buddhi is the first faculty to emerge
from prakrti, or “primal matter,” and is
also known by the name mahat(the
“great one”). The mental processes facil-
itated by buddhi spur the development
of the next stage of evolution, ahamkar,
or “subjective consciousness.” In more
colloquial language, buddhi describes
the overall quality of a person’s mind,
whether it is wholesome or unwhole-
some, sound or unsound.
Bull
Although the cowis the Hindu symbol
for motherhood, with all of the
emotional baggage that accompanies it,
the associations connected with bulls are
not nearly so important. In a religious
context, the bull is associated with the
god Shivabecause his animal vehicle is
the bull Nandi, who can invariably be
found guarding the door at Shiva’s
temples. In pre-modern times, of course,
adult bulls were a relatively small
percentage of the total cattle population,
since most young bulls were routinely
castrated to become the oxen that were
essential agricultural work animals.
Bundi
City and district in the southeastern part
of the state Rajasthan, about 100 miles
south of the state capital, Jaipur. Before
1947, when India gained independence,
Bundi was a small kingdom. In the late
seventeenth century, Bundi became a
center for the Rajasthanistyle of minia-
ture painting, perhaps by attracting
artists from the Moghul court who were
seeking outside patronage. Aside from
the portraits and court groups character-
izing this genre under the Moghuls,
Rajasthani miniature painters portrayed
Hindu religious themes, particularly inci-
dents in the life of the god Krishna.
Whereas some styles have flat, mono-
chromatic backgrounds, the Bundi style
shows an intense focus on nature, such
as detailed depiction of the trees (usually
banana trees) surrounding the subjects,
in addition to flowers, birds, and lotus-
filled ponds. For further information see
W. G. Archer, Indian Painting, 1957; or his
Indian Painting in Bundi and Kotah,- See also Moghul dynasty.
Burial
Although cremationis the most com-
mon means by which Hindus dispose of
corpses, occasionally bodies are buried.
One such case is with the bodies of very
young children, as if it is recognized that
they never developed into real individu-
als. The only other people usually buried
are ascetics, for which there are varying
interpretations. One idea is that they are
not actually dead but in a state of deep
meditation (samadhi). In such cases the
ascetic is often buried in a sitting posture
because he is considered still present.
Another reason for burying ascetics may
reflect the general assumption that
renouncing the world had made them
“dead” to it, making further ceremonies
unnecessary. Indeed, one part of some
ascetic initiationsis to perform one’s
own funeral rites. Burial is often reserved
for ascetics with disciples who will keep
their graves as shrines. Those who are not
buried are usually weighted down with
rocks and thrown into bodies of water.Busti
(“settlement”) In its literal meaning, any-
where people live—a settlement, village,
or community. In modern usage it has
come to denote an illegal settlement,
such as one built by squatters who have
put up dwellings on vacant land using
whatever materials are available, from
brick to cardboard to plastic. At first, such
settlements have no civic amenities such
as water, power, roads, or sewers, and in
most cases the living conditions are
abysmal. In many cases such “slums”
become people’s hereditary homes, par-
ticularly in Bombay, where real estate is
exorbitantly expensive. These residents
have usually gained access to electricity
and water, typically via illegal hookups.
In rarer cases squatters have gained title
to the land through exerting political
pressure, after which conditions have
generally improved.Busti