Sanskrit Terms Starting with T

Tāḍāsana (ताड़ासन). Literally “mountain pose.” The name evokes the steadiness and grounded presence of a mountain.

Teachers often use Tadasana to train the essentials of standing alignment: grounding through the feet, engaging the legs without rigidity, and lengthening the spine while keeping the shoulders and face relaxed.

Beyond posture mechanics, Tadasana establishes balance and mindfulness. By combining stable engagement with an easy breath, the practitioner builds calm alertness that carries into more complex standing poses.

In many lineages, Tadasana is paired with Samasthiti (“even standing”), highlighting a state of equal attention to the body and breath as a foundation for practice.

Tāmas (तामस्). Literally “darkness” or “obscurity.” It is one of the three guṇas, alongside sattva and rajas.

When tamas predominates, the mind can feel dull, forgetful, or clouded by misunderstanding. In daily life it may show up as lethargy, avoidance, or a kind of inner heaviness that blocks clarity.

In Ayurvedic and yogic dietetics, tamasic foods are often described as overly processed, stale, or overly heavy, increasing sluggishness and dullness.

Tamas also has a necessary role when balanced. It supports rest, stability, and deep sleep. When excessive, it can stall growth and creativity.

Classical guidance focuses on cultivating sattva (clarity and harmony) and applying tapas (disciplined effort) to transform tamasic inertia into steadier awareness.

Tantra (तन्त्र). The term points to a framework or loom, suggesting something that weaves and stretches teachings into a working system of practice.

Historically, Tantras are a class of scriptures in Hindu and Buddhist traditions that present integrated systems of yoga, ritual, and philosophy. They often include mantra, puja, visualization, subtle body teachings, and methods for awakening kundalini and refining perception.

A defining tantric orientation is that liberation can be approached through life itself, including the body and senses, when guided by disciplined method and clear intention.

In modern yoga settings, tantric influence often appears as mantras, mudras, chakra work, and devotional symbolism. Sensual-only interpretations are partial and can miss the wider philosophical and practical scope.

At its core, tantra trains the practitioner to recognize sacred presence within ordinary experience, then use structured practice to transform mind, energy, and perception.

Tapas (तपस्). From the root tap, meaning “to heat” or “to burn.” Patanjali lists tapas as a niyama, emphasizing disciplined practice as a means of purification.

Tapas is often described as an internal fire. It is the steadiness that holds to practice even when the mind seeks comfort or distraction. It can be expressed through breath discipline during challenging asana, consistent meditation, fasting, or vows of simplicity.

In practical terms, tapas helps transform tamas (inertia) and refine excessive rajas (restless drive) into a steadier capacity for focus and clarity.

Balanced tapas strengthens the mind and supports growth. Ego-driven austerity is traditionally discouraged, since the purpose is refinement, not punishment.

Over time, tapas becomes a reliable inner engine. It supports consistency, clears mental residue, and prepares the practitioner for deeper concentration.

Tattva (तत्त्व). Literally “that-ness.” It points to the essential nature of something, beneath surface appearance.

In classical systems, tattvas describe how reality is structured. Sāṅkhya and Tantra enumerate tattvas to explain manifestation, from subtle inner faculties to the gross elements.

In Kashmir Shaivism, the 36 tattvas describe stages of manifestation from pure consciousness into the material world, offering a map of how limitation and individuality arise.

In practice, to understand the tattva of something is to recognize its core quality. A practitioner might contemplate a tattva as a way of seeing beyond habit and perception into deeper truth.

Because the term is broad, context determines meaning. In all cases, tattva points to the foundational truth beneath changing forms.

Tejas (तेजस्). The term conveys fiery energy and subtle luminosity, including the brightness of the eyes, the clarity of the mind, and the capacity to transform.

In Ayurveda, tejas is closely linked with pitta and with metabolic intelligence. It supports digestion, discernment, and the ability to process experience cleanly.

Yogic teachings sometimes describe tejas as the inner flame of wisdom that burns through dullness and confusion. It is the kind of fire that refines rather than scorches.

