Anirvachaniyakhyati
(“indescribable discrimination”) This
is a particular theory of errorthat
aims to explain why people make
errors in judgment, such as the stock
example of mistaking the silvery flash
of a seashell for a piece of silver. This
theory was advanced by the philo-
sophical school of Advaita Vedanta, a
group that would consider this judg-
ment to be a false one; they would also
believe, however, that until one real-
izes that the object is just a shell, one
actually sees the silver there.
The Advaita theory of error is based
on the fundamental concept of super-
imposition (adhyasa), in which one
perceives something that is actually
there (in this case, the shell). This
real object is the basis for the illusory
perception (the silver), which is a
mistaken projection. The Advaitins
claim that the “silver” is real insofar
as it is based on the shell, and false
insofar as one believes it to be
precious metal.
Of course, according to the
Advaitins, the shell and all the other
“real” things of the world are them-
selves ultimately illusory since they
are superimposed on Brahman, the
only thing in the universe that is truly
real. For further information see
Bijayananda Kar, The Theories of Error
in Indian Philosophy, 1990; and Karl
H. Potter (ed.), Presuppositions of
India’s Philosophies, 1972.
Anjali Hasta
In Indian dance, sculpture, and ritual,
the anjali hasta is a particular hand
gesture(hasta) in which the palms of the
two hands are joined together with the
fingers pointing upward, often with the
base of the thumbs resting against the
chest. This gesture conveys respect and
prayerful devotion.
In modern India this is also the
most common gesture of greeting and
salutation. Since traditional Indian society
was (and to some extent, remains) so
intensely conscious of purity, it is not
surprising that this greeting can convey
respect without requiring one to touch
another person, which could transmit
impurity (ashaucha) from one person
to another.Anjana
In the Ramayana, the earlier of the
two great Hindu epics, Anjana is the
mother of the monkey-deity Hanuman.
In her previous birth, Anjana was a
goddess, but as the result of a curse, she
is born as a monkey. With the birth of
Hanuman (fathered by Vayu, the god of
wind), the curse was lifted and she
returned to heaven.Ankusha
(“elephantgoad”) This is a weapon with
a wooden or metal handle, with a point
and a sharp hook that real elephant han-
dlers use to coax and goad elephants—
sometimes by poking them with the
hook, sometimes by hitting them with
the butt of the handle.
The ankusha is an important symbol
in Hindu iconography and is primarily
associated with the god Ganesh—per-
haps partly because of his elephant head.
This weapon also corresponds with
Ganesh’s stature as the Lord of Obstacles,
since he can use the ankusha to poke
and prod them out of the way.
Aside from Ganesh, the ankusha is
also a symbol associated with certain
powerful forms of the Goddess. This
may originate with the myth that
describes her as being formed from the
collected radiance of all the gods, and
receiving duplicates of their weapons
from them.Annakut
(“Mountain of food”) Northern Indian
festival celebrated on the day after the
festival of Diwali(October–November).
This festival is more popularly known as
Govardhan Puja.Anirvachaniyakhyati