Dashanami Sanyasis, the word
akharameans something closer to
“regiment.” The Dashanami Nagas
were ascetics devoted to the god
Shivaand who formerly made their
living as traders and mercenary sol-
diers. These Nagas were organized
into different akharas based on the
model of an army, and here the word
primarily marks group affiliation,
although it can also refer to the build-
ings in which the group lives. The Nagas
are divided into seven main akharas—the
Juna or Bhairava, Agni, Avahana,
Niranjani, Ananda, Mahanirvani, and
Atala. Among the Bairagi Naga
ascetics—militant ascetics who are
devotees (bhakta) of the god Vishnu—
the largest division of forces is into anis
(“armies”), which are then subdivided
into akharas.
Akhyati
(“nondiscrimination”) Theory of error
propounded by Prabhakara, a member of
the Purva Mimamsa philosophical
school, who lived in the seventh or eighth
century C.E. All the theories of error aim to
explain why people make errors in judg-
ment, such as the stock example of mis-
taking the silvery flash of a seashell for a
piece of silver. Prabhakara explains this
error as rooted in the inability to make
sharp distinctions. The person uncritically
connects two simple judgments, “that
object is silvery” and “silver is silvery.” By
themselves, both of these statements are
true; what is false is their combination into
the complex judgment, “that object is sil-
ver.” According to Prabhakara, the prob-
lem lies not with the simple impressions
given by perception (pratyaksha) or
memory—both of which are true—but
with their uncritical connection, in which
the mind fails to recognize that other
judgments are possible. For further infor-
mation see Bijayananda Kar, The Theories
of Error in Indian Philosophy, 1978; and
Karl H. Potter (ed.), Presuppositions of
India’s Philosophies, 1972.
Akkadevi
Sister of King Jayasimha II (1015–1042
C.E.), a monarch in the Chalukya
dynasty that ruled large parts of the
Deccanpeninsula. Akkadevi was impor-
tant not only through her family con-
nections but also because she served as
a provincial governor in her brother’s
kingdom. Her example shows that
womenin powerful families have often
been able to overcome the seeming
social disadvantages imposed by their
gender, a maxim proven most recently
by Sonia Gandhi.Akrura
In Hindu mythology Akrura is most
famous as the envoy from the royal
court at Mathura, who takes the god
Krishnaaway from Krishna’s childhood
home in Braj, never to return. Krishna’s
wicked uncle, King Kamsa, instructs
Akrura to lure Krishna and his brother
Balaramato a festival, where they will
be killed in a “friendly” bout with some
wrestlers. Akrura sees through the plot
and warns Krishna about it, but he
remains indelibly associated with
Krishna’s departure from Braj, which for
his devotees (bhakta) is the bitterest
moment in all of Krishna’s mythology.
For a moving, dramatic account of this
incident, see John Stratton Hawley, At
Play with Krishna, 1981.Akshakumara
In the Hindu epic theRamayana, this
is one of the sonsof Ravanaby his wife
Mandodari. Akshakumara fights
bravely and valiantly in the war
against Rama’sarmy but is eventually
killed by Rama’s servant, the monkey-
deity, Hanuman.Akshamala
A string of beads used to keep count
when reciting prayers or mantras,
sometimes translated by the accessi-
ble but misleading term “rosary.” An
akshamala is one of the most common
religious articles, and the materialsAkhyati