The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

see Lawrence Babb, The Divine Hierarchy, 1975. See also marriage, eight classical forms. Marriage Prohibitions As in other cultu ...

known for its temple to the sun god, built during the eighth century. The temple ruins are in a mountain meadow, offering specta ...

Sharada Mathin the city of Dwaraka on the Arabian Sea; and the Shringeri Math in the town of Shringeri in southern India. These ...

represented by symbolic substitutes in “right hand” (dakshinachara) tantric ritual. “Respectable” Hindu society strongly condemn ...

well-known spot for this rite is at the city of Allahabad, at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna Rivers. Mauritius Isla ...

navel. Although this claim is not attested in other literature on the Shakti Pithas, the site itself is believed to be very old. ...

writers, however, often voice doubts about his credibility and veracity. See also Maurya dynasty. Meghaduta (“Cloud-Messenger”) ...

Melaat Allahabad. In 1989, the Kumbha Mela drew 15 million people on a single day, and millions more during the month of the fes ...

of physical exercises that are also believed to affect the subtle body. The governing metaphor for this combination of opposites ...

Mimamsa Sutras The founding text of the Purva Mimamsaschool, one of the six schools of traditional Hindu philosophy. The Mimamsa ...

Miniature Painting The origins of Hindu miniature painting lie in the royal art of the Moghul court, where miniature painting an ...

ruler, she considered Krishna to be her true husband. After extended conflict with her in-laws—in which they report- edly attemp ...

commentarial literature known as nibandhas(“collections”). The compil- ers of the nibandhas culled references on a particular th ...

and servant (dasa bhava), friend and friend (sakha bhava), parent and child (vatsalya bhava), and lover and beloved (madhurya bh ...

which is believed to beguile the mind, or to his ability to wield mayaor the power of illusion, and thus cloud people’s minds. S ...

normal social life. Although all four purusharthas are legitimate and sanc- tioned, liberation is usually seen as the ultimate g ...

sweet and happy time for united couples. The poet Kalidasa’sepic Meghaduta describes a man exiled in southern India, who address ...

animals, everyday objects, and the Hindu deities, to abstract things such as emotions. In the context of the perform- ing arts, ...

as coherent and compelling pictures of the world. Muhurta In traditional timekeeping, a muhurta is a period of forty-eight minut ...

muktiyoga is a person who is predes- tined to attain liberation. See also Dvaita Vedanta. Muladhara Chakra In many schools of yo ...