Sanskrit Glossary (ASRAM VIDYA COLLECTION) Paperback – January 9, 2026

The purpose of this Sanskrit Glossary is to offer the non-specialist reader a list of Sanskrit terms, with particular reference to those treating of philosophy and spirituality.Words such as Brahman, atman, buddhi, manas, ahamkara, karma, which are not part of our culture or language, often appear without precise explanations of their meaning, with the result that the reader who approaches Indian works for the first time and wishes to study them may feel disconcerted and discouraged, thinking that they are addressed only to specialists.This is why it struck us as opportune to provide a tool that would allow those who are interested in Indian thought, in its philosophical and spiritual expression, to gain a better understanding of the fundamental texts that expound this thought.The core of the book is comprised of Sanskrit words that elucidate some concepts fundamental to Hinduism. Special care has been given to presenting the whole of the sacred Scriptures of Hinduism, particularly the Vedas and their subdivisions: Mantra, Brahmana, Aranyaka, and Upanisads or Vedanta.We have included terms of spirituality and spiritual practices related to Saiva, Vaisnava, and Sakta schools and to the Puranas, which play such a big part in the life and being of India and Hinduism.We have touched briefly on the various schools of Indian philosophy, including the six fundamental darsanas or perspectives of the Teaching (the Vedas), for a deeper understanding of which the reader is referred to the works published in the Asram Vidya Collection, especially the texts of Advaita Vedanta translated from the Sanskrit and commented upon by Raphael.Many of the fundamental terms that appear in these texts are included and explained in this present Glossary in a way that constitutes a valid help for reading, studying, and meditating on the texts themselves.The Appendix is composed of two sections: ‘Brief notes on morphology’, where some peculiarities of the Sanskrit language are presented, and the list of ‘Verbal Roots’ that are referred to in the Glossary. Read more