Yoga Ayush Portal

S.No.	Word - J	Sound	Description	Key Word
1	jada	Insentient; lifeless (see cetana)	Insentient; lifeless (see cetana)	j
2	jagara	Awake; waking; wakefulness	Jāgara refers to the state of being awake. Four states of consciousness are delineated in several texts: jāgara (waking), svapna (dreaming), suṣupti (deep sleep, without dreams) and turīya (the fourth – being the one experienced through samādhi). The perception of events, the states of mind and the interaction between the external words, sense organs, mind and puruṣa in all these states is subject to discussion in several philosophical schools.	j
3	jagrat	Waking; awake	Jāgrat is the present participle of the verb root jāgṛ (to be awake) and means ‘waking’ or ‘awake’, used in connection with a person who is awake, as an adjective. Often, it is synonym of jāgara (q.v.).	j
4	jalam	See ap	See ap	j
5	jalandhara	Jālandhara (bandha)	Jālandhara bandha is a practice in Haṭhayoga that finds mention in several places. It involves constricting the throat and placing the chin at the area of the heart. Haṭhayoga mentions a specific place in the skull called candra from where a liquid arises (see amarī). This liquid falls into the stomach (jaṭharāgni) is lost. Instead, if the throat is constricted with the jālandharabandha, this liquid can be caught. By consuming this liquid, the yogī is freed from old age and death. Jālandhara bandha also removes the issues of the throat.	j
6	jananam	Birth; coming into existence; creating	Janana is related to janma and jāti in its meaning; however there is a difference in nuance. Janana refers to the act of birth specifically while janma refers to birth (and life, in the context of multiple lives) more generally and jāti, also meaning the process of birth, has connotation of genus or species (see janma and jāti). In this context, janana may be paired with maraṇa meaning ‘death’ so that the events of birth and death are covered. Sometimes, janana is suffixed onto another noun, in which case it refers to that which caused the creation, e.g. medhājanana is that thing which creates medhā (intelligence).	j
7	janasanga	Association with people; mingling with people	Janasaṅga is composed of jana meaning ‘people’ and saṅga meaning ‘association with something’. Haṭhayoga Pradīpikā (1.16) states that janasaṅga is one of the activities that a yogī should seek to avoid since excessive interaction with people causes sharper emotions in the mind, which yoga seeks to avoid. The same concept is expressed in the Yogasūtra (2.40) with the word saṃsarga. When established in the niyama of śauca (cleanliness, q.v.), the yogī dislikes his own body and also wishes to avoid excess interaction with others.	j
8	janma	Birth; life	Janma is related in meaning to janana and jāti, however it has different nuances. Janma refers to the concept of birth in general and is often extended to include life (in the context of rebirth). Janana refers to the actual act of birth or creation and jāti, while having nuances of both these, often has meanings of genus or species. The idea of birth and rebirth is a central tenet of nearly every philosophy which arises from the concept of any action (karma) returns its effect on the doer (see karma). The effects of these actions are realized through three means: janma or jāti (birth), āyus (life-span or health) and bhoga (experiences – positive or negative). The most common word used when referring to the concept of rebirth and when discussing the implications of various theories concerning this, is ‘janma’.	j
9	japa	Whispering; muttering prayers; repeating or chanting	The original meaning of japa is ‘whispering’. However, more often than not, it is used when referring to the act of repeatedly chanting or saying prayers. This may include single syllables such as Om (praṇava), sacred mantras, passages from Scripture, names of deities, etc. The learning or ritual chanting of Vedas is usually called svādhyāya (q.v.). Japa is of three kinds: 1. Vācika – that which is done loudly such that a person nearby can hear it 2. Upāṃśu – where the mouth articulates the sounds but nothing is actually heard outside 3. Mānasa – done mentally without any articulation Mānasa is usually considered the best of these three and upāṃśu is considered the second (see e.g. Kūrma Purāṇa (2.11.24-26))	j
10	jataragni	Digestive or metabolic capacity	Jaṭharāgni is composed of jaṭhara meaning ‘stomach’ and agni meaning ‘fire’ and literally means the fire present in the stomach. The property of fire (agni) as an element is to change one substance into another (see agni). Hence, jaṭharāgni refers to the capacity of the body to change the received food into the required nutrition, and converting the nutrition into the consituents of the body. Sometimes, it may also be called kāyāgni meaning ‘body-fire’ or simply agni.	j
