The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

buddhi is the first faculty to emerge from prakrti, or “primal matter,” and is also known by the name mahat(the “great one”). Th ...

C Calendar One of the most fundamental Hindu religious beliefs is that different times carry different qualities. Whereas some t ...

day (ekadashi) of each half of the lunar month is sacred to the god Vishnu; the eighth day (ashtami) is devoted to the Goddess, ...

kshatriya lineage. The same jati’s social position can vary from region to region, depending on if they comprise a major- ity or ...

that the changes in the material world involve the genuine transformation (parinama) of one thing into another, which can be exp ...

the Bay of Bengal. It is traditionally considered one of India’s seven sacred rivers along with the Ganges, Godavari, Indus, Nar ...

were a group of sixty-three Shaivapoet- saints who lived in southern India between the seventh and ninth cen- turies. Along with ...

share in the gopis’ intimate relationship with Krishna. In 1510 Vishvambar formally became an ascetic, taking the name Krishna C ...

out the side of the hill to make a cave; they would also sculpt pillars and other architectural details that mimicked free-stand ...

Chakravyuha (“circular phalanx”) A circular military formation described in the Mahabharata, one of the two great Hindu epics (a ...

and the border of Nepal. Now it is com- posed of two provinces, eastern Champaran and western Champaran. The Champaran region is ...

beheads the two generals. As a memorial of this mythic deed, one of the names under which the Goddess is worshiped is Chamunda, ...

mercenary soldiers, although they also had substantial trading interests. These functions have largely disappeared in contempora ...

overthrowing the last member of the Nandadynasty and occupying the capi- tal in Pataliputra, identified with the modern city of ...

all three humors, each of these is com- posed of different elements whose vary- ing proportions are used to explain individual b ...

Chataka In Sanskritpoetry and literature, the name for the cuckoo bird, usually invoked as a symbol of longing. Chatterjee, Bank ...

apart, an easy day’s walk for younger pil- grims, yet manageable for the elderly. Each chatti was maintained by a nearby family, ...

helping crops to grow but also brings danger from waterborne infections and venomous snakes. Chaturmas Vrat’s inauspicious quali ...

tries to leap over the ocean to Lanka, the capital of the demon-king Ravana, to search for his abducted mistress, Sita. Chayagra ...

the rites prescribed by the Dharma Shastras other than brahmins. For further information see Pandurang Vaman Kane (trans.), A Hi ...