Sanskrit Terms Starting with Y

In Vedic tradition, a yajña is an act of worship and giving, often performed around a sacred fire. It symbolizes offering one’s actions and fruits to the divine. Patanjali includes yajña as a niyama (ethical observance), implying that all actions can be done as offerings (e.g., yoga or service as yajña).

The practice of yajña highlights selflessness: by mentally dedicating actions to a higher purpose, attachments to outcomes are reduced. Thus yajña in modern yoga can mean performing with sense of surrender, aligning daily acts with spiritual intention.

The word Yama comes from a root meaning “to yoke” or “bind”, hence it denotes self-restraint. Patanjali’s first limb of yoga (yama) lists five disciplines (ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha), voluntary practices of self-control toward others.

These restraints “yoke” the senses to ethical conduct. In mythology, Yama is also the god of death and dharma, reminding practitioners of morality and the consequences of actions. Thus, Yama encapsulates both inner discipline and universal order. Cultivating yamas purifies character, making higher practice stable and sincere.

In Sanskrit, yantra originally meant any device or prop. In tantric tradition it came to denote a sacred diagram. A yantra is a symbolic design (often geometric shapes radiating from a center) that represents a deity or cosmic principle.

Practitioners focus on a yantra in meditation, using it as a visual aid to concentrate the mind on the divine form it embodies. For example, the famous Sri Yantra is a yantric mandala for the goddess Tripurasundari, believed to integrate all aspects of reality. In temple rituals yantras may be engraved on altars or objects to invoke blessings, acting as “machines” for subtle energies (as suggested by the root meaning).

The Sanskrit root of yoga is yuj, “to yoke” or “join”. Historically, yoga has many definitions, but Patanjali’s classic one is: “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind” (citta-vṛtti-nirodha).

Thus, yoga is both the method and result of aligning the individual self with its true nature. Traditional yoga includes physical postures (asanas), breath control (pranayama), meditation and moral disciplines as tools. The goal is union, overcoming the sense of separation between the individual and universal consciousness.

In modern terms, yoga is often understood as a holistic practice for health and stress relief, but its deeper aim remains self-realization through disciplined, integrated practice.

The word anga means limb or constituent, so yoganga denotes a branch or section of yoga practice. Classical Yoga Sutras lay out eight limbs (ashtanga); each limb (e.g. dhyana, mantra) can be considered a yoganga.

Though not commonly used in modern vocabulary, understanding yogangas underscores that yoga is an integrated system. Each limb or part (ang) supports the others in the process of inner development. For instance, ethical disciplines (yama/niyama) and physical practices (asana) are just two “limbs” contributing to the whole.