O

Obscenity

Traditional Hindu culture can be char-
acterized as straightlaced, even prudish,
with regard to sexuality; any public
mention of sexuality is taboo in polite
society. The exception of ritually sanc-
tioned obscenity comes before and dur-
ing the festival of Holi, which usually
occurs in March. Holi is a “festival of
reversal,” in which most social taboos
are temporarily suspended. Holi comes
very close to the end of the lunar year,
and symbolizes the end of time, when all
norms and standards have been lost. In
recent times the license and lawlessness
associated with Holi have led many peo-
ple to stop celebrating it in public, par-
ticularly in the cities.

Ocean, Churning of the

Famous mythic event in which the gods
and demonschurned the Ocean of Milk
to produce the nectar or immortality.
See also Tortoise avatar.

Offerings

One of the pervasive realities in Hindu
religious life is the importance of transac-
tions or exchanges—both between
human beings, and between humans and
superhuman beings. The importance of
these exchanges makes various offerings a
fundamental part of Hindu worship. One
set of sixteen offerings, known as the
upacharas, are given to a deityas part of
worship, on the model of treating the deity
as an honored guest—inviting the deity
inside, offering the deity a seat, a drink of
water, and so forth. In the naivedya, one
offers the deity food, perhaps the most
fundamental courtesy of all.

Om

A sacred sound. According to tradition,

it should be uttered before and after

reading the Vedas(the oldest Hindu reli-

gious texts), saying any prayer, or per-

forming any sacred rite. When uttered at

the beginning of a rite, it is believed to

remove obstacles, and when uttered at

the end it is seen as a concluding affir-

mation. Because of its pervasive ritual

use, the sound Omis regarded as the

essence of all holy speech. As early as

the Mandukya Upanishad, the sound’s

phonetic elements (A, U, and M) were

interpreted as corresponding to differ-

ent states of consciousness, and ulti-

mately designating the Self (atman). See

also four states of consciousness.

Omens

The notions of auspiciousness and

inauspiciousnessare deeply rooted in

Hindu life, and are based on the

assumption that by their very nature

certain things bring good fortune, and

certain other things bring ill fortune.

The notion of omens is an extension of

this idea; omens are important not

because they cause good or bad fortune

in themselves, but because they indicate

conditions that are present. According

to this belief, auspicious conditions will

automatically give rise to favorable

omens, and inauspicious conditions to

unfavorable omens. Omens serve as

indicators to help judge the current state

of affairs and make any necessary

adjustments. For example, if on leaving

the house to do some business one sees

a person deemed inauspicious, one

should return to the home and begin

again, lest the work be fruitless.

Omkareshvar

Temple and sacred site (tirtha) on an

island in the Narmada Riverin the state

of Madhya Pradesh, about fifty miles

southeast of the city of Indore. The tem-

ple is named after its presiding deity, the

god Shivain his manifestation as the

“Lord of [the sound] Om,” an utterance

Obscenity