Glossary of Terms

S

Śabda:

1) Sound, as opposed to silence (niḥśabda).

2) Sound.  The sixth principle of emotion (tattva of rajas) and the third subtle element (tanmātra).  Resonates with the sense of hearing/speaking (indriya of śrotra/vāc) and the gross element of ether (mahābhūta of ākāśa).  See Tanmātra.

3) Testimony.  See Pramāṇa.

Śabdasrotas:

The sound-current, as opposed to the silent current (niḥśabdasrotas).  See Srotas.

Sabhāvana:

With contemplation.

Sabīja:

With seed, as opposed to without seed, seedless (nirbīja).  See Bīja.

Saccidānanda:

Existence, consciousness, bliss.  See Pauruṣa Traya.

Sadasat:

Existence and nonexistence.  See Syāt.

Ṣaḍguṇa:

1) Sixfold.

2) Six qualities, six strings.

3) The six unequal strings of transmigration (viṣama guṇas of saṃsāra).  They are existence, bliss, consciousness, mind, emotion, and physics (sat, ānanda, cit, sattva, rajas, and tamas).  See Guṇa.

Sadguru:

True teacher.  See Īśvara.

Sādhaka:

1) Skillful, adept.

2) Practitioner.  Part of a triad (traya) that includes the goal and the practice (sādhya and sādhana).

Sādhakamārga:

The adept path, as opposed to the practical path (sādhanamārga).  One-pointed surrender to the oversoul (ekāgra īśvarapraṇidhāna).

Sādhana:

Practice.  Part of a triad (traya) that includes the goal and the practitioner (sādhya and sādhaka).

Sādhanamārga:

The practical path, as opposed to the adept path (sādhakamārga).  The repetition of triple wisdom (abhyāsa of vidyā traya), including discernment, non-attachment, and seeking liberation (viveka, vairāgya, and mumukṣutva).

Sādhya:

1) Goal.  Part of a triad (traya) that includes the practice and the practitioner (sādhana and sādhaka).

2) To be accomplished, to be fulfilled.

Saguṇa:

With qualities, or qualified, as opposed to unqualified (nirguṇa).  See Saguṇa Brahman.

Saguṇa Brahman:

The qualified source, as opposed to the unqualified source (nirguṇa brahman).  Synonymous with the stream (srotas).  See Brahman.

Sākṣī:

The witness state (avasthā), corresponding to consciousness (cit).  The sixth of the ten states.  See Avasthā.

Śaithilya:

Relaxation, looseness.

Samādhi:

1) Absorption.  The eighth of the eight limbs (aṣṭāṅga).  See Aṣṭāṅga.

2) See below.

Samādhiyoga:

Absorption yoga.  The second principle of existence (tattva of sat) and the first of the seven yogas (yoga saptaka).  Part of a triad (traya) that includes the existence sheath and the causal body (sanmayakośa and kāraṇaśarīra).  See Yoga.

Samadṛṣṭi:

Equal vision, as opposed to unequal vision (viṣamadṛṣṭi).  The right view (samyagdṛṣṭi).  See Vidyā.

Samamiti:

The symmetry between the strings and the principles (guṇas and tattvas) caused by recursion (pratyāvartana).  See Guṇavāda.

Sāmānyatodṛṣṭa:

Generally seen.  See Pramāṇa.

Samapatti:

Entering into, absorption into.

Samaya:

Circumstance, condition.

Saṃcara:

Evolution, as opposed to involution (pratisaṃcara).  See Avasarpiṇī.

Saṃcita:

Collected, stored, accumulated, as opposed to undertaken (prārabdha).  See Kālavāda.

Saṃdhi:

Boundary line.  See Kālavāda.

Sāṃkhya:

1) Enumeration, numeral, relating to number.

2) The theoretical basis of Yoga.  One of six orthodox philosophies of Hinduism (āstika darśanas).  The Advaita Sāṃkhya Sūtras define Non-dual Sāṃkhya (Advaita Sāṃkhya) and the Sāṃkhya Kārikā defines Dual Sāṃkhya (Dvaita Sāṃkhya).  See Darśana.

