certain religious associations: with one
of the four Vedas, with a particular quar-
ter of the Indian subcontinent, with one
of the “great utterances” (mahavakyas)
expressing ultimate truth, with a
specific ascetic quality, and with several
of the ten Dashanami divisions. The
Bhogawara group is affiliated with the
Govardhan Mathin the city of Purion
the Bay of Bengal, and it is therefore
connected with the eastern quarter of
India. Their Veda is the Rg Veda, their
mahavakya is Prajnanam Brahman
(“Knowledge is Brahman”), and their
ascetic quality is to remain indifferent to
worldly pleasures. The particular
divisions associated with this group
are the Aranya Dashanamis and
Vana Dashanamis.
Bhoja
(r. 918–955 C.E.) Medieval Hindu king in
the Malwaregion of the modern state of
Uttar Pradesh. Bhoja was famous both
as a scholar and as a dam builder who
created lakes for irrigation.
Bholanath
(“simple lord”) Common epithet of the
god Shiva. In ordinary usage the word
bholacarries a negative connotation:
“simple,” “guileless,” and even “foolish.”
Yet in using this word to designate Shiva,
his devotees (bhakta) are not intention-
ally insulting him but celebrating his
boundless generosity to those with
whom he is pleased. Shiva’s devotees
can give the simplest offerings(such as
leaves, fruit, and water) and in turn ask
for wealth, success, and power. Shiva’s
nature is considered “simple” because
he willingly participates in such unequal
exchanges, providing sharp contrast to
the world economy, which demands
equal value.
Bhramargit
(“songs to the bee”) Poetic genre in the
devotional poetry of the god Krishna,
which is set in the time after Krishna has
gone to claim his kingdom in Mathura,
never to return. The story tells how
Krishna sends his companion Uddhava
back to Brajwith a message for the
gopis, the cowherd women who are
Krishna’s dear companions, and who are
virtually insane with longing because of
his absence. Uddhava tries to reassure
the gopis by telling them not to dwell on
Krishna’s physical absence. Uddhava
further reminds them that since Krishna
is the all-pervading divinity, he will
always be with them even though he
might not be visible. In the bhramargit
poems, the gopis scornfully reject
Uddhava’s notions, asserting that this
view of Krishna is abstract, lifeless, and
suitable only for those who have never
known Krishna in his embodied form.
The genre’s name comes from this
story’s earliest appearance, in the
Bhagavata Purana. Here the gopis
address their complaints about
Krishna’s absence to a large black bee,
which in their passion and loneliness
they mistake for Krishna.Bhramari
(“circling”) Powerful form of the
Goddess. Bhramari takes form to
oppose the demonAruna, who in his
hubris is trying to compromise the
chastity of the gods’ wives. They implore
the Goddess to help them, and in her
form as Bhramari, she kills the demon
and removes the threat. Bhramari is
worshiped on the eighth night of
Navaratri, a nine-dayfestival in which
one goddess is appeased every night.Bhrgu
In Hindu mythology, one of the sonsof
Brahma and one of the seven sages
whose names mark exogamous clan
“lineages” (gotra); the others are
Kashyapa, Bharadvaja, Vasishtha,
Gautama, Atri, and Vishvamitra. All
brahminsare believed to be descended
from these seven sages, with each
family taking the name of its progenitor
as its gotra name. In modern times these
divisions are still important sinceBhoja