Yikes. Thanks, card. No, it's not much help, but I
appreciate your going to the trouble.
"aalaya" meaning "receptable" would make sense in
connection with the subconscious, in the sense of
a sort of storehouse, a place where you put stuff
that you don't want to have out in the open.
But none of the meanings you list of "vigyan" seems
to fit. If I'm right about "storehouse" as a metaphor
for the subconscious, "vigyan" would probably be a
term that describes the contents of the storehouse
somehow. Seems to have to do with "knowledge" or
"intelligence" from your list, but there are so many
different shades of meaning; I have no idea which one
would be appropriate.
Apparently the phrase isn't in common use; the only
Web references to it I can find are its use by Osho.
Did he cobble it together himself?
The author of the book I'm working on (not an Osho
disciple) uses it in the sense of the place in our
psyches where we keep the aspirations and intentions
that we've more or less given up on, but that we can
still access and actualize if we take the proper
approach. I just don't think the Sanskrit does much
for the reader without a translation.
Anyway, if you have any brainstorms, let me know. But
thanks again!
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister <no_re...@...> wrote:
>
> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote:
> >
> > What does the Sanskrit phrase "Alaya Vigyan" mean? Apparently
> > Osho used it to refer to the subconscious, but I'm looking for
> > a more literal translation; can't find anything on the Web.
> >
> > And should both terms be capitalized? Is the phrase a proper
> > noun?
> >
> > (This is for an editing gig I'm working on.)
> >
> > TIA...
> >
>
> It seems to be a compound noun, most probably not proper.
> The problem is, as I've told several times, that the length
> of the vowels is usually not indicated in that kind of "stuff".
>
> My guess is the capitalization in that case doesn't indicate
> the length of the vowel 'a', because 'Vigyan' also is capitalized.
> So, it's impossible to say, wether 'aalaya' or 'alaya' (much
> rarer word, because Cappeller doesn't have it at all) is meant.
>
> Monier Williams gives these meanings to those words:
>
> alaya m. ( %{lI}) , non-dissolution , permanence R. iii , 71 , 10
> (v.l. %{an-aya}) ; (mfn.) restless S3is3. iv , 57.
>
> 2 Alaya see %{A-lI}.
>
> 3 Alaya (= aalaya) m. and n. a house , dwelling ; a receptacle ,
> asylum R. Ya1jn5. Katha1s. &c. ; (often ifc. e.g. %{himA7laya} , `" the abode
> of snow. "')
>
> Although 'alaya' which seems to be the opposite of 'laya',
> seems to be a rare word, it might be the correct one
> in that context, though. If that's the case, perhaps
> it might be 'restless knowledge', because for some reason
> 'alaya' feels to me more like an adjective (mfn.) in
> that phrase...???
>
> I'm quite sure that by 'Vigyan' is meant 'vijñaana', which
> in Harvard-Kyoto transliteration scheme is written 'vijJAna' [sic!]
> (I believe 'gya' is the most popular pronunciation, at
> least in northern parts of India, of the
> "compound" consonant 'jña' which has its own character in
> devanaagarii script.)
>
> vijJAna n. (ifc. f. %{A}) the act of distinguishing or discerning ,
> understanding , comprehending , recognizing , intelligence , knowledge AV.
> &c. &c. ; skill , proficiency , art Uttamac. ; science , doctrine Sus3r. ;
> worldly or profane knowledge (opp. to %{jJAna} , `" knñknowledge of the true
> nature of God "') Mn. MBh. &c. ; the faculty of discernment or of right
> judgment MBh. R. &c. ; the organ of knñknowledge (= %{manas}) BhP. ; (ifc.)
> the understanding of (a particular meaning) , regarding as Ka1s3. on Pa1n2.
> 2-3 , 17 ; 66 &c. ; (with Buddhists) consciousness or thought-faculty (one of
> the 5 constituent elements or Skandhas , also considered as one of the 6
> elements or Dha1tus , and as one of the 12 links of the chain of causation)
> Dharmas. 22 ; 42 ; 58 (cf. MWB. 102 ; 109) ; %{-kanda} m. N. of a man Cat. ;
> %{-kAya} m. N. of a Buddhist wk. ; %{-kRtsna} n. one of the 10 mystical
> exercises called Kr2itsnas Buddh. ; %{-kevala} mfn. (with S3aivas) an
> individual soul to which only %{mala} adheres Sarvad. ; %{-kaumudI} f. N. of
> a female Buddhist Cat. ; %{-ghana4} m. pure knowledge , nothing but
> intelligence S3Br. Sarvad. ; %{-taraMgiNI} f. N. of wk. ; %{-tA} f. knowledge
> of (loc.) Ca1n2. ; %{-tArA7valI} f. N. of wk. ; %{-tailagarbha} m. Alangium
> Decapetalum L. ; %{-dezana} m. a Buddha L. ; %{-naukA} f. N. of sev. wks. ;
> %{-pati} m. a lord of intelligence TUp. ; N. of one who has attained to a
> partic. degree of emancipation Ba1dar. Sch. ; %{-pAda} m. N. of Vya1sa L. ;
> %{-bhaTTAraka} m. %{-bhArata} m. %{-bhikSu} m. N. of scholars Cat. ;
> %{-bhairava} , %{-vo7ddyota-saMgraha} m. N. of wks. ; %{-ma4ya} mf(%{I})n.
> consisting of knowledge or intelligence , all knñknowledge , full of
> intellñintelligence S3Br. Up. &c. ; %{-ya-koSa} m. the sheath
> consñconsisting of intellñintelligence , the intelligent sheath (of the
> soul accord. to the Veda7nta) or the sheath caused by the understanding being
> associated with the organs of perception MW. ; %{-mAtRka} m. `" whose mother
> is knowledge "' , a Buddha L. ; %{-yati} m. = %{-bhikSu} Cat. ; %{-yogin} m.
> = %{vijJAne7zvara} Col. ; %{-latikA} f. %{-lalita} or %{-ta-tantra} n. N. of
> wks. ; %{-vat} mfn. endowed with intelligence Up. ChUp. Sch. Katha1s. ;
> %{-vAda} m. the doctrine (of the Yoga7ca1ras) that only intelligence has
> reality (not the objects exterior to us) Ba1dar. Sch. ; %{-vAdin} mfn. one
> who affirms that only intelligence has reality ; m. a Yoga7ca1ra Sarvad.
> Buddh. ; %{-vinodinI-TIkA} f. %{-vilAsa} m. %{-zAstra} n. %{-zikSA} f.
> %{saMjJA-prakaraNa} n. N. of wks. ; %{-nA7kala} mfn. = %{-na-kevala} above
> Sarvad. ; %{-nA7cArya} m. N. of a teacher Cat. ; %{-nA7tman} m. N. of an
> author ib. ; %{-nA7ntyA7yatana} n. (with Buddhists) N. of a world Buddh. ;
> %{-nA7mRta} n. N. of Comm. ; %{-nA7zrama} m. = %{-nA7tman} Cat. ;
> %{-nA7stitva-mAtra-vAdin} mfn. = %{-na-vAdin} Ba1dar. Sch. ; %{-nA7hAra} m.
> spiritual food as nourishment L. ; %{-ne7zvara} m. N. of an author Cat.
> (%{-tantra} n. %{-vArttika} , n. N. of wks.) ; %{-ne7zvarIya} n. a wk. of
> Vijn5a1ne7s3vara Cat. ; %{-nai9ka-skandha-vAda} m. = %{-na-vAda} above
> Ba1dar. Sch.
>
> -----
>
> Sorry, that probably doesn't help too much...
>