Sāṃkhya Kārikā:

The earliest surviving text of Sāṃkhya.  Attributed to Īśvarakṛṣṇa.  See Dvaita Sāṃkhya.

Saṃsāra:

Passage, course, transmigration, as opposed to cessation (nirvāṇa).  The sevenfold source (saptaguṇa brahman), as opposed to the threefold source (triguṇa brahman).  See Kālacakra.

Saṃsaraṇa:

Transmigrating, undergoing transmigration.  See Saṃsāra.

Saṃskāra:

An impression, which may be conscious or subconscious (cetana or jaḍa).

Saṃtoṣa:

Contentment, which is unwavering inner peace (avyathya antaḥśānti).  The second of the five observances (niyamas).  See Niyama.

Samudaya:

Collective arising, co-arising.

Saṃvedana:

Information exchange enabled by resonance (anunāda).  See Anunāda.

Sāmya:

Equilibrium.  Equality, as opposed to inequality (vaiṣamya).  See Jīva.

Samyagdṛṣṭi:

The right view, as opposed to the wrong view (asamyagdṛṣṭi).  See Samadṛṣṭi.

Samyaksādhana:

Complete practice.  See Rājayoga.

Samyaksiddhi:

Complete results.  See Rājayoga.

Saṃyamayoga:

Restraint yoga, as opposed to performance yoga (kriyāyoga).  See Aṣṭāṅga.

Saṃyoga:

Union, combination, connection, as opposed to separation (viyoga).  The original union (saṃyoga) being the oversoul (īśvara).  See Īśvara.

Saṃyukta:

United, combined, connected, as opposed to separated (viyukta).

Saṃyuktakṣetra:

Unified field.  Part of a triad (traya) that includes the knower of the field and the field (kṣetrajñā and kṣetra).  See Īśvara.

San:

The compound form of “sat.”  See Sat.

Sanmayakośa:

The existence sheath.  The first principle of existence (tattva of sat) and the first of the seven sheaths (saptakośa).  Part of a triad (traya) that includes the causal body and absorption yoga (kāraṇaśarīra and samādhiyoga).  See Kośa.

Sanskrit:

The divine language in which most of the ancient Hindu texts are written.

Saptaguṇa:

1) Sevenfold.

2) Seven qualities, seven strings.  See Guṇa.

Saptaguṇa Brahman:

The sevenfold source, as opposed to the threefold source (triguṇa brahman).  See Brahman.

Saptaka:

Heptad.  A single unit with seven parts.

Saptakośa:

The seven sheaths.  See Kośa.

Saptama:

1) Seventh.

2) The seventh state (avasthā), corresponding to the soul (jīva).  See Avasthā.

Saptatattva:

A sevenfold principle, as opposed to a threefold principle (tritattva).  See Tattva.

Saptatitattva:

Seventy principles.  The total number of principles in Advaita Sāṃkhya.  See Tattva.

Sarga:

Creation of the universe.

Śarīra:

1) One of the seven bodies (śarīra saptaka).  They are the causal, inner, conscious, ego, name, subtle, and gross bodies (kāraṇaśarīra, antaḥśarīra, cittaśarīra, ahaṃśarīra, nāmaśarīra, liṅgaśarīra, and sthūlaśarīra).  They’re material (prākṛta), as opposed to the spiritual sheaths (pauruṣa kośas).  See Tattva.

2) One of the three classical bodies (śarīra traya).  They are the causal, subtle, and gross bodies (kāraṇaśarīra, liṅgaśarīra, and sthūlaśarīra).

3) The body state (avasthā), corresponding to nature (prakṛti).  The third of the ten states.  See Avasthā.

Śarīra Saptaka:

The seven bodies.  See above.

Śarīra Traya:

The three classical bodies.  See Śarīra.

Sarpiṇī:

One of four overlapping arcs in the wheel of time (kālacakra).  See Kālavāda.

