Composing…
स्पन्द
spanda
'Vibration' / 'pulsation' — the dynamic principle of Shiva-consciousness in Kashmir Shaivism. Key text: Spanda Karikas attributed to Vasugupta.
स्पन्द; शिव-शक्ति का स्पन्दन।
Hindu thought is built from a vocabulary of carefully-distinguished terms. Words like spanda are not loose translations — each has a precise scriptural genealogy, a specific role in ritual or philosophy, and often a counterpart that completes its meaning. Many of the major Hindu darśanas (Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Vedānta, Mīmāṃsā, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika) refined their vocabulary over centuries; the same Sanskrit term can carry different shades in different schools.
Spanda sits within a cluster of related concepts — kashmir-shaivism, shakti, shiva. Reading these together gives you the actual texture of the idea, rather than treating it as an isolated definition. Each Sanskrit term in this glossary is cross-linked to the others it presupposes.
Where useful we cite the primary scriptural source — the Upaniṣad, sūtra, or smṛti passage where the term is given its classical sense — alongside trusted modern dictionaries (Monier-Williams, V.S. Apte, Sanskrit Heritage). For practical questions about usage in pūjā or daily life, ask a paṇḍita in your tradition.
Non-dual Shaivism of Kashmir, also called Trika or Pratyabhijna ('recognition'). Founders: Vasugupta, Somananda, Utpaladeva, Abhinavagupta. Recognizes Shiva-Shakti as the single non-dual reality.
Power; the dynamic, feminine principle of the divine. The female aspect of the deity (Shiva-Shakti, Vishnu-Lakshmi). Personalized as Devi/Mahadevi in Shaktism.
'The auspicious'; supreme being for Shaivas; the destroyer/transformer of the trimurti. Mahadeva, Mahesh, Pashupati, Bholenath, Nilakantha (blue-throated, from drinking halahala), Nataraja (lord of dance).
Non-dualism; Adi Shankara's school. Brahman alone is real, the world is mithya, the jiva is ultimately Brahman. Key texts: Brahma Sutras, Upanishads, Gita with Shankara's bhashyas.
Bliss; the third element of sat-chit-ananda. The natural condition of the Self when free of vrittis. Taittiriya Upanishad has the 'Anandamimansa' enumeration of bliss-degrees.
'Inner controller'; the indwelling Lord. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.7 (the Antaryami Brahmana) describes the Self as the inner controller of all beings — known and unknowable.
Inference. Five-step Nyaya syllogism: pratijna (proposition), hetu (reason), udaharana (example), upanaya (application), nigamana (conclusion).
Worldly wealth, prosperity, and material well-being. The second purushartha. Kautilya's Arthashastra is the classic treatise on its pursuit.
'There-is-ist'; one who accepts the authority of the Vedas. The six orthodox darshanas (Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa, Vedanta) are astika. Buddhism and Jainism are nastika.
The Self; the eternal, conscious, unchanging essence of the individual; identical with Brahman in Advaita Vedanta. Distinguished from the body-mind complex (anatman in Buddhism).
Ignorance; specifically, the foundational ignorance that misidentifies Atman with body-mind. The root cause of bondage in Vedanta and Yoga.
Awaiting paṇḍita verification before final publication. If you spot an inaccuracy in the Sanskrit, IAST, or interpretation, please write to us.