Sanskrit Non-Translatables Flashcards
साधन
≠ Mundane Practice
“Practices in accordance with our Guru’s instructions for the purpose of Self-Realization.”
साधन
(not mentioned in Guru Gita)
रसः
≠ taste or mellow:* “a complex and sublime psychological concept and not an ordinary material concept…”*
Apte: 1 Sap, juice of trees; 2 A liquid, fluid; 3 Water; 4 Liquor, drink; 5 A draught, potion; 6 Taste, flavor, relish; 7 A sauce, condiment; 8 An object of taste; etc. etc.
रसः
मनस्
≠ Mind in the Western sense;
includes बुद्धहि , चित्त , अहंकार
is seated in the heart (not the brain)
मनस्
Apte p1234: 1 The mind heart understanding perception intelligence …
शक्तिः
≠ Energy
A sentient principle; has a personality; pervades the cosmos; present in the human body as Kundalinī
शक्तिः
समाधिः
≠ Trance
सम् + आ + ध = perfect concentration
The state of Divine union; the culmination of sadhana.
समाधिः
बुद्धि / बुद्धिः
Not only intelligence as associated with the mind;
Also: understanding, wisdom
Apte: 1 Perception, comprehension 2 Intellect, understanding, intelligence; etc.
बुद्धि / बुद्धिः
From the verbal root: √बुद्ध् - to know, understand, etc.
आकाशः / आकाशम्
विरजं परमाकाशं GGV64, हृदयाकाशमध्यस्थं GGv113
Not only “space” but the substratum of space, time and matter.
आकाशः / आकाशम् is infinite, not finite.
आकाशः / आकाशम् – Sanskrit Non-Translatables p79
विरजं परमाकाशं GGV64, हृदयाकाशमध्यस्थं GGv113
निर्गुण
≠ qualityless or without qualities
(because these terms are inadequate)
Nirguna Brahman refers to Consciousness without any material qualities.
निर्गुण
अहंकार
Not the Western concept of “ego”, but “that which gives a sense of I or I-ness”
अहंकार
माया
गूढविद्या जगन्माया देहे चाज्ञानसम्भवा ।
≠ illusion
The aspect of Shakti that creates a sense of reality of the world.
माया
गूढविद्या जगन्माया देहे चाज्ञानसम्भवा ।
प्राणः
≠ Breath; “that which gives rise to life”
प्राणः - √अन् / √अण्
See Apte p1128 for several interesting definitions.
आगम
Not only ritual.
IT IS treatises, scriptures;
(many other meanings)
आगमः
procedures for temple worship, town planning, healing, and many other everyday activities.
ॐ
≠ Amen
ॐ
शब्दः
≠ Word*
(from Gurudev’s email 9/25/24)-1 Sound (the object of the sense of hearing and property of आकाश).-2 Sound, note (of birds; men &c.),-3 The sound of a musical instrument.-4 A word, sound, significant word. etc. etc.
शब्दः
दासः
Not the common use of “slave” – but refers to one who selflessly surrenders to God or Guru.
दासः – from Apte: 1 Slave, servant in general
See Sanskrit Non-Translatables p.168; (not found in the Guru Gita)
इतिहासः
Not only history; refers to the Rāmāyana and Mahābhārata; “expansion or elaboration of an incident which happened in the past”
Use historical facts for the purpose of teaching philosophical or spiritual principles.
इतिहासः
Apte p382; also Sanskrit Non-Translatables p149
पूजा
≠ ritual
a form of sadhana where the devotee expresses his bhakti towards his personal deity (eg. Arati)
पूजा
ध्यानमूलं गुरोर्मूर्तिः पूजामूलं गुरोः पदम् । GGv76
सगुण
≠ qualified / with qualities
Saguna Brahman refers to Brahman possessing spiritual attributes such as Truth, Knowledge, etc.
सगुण
संस्कृतिः
≠ culture
Provides the guiding principles for a person to develop spiritually.
The opposite of vikriti विकृतिः
संस्कृतिः
असुर / असुरः
Not only demon, as in the Western sense; includes a sense of lineage, clan, dynasty; generally posses vices, but not always, such as Prahlada; can refer to someone who is only interested in worldliness and not any spiritual pursuit; asuras disrupt yajnas
असुर / असुरः