English is a big language, but it isn’t a complete one. There are entire emotional states, relationships, and ways of being that Sanskrit named centuries ago and English still doesn’t have a single word for. We borrow, paraphrase, and gesture at these ideas in three or four sentences when Sanskrit did it in one word.
This list leans heavily on Sanskrit’s philosophical vocabulary, the kind that shows up in texts like the Bhagavad Gita and the Ashtavakra Gita. If that kind of thinking interests you, breakdown of 10 timeless takeaways from the Ashtavakra Gita is a good next read, since several of the words below (sakshi, vairagya, moksha) come directly from that text’s core ideas.
Words About the Self and Consciousness (1 to 10)
- Sakshi. The witness. Not the part of you that thinks or feels, but the part of you that’s simply aware of the thinking and feeling happening, without being changed by it.
- Chit. Pure consciousness, awareness itself, separate from any specific thought or object being aware of.
- Atman. The true self, understood in Vedantic philosophy as distinct from the body, mind, and ego, and identical in nature to the ultimate reality.
- Ahamkara. Literally “I-maker.” The part of the mind that constructs a sense of separate, individual identity, often treated as the root of unnecessary suffering.
- Maya. Usually translated as “illusion,” but more precisely the tendency of the world to appear as fixed and separate when its underlying nature is fluid and interconnected.
- Sat-chit-ananda. A compound describing the nature of ultimate reality as existence, consciousness, and bliss, three qualities considered inseparable from each other.
- Antahkarana. The inner instrument, referring collectively to the mind, intellect, and ego as a functioning whole rather than separate parts.
- Buddhi. The discerning intellect, distinct from manas (the more reactive, sensory mind), responsible for judgment and discrimination between what’s true and what merely seems true.
- Purusha. The conscious principle or cosmic self, as distinct from prakriti, the material, active principle of nature.
- Turiya. The “fourth state” of consciousness, beyond waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep, described as pure undivided awareness.
Words About Emotional and Relational States (11 to 20)
- Viraha. The specific ache of separation from someone you love, distinct from ordinary sadness because it’s defined entirely by their absence.
- Sneha. A warm, quiet affection that isn’t romantic passion or duty-bound loyalty, but something gentler, closer to tenderness.
- Maitri. Loving-kindness extended toward all beings equally, without requiring any personal relationship or reason to care.
- Karuna. Compassion specifically directed at suffering, with an active wish to relieve it, distinct from simple sympathy.
- Mudita. Sympathetic joy, the specific happiness felt on someone else’s behalf when good things happen to them, with no envy attached.
- Vatsalya. The particular tenderness of a parent’s love for a child, used specifically for that relationship rather than affection in general.
- Sakhya. The bond of friendship elevated to a spiritual register, often used to describe a devotee’s relationship with the divine as one of companionship rather than fear or distance.
- Anurag. A deep attachment or affection that grows gradually, distinguished from the sudden intensity of infatuation.
- Manasi. An imagined or purely mental interaction with someone, an entire conversation or moment experienced only in the mind.
- Abhimana. A specific kind of hurt pride that comes from someone you love not meeting your expectations, laced with both anger and continued affection.
Words About Ethics, Duty, and Life Path (21 to 30)
- Dharma. Often translated as “duty” or “righteousness,” but more accurately the specific right action for a specific person in a specific context, rather than one fixed universal rule.
- Karma. Popularly reduced to “what goes around comes around,” but originally meaning simply action, and the principle that every action carries consequence.
- Artha. The pursuit of material prosperity and security, treated in classical Indian philosophy as a legitimate and necessary life goal, not a lesser one.
- Kama. Desire and pleasure, similarly treated as one of four valid aims of life rather than something to be ashamed of.
- Moksha. Liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth, the ultimate release from all forms of bondage, including the bondage of desire itself.
- Samskara. A mental impression left by past experience or action, which shapes future tendencies and reactions often below the level of conscious awareness.
- Vairagya. Dispassion or non-attachment, not indifference or coldness, but a clear-eyed release of the grip that outcomes have on your peace of mind.
- Santosha. Contentment as a practiced discipline rather than a passive mood, considered one of the foundational ethical observances in yogic philosophy.
- Swadharma. One’s own personal duty, specific to one’s unique nature and circumstances, as opposed to someone else’s path followed out of comparison or fear.
- Yajna. Sacrifice or offering, extended beyond ritual fire ceremonies to mean any act done selflessly, for a purpose larger than personal gain.
Words About Time, Existence, and the Cosmos (31 to 40)
- Kala. Time itself, personified in some traditions as an aspect of the divine, powerful enough to eventually dissolve everything it creates.
- Anitya. Impermanence, the understanding that all conditioned things are inherently temporary, used as a foundation for detachment rather than despair.
- Sansara. The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and by extension, the entire experience of worldly existence with all its repetition and struggle.
- Akasha. Space or ether, treated in classical thought as the first and subtlest of the five elements, the medium through which sound travels and existence unfolds.
- Prana. Life force or vital breath, understood as animating not just the body but the entire universe, moving through everything that lives.
- Lila. The idea that the entire universe, and the divine’s relationship to it, is a form of playful, spontaneous creative expression rather than grim necessity.
- Rta. The underlying cosmic order that governs the movement of stars, seasons, and moral law alike, an idea older than dharma and closely related to it.
- Nirguna. Without attributes or qualities, used to describe an aspect of the divine or ultimate reality that transcends any name, form, or characteristic.
- Saguna. The opposite of nirguna, describing the divine as it takes on qualities, forms, and personal characteristics that can be related to and worshipped.
- Advaita. Non-duality, the philosophical position that the individual self and ultimate reality are not actually two separate things, but one and the same, appearing divided only from within the experience of maya.
Why This Matters Beyond Vocabulary
These words aren’t just untranslatable curiosities. Each one points to something that English-speaking cultures also experience but haven’t bothered to name precisely, which quietly shapes what we do and don’t take seriously. English has no single word for viraha, so the specific ache of missing someone often just gets filed under “sad.” It has no word for mudita, so genuine joy on someone else’s behalf rarely gets named or reinforced as its own separate skill. Language doesn’t just describe experience. It decides what experience gets noticed at all.
Sources & Further Reading