characterized by perceptions of subject
and object; the second is dream
sleep, which is sheer subjectivity; the
third is deep sleep, which has neither
subject nor object; and the last is a
mysterious state simply called “the
fourth” (turiya), which is the Self. This
state is identified as the ultimate truth,
and knowledge of this brings final
liberation of the soul (moksha).
Tvashtr
(“maker of carriages”) In the Vedas, the
oldest and most authoritative Hindu
religious texts, Tvashtr is a minor deity
known as the workman of the Vedic
gods. The Vedic hymns frequently men-
tion wheeled chariots as military
devices, and his name’s literal meaning
shows the esteem in which this craft was
held, as the apex of creative work. In the
Vedas, Tvashtr is famous for crafting the
weapons of the gods, especially the
mace with which the storm-god Indra
slays the serpent Vrtra(Rg Veda1.32). In
later times Tvashtr is identified with
the minor deity Vishvakarma, who in
later Hindu life becomes the architect
and craftsman of the gods. Since Tvashtr
has a much older textual presence
than Vishvakarma, this seems to be
an attempt to identify one divine
workman as another, based on their
similar functions.
Twice-Born
(dvija) In its most specific sense,
this word denotes a man from the
highest traditional social groups
(varnas)—brahmin, kshatriya, and
vaishya—who has undergone the ado-
lescent ritual initiationknown as the
upanayana samskara. This initiation
gives the entitlement and the obligation
to study the Vedas, the oldest Hindu
religious texts, and definitively divides
society between those who have this
entitlement and those who do not—
namely, all children, women, and men not
belonging to these three groups. Because
of this initiation’s ritual significance,
it was known as the second birth, and
thus the initiates were “twice-born.” The
first birth was biological and based on
nature, whereas the second was cultural
and marked higher religious status.
Although in its strictest sense this word
refers only to such initiates, in a more
general sense it can denote any person
belonging to a varna whose members
are eligible for this initiation—that is,
any brahmin, kshatriya, or vaishya.Twilight Language
One of the translations for the term
Sandhabhasha. Sandhabhasha is a
symbolic language used in tantra, a
secret, ritually based religious practice,
in which the elements of tantric
worship are described in a coded
language often drawn from the private
parts and functions of the human
body. This is done to hide the tradition’s
particulars from the uninitiated.
See Sandhabhasha.Twilight LanguageSadhu carrying a tumari.