body, along with a certain amount of
his partner’s blood. Despite some com-
mentators’ discomfort and denials
(characteristic of most references to
sexual activity as part of Hindu spiritu-
al practice), vajroli mudra is consistent-
ly named as one of the Nathpanthi
practices. For further information see
George W. Briggs, Gorakhnathand the
Kanphata Yogis, 1982.
Vakataka Dynasty
(4th–6th c.) Central Indian dynasty
whose ancestral homeland was in the
center of modern India. The Vakataka
zenith came between the fourth and
sixth centuries, during which their sway
extended through most of the Deccan
plateau. At the turn of the fifth century,
the Vakataka king Rudrasena II married
Prabhavati Gupta, creating a marriage
alliance with the northern Indian Gupta
dynasty that gave the two dynasties
sway over much of India. Prabhavati
Gupta ruled as regent following
Rudrasena’s untimely death, during
which the Vakataka kingdom was a vir-
tual part of the Gupta empire, but in the
time after that the Vakatakas regained
greater autonomy.
Vallabhacharya
(1479–1531) Philosopher, teacher, and
founder of the religious community
known as the Pushti Marg. Vallabha-
charya propounded a philosophical
position called Shuddadvaita (“pure
non-dualism”), in which the Ultimate
Reality was conceived as personalized,
in the form of Krishna, rather than the
impersonal Brahman propounded by
the Advaita Vedanta school. Since
Vallabhacharya had personalized his
conception of the Supreme Reality, the
supreme religious goal was conceived in
terms of relationship with that divine
person. This stress on devotion was
soon articulated in elaborately arranged
forms of image worshipin the Pushti
Marg’s temples. The devotees (bhakta)
would visualize themselves as Krishna’s
companions during his daily activi-
ties—waking, eating, taking the cows
to graze, coming home, etc.—and thus
gain the opportunity to take part in the
divine play (lila). This emphasis on
visualization and participation was
fostered through the development of
vast liturgical resources, which were
composed by eight poets (the ash-
tachap) who were associated with
Vallabhacharya and Vitthalnath, his
sonand successor. For further informa-
tion see R.K. Barz, The Bhakti Sect of
Vallabhacarya,1976.Vallabhite
Popular name for the followers of
Vallabhacharya. As the suffix clearly
shows, this term is one term formed by
non-Hindus that was used to describe a
particular Hindu group. In earlier times
it was used by British government offi-
cials, but today it is used mainly by
scholars, usually foreigners. Vallabha’s
own followers would be far more likely
to describe themselves as belonging to
the Pushti Marg.Valli
In the mythology of southern India, the
god Skanda(in his southern Indian
form as Murugan) becomes enamored
of and marries Valli, a young girl from a
group of tribal hunters. The marriage
takes place despite his earlier marriage
to the goddess Devasena, who has been
given to him by Indraand the estab-
lished Hindu gods. Murugan’s marriage
with Valli is a sign of his connection with
the land and probably reflects his earlier
past as a tribal deity. The marriage is
described as taking place at Tiruttaniin
Tamil Nadu, but he is