Sanskrit Words That Are Not Easily Translated Into English

By Author: Chaitanya Kumari
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The Sanskrit language is known for its amusing linguistic legacy. Many Sanskrit words are difficult to translate directly into English, as they convey deep cultural, philosophical, and spiritual concepts that often have no exact counterparts in Western traditions. In this blog, you can learn about some notable Sanskrit words that cannot be translated into English.

Samsara (संसार)
Meaning: Samsara signifies the perpetual cycle of birth, demise, and renascence.
Why it cannot be deciphered: English lacks a suitable correspondent for this endless cyclical idea of existence associated with karma.

Karma (कर्म)
Meaning: Karma specifies act, labor, or feat. It also refers to the principle of cause and effect, where every action inevitably leads to corresponding consequences.
Why it cannot be interpreted: Although the English language uses words like "fate" or "destiny" to direct a similar idea, karma emphasizes the dynamic connection between actions and results, unlike the fixed Western ideas of destiny.

Moksha (मोक्ष)
Meaning: Moksha is the course of release ...
... or deliverance from the Samsara or the sequence of birth and passing.
Why it cannot be translated: English words and Western concepts like "salvation" or "freedom" cannot conceptualize the transcendental and metaphysical idea of liberation that is symbolized and expressed in Indian philosophies.

Aum/Om (ॐ)
Meaning: Aum/Om is the primordial sound, which represents the universal essence and the Brahman or ultimate reality.
Why it cannot be translated: Aum/Om is a sound symbol that encompasses vast metaphysical connotations associated with creation, preservation, and dissolution.

Shanti (शान्ति)
Meaning: Peace, bliss, or tranquility.
Why it cannot be translated: Shanti does not only denote peace but an inner state of powerful harmony and equilibrium. It is often achieved or invoked in prayers while seeking universal harmony.

Guru (गुरु)
Meaning: A spiritual teacher or guide who helps a person to remove ignorance and guides a student toward enlightenment.
Why it cannot be translated: The English word "teacher" does not express the moral, spiritual, and transformational role played by a guru.

Yoga (योग)
Meaning: Yoga is the ultimate union of the individual self with the divine. It is a disciplined practice to achieve mental, spiritual, existential, and physical well-being.
Why it cannot be translated: In Sanskrit, the term yoga signifies a holistic philosophy, a unique way of life, and not just a form of physical exercise and stretches, as it is typically expressed in English.

Dharma (धर्म)
Meaning: Dharma is a term encompassing the thoughts of responsibility, moral order, virtue, and the vital nature of things.
Why it cannot be translated: In English, ideas expressed by terms like "duty," "law," or "religion" only denote fragments of this concept. Dharma also indicates cosmic order as well as individual and principled responsibility.

Atman (आत्मन्)
Meaning: The innermost core self or soul.
Why it cannot be deciphered: Western philosophies of the "soul" or the "self" usually carry Judeo-Christian theological assumptions, which diverge from the widespread consciousness that the term Atman implies.

Bhakti (भक्ति)
Meaning: Love and devotion for the divine.
Why it cannot be translated: Terms like "devotion" or "faith" do not appropriately arouse the individual relationship with the divine and the emotional intensity intrinsically expressed in bhakti.