Sārūpya:

Conformity with, identity of appearance, resemblance.

Sārvabhauma:

All levels, universal.

Sarvajñāna:

All knowledge.

Sarvavyāpin:

All-pervading, omnipresent.

Śāsana:

Teaching, instruction.

Ṣaṣṭha:

1) Sixth.

2) The sixth state (avasthā), corresponding to consciousness (cit).  See Avasthā.

Ṣaṣṭitantra:

The Science of Sixty Topics.  The compilation of Sāṃkhya by Pañcāśikā which is no longer extant.

Sat:

1) Existence, as opposed to nonexistence (asat).

2) Existence.  One of three ontological levels of being.  See As.

3) Existence, as opposed to physics (tamas).  The fourth of the ten strings (daśaguṇa).  Part of the spiritual triad (pauruṣa traya).  See Guṇa.

4) See Sanmayakośa.

Ṣaṭka:

Hexad.  A single unit with six parts.

Satkāra:

Reverence, respect, care.

Satkāryavāda:

The doctrine of preexistence.  The corollary of the doctrine of nonexistence in Advaita Sāṃkhya (śūnyavāda), and the parent theory of string theory (guṇavāda).  It states that the effect (kārya) preexists as seeds in the origin (bījas in mūla).  The origin is seedless nonexistence (nirbīja asat); its seeds are undifferentiated, unmanifest potential existence (nirvikalpa, avyakta syāt); their effect (kārya) is differentiated, manifest existence (savikalpa, vyakta sat).  See Śūnyavāda.

Ṣaṭkoṇa:

Six-pointed star.  See Guṇavāda.

Sattva:

Mind, as opposed to consciousness (cit).  The abode of egotism (āśaya of asmitā).  Part of the material triad (prākṛta traya).  The eighth of the ten strings (daśaguṇa).  See Guṇa.

Sāttvika:

1) Pure.

2) Mental.  See above.

Satya:

1) Truth, as opposed to falsity (mithya).

2) Non-lying, which is verifiable speech (prameya vach).  The second of the five restraints (yamas).  See Yama.

3) One of the three truths, or realities (satya traya).  They are absolute, primary, and transactional (pāramārthika, prādhānika, and vyāvahārika).  They correspond to nonexistence, potential existence, and existence (asat, syāt, and sat).  They also correspond to the unqualified source, the threefold source, and the sevenfold source (nirguṇa brahman, triguṇa brahman, and saptaguṇa brahman).  See Brahman.

Satya Traya:

Three truths, or realities.  See above.

Śauca:

Purification, which is clearing the elements (bhūtaśuddhi).  The first of the five observances (niyamas).  See Niyama.

Savikalpa:

Differentiated, as opposed to undifferentiated (nirvikalpa).

Śeṣavat:

A posteriori, as opposed to a priori (pūrvavat).  See Pramāṇa.

Siddhi:

1) Accomplishment, attainment.

2) Supernatural power.

Skandha:

Aggregate.  See Vṛtti.

Smṛti:

Remembrance, as opposed to revelation (śruti).  See Pramāṇa.

Space-Time:

See Saptaguṇa Brahman.

Spanda:

Vibration.  The inherent motion of the strings (guṇas).  See Guṇavāda.

Sparśa:

Feel.  The eighth principle of emotion (tattva of rajas) and the fifth subtle element (tanmātra).  Resonates with the sense of feeling/grasping (indriya of tvac/pāṇi) and the gross element of air (mahābhūta of vāyu).  See Tanmātra.

Spaṣṭa:

The lucid state (avasthā), corresponding to mind (sattva).  The eighth of the ten states.  See Avasthā.

Srotas:

1) The stream, as opposed to the great ocean (mahāsāgara).  The “razor’s edge” (kṣurasya dhārā).  Refers to the ten strings (daśaguṇa) as a continuum of states (avasthās).  See Saguṇa Brahman.

