The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

considered both a musical instrument and an instrument of war, since through its powerful sound he is said to have struck terror ...

Shiva who are divided into ten divisions, each with a different name. These ten divisions are organized into four larger organiz ...

contrast with the “Black” Yajur Veda, in which these notes have been incorporated into the body of the text itself. Aside from g ...

purification. Body hair, however, is rarely shaved, since the Sanskritlan- guage has different words for these two types of hair ...

harsh physical asceticism(tapas) to generate the spiritual powers neces- sary to do this. Her austerities eventu- ally please th ...

Shilappadigaram (“the Jeweled Anklet”) The greatest epic poem in classical Tamil literature. It is traditionally ascribed to the ...

formed, made, or fashioned. In the con- text of art and architecture, the term shilpa shastrais most often associated with two s ...

Shishupala In the Mahabharata, the later of the two great Hindu epics, Shishupala is the son of the king of Cedi. He is also des ...

falls at the advent of the hottest time of year; the climate thus mirrors the heat and fevers brought on by contact with Shitala ...

Shiva Statue of the god Shiva from the Kumbha Mela festival in Allahabad. Living outside of society with his hair in matted lock ...

father-in-law Daksha’sinsulting remarks— that Shiva was an ascetic with no money, job, or family, and was unfit to join respecta ...

useful picture of contemporary south- ern Indian life. Shivaji (1627–1680) Maratha chieftain who carved out an independent kingd ...

which continue to be important today. Shivananda’s learning and religious charisma made him greatly respected, and in keeping wi ...

sign of this identity, many of these sites are claimed to be Shakti Pithas—places where a part of the dismembered god- dess Sati ...

dead. For further information see Pandurang Vaman Kane, A History of Dharmasastra, 1968; and Raj Bali Pandey, Hindu Samskaras, 1 ...

performing the sacrifice, the Shrauta Sutras also contained an appendix with the exact measurements for the sacred altar, known ...

Shrichakra is a set of nine interlocking triangles with four pointing up and five pointing down. The figure is surrounded by a d ...

to tradition Shrinathji revealed his wish to stay in Nathdwara by sinking his wagon’s wheels deep into the earth, so that it cou ...

Shringeri Math One of the four mathsor monastic cen- ters traditionally believed to have been established by the great philosoph ...

traces its spiritual lineage through the poet-saint Ramanandato the southern Indian philosopher Ramanuja, who is claimed to have ...