Practices that build internal heat, such as vigorous asana or steady pranayama, are often described as cultivating tejas. When balanced, this fire supports courage, focus, and insight.

Tejas can also be understood as spiritual luminosity. It is the brightness that arises when mind and energy become clear and directed.

Tejo Vāyu (तेजो वायु). The phrase is uncommon in classical yoga glossaries, so its meaning depends on the system or teacher using it.

Grammatically, it implies the blending of fire and air qualities: warm, mobile, lifting, and expansive. In experiential terms, it may point to a breath or pranic current that feels both heating and moving.

Some teachers might use it as a metaphor for an upward, enlivening force similar in feel to the rising qualities often associated with udana. Others might use it to describe a strong, warming pranayama effect.

Because the compound is not widely standardized, it is best treated as a descriptive phrase unless a specific text or lineage defines it.

Tiryan (तिर्यङ्). The term carries the sense of “across” or “sideways,” and it is mainly used descriptively.

In asana naming, tiryan typically marks a posture where the torso or limbs are angled diagonally, helping the student anticipate the shape of the pose.

It appears most often in compound names and has no special philosophical meaning in yoga context beyond clarifying alignment.

If a pose includes tiryan in its name, it usually signals that the posture emphasizes side-body engagement, diagonal balance, or a slanted orientation.

Tittibha (टिट्टिभ). Sanskrit lexicons use the term for a small flying creature, often rendered as firefly or glow-worm.

Its yoga relevance is primarily in the posture name Tittibhasana, which evokes the extended, wing-like shape of the legs and the feeling of lightness required to balance.

There is no established philosophical meaning for tittibha beyond the imagery. It functions as a descriptive noun that lends its name to an asana.

Practically, the association can be used as a teaching cue: lightness, spread, and a steady lift through the core, like a small creature taking flight.

Trataka (त्राटक). The practice is traditionally used to stabilize the senses and prepare the mind for deeper meditation.

A common method is to sit comfortably and gaze at a candle flame at eye level without strain. Over time, the breath becomes steady and the mind grows quieter.

After external gazing, practitioners often close the eyes and observe the after-image in the mind’s eye. This transitions attention from outer perception to inner concentration.

Trataka is frequently associated with ajna chakra practices and is also used for strengthening attentional control. As with any technique involving the eyes, it should be practiced without force.

In modern teaching, trataka is often framed as a simple mindfulness tool: one-point focus that supports calm, clarity, and present awareness.

Trayodasa (त्रयोदश). It combines tri (three) and dasa (ten), forming the fixed compound for 13.

Like other Sanskrit numerals, it generally carries no additional philosophical meaning beyond its numeric value, unless a specific tradition assigns symbolism in a particular list or story.

In practical use, recognizing trayodasa helps with reading verse references, enumerations, and calendrical terms that appear in Sanskrit-based teachings.

When a passage says trayodasa, it is best read plainly as “thirteen,” unless a text explicitly frames it symbolically.

Tri (त्रि). It functions as both a numeral and a common compound prefix.

Many key concepts use tri, such as the triguṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas) and the trimūrti (three primary divine functions). In pose names, tri signals a three-part structure, such as trikonasana (triangle pose).

Seeing tri in a word is a reliable clue that the term involves three aspects, three stages, or a threefold structure.

While the number three is symbolically important in many Indian frameworks, tri itself is primarily a grammatical building block meaning “three.”

Tṛikōṇāsana (त्रिकोणासन). The name points to “three angles,” reflecting the geometric feel of the posture.

Trikonasana is commonly taught as a foundational standing pose that builds strong grounding, leg engagement, and spinal length while opening the chest and shoulders.

Physically, it stretches the legs, hips, and side body while strengthening the thighs, ankles, and postural muscles. Breath awareness is often taught by expanding into the ribs of the open side.

Many teachers emphasize integrating alignment with attention. The posture becomes a practice of steadiness, spacious breathing, and a stable gaze, bringing body, breath, and focus into one coordinated experience.

While modern teaching sometimes adds symbolic meaning to the “three,” the classical relevance of the name is primarily descriptive of shape and structure.