11	jataranala	See jaṭharāgni	See jaṭharāgni	j
12	jati	Birth; situation of birth; genus; nutmeg	Jāti is related to janma and janana in meaning, however there are different nuances. Jāti refers to the birth itself while focusing on the environment at birth. Janma refers to birth, but the meaning is extended to life (in the context of the idea of rebirth). Janana refers to the act of birth specifically as opposed to the other stages of life such as maraṇa (death). Jāti can in some cases be used in these meaning also. A person undergoes new lives due to the actions of the past lives (see karma). The results of these actions manifest in three forms: jāti or janma (birth), āyus (life-span or health) and bhoga (experience). Here, jāti refers to the situation in which the birth occurred such as place, family, situation, etc. The meaning of jāti can be further extended to mean ‘genus’ or ‘species’, i.e. a group that is inherently different from humans such as snakes, animals, etc. Jāti also means ‘nutmeg’.	j
13	jaya	Victory; conquest; winning; restraint	Jaya refers to winning over something. In the context of yoga, the meaning is usually metaphorical, in the sense of restraint of some natural urge or tendency. The most common type of jaya discussed across texts is indriyajaya, which is restraint over the sense organs (q.v.). Texts in Haṭhayoga also speak of bindujaya which is victory over bindu.	j
14	jihva	Tongue	Jihvā means ‘tongue’ (the physical organ). The ability to recognise taste rests in the sense organ which is more properly called rasana (q.v.). However, in some cases, jihvā may be used in place of ‘rasana’. The tongue is also one of the principle organs involved in speech production and is hence also associated with vāk, the karmendriya.	j
15	jijnasa	Desire to know (See jijñāsu)	Desire to know (See jijñāsu)	j
16	jijnasu	Desirous of knowing; interested (person); seeker of knowledge	Jijñāsu and jijñāsā are derived from the root jñā which has the meanings of ‘know’, ‘have knowledge’, ‘apprehend’, ‘understand’, ‘experience’, ‘recognise’, ‘regard’, ‘assertain’ or ‘investigate’. Jijñāsā refers to the wish to know (etc.), while jijñāsu refers to the person having such a wish. In the context of yoga or philosophy, the knowledge is that of mokṣa and the interest is towards mokṣa. Hence, a person who is interesting in the path of mokṣa is alled jijñāsu. Bhagavadgītā (7.16) enumerates four kinds of people who are interested in worshipping God: ārta (distressed), arthārthī (wishing for money, luxury, etc.), jijñāsu (wishing for knowledge) and jñānī (the knower, i.e. one who has attained mokṣa).	j
17	jitavayu	One who has conquered prāṇa; master of prāṇāyāma	Jitavāyu is composed of jita referring to the person who has conquered or won and vāyu (meaning air) referring to prāṇa. This refers to a person who has mastered the practice of prāṇāyāma.	j
18	jitendriya	One who has conquered the sense organs (see indriyajaya)	One who has conquered the sense organs (see indriyajaya)	j
19	jiva	Living being; life; the individual or personal soul (distinguished from the universal soul)	Jīva in general parlance means ‘living thing’ or ‘life’. In philosophy, the soul of the person, which is separate from the body, is the same in each person and is called puruṣa or ātman (see puruṣa). However, until the person attains mokṣa, this puruṣa remains engaged in the world outside. In order to draw a distinction between the individual ātman that is engaged in the world and the larger ātman which is unaffected and the substratum, the individual ātman is called jīva or jīvātman and the common ātman (identified with īśvara, q.v.) is called paramātman or Brahman (q.v.).	j
20	jivanmukta	One who has attained mokṣa when alive	Depending on progress in yoga, mokṣa is attainmed at different times. In some cases, at the time of death, the person may be close enough to mokṣa that he attains it when he dies. In other cases, mokṣa is attained before the time of death. In such a situation, the person continues to live in order to exhaust the remaining saṃskāras related to his lifespan (see karma and jāti). A person who lives in such a state and has complete vairāgya is called jīvanmukta.	j
21	jivanmukti	Liberation when alive (see jīvanmukta)	Liberation when alive (see jīvanmukta)	j
22	jna	See puruṣa	See puruṣa	j
23	jnanacakshu	The eye of knowledge; he who sees with knowledge	A person who understands the pramāṇas (pratyakṣa, anumāna and āgama) and the nuances of logical discussion (covered in the philosophical schools) is able to understand far more about the world than a person who, living in day-to-day life, does not bother to enquire further. This is because the operation of the former’s intellect is systematized and made efficient through logical discourse. When the mind is still (a feat achieved through yoga), the intellect is able to extend its operation into every object and thoroughly understand everything, since there is no distraction caused by the mind. The intellect is then called ṛtambharā or ‘truth-bearing’ (q.v.). He sees (i.e. perceives or understands) all objects through his knowledge (jñāna). This “eye” through which such a person understands is called jñānacakṣus. The person who has such an “eye” may also be called jñānacakṣus.	j
