the avidya found in any particular soul is
a “reflection” of the original avidya. For
further information see Karl H. Potter
(ed.), Presuppositions of India’s
Philosophies, 1972.
Bhandara
(“storehouse”) A banquet given for large
numbers of people—either by special
invitation, restricted to certain classes of
people (such as ascetics), or open to the
general public. Sponsoring such a ban-
quet is believed to generate consider-
able religious merit, but this is also a
conspicuous opportunity for both the
donor and attendees to enhance their
status. Issues of status are also marked
among the attendees. The most honored
guests confer status on the donor simply
by deigning to come, and accordingly
such guests will be treated differently
from the common lot. The rest of the
guests generally get no such special
treatment. They give status to the host
by eatingthe food he (or she) has had
prepared, but they get little in return
other than the meal itself, which is usu-
ally of poor quality since the food is pre-
pared in large quantities.
Based on these considerations,
ascetics with sufficient resources of their
own will usually avoid such banquets
because of both the quality of the food
and the concerns over status. To eat at a
bhandara is not only to confer prestige
on the donor, but to lower one’s own
status by appearing as though one
needs to do this to survive. The main
exception is when one has been invited
as an honored guest, but even in these
cases it is not unusual for such guests to
eat little or nothing, thereby giving
status by their presence but losing none
through consumption.
Bhandarkar, R.G.
(1837–1925) Sanskritscholar and intel-
lectual who was the first Indian to serve
as professor of Sanskrit at Deccan
College, in Poona. Bhandarkar was one
of the first Indian academics to combine
the traditional mastery of Sanskrit texts
with critical and objective research, a
project that until then had been con-
fined to European scholars. Bhandarkar
is emblematic of Indian intellectuals in
the late nineteenth century, who began
by learning from the Europeans but
were then able to work with the best of
them. Bhandarkar authored two
Sanskrit workbooks and numerous
scholarly texts, but his most significant
legacy is the Bhandarkar Oriental
Research Institute; it was founded in
1917 by his students, friends, and admir-
ers and is still a highly respected
research institution.Bhandarkar Oriental
Research Institute
(BORI) Research institute founded in
1917 and named after the great scholar
R. G. Bhandarkar (1837–1925). The
Institute is devoted to the study and
preservation of traditional Indian cul-
ture, and it is respected in scholarly cir-
cles throughout the world. Its two most
important publications have been P. V.
Kane’s History of Dharmasastraand a
multivolume critical edition of the
Mahabharata, the later of the two great
Hindu epics. Aside from its publications,
the Institute is also noted for its vast col-
lection of Sanskritmanuscripts, which
makes it one of the finest research
establishments in all of India.Bhang
Paste or dough made from crushed mar-
ijuana (Cannabis sativa), which is often
mixed with spices or other flavorings
before being formed into a ball. It is
taken as an intoxicant, either eaten, or
mixed into a “cooling” milk-based drink
called thandai. In general, eatingbhang
is disapproved of by respectable people,
although it is fairly common in certain
circles, particularly among ascetics.
Despite this basic disapproval, bhang is
widely consumed as part of the festival
celebrations for Shivaratri and Holi,
even by people who avoid it the rest ofBhang