qualities weakened and contained. This
can be done either through wearing par-
ticular gemstonesthat are believed to
correspond to these planets, or by per-
forming certain protective rituals.
Pole Star
In Hindu mythology, the personified
form of the boy Dhruva, who is a symbol
for unrelenting pursuit of a goal. Dhruva
is a king’s son, but for some unknown
reason his father favors Dhruva’s half-
brother over him. Distressed by this
insult, Dhruva takes a vow to attain a
place above all others and goes off to the
forest to perform austerities (tapas).
After Dhruva endures many bodily mor-
tifications, the god Vishnuappears and
grants him a boon. In response to
Dhruva’s request for a place above all
others, Vishnu promises Dhruva that
after his death he will be installed as the
Pole Star, the pivot around which all the
other stars in the sky will turn.
Pollution
In Hindu religious life, a term designat-
ing religious contamination and ritual
impurity (ashaucha). This notion of
impurity is strictly concerned with the
presence or absence of contamination
and carries no necessary sense of moral
or ethical lapse. See ashaucha.
Polyandry
Having more than one husband. This
practice is extremely uncommon in
Indian society, either now or in the past.
The best-known mythical example
comes from the epic Mahabharata, in
which Draupadiis married to all five of
the Pandavabrothers, the epic’s protag-
onists. Textual scholars have argued that
this type of marriage was so unusual
that it must have been rooted in some
ancient practice, but there is no proof
for this claim. In contemporary times
polyandry can be found only at the
outer fringes of Hindu society, such as in
the state of Assamand in some of the
Himalayan regions, where traditional
practices have allowed for one woman
to marry several brothers, following
Draupadi’s example.Polygamy
Given the overwhelmingly patriarchal
character of Hindu society, polygamy
has probably existed since very early
times. The practice is attested in both
the great epics, the Ramayanaand the
Mahabharata, as well as in the histori-
cal record. The dharma literature
permits men to marry wives of lower
social status, under the condition that
their first wife was of equal status.
Despite the existence of polygamy,
it was probably unusual and restricted
to men of high status and financial
resources, who would be able to support
several families. For “regular” men,
one of the few reasons for taking a sec-
ond wife was when the first wife was
unable to bear children, in an attempt to
sire the sons needed to preserve the
lineage and ensure performance of the
ancestral rites.Pongal
Southern Indian harvest festival mark-
ing the change of seasonsand the tran-
sition of the suninto the zodiacal sign of
Capricorn, and thus beginning its
northward course (uttarayana).
According to Indian astrology this usually
takes place on January 14th; in northern
India this day is celebrated as Makara
Sankranti. Both mark the sun’s change
in motion from the southerly direction
to the northerly, or from the direction
considered less auspicious to the one
considered more auspicious.
The festivities for Pongal last for
three days. The first day is the Pongal of
Joy (Bhogi Pongal), on which people
visit and exchange sweets and gifts. The
second day is dedicated to the Sun
(Surya Pongal). On this day married
women cook rice in milk, and when the
pot comes to a boil they shout “Pongal”
(“It has boiled”). The milk-rice is made
into sweets, which is first offered to thePole Star