time, the meanings for many of these
words had become either uncertain or
completely lost, as the spoken lan-
guage had changed. Although at times
it is clear that Yaska himself is guess-
ing—as when modern linguists
can make comparisons to the Iranian
Avesta, a related sacred text—his
work was immeasurably helpful to
later readers.
Yathakhyati
(“discrimination [of things] as they are”)
Another name for the theory of error
known as satkhyati. See satkhyati.
Yati
(from Sanskrityam, “to restrain”) From
the time of the Vedas, the earliest Hindu
religious texts, the word yatihas been
one of the terms used to designate an
ascetic, as someone who had gained
control over himself. At the time of the
Vedas there seems to be some ambiva-
lence for the yatis, since the storm-god
Indrais said to have fought with them,
but in later times the word takes on an
unequivocally positive connotation.Yatra
(“journey”) Although in its literal mean-
ing the word yatracan refer to any sort
of travel, in modern Hindiits semantic
field is considerably narrower and con-
notes travel with some serious purpose,
rather than a stroll around the block or
a sightseeing trip. The word yatra’s
most important connotation is travel
for religious purposes, particularly pil-
grimage to the sacred sites (tirthas). A
yatra is thus a journey, but a particular
type of journey.YatraA yantra is a symbolic diagram often believed to confer
magic or spiritual power on those who know how to use it.