Yoga Ayush Portal

S.No.	Word - G	Sound	Description	Key Word
1	gaganam	Sky (see ākāśa)	Sky (see ākāśa)	g
2	gajakarani	A particular practice in Haṭhayoga	In the Gajakaraṇī, apāna is brought to the throat and the contents of the stomach are vomited in the process. Through repeated practice, it brings the nāḍīs under control.	g
3	gamanam	Movement; departure; motion; locomotion; attaining	Gamana means ‘going’ or ‘movement’. It can be used to indicate ‘motion’, ‘departure’ or ‘locomotion’. Gamana can also mean ‘attaining’, in the sense of going to some state. The meaning of ‘locomotion’ is used in Sāṅkhya to denote the role of the legs as a karmendriya. In Nyāya, five kinds of movement (karma) are distinguished: utkṣepaṇa (rising), apakṣepaṇa (falling), ākuñcana (contraction), prasāraṇa (expansion) and gamana, where gamana refers to all kinds of motion not covered in the previous four.	g
4	gandha	Smell	Gandha means ‘smell’. It is perceived through the ghrāṇa (smelling ability of the nose) and is the property of pṛthivī (q.v.).	g
5	gandhari	Gāndhārī (nāḍī)	In the context of yoga, Gāndhārī is the name given to a nāḍī located behind Iḍā, that looks like a peacock’s neck. It is said to extend from the left foot upto the eye. Its exact location may vary from text to text.	g
6	gandhasamvit	Higher smell (siddhi)	Gandhasaṃvid refers to a particular siddhi that is obtained by performing dhāraṇā on the tip of the nose. The yogī can smell objects beyond the capacity of the nose, i.e. the nose is no longer limited by its human capacities.	g
7	garhapatya	The Gārhapatya fire	Three fires were kept in ancient households. These are āhavanīya, gārhapatya and dakṣiṇa. Fire taken from the gārhapatya was used for domestic use such as for rituals pertaining to birth of children, etc.	g
8	garuda	Garuḍa (bird), Garuḍa (āsana)	Garuḍa is the vehicle of Viṣṇu in stories and is the king of the birds. Garuḍa also refers to an āsana. The legs and thighs are kept firmly on the ground. The hands are kept on top of the knees and the body is not moved.	g
9	gativiccheda	Breaking the flow; stopping motion	Gativiccheda is composed of gati meaning ‘motion’ or ‘flow’ and viccheda meaning ‘cutting’, ‘interrupting’ or ‘stopping’. This term is used in the definition of prāṇāyāma (Yogasūtra 2.49) which is the gativiccheda of inhalation and exhalation. Vyāsabhāṣya interprets this as the lack of both inhalation and exhalation. Some commentators specifically associate this with kumbhaka.	g
10	gayatri	Gāyatrī (mantra)	Gāyatrī is the name given to a particular mantra in the Ṛgveda (3.62.10) containing 24 syllables that praises the Sun God Savitṛ. Often called Sāvitrī, it is one of the most celebrated mantras in the entire Vedic canon. It is the first mantra taught during initiation of dvija males as part of their Upanayana ritual, and is supposed to be repeated during the sandhyāvandana prayers thrice a day. It is prefixed with the sound ‘Om’ (praṇava) and the three syllables (bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ and suvaḥ) known as vyāhṛtis whe	g
11	ghata	Pot; body	Ghaṭa means ‘pot’. It is used in several examples illustrating or discussing philosophical principles, such as through examples of the clay becoming a pot or a pot breaking apart. This is because, in the earlier eras, a potter making pots would have been a common sight in even the smallest villages (also see tantu). In texts of Haṭhayoga, ghaṭa usually means ‘body’. This is a special terminology unique to the subject.	g
12	ghatastha	Residing in ghaṭa (pot or body)	Ghaṭastha is composed of ghaṭa which means ‘pot’ or ‘body’ (see ghaṭa) and the suffix –stha meaning ‘placed in’. In general parlance, it would indicate something that is inside a pot. In the context of Haṭhayoga, it designates that which is inside the body, i.e. the person (see puruṣa).	g
13	ghora	Fierce; terrible; dreadful	Ghora has the connotations of ‘fierce’, ‘terrible’ and ‘dreadful’. When used with diseases, ghora refers to those diseases that are stubborn or cause great pain. Ghora is used in the Vyāsabhāṣya to refer to the kind of thoughts that arise from rajas. Pure rajas makes the person act fiercely and have fierce thoughts (see rajas).	g
14	ghranam	Nose; sense of smell	Ghrāṇa refers to the ‘sense of smell’ and to the nose. It is one of the five indriyas, the others being śrotra, sparśa, cakṣus and rasana. It is associated with pṛthivī (see indriya).	g
15	gomamsam	Meat from cattle; Khecarī (mudrā)	Gomāṃsa is composed of ‘go’ meaning ‘cow’, ‘ox’ or ‘cattle’ and māṃsa meaning ‘meat’. In context of certain texts of Haṭhayoga, this word is interpreted differently. ‘Go’ refers to the tongue and māṃsa refers to the palate (otherwise called tālu). When the the tongue enters the palate (i.e. the opening of the skull located there) in the khecarī mudrā, gomāṃsabhakṣaṇa is said to have occurred (bhakṣaṇa meaning ‘eating’). This meaning is special to Haṭhayoga and not used elsewhere.	g
