The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

Indian religious community, there was a
debate whether liberation was primarily
achieved through one’s faith or one’s
works. The Tengalaischool favored faith
and argued that liberation came from God
alone. In contrast, the Vadagalaischool
favored a person’s works and countered
that humans had to respond to divine
grace in order for their souls to gain final
liberation. The importance of divine tran-
scendence and omnipotence, as articulat-
ed by Tamil devotionalism, has remained
an important part of Hindu piety, even to
the present time.
Southern Indian bhakti tended to
express the deity-devotee (bhakta) rela-
tionship using images of master and ser-
vant. Northern Indian bhakti,
particularly that which focused on the
gods Ramaand Krishna, stressed other
images of this relationship: friend and
friend, parent and child, lover and
beloved. These differing conceptions
necessarily influenced the notion of
grace, ranging from the idea of God as
other and saving power to the sacred
quality coming from sharing everyday
interactions. In the latter, grace is mani-
fested through being able to take part in
God’s divine play (lila), to play with God,
and thus take part in the divine world. In

this model, God is immanent rather

than transcendent, and divine activity

comes in the guise of sharing the ordi-

nary activities of human life. All of these

models can be found in modern Hindu

religious life, although certain ones are

more strongly associated with particular

groups or religious communities.

Grammarians

Philosophical school based in the

teachings of Bhartrhari(7th c. C.E.). The

Grammarians conceived of Brahman, the

Ultimate Reality, as being manifested in

sound, particularly the sound of the spo-

ken word. They centered their cult around

the word Om, a word that is described as

the source of all things in the Mandukya

Upanishad, an early speculative text. For

further information see Harold Coward

and K. Kunjunni Raja (eds.), The

Philosophy of the Grammarians,1990.

Grand Bassin

Mountain lake in the southern part of

Mauritius, an island in the Indian

Ocean 1,200 miles east of the east

African coast. The Hindu population of

Mauritius have established sacred sites

(tirthas) in the landscape that often

Grand Bassin

The Grand Bassin, a mountain lake on the island of Mauritius. Just before the festival of Shivaratri,

crowds of people gather at this lake and draw water to offer to the god Shiva.