Sanskrit Terms Starting with R

Raga (राग) is listed in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as one of the five kleshas, the mental afflictions. It literally means “coloring,” implying that attachment colors perception.

When raga is present, the mind repeatedly seeks pleasant experiences and resists their loss. This pursuit leads to restlessness and suffering when circumstances change.

Raga is paired with dvesha, aversion to unpleasant experience. Yoga practice emphasizes noticing raga as it arises and cultivating equanimity, reducing the grip of attachment and supporting inner steadiness.

Raja (राजा) denotes sovereignty and excellence. In yoga, Raja Yoga was popularized by Swami Vivekananda to describe the integrated system of classical yoga associated with Patanjali.

The term “royal” suggests supremacy or completeness, pointing to a path that encompasses ethical discipline, meditation, and insight to bring the mind under conscious guidance.

Outside this context, raja appears in names and titles meaning king or ruler. Within yoga, its primary significance is its association with the meditative path.

The Sanskrit name rajakapotasana comes from raja (king), kapota (pigeon), and asana (pose). The full name Eka Pada Rajakapotasana means “One-Legged King Pigeon Pose.”

The posture was popularized in modern yoga by teachers such as Pattabhi Jois and B.K.S. Iyengar. It involves external rotation of the front hip and extension of the back leg, with the torso often lifting into a backbend.

The “kingly” name reflects the expansive, upright quality of the posture. It is valued for increasing hip flexibility and is sometimes used therapeutically for lower back and sciatic tension.

Rajas (राजस्) is the dynamic quality of nature. It is associated with desire, motivation, and restlessness.

When rajas predominates, action and ambition increase, yet the mind can become agitated. Yogic teachings emphasize balancing rajas with sattva, the quality of clarity and calm.

Rajas is necessary for movement and engagement in life, though unmoderated rajas can disturb meditation. Practice aims to guide this energy with awareness and discernment.

A rajasic quality is energetic and driven. Rajasic foods are often stimulating, while a rajasic temperament is ambitious and competitive.

Classical yoga contrasts rajasic qualities with sattvic, which are balanced and clear, and tamasic, which are inert or dull. Excess rajas can agitate the mind and hinder stillness.

By recognizing rajasic influences, practitioners can choose calming practices and supportive habits to restore balance.

Rama (राम) is described as an incarnation of Vishnu and a model of dharma, righteous living. The name comes from the root ram, meaning to delight or please.

In bhakti yoga, chanting Rama’s name is a devotional practice believed to awaken courage, virtue, and devotion. Rama’s life story exemplifies integrity, compassion, and commitment to duty.

Meditation on Rama, whether through mantra or contemplation, is practiced in some lineages as a means of opening the heart and aligning with dharmic action.

In pranayama, recaka (रेचक) is the active exhalation. Breath practice is commonly divided into puraka (inhalation), recaka (exhalation), and kumbhaka (retention).

Emphasis on a smooth, steady exhale supports relaxation of the nervous system and mental settling. Many techniques lengthen the exhale to encourage calm and inward focus.

Mastery of recaka is considered essential for refined breath control and preparation for deeper meditative states.

Rupa (रूप) denotes outward form in Indian philosophy. One may distinguish the form of the body from the formless Self.

The term appears in compounds such as svarupa, meaning one’s true form or nature, and vishvarupa, the universal form described in the Bhagavad Gita.

In yoga, recognizing rupa helps clarify the distinction between transient appearances and underlying essence. Practice often points beyond form toward direct awareness of what is unchanging.