when sensed in an object causes various states of bodily and mental purity.

samkhyaAn important school of thought. The classical Samkhya thought contained in Isvarakrsna’s Samkhyakarikas expresses a basic duality between spirit and matter, the latter consisting of the three qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas. Although traces of this dualistic understanding are found throughout this first volume of the Moksadharma, they are not always stated to be ideas related in particular to Samkhya thought. Moreover, the early Samkhya teachings of Pancha·shikha found in cantos 218 and 219 even seem to express a nondualistic understanding.

tamas“Darkness,” one of the three bhavas and so a quality that when sensed in an object causes various states of bodily and mental darkness.

upanisadsA corpus of sacred texts that conclude the Vedas. The Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanisads, generally thought to be the oldest texts of this type, set the predominant intellectual concerns that were worked out in other early Upanishads and texts of the Moksadharma.

upasana“Veneration.” This term refers to the esoteric knowledge of Upanishadic masters that is the main subject of the early Upanishads. According to the magical world-view of these thinkers, hidden connections (upanisad, bandhu) link the human being to the external world and the sphere of ritual action. It is the task of the Upanishadic master to know these hidden connections, i.e. to “venerate” one thing as another, and thus attain control of the world.

vedasThe most sacred texts of Hinduism that are split into four books: the Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas. These works contain the sacred hymns and formulae to be uttered at rituals and sacrifices, although they contain lengthy works of ritual exposition, the Brahmanas, and are concluded by the more speculative Aranyakas and Upanishads.