Index
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Tamas (Inertia)
Darkness or Ignorance.
One of the 3 qualities of everything in Nature.
[cf: Index - Prakrti (Nature)]
Tanmatra (Subtle Elements)
The esssence of:
1. Sabda (Sound)
2. Sparsa (Touch)
3. Rupa (Form)
4. Rasa (Flavour)
5. Gandha (Odour)
[cf: Panchamahabhutas (Great or Gross Elements)]
Tejas (Fire)
Lustre, Brilliance, Majesty.
The 3rd element of the panchamahabhutas (5 Great Elements) of the universe.
Upanishad
upa (near) + ni (down) + shad (to sit) i.e. sitting down near.
The inner or mystic teaching. Groups of pupils sit near the teacher to learn from him the secret doctrine.
The Upanishads are a continuation of the Vedic philosophy. They elaborate on how the soul (Atman) can be united with the ultimate truth (Brahman) through contemplation and mediation, as well as the doctrine of Karma - the cumulative effects of a persons' actions.
Vayu (Air)
The vital airs, the wind.
The 2nd of the panchamahabhutas (5 Great Elements).
Vedas (Knowledges)
The sacred scriptures of the Hindus, classified as Sruti (revealed literature), consisting of 4 collections:
1. Rgveda (hymns to gods)
2. Samaveda (priests' chants)
3. Yajurveda (sacrificial formulae in prose)
4. Atharvaveda ( magical chants)
The Vedas are said to have been written 10,000 years ago. [cf: Ayurveda pages/The Vedas subpage)
Therefore, the knowledge they contain were previously transmitted orally for many hundreds to thousands of years, by the Seers of the Himalayan mountains.
The Vedas contain the 1st philosophical insights & are regarded as the final authority.
Each Veda has broadly 2 divisions:
- Mantras (hymns)
- Brahmana (precepts), which include Aranyaka (theology) & Upanisads (philosophy).
Vata (Air Bio-energy)
"Wind".
One of the 3 Doshas (Bio-energies).
A combination of the elements Akasha (Ether) & Vayu (Air).
[cf: Dosha (Bio-energy)]
Vedanta Philosophy
Indian Philosophy
The more abstruse Vedanta is the essence of the Vedas, as encapsulated in the Upanishads.
Vedantic thought drew on Vedic cosmology, hymns and philosophy. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is believed to have appeared as far back as 3,000 years ago.
While thirteen or so Upanishads are accepted as principal, over a hundred exist.
The Vedanta school concentrates on the philosophical teachings of the Upanishads rather than the ritualistic injunctions of the Brahmanas.
While the traditional Vedic rituals continued to be practised as meditative and propitiatory rites, a more knowledge-centered understanding began to emerge.
These were mystical aspects of Vedic religion that focused on meditation, self-discipline, and spiritual connectivity, more than traditional ritualism.
Yoga (Unite with God)
Sanskrit root 'yuj' (to bind, join, attach or yoke)
Yoga is the union of the individual self (jivatma) with the Universal Self (Paramatma). The Samkhya philosophy is the theoretical while Yoga is the practical.
From the Sanskrit root 'yuj', to practice Yoga is to direct & concentrate the attention in order to use it for meditation. Therefore, Yoga is the art which brings an incoherent & scattered mind to a reflective & coherent state. It is the communion of the human soul with Divinity. [Iyengar, B. K. s., 1981, Light on Pranayama, p4]
Yoga is the practice that teaches us the method of uniting the individual soul with the Supreme Soul, of merging the individual will in the Cosmic Will.
The main aim of Yoga is self-realisation, communion of the Self with the Self. The goal of Yoga is to empty the whole of one's basic power of consciousness of all memory, ideation, sexual urges & desires & try to be ware of pure consciousness, as a spark of the cosmic energy itself, which is of the nature of the self-conscious principle of Supreme Intelligence. [Menuhin, Y. 1981, Light on Pranayama, p.xvi]
To live in God, to commune with God is Yoga. Yoga is life in God, life in perfection, peace, lasting happiness and eternal Bliss. Life in God brings eternal Bliss. Yoga shows you the way, unites you with God, and makes you perfect and Immortal. [Gurudev, www.divinelifesociety.org]
Pranayama (cf. Index) is an esential ingrediant of yogic discipline.
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