Shōka
/ˈʃoʊ.kə/noun
A Sanskrit-derived term for sorrow, grief, or emotional anguish, especially in Hindu and Buddhist thought.
Did you know?In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna’s shoka—his overwhelming grief before battle—becomes the crisis that triggers Krishna’s spiritual teaching.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sēwg- / *soug-
“A reconstructed root associated with illness, suffering, or being afflicted.”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śóka
“Sorrow, grief, anguish, or emotional suffering.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śoka
“Grief or distress; famously used for Arjuna’s despair in the Bhagavad Gita.”
Pāli
Pāli
soka
“Sorrow or grief, one of the painful states discussed in Buddhist teachings.”
Modern English
English
shoka / shōka
“A Sanskrit-derived term used in English discussions of Hinduism, Buddhism, yoga, and spiritual psychology to mean grief or anguish.”