The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

writers, however, often voice doubts
about his credibility and veracity. See
also Maurya dynasty.

Meghaduta

(“Cloud-Messenger”) One of the great
poetic works by Kalidasa(5th c.?), gen-
erally considered to be the greatest clas-
sical Sanskritpoet. The Meghaduta is a
short poem consisting of one hundred
verses, written entirely in an extremely
long metercalled mandakranta—sev-
enteen syllables to each quarter verse.
The poem tells the story of a yaksha
(nature sprite) who has been temporarily
banished to the southern part of India.
Separated from his beloved wife, who is
at their home in the kingdom of Kubera
in the Himalayas, the yaksha sees a
monsoonrain cloud moving northward
in its annual journey. He implores it to
carry a message of love to his beloved.
The yaksha describes the regions
through which the cloud travels. This
description gives a vivid picture of
everyday life and the cultural centers of
Kalidasa’s time. In some sources the
poem is called Meghasandesha, “The
Message [carried by] a Cloud.”

Meghanada

(“roaring like thunder”) In the
Ramayana, the earlier of the two great
Indian epics, Meghanada is one of the
epithets of Indrajit, son of the demon-
king Ravana. See Indrajit.

Meher Baba

(b. Merwan Sheriar Irani, 1894–1969)
Modern religious figure who was born a
Parsi, but whose teachings draw on
Islamic mystical thought and Hindu
devotional (bhakti) teachings. Meher
Baba (“Divine Father”) claimed to be an
avatar or “incarnation” of the divine,
and his followers accept him as such. In
1925 he took a vow of silence, which he
kept for the rest of his life, communicat-
ing through gestures and an alphabet
board. Despite his silence, he compiled
his teachings in a five-volume set of

discourses titled God Speaks. Like many

contemporary Hindu missionary fig-

ures, Meher Baba emphasized the need

for devotion to one’s guruor religious

preceptor, through which the disciple

would gain all things. For further infor-

mation from a devotee’s (bhakta) per-

spective, see Jean Adriel, Avatar, 1947.

Mehndipur

Village in the state of Rajasthanin the

southern region between the cities of

Agra and Jaipur. The village is best

known for the temple to the god Balaji,

considered to be a form of the monkey-

god Hanuman. People possessed by

malevolent spirits come to Balaji to be

cured through his power. For a thorough

discussion of the language of posses-

sionand exorcism, see Sudhir Kakar,

Shamans,Mystics,and Doctors, 1991

Mela

(“meeting”) In the widest sense, the

word melacan refer to any type of large

gathering, usually for some specific pur-

pose. In a religious context, the word

mela is generally translated as “festival”

or fair. Melas include commercial inter-

ests, religious activity, and entertain-

ment. Melas are usually attended by vast

numbers of religious pilgrims, traveling

to the site of the festival. By far the

largest of these melas is the Kumbha

Mela

Pilgrims in Allahabad gather in a

mela tent to listen to a guru.