religious community.) Because Rasik
worship is complex and highly devel-
oped, it has remained an elite phenom-
enon largely confined to a small
group of ascetics. For further informa-
tion see Peter van der Veer, Gods on
Earth, 1988; and Philip Lutgendorf,
The Life of a Text, 1991.
Ramsnehi
Renunciant asceticcommunity made
up of devotees (bhakta) of the god
Vishnu—in his form as the god Rama—
whose practice stresses the love (sneha)
of Rama. The Ramsnehis have three
main centers, all located in the state of
Rajasthan. These centers are unique in
that each pays homage only to its own
founder, and no founder or preceptor is
honored by all three. Ramsnehi religious
practice focuses on the repetition of the
name of Rama, but has also been influ-
enced by the Jains. Because of this latter
influence the Ramsnehis voluntarily
take on many restrictions to avoid
destroying life.
Ranade, Mahadev Govind
(1842–1901) Lawyer, judge, and one of
the great Hindu social reformers of
nineteenth-century India. Along with
his younger contemporary, Gopal
Krishna Gokhale, Ranade was marked
by his commitment to reform Hindu life
by seeking the cooperation of the British
government and by working within
established institutions. Ranade was
among the first generation of Indians to
be educated in British schools and, after
earning his degree at Bombay
University, chose a career in law. In thirty
years as a judge Ranade worked dili-
gently to reform certain religious prac-
tices that were deemed social abuses,
particularly issues concerning child
marriage and widowremarriage. He was
also a founding member of the
Prarthana Samaj, a Hindu reformist
organization that sought to attain simi-
lar goals. In addition to his interests in
law, Ranade applied himself to the study
of economics, to provide practical guid-
ance for economic development.Ranganatha
(“the rocking lord”) A particular form of
the god Vishnu, in which the god is
depicted as sleeping on the back of
his serpent couch, Shesha, floating in
the sea of cosmic dissolution (pralaya).
The most famous example of this image
is housed in the Ranganathaswamy
temple in Shrirangam, in the state of
Tamil Nadu.Rasa
(“tastes”) In Indian aesthetics, the nine
moods that can be generated in an audi-
ence by various types of artistic expres-
sion: erotic, comic, compassionate,
cruel, heroic, terrifying, loathsome,
marvelous, and peaceful. These nine
rasas correspond to the nine bhavas
(“states”): sexual excitement, laughter,
grief, anger, energy, fear, loathing, won-
der, and peace. The nine bhavas are
considered to be the most basic unadult-
erated emotions, and although each of
the rasas corresponds to one of the
bhavas, there is an important difference.
Human emotive states come and go in
response to circumstances largely
beyond our control. Such emotive states
often cannot be sustained, and they are
generally not objects of aesthetic satis-
faction. The case is very different for an
aesthetic mood (rasa), which can be sus-
tained, since it is artificially generated
through artistic expression. This
emphasis on creating and sustaining
such a mood for an audience is the
dominant goal of the performing arts in
the Hindu tradition.Rasayana
(“method of essences”) Alchemical
school specializing in the use of certain
chemicals, particularly compounds
made from elemental mercury, in a
quest to transmute the body and render
it immortal. Some scholars have charac-
terized rasayana as the Buddhist schoolRamsnehi