16	gomukham	Cow’s face; Gomukhāsana (āsana)	Gomukha is composed of ‘go’ meaning ‘cow’ and ‘mukha’ meaning ‘face’. It refers to an āsana. This is done by placing the right heel under the left buttock and the left heel under the right buttock, so that the figure resembles the face of a cow.	g
17	goraksha	Gorakṣa (Haṭhayoga teacher); protector of cows; Gorakṣāsana (āsana)	Gorakṣa is composed of ‘go’ meaning ‘cow’ (or ‘cattle’) and rakṣa meaning ‘protector’. It is the name of an author in Haṭhayoga whose texts Gorakṣa Śataka and Gorakṣa Paddhati are in use today. An āsana is named after him. For this: the two feet are placed between the two thighs and the two legs are placed such that the soles are turned upwards so that they remain visible. The practitioner covers the heels with the hands upturned, contracts the throat and gazes at the tip of the nose.	g
18	grahanam	Holding; taking; seizure; assuming (a form, etc.); eclipse; comprehension; sense organ	Grahaṇa has four major meanings: ‘holding’ or ‘seizing’, ‘assuming’ or ‘taking’ a form, etc., ‘comprehension’ or ‘understanding’ and ‘eclipse’. In the context of yoga, it also refers to the sense organs which aid in comprehension of the objects outside. Grahaṇa contrasts with grahītṛ and grāhya. Three aspects exist in comprehension: grahītṛ (the person who understands), grahaṇa (the act of understanding or the sense organs which facilitate this act) and grāhya (the objects which are understood). When the cl	g
19	grahita	Person who understands (see grahaṇa)	Person who understands (see grahaṇa)	g
20	grahya	Object that is understood (see grahaṇa)	Object that is understood (see grahaṇa)	g
21	granthi	Knot; swelling; hardening	Granthi is a knot (in general terms) or swelling or hardening (with respect to the body). In the context of yoga, this refers to specific places in the Suṣumnā which are obstructions for vāyu to move upwards. Three granthis are particularly identified: Brahmagranthi, Viṣṇugranthi and Rudragranthi. However, their location is described differently in different texts. When these granthis are broken, vāyu rises upwards until brahmarandhra.	g
22	gruhastha	Householder; married man or woman (the second āśrama)	Gṛhastha is composed of gṛha meaning ‘house’ and the suffix –stha meaning ‘placed in’. A gṛhastha is a person who lives in a house. The word can, as such, be used to refer to any object that is present in the house or to any person who lives in the house. However, more often than not, it refers to a married man, who lives in a house, as the second āśrama of his life. Life was divided into four āśramas where the person is respectively called: brahmacārī (student), gṛhastha (householder), vanaprastha (forest-	g
23	guna	Quality; three qualities (sattva, rajas and tamas)	Guṇa, in general, means ‘quality’, i.e. the property of a substance such as colour, taste, etc. In Sāṅkhya, it is the name given to three qualities that colour ahaṅkāra in the process of creation (See ahaṅkāra). Their properties show up as three different modes in which people think and act. The three guṇas are sattva, rajas and tamas, each of which function differently and bind a person differently. Sattva binds to happiness and knowledge by directing a person to proper behavior and religion. Rajas binds t	g
24	gunaateeta	Beyond the guṇas	A person or an object that is beyond the grasp of the guṇas is called guṇātīta, composed of guṇa (q.v.), referring to the three guṇas, and atīta meaning ‘beyond’.	g
25	gunaparva	Evolution of (caused by) guṇas	In Sāṅkhya philosophy, the five elements (pañcabhūta) come from the five tanmātras. The eleven indriyas and the five tanmātras arise from ahaṅkāra that is coloured by the three guṇas (see ahaṅkāra). The process of the undifferentiated ahaṅkāra becoming sixteen objects is called guṇaparva, i.e. the evolution cause by the colouring of ahaṅkāra by the three guṇas.	g
26	gunasanga	Attachment to the guṇas (i.e. the world) (see saṅga)	Attachment to the guṇas (i.e. the world) (see saṅga)	g
27	gunasankhyanam	Exposition on guṇas, i.e. the Sāṅkhya philosophy (q.v.)	Exposition on guṇas, i.e. the Sāṅkhya philosophy (q.v.)	g
28	gunavaitrushnyam	Disinterest in the world (represented by the guṇas) (see vairāgya)	Disinterest in the world (represented by the guṇas) (see vairāgya)	g
29	guru	Teacher; preceptor; heavy	Guru means ‘teacher’ or ‘preceptor’. It is often used interchangeably with ‘ācārya’; however there are some differences in the nuances of these two words. A guru indicates a person who initiates his disciple and teaches him. ‘Guru’ has a personal connotation – he takes personal responsibility of the disciple (śiṣya). Another’s guru is not called ‘guru’. While ‘ācārya’ can also be used in the sense of the person who initiates and teaches, the meaning is more impersonal, i.e. any other person in a respected p	g

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