Vāsanā (Sanskrit; Devanagari: वासना) is a behavioural tendency or karmic imprint which influences the present behaviour of a person. It is a technical term in Indian philosophy, particularly Yoga, as well as Buddhist philosophy and Advaita Vedanta.

Dec 21, 2023 · Vasana is a Sanskrit term that refers to a past impression in the mind that influences behavior. Vasanas can be good or bad: for example, responding with love when someone is in need or, in contrast, responding defensively because a situation triggered a negative memory.

Oct 3, 2022 · In Vedanta, Hindu, and yogic philosophy, the Sanskrit word vasana refers to unmanifest desires, or latent karmic imprints. The etymology of the word carries the following connotations, which are useful for understanding how vasanas work:

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali defines vasana as a dynamic chain or concatenation of samskaras. Most often, the term vasana is associated with the notion of subtle desire. Vasanas are our inherent latencies and tendencies, resulting from our previous actions.

Vāsanā (T. bag chags བག་ཆགས་; C. xunxi/xiqi) refers to habitual patterns of thought, speech or action that are imprinted in the mind. In the Yogacara school, these subtle habitual patterns, or "karmic seeds", are imprinted in the alaya-vijnana (storehouse consciousness).

Nov 23, 2010 · The term “vasana” is used in Vedantic literature. The Vedanta is the non-dual literature at the end of the Hindu Vedas which discusses enlightenment. Usually called the Upanishads, they mentor us on how to achieve enlightenment.

Mar 3, 2025 · Vasana means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page.

When researching vasanas, it is of importance to note that there are both good (suvasana) and bad (kuvasana) vasanas, and also two types of vasanas: bandha hetuh and bhoga hetuh. Bandha hetuh is the vasana that obstructs Self-Realization.

Vasanas are of two kinds, viz., the pure (Subha Vasanas) and the impure (Asubha Vasanas). The pure Vasanas liberate one from rebirths. Impure Vasanas generate rebirths. Impure Vasanas cause the mind to fluctuate, and produce agitation in the mind and affinity for objects.

vāsanā: an inclination, which has been imprinted through one’s past actions and experiences, to desire having a particular or type of experience. This article is adapted from the reply I wrote to this friend. I would simply define vāsanā as an inclination, …