Dictionary

Varaha Upanishad (Sanskrit: वराह उपनिषद्, “boar”) is a minor Upanishad of Hinduism composed between the 13th and 16th centuries CE Composed in Sanskrit, it is listed as one of the 32 Krishna Yajurveda Upanishads, and classified as one of 20 Yoga Upanishads The text has five chapters, structured primarily as a discussion between Vishnu in his Varaha (boar) avatar and the sage Ribhu The discussion covers the subjects of Tattvas, the nature and relationship between the individual soul (Self, Atman) and the Ultimate Reality (Brahman), the seven stages of learning, the characteristics of Jivanmukti (inner sense of freedom while living), and the four types of Jivanmuktas (liberated persons)...

Vasant Panchami, also called Saraswati Puja in honor of the Hindu goddess Saraswati, is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of spring The festival is celebrated by people of Dharmic religions in the Indian subcontinent and Nepal in different ways depending on the region Vasant Panchami also marks the start of preparation for Holika and Holi, which take place forty days later The Vasant Utsava (festival) on Panchami is celebrated forty days before spring, because any season’s transition period is 40 days, and after that, the season comes into full bloom

Vasishta (Sanskrit: वसिष्ठ, IAST: Vasiṣṭha) is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages He is one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis) of India Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the Rigveda Vashishtha and his family are mentioned in Rigvedic verse 10 167 4, other Rigvedic mandalas and in many Vedic texts His ideas have been influential and he was called the first sage of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy by Adi Shankara...

Vastu shastra (vāstu śāstra - literally “science of architecture”) are texts on the traditional Indian system of architecture These texts describe principles of design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement, and spatial geometry The designs aim to integrate architecture with nature, the relative functions of various parts of the structure, and ancient beliefs utilising geometric patterns (yantra), symmetry, and directional alignments Vastu Shastra are the textual part of Vastu Vidya - the broader knowledge about architecture and design theories from ancient India...

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means “the world is one family”

Vasugupta (~ 800 – 850 CE) was the author of the Shiva Sutras, an important text of the Advaita tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, also called Trika (sometimes called Trika Yoga)

Vayu (Sanskrit pronunciation: [ʋaːjʊ], Sanskrit: वायु, IAST: Vāyu) is a primary Hindu deity, the lord of the winds as well as deity of breath and the spiritual father of Hanuman and Bhima He is also known as Anila (‘air, wind’), Vyāna (‘air’), Vāta (‘airy element’), Tanuna (’the wind’), Pavana (’the purifier’), and Prāṇa (’the life force’) Indian author Vanamali says, “Vaishnavites or followers of Vishnu, believe that the wind god Vayu underwent three incarnations to help Lord Vishnu...

The Vedas (, IAST: veda, Sanskrit: वेदः, lit ‘knowledge’) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda Each Veda has four subdivisions – the Samhitas (mantras and benedictions), the Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-sacrifices), the Brahmanas (commentaries on rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices), and the Upanishads (texts discussing meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge)...

Vedanā (Pāli and Sanskrit: वेदना) is an ancient term traditionally translated as either “feeling” or “sensation " In general, vedanā refers to the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations that occur when our internal sense organs come into contact with external sense objects and the associated consciousness Vedanā is identified as valence or “hedonic tone” in psychology Vedanā is identified within the Buddhist teaching as follows: One of the seven universal mental factors in the Theravāda Abhidharma...

The Vedanga (Sanskrit: वेदाङ्ग vedāṅga, “limbs of the Veda”) are six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism that developed in ancient times and have been connected with the study of the Vedas:

Vedanta (; Sanskrit: वेदान्त, IAST: Vedānta), also Uttara Mīmāṃsā, is one of the six (āstika) schools of Hindu philosophy Literally meaning “end of the Vedas”, Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, the speculations and philosophies contained in the Upanishads, specifically, knowledge and liberation Vedanta contains many sub-traditions on the basis of a common textual connection called the Prasthanatrayi: the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita...

Vedanta (; Sanskrit: वेदान्त, IAST: Vedānta), also Uttara Mīmāṃsā, is one of the six (āstika) schools of Hindu philosophy Literally meaning “end of the Vedas”, Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, the speculations and philosophies contained in the Upanishads, specifically, knowledge and liberation Vedanta contains many sub-traditions on the basis of a common textual connection called the Prasthanatrayi: the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita...

The Vedas (, IAST: veda, Sanskrit: वेदः, lit ‘knowledge’) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda Each Veda has four subdivisions – the Samhitas (mantras and benedictions), the Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-sacrifices), the Brahmanas (commentaries on rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices), and the Upanishads (texts discussing meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge)...

Padārtha is a Sanskrit word for “categories” in Vaisheshika and Nyaya schools of Hindu philosophy

In Hinduism, vibhuti (Sanskrit: विभूति, romanized: vibhūti), also called bhasma or thiruneeru, is sacred ash made of burnt dried wood, burnt cow dung and/or cremated bodies used in Agamic rituals Hindu devotees apply vibhuti traditionally as three horizontal lines across the forehead and other parts of the body to honour Shiva Vibhuti smeared across the forehead to the end of both eyebrows is called tripundra According to the Shiva Purana, the particles of ash which cling to the skin when tripundra is applied are to be considered to be individual lingams...