāla) | Time | 1.22.23 |
| कल्पना (kalpanā) | mental construction, imagination | 1.10.38 |
| केवलीभाव (kevalībhāva) | the state of absolute oneness, the Self alone | 2.2.12 |
| क्षण (kṣaṇa) | a moment | 1.28.25 |
| गुण (guṇa) | quality; the three qualities of nature — sattva (clarity), rajas (restlessness), tamas (dullness) | 1.26.16 |
| चित्तमात्र (cittamātra) | mind only: the world as nothing but mind | 2.18.1 |
| चिदाकाश (cidākāśa) | the space of consciousness: consciousness as boundless, like space | 2.10.11 |
| चिन्ता (cintā) | anxious longing, worry | 1.17.43 |
| जरा (jarā) | old age | 1.22.1 |
| जीवन्मुक्त (jīvanmukta) | one liberated while living | 1.1.52 |
| ज्ञ (jña) | the Knower; pure knowing, prior to knower and known | 1.1.2 |
| ज्ञान (jñāna) | knowledge | 1.1.6 |
| तपस् (tapas) | austerity | 1.1.24 |
| तीर्थ (tīrtha) | sacred ford, place of pilgrimage | 1.3.20 |
| तुर्य (turya) | the fourth state, beyond waking, dream and deep sleep | 2.19.9 |
| तृष्णा (tṛṣṇā) | craving, thirst | 1.15.12 |
| त्याग (tyāga) | renunciation | 1.1.15 |
| त्रिपुटी (tripuṭī) | triad of subject, process and object (knower–knowing–known) | 1.1.2 |
| दृश्य (dṛśya) | the seen; the world as object of perception | 1.3.3 |
| दृष्टान्त (dṛṣṭānta) | illustration; making the unknown understood through the known | 2.18.50 |
| देह (deha) | the body | 1.18.1 |
| दैव (daiva) | fate | 1.25.1 |
| द्रष्टा (draṣṭā) | the seer: consciousness, which is never an object | 3.1.22 |
| द्वारपाल (dvārapāla) | gatekeeper; the four gatekeepers of liberation are calm, inquiry, contentment and good company | 2.11.59 |
| नियति (niyati) | destiny, fate | 1.8.30 |
| निर्वाण (nirvāṇa) | final peace, extinction of bondage | 1.3.6 |
| निर्विकल्पसमाधि (nirvikalpa-samādhi) | absorption free of every mental form | 2.1.44 |
| परमं पदम् (paramaṃ padam) | the supreme state | 1.1.7 |
| पुण्य (puṇya) | merit earned by good action | 1.1.36 |
| पुरुषार्थ (puruṣārtha) | the aims of human life: pleasure, wealth, duty and liberation | 1.27.15 |
| पूर्णता (pūrṇatā) | fullness | 1.30.26 |
| पौरुष (pauruṣa) | human effort, self-effort | 1.27.33 |
| प्रकरण (prakaraṇa) | a book or section of the work; the Yoga Vasiṣṭha has six | 2.17.10 |
| प्रतिज्ञा (pratijñā) | a solemn promise, vow | 1.9.2 |
| प्रतिभा (pratibhā) | to appear, shine forth | 1.1.1 |
| प्रत्यक्ष (pratyakṣa) | direct perception; finally, consciousness itself | 2.19.16 |
| प्रवृत्ति (pravṛtti) | active engagement in the world | 1.1.14 |
| प्रसाद (prasāda) | clarity, serenity of mind | 1.30.16 |
| प्राक्तन (prāktana) | of the past; past action that now bears fruit | 2.4.17 |
| प्रामाणिक (prāmāṇika) | reliable, authoritative (of a teacher) | 2.11.43 |
| बुद्ध (buddha) | the awakened one | 1.26.39 |
| भावना (bhāvanā) | mental imagining, the way the mind pictures things | 1.26.22 |
| भ्रम (bhrama) | illusion, error; also wandering | 1.3.2 |
| मनस् (manas) | the mind | 1.16.6 |
| मनोनाश (manonāśa) | the dissolving of the mind as a separate, restless entity | 1.14.11 |
| मर्यादा (maryādā) | bounds of right conduct | 1.9.12 |
