Dictionary

Vichāra means deliberation or Iniquiry; It is the faculty of discrimination that discerns the Real, Brahman, from the unreal

Vidya (Sanskrit: विद्या, IAST: vidyā) figures prominently in all texts pertaining to Indian philosophy – mean science, learning, knowledge and scholarship; most importantly, it refers to valid knowledge, which cannot be contradicted, and true knowledge, which is the intuitively-gained knowledge of the self. Vidya is not mere intellectual knowledge, for the Vedas demand understanding.

Vijñāna (Sanskrit) or viññāṇa (Pāli) is translated as “consciousness,” “life force,” “mind,” or “discernment “The term vijñāna is mentioned in many early Upanishads, where it has been translated by terms such as understanding, knowledge, and intelligence In the Pāli Canon’s Sutta Pitaka’s first four nikāyas, viññāṇa is one of three overlapping Pali terms used to refer to the mind, the others being manas and citta Each is used in the generic and non-technical sense of “mind” in general, but the three are sometimes used in sequence to refer to one’s mental processes as a whole...

The Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra (VBT, sometimes spelled in a Hindicised way as Vigyan Bhairav Tantra) is a Shaiva Tantra, of the Kaula Trika tradition of Kashmir Shaivism Singh notes that it is difficult to establish an exact date for the text, and it could have been written at some time from the 7th to the 8th century CE It is also called the Śiva-jñāna-upaniṣad by Abhinavagupta The VBT is framed as a discourse between Bhairava (the “tremendous one”, or “the terrifying”) and the goddess Bhairavi in 163 Sanskrit anuṣṭubh stanzas...

Vijñānabhikṣu (also spelled Vijnanabhikshu) was a Hindu philosopher from Bihar, variously dated to the 15th or 16th century, known for his commentary on various schools of Hindu philosophy, particularly the Yoga text of Patanjali His scholarship stated that there is a unity between Vedānta, Yoga, and Samkhya philosophies, and he is considered a significant influence on Neo-Vedanta movement of the modern era

Vikalpa (a nom de guerre meaning ‘alternative’) is a Bhutanese politician He was the general secretary of the Central Organising Committee of the Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) In January 2008, news reports surged saying that Vikalpa had been expelled from the party for allegedly being ‘uncooperative, communal and opportunist’ He was also known for exposing himself when introducing new legislation

Virabhadra (Sanskrit: वीरभद्र, lit distinguished hero), also known as Veerabadhra , Veerabathira, Veerabathiran is an extremely fierce and fearsome form of the Hindu god Shiva He was created by the wrath of Shiva and destroyed the Yagna (fire sacrifice) of Daksha, after Daksha’s daughter and Shiva’s consort Sati self-immolated in the sacrificial fire He is described as a warrior who eventually blinded Bhaga, subdued Indra and broke, among many other countless gods, Pushan’s teeth...

Impermanence, also known as the philosophical problem of change, is a philosophical concept addressed in a variety of religions and philosophies In Eastern philosophy it is notable for its role in the Buddhist three marks of existence It is also an element of Hinduism In Western philosophy it is most famously known through its first appearance in Greek philosophy in the writings of Heraclitus and in his doctrine of panta rhei (everything flows)...

Vishnu (; [ʋɪʂɳʊ]; Sanskrit: विष्णु, lit. ’the pervader’, Viṣṇu), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism Vishnu is known as “The Preserver” within the Trimurti, the triple deity of supreme divinity that includes Brahma and Shiva In Vaishnavism tradition, Vishnu is the supreme being who creates, protects and transforms the universe...

Vishnu Sahasranāmam (Sanskrit: विष्णुसहस्रनाम, IAST: Viṣṇusahasranāma), is a Sanskrit hymn which contains a list of 1,000 names of Vishnu, one of the main deities in Hinduism and the supreme God in Vaishnavism It is one of the most sacred and popular stotras in Hinduism The Vishnu Sahasranāma as found in the Anushasana Parva of the epic Mahabharata It is the most popular version of the 1,000 names of Vishnu Other versions exist in the Padma Purana, Skanda Purana and Garuda Purana...

In Buddhism, vitarka (Sanskrit (वितर्क); Pali: vitakka; Tibetan: རྟོག་པ།, Wylie: rtog pa, THL: tokpa), “applied thought,” “attention,” and vicāra (Sanskrit (विचार) and Pali; Tibetan: དཔྱོད་པ།, Wylie: dpyod pa, THL: chöpa), “discernment,” “sustained thinking,” are qualities or elements of the first dhyāna or jhāna In the Pali canon, Vitakka-vicāra form one expression, referring to “the normal process of discursive thought,” which is quieted through absorption in the second jhāna The Buddhist commentarial tradition, as represented by the contemporary Theravāda, interprets vitarka and vicāra as the initial and sustained application of attention to a meditational object, which culminates in the stilling of the mind

Vithoba, also known as Vi(t)thal(a) and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka He is generally considered as a manifestation of the god Vishnu, or his avatar, Krishna Vithoba is often depicted as a dark young boy, standing arms akimbo on a brick, sometimes accompanied by his consort Rakhumai Vithoba is the focus of an essentially monotheistic, non-ritualistic bhakti-driven Varkari faith of Maharashtra and the Haridasa faith of Karnataka...

Viveka (Sanskrit: विवेक, romanized: viveka) is a Sanskrit and Pali term translated into English as discernment or discrimination According to Rao and Paranjpe, viveka can be explained more fully as: Sense of discrimination; wisdom; discrimination between the real and the unreal, between the self and the non-self, between the permanent and the impermanent; discriminative inquiry; right intuitive discrimination; ever present discrimination between the transient and the permanent: 348 The Vivekachudamani is an eighth-century Sanskrit poem in dialogue form that addresses the development of viveka...

Vrata is a Sanskrit word that means “vow, resolve, devotion”, and refers to pious observances such as fasting and pilgrimage (Tirtha) found in Indian religions such as Jainism and Hinduism It is typically accompanied with prayers seeking health and happiness for their loved ones

Loka (Sanskrit: लोक) is a concept in Indian religions, that means plane or realm of existence