24	jnanagni	Fire of knowledge	Jñānāgni is composed of jñāna (q.v.) meaning ‘knowledge’ and agni meaning ‘fire’, together meaning the ‘fire of knowledge’. This word is used in a metaphor that runs throughout the Vyāsabhāṣya. Seeds germinate when sown in the mud with adequate water. However, when these seeds have been roasted in fire, they no longer have the capacity to germinate. This is used as an example: Saṃskāras exist in a person and push a person to act in various ways. Thinking about something or acting in particular ways creates new saṃskāras, as well as pāpa and puṇya, leading to a vicious cycle. Correct knowledge (see jñāna) stops the creation of new saṃskāras, causing the existing ones to exhaust themselves over time. Saṃskāras are thought of as the seeds and knowledge as the fire that roasts them.	j
25	jnanam	Knowledge; information; understanding; higher knowledge	Jñāna means ‘knowledge’, ‘information’ or ‘understanding’. In the context of philosophy, it refers to the knowledge of Brahman. Through understanding philosophical principles and practice of yoga, the person develops vairāgya. When the jīva (i.e. puruṣa) becomes separated from the world (represented by prakṛti and its evolutes), it realizes its true state and relationship with Brahman. The knowledge of Brahman is a deciding factor for obtaining mokṣa since that is what exactly identifies the objects that constitute puruṣa and those that do not. Certain persons believe that they are the mind or Prakṛti and perform yoga accordingly. They are freed from the five elements (which come after these in the process of creation) but they remain part of the world. Through the right knowledge, when the puruṣa and non-puruṣa are properly segregated, yoga leads to mokṣa. This idea is echoed in the Puruṣa Sūkta (Taittirīya Āraṇyaka 3.12 verse no. 17) in the Vedas which states that it is only through knowledge that mokṣa is attained and not otherwise.	j
26	jnananetram	See jñānacakṣus	See jñānacakṣus	j
27	jnanayoga	The path of knowledge	There are various paths towards mokṣa described across philosophical schools. These can be summarized into primarily three paths: karmayoga, jñānayoga and bhaktiyoga (see yoga for details). Jñānayoga involves attaining mokṣa (yoga – union) through jñāna (knowledge). When the person seeking mokṣa spends time to learn, break down and understand the scriptural content pertaining to mokṣa, the nature of the world and of the Self (puruṣa) become clear. This instills a sense of vairāgya in him. When thoroughly separated from Prakṛti through strong vairāgya, he attains mokṣa (see also jñāna and puruṣa).	j
28	jnanendriyam	Sense organs	Indriya, in general parlance, refers to the five sense organs, but is usually extended in philosophy, to mean all the organs by which the person interacts with the outside world. This is made of two categories: jñānendriyas, by which the person receives information, and karmendriyas, by which the person acts. There are five jñānendriyas: śrotra (ears), sparśa (skin – touch), cakṣus (eyes), rasana (taste) and ghrāṇa (smell). (See indriya for details)	j
29	jyoti	Light (of sun, moon, fire, lightning, etc.); brightness; Agni (element)	Jyotis means ‘light’ or ‘brightness’. This is relevant in the context of philosophy since the nature of puruṣa is that of pure light, resembling the flame of lamp without smoke. Light represents knowledge, which is also the nature of puruṣa. In the course of dhyāna, the person who wishes mokṣa, is expected to begin with dhyāna on deities with form and then slowly progress to the abstract dhyāna where the focus is only on light (see dhyāna). In rare cases, jyotis is a synonym for the third element Agni (q.v.).	j
30	jyotishmati	Radiant state	Jyotiṣmatī means ‘radiant’ and refers to a particular state in dhyāna. The consciousness of the citta, when fixed on the lotus in the heart (through dhyāna) becomes radiant (like the sky). When the mind is fixed there, it acts in the form of brightness of the sun, moon, etc. This comprises one dhyāna. In a similar way, the citta that rests in asmitā is like a wave-less ocean, peaceful and unending and having only asmitā. The only thought in citta in such as state is “I am”. These two states – that which is sorrowless and connected to the sense objects, and that which has only asmitā – are together called the radiant or jyotiṣmatī state, with which the yogī’s citta attains steadiness.	j

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