2) A current of the stream.  The major triad (pradhāna traya) is the silent current (niḥśabdasrotas); the minor heptad (apradhāna saptaka) is the sound-current (śabdasrotas).  See Triguṇa Brahman and Saptaguṇa Brahman.

Srotāpanna:

Stream-entrant, one who has entered the stream (srotas).  See Srotas.

Śrotra:

See below.

Śrotra/Vāc:

Hearing/speaking.  The sixth principle of mind (tattva of sattva) and the third sense (indriya).  Resonates with the subtle element of sound (tanmātra of śabda) and the gross element of ether (mahābhūta of ākāśa).  See Indriya.

Śruti:

Revelation, as opposed to remembrance (smṛti).  See Pramāṇa.

Stambha:

Pause, temporary stoppage.  See Prāṇāyāma.

Sthira:

Still, fixed, steady, immovable, motionless.

Sthita:

Steady, firm, constant.

Sthūla:

1) Gross.

2) See below.

Sthūlaśarīra:

The gross body.  The physical body.  Synonymous with the food sheath (annamayakośa).  The third principle of physics (tattva of tamas) and the seventh of the seven bodies (śarīra saptaka).  Part of a triad (traya) that includes the energy sheath and action yoga (prāṇamayakośa and karmayoga).  See Śarīra.

String Theory:

1) A modern “theory of everything” that introduces the possibility of ten dimensions instead of four (length, width, height, and space-time).  The six extra dimensions close up on themselves into circles called Calabi-Yau manifolds.

2) See Guṇavāda.

Su:

To bring forth, deliver, produce, or beget.

Sukha:

1) Happiness, as opposed to suffering (duḥkha).

2) Comfortable, as opposed to uncomfortable (duḥkha).

Sūkṣma:

1) Subtle.

2) See Sūkṣmaśarīra.

Sūkṣmam:

Subtly.

Sūkṣmaśarīra:

Subtle body.  Refers to the inner, conscious, ego, name, and subtle bodies (antaḥśarīra, cittaśarīra, ahaṃśarīra, nāmaśarīra, and liṅgaśarīra).

Śūnya:

1) Zero.

2) Void, empty, as opposed to full (pūrṇa).  Nothing, naught.  See Nirguṇa Brahman.

Śūnyatā:

1) Emptiness, as opposed to fullness (pūrṇatā).

2) The Buddhist doctrine of emptiness.

Śūnyātman:

The empty self.  See Paramātman.

Śūnyavāda:

1) The doctrine of nonexistence.  The parent doctrine of the doctrine of preexistence in Advaita Sāṃkhya (satkāryavāda).  It states that the unqualified source (nirguṇa brahman) is the infinite point of origin and final cause (ananta mūladeśa and kāryakāraṇa).  See Nirguṇa Brahman.

2) See Śūnyatā.

Suṣupta:

Deep sleep, sleeping.  See below.

Suṣupti:

The deep sleep state (avasthā), corresponding to the soul (jīva).  The seventh of the ten states.  See Avasthā.

Sūtra:

1) Thread, string, line.

2) Aphorism, terse philosophical statement.  See Pramāṇa.

Sūtrātman:

Thread-self.  The soul which passes like a thread through the universe.  See Ātman.

Svabhāva:

Our nature, as opposed to our duty (svadharma).  See Bhāvasarpiṇī.

Svadharma:

Our duty, as opposed to our nature (svabhāva).  See Dhārmasarpiṇī.

Svādhyāya:

Self-study, which is self-inquiry (ātmavicāra).  The fourth of the five observances (niyamas).  See Niyama.

Svairam:

Freely, unreservedly.

Svapna:

The dream state (avasthā), corresponding to emotion (rajas).  The ninth of the ten states.  See Avasthā.

Svarūpa:

One’s true nature, as opposed to one’s false nature (asvarūpa).

Śvāsa:

Inhalation, as opposed to exhalation (praśvāsa).  See Ābhyantara.

Syāt:

Potential existence.  One of three ontological levels of being.  See As.