The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

adopts this general principle but con- ceives of Ultimate Reality theistically, as the god Shiva. For Trika Shaivism, Shiva is t ...

one of several episodes in the Upanishads in which kshatriyas instruct brahmins, thus inverting the accepted pattern that holds ...

food considered especially nourishing (such as milk products and nuts) to build their strength. From the mother’s perspective, p ...

Priyadas (early 18th c.) Author of the Bhaktirasa- bodhini (“Awakening the Delight in Devotion”), a commentary on the Bhaktamalo ...

courtesan Vasantasena is sought by all the men of the city because of her beauty, wealth, and mastery of the sixty-four aestheti ...

Devotees commonly purify themselves before worship, and the purity of the site, and the objects used in worship, must be either ...

another, and although each was strong enough to defeat its opponent at various points in this conflict, neither was capa- ble of ...

Hindi-speaking regions), and Himachal Pradesh (from the hill regions). The Punjab region is replete with history, for it has bee ...

mostimportant puranas are the Agni Purana, Shiva Purana, Brahma Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, Harivamsha, and Markand ...

into the pantheon as a form of the god Krishnaand therefore, by extension, a form of Vishnu. The temple was com- pleted in 1198 ...

of impurity include essential bodily functions, such as urination and evacu- ation; sexual activity; contact with impure things ...

responsible for supervising the other sacrificing priests, such as the rtvij and the hotr, and for making sure that the animal s ...

lunar monthof Ashadh. The intercalary month is an extra lunar month inserted into the calendar about every thirty months, to mai ...

example would be the presumption that a traveler had reached his or her desti- nation after the train’s arrival time had passed. ...

Pushkar (“blue lotus”) City and celebrated sacred site (tirtha) a few miles north and west of the city of Ajmer in the state of ...

ultimate source of everything that exists. The world, and human beings, thus share in his divine nature, although only in a limi ...

on the eleventh day of the bright (wax- ing) half of the lunar month of Paush (December–January). As with all the eleventh-day o ...

R Radha In later devotional (bhakti) literature, Radha is the woman portrayed as the god Krishna’s lover and companion. Radha’s ...

Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli Radha, the god Krishna’s lover and companion. ...

of his generation, Radhakrishnan was educated at Christian missionary schools, and the contrast between the Hindu piety of his h ...