Ahankara

/ɑːhɑːŋˈkɑːrə/ noun

Definition

A variant spelling of ahamkara; in Hindu philosophy, the false sense of individual ego that prevents spiritual enlightenment and self-realization.

Etymology

Alternate Sanskrit transliteration of the same root as ahamkara ('aham' = I, 'kara' = maker), representing the flexibility in how Sanskrit terms are romanized into English.

Kelly Says

The different spellings (ahamkara vs. ahankara) show how tricky it is to transliterate Sanskrit into English—there's no perfect one-to-one match for sounds, so scholars use different systems. But they mean the exact same deep philosophical idea about ego blocking enlightenment.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.