Sanskrit Dictionary

Non-violence; the practice of causing no harm to any living being

Truth; that which truly exists; absolute reality

Selfless service; action performed for others without expectation of reward

Wild, rough, sparse land — the Sanskrit ancestor of the English word

Deceiver, swindler — the Sanskrit origin of the modern English word

A learned person, scholar — from Sanskrit paṇḍita, expert in sacred learning

Gravel, grit, granules — the Sanskrit origin of the English word "sugar"

To rob, plunder — the Sanskrit verb that became an English noun

Ancient Indian coin — the Sanskrit monetary unit of the Mauryan Empire

Dark, black, all-attracting — the eighth avatāra of Vishnu

Bright, clear, morally pure — the greatest archer of the Mahabharata

One who delights — the seventh avatāra of Vishnu, ideal king of the Ramayana

Furrow of the earth — the ideal queen, daughter of the earth, beloved of Rama

The one with a disfigured jaw — devoted hero of the Ramayana, embodiment of devotion and strength

The auspicious one — god of transformation, meditation, and cosmic dissolution

The all-pervading one — preserver of the universe, source of the ten avatāras

She who is marked with auspicious signs — goddess of wealth, prosperity, and beauty

She who flows — goddess of knowledge, music, arts, and wisdom

The invincible — goddess who defeats the forces of darkness and protects the universe

Lord of all beings — the elephant-headed remover of obstacles

Beloved; the dear one; one who brings joy

Without equal; incomparable; literally "not anyone else"

Poetry; one who is as beautiful and moving as a poem

Lord, ruler; one of the eight directional names of Shiva

Peaceful sound; melodious; one who brings calm

Boundless, limitless, free — the goddess of infinite space

Discernment; the ability to distinguish real from unreal, truth from illusion

Righteous duty; the moral order that sustains the universe

Action; the universal law of cause and effect

Liberation; freedom from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth

The individual self; the eternal soul within each being

Universal consciousness; the absolute, unchanging reality underlying all existence

The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; the world of continuous change

The extinguishing of the ego; liberation from suffering and the cycle of rebirth

Divine creative illusion; the power that makes the universe appear real and separate

Divine feminine energy; the primordial creative power of the universe

Divine descent; the voluntary incarnation of God in a human or animal form

Meaning, purpose, wealth; the second aim of human life

Individual soul; the living self that experiences the cycle of birth and death

Union; the practice of joining individual consciousness with universal consciousness

Peace; inner stillness; cessation of all disturbance

One who removes darkness; a spiritual teacher who leads from ignorance to knowledge

A sacred sound or phrase that transforms the mind when repeated

The divine in me bows to the divine in you

Austerity; disciplined effort that generates inner heat and purifies the practitioner

The primordial sound; the syllable that contains the entire universe

Life force; the vital energy that animates all living beings

The state of complete meditative absorption; union of the meditator with the object of meditation

Wheel or energy center; one of seven subtle energy centers in the body

Gesture or seal; hand positions used in yoga and meditation to direct energy

The coiled serpent energy at the base of the spine, awakened through yoga