The Mahabharata (महाभारत) is one of the two major Smriti texts and Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered in Hinduism, the other being the Ramayaṇa. It narrates the events and…
Gheranda Samhita (घेरंड संहिता) is a Sanskrit text of Yoga in Hinduism. It is one of the three classic texts of hatha yoga (the…
Shiva Samhita (शिव संहिता) is a Sanskrit text on yoga, written by an unknown author. The text consists of five…
A mudra (मुद्रा) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. In hatha yoga, mudras are used with pranayama (yogic breathing…
Shatkarma (षटकर्म), also known as Shatkriya, is a set of Hatha yoga body purifications to prepare for the main work of yoga towards moksha (liberation). These…
The Goraksha Shataka (गोरक्ष शतक) is an early text on Haṭha yoga text from the 11th-12th century, attributed to the sage Gorakṣa.…
Dukkha (दुःख), “suffering”, “pain,” “unease,” and “unsatisfactory,” is an important concept in Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. Its meaning depends on the context and…
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (हठ योग प्रदीपिका) is a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Swami Swatmarama, who connects the teaching’s lineage to…
Artha (अर्थ) is one of the four goals or objectives of human life in Hindu traditions. It includes career, skills,…
Purushartha (पुरुषार्थ) means “object(iv) of men”. It is a key concept in Hinduism and refers to human life’s four proper goals or…