Sanskrit Words for Emotions English Cannot Name

Sympathetic joy — joy experienced upon witnessing another person's happiness or success

One of the four Brahmaviharas in Buddhist and Hindu philosophy. English has no single word for this. The opposite of jealousy.

Compassion — specifically the ache of witnessing suffering and the wish to relieve it

Closer to "empathetic suffering" than the English "compassion." Root: kara (to do) — compassion that moves one to action.

Equanimity — serene, unperturbed witnessing of experience without being drawn in or pushing away

The fourth Brahmavihara — often translated "equanimity" but deeper: it is the active cultivation of non-reactivity, not mere indifference.

Loving-kindness — unconditional goodwill toward all beings

From mitra (friend). The first Brahmavihara — a radically non-transactional friendliness that doesn't depend on the other person deserving it.

Dispassion — the natural falling away of desire for transient things, after seeing through their impermanence

From viraga (without colour/passion). Not forced renunciation but the organic fading of desire when wisdom arises. The prerequisite for liberation.

Discrimination — the capacity to distinguish the real from the unreal, the permanent from the impermanent

The first of the four Sadhana Chatushtaya (prerequisites for liberation in Advaita Vedanta). The mind's ability to separate signal from noise.

Faith — not blind belief but a warm, trusting receptivity to wisdom; the heart's openness to truth

From srat (heart, truth) + dha (to hold). Often translated "faith" — but it is specifically the faith that allows learning to happen at all.

Forgiveness — specifically the releasing of the grievance rather than the forgiving of the person

From ksham (to be patient, to endure). Kshama is a virtue, not merely an act — a way of being that releases the burden of resentment.

Purifying effort — voluntary discipline or discomfort undertaken to strengthen the will and purify character

From tap (to heat, to burn). Tapas is heat applied to the raw metal of character — it burns off impurities. Not self-punishment: purposeful refinement.

Contentment — a deep, stable satisfaction with what is, regardless of external circumstances

One of the Niyamas in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Not passive resignation — the active cultivation of gratitude and sufficiency.

Non-violence — specifically the absence of the intention to harm in thought, word, or action

From a (not) + himsa (harm). The first Yama of Patanjali. Gandhi's entire political philosophy rested on this word.

Truthfulness — specifically alignment between inner knowing, speech, and action

From sat (being, truth). Satya is not merely not lying — it is the alignment of all levels of expression with what is real.

Non-stealing — not taking what hasn't been freely given, in any domain (time, attention, credit, resources)

From a (not) + steya (theft). The third Yama — expansively interpreted: taking more credit than you deserve is asteya too.

Wisdom — not information but the direct knowing that arises from lived experience and practice

Pra (forward, forth) + jna (knowing). Prajna is the wisdom that has been integrated — it changes the knower, not just their opinions.

Gazing point — specifically the soft, internal gaze of meditation; the perspective from which one sees

From drish (to see). In yoga, a specific gazing point. Philosophically: one's entire point of view and the quality of attention it brings.

Bliss — not pleasure (which has an opposite) but the uncaused joy that is the nature of pure awareness

One of the three qualities of Brahman: Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Consciousness-Bliss). Ananda is not happiness — it is the nature of consciousness itself.

Wonder — specifically the cognitive-emotional state of being surprised by the beauty and strangeness of existence

From vi (apart, thoroughly) + smaya (astonishment). Vismaya is recognised in Sanskrit poetics (rasa theory) as one of the nine primary emotional experiences.

The longing of separation — the ache of being separated from the beloved, which is itself a form of love

From vi (away) + raha (rest). Viraha is not simply loneliness — it is the love that makes absence painful. Bhakti poetry (Mirabai, Radha) is saturated with viraha.

Shame-modesty — the positive, socially-conscious form of self-awareness that comes from caring about dharma

Not toxic shame but the healthy self-consciousness that keeps one from acting against one's values in public or in private.

Enthusiasm — literally "filled with god" — the vital surge of energy toward a worthy goal

From ut (up) + saha (with, together). Utsaha is the energy of purpose — the feeling of being aligned with something larger than yourself.