| महापुरुष (mahāpuruṣa) | a great soul; one whose wisdom and conduct are complete | 2.20.1 |
| महावाक्य (mahāvākya) | the great sayings of the Upaniṣads, such as "you are That" | 2.18.67 |
| माया (māyā) | illusion, the power that makes the unreal appear real | 1.15.5 |
| मुमुक्षु (mumukṣu) | one who longs for liberation; the seeker | 2.1.1 |
| मोक्ष (mokṣa) | liberation | 1.1.6 |
| मोक्षोपाय (mokṣopāya) | the means to liberation | 1.1.53 |
| मौर्ख्य (maurkhya) | foolishness: the inner confusion that breeds all sorrow | 2.13.13 |
| युक्ति (yukti) | the right means, skilful method | 1.2.31 |
| यौवन (yauvana) | youth | 1.20.1 |
| रागद्वेष (rāga-dveṣa) | attraction and aversion | 1.20.37 |
| राजविद्या (rājavidyā) | the royal knowledge: knowledge of the Self, first taught to kings | 2.11.17 |
| लीला (līlā) | play, the divine sport of creation | 1.25.32 |
| वासना (vāsanā) | latent tendency left by past experience; pure (śuddha) or impure (malina) | 1.3.8 |
| विकल्प (vikalpa) | mental fancy, doubt, imagined alternative | 1.30.27 |
| विचार (vicāra) | inquiry, reflection | 1.2.3 |
| विज्ञानघन (vijñānaghana) | a solid mass of awareness | 3.2.40 |
| विदेहमुक्ति (videhamukti) | liberation on leaving the body | 2.3.3 |
| विमर्श (vimarśa) | reflection; the self-aware power of consciousness | 1.33.36 |
| विवेक (viveka) | discernment between the real and the unreal | 1.11.2 |
| विश्रान्ति (viśrānti) | rest; liberation as complete repose | 1.11.4 |
| विश्वास (viśvāsa) | firm inner conviction | 2.1.11 |
| विषाद (viṣāda) | despondency, dejection | 1.5.15 |
| विषूचिका (viṣūcikā) | cholera: the text's image of the seen as a deadly illness | 3.4.60 |
| वीतराग (vītarāga) | free from passion and attachment | 1.1.24 |
| वृत्ति (vṛtti) | a movement or modification of the mind | 1.16.5 |
| वैराग्य (vairāgya) | dispassion; the name of the first prakaraṇa | 1.10.27 |
| व्यवहार (vyavahāra) | conduct in everyday life | 1.2.20 |
| शम (śama) | calm, self-restraint | 1.21.10 |
| शान्त (śānta) | the calm one; one in whom śama is established | 2.13.72 |
| शान्ति (śānti) | peace | 1.29.23 |
| श्रेयस् (śreyas) | the highest good (as opposed to प्रेयस्, the merely pleasant) | 1.7.14 |
| संकल्प (saṃkalpa) | intention, imagining; the mind's power to form worlds | 2.1.36 |
| संशय (saṃśaya) | doubt | 1.1.4 |
| संसार (saṃsāra) | worldly existence; the cycle of birth and death | 1.1.47 |
| सत्यात्मन् (satyātman) | the Reality that is the Self | 1.1.1 |
| सत्सङ्ग (satsaṅga) | the company of the wise | 1.33.8 |
| सदाचार (sadācāra) | good conduct; the way of life of the good | 2.5.25 |
| सन्तोष (santoṣa) | contentment | 1.27.5 |
| सार (sāra) | the essence | 1.33.43 |
| सिद्धि (siddhi) | perfection, fulfilment | 1.1.13 |
| सेतु (setu) | bridge | 1.2.10 |
| स्पन्द (spanda) | vibration, pulsation (of consciousness) | 1.25.2 |
| स्वधर्म (svadharma) | one's own dharma, the duty proper to one's nature | 1.9.9 |
| स्वयंभू (svayambhū) | the Self-born: Brahmā, who has no cause outside consciousness | 3.2.30 |
| स्वर्ग (svarga) | heaven | 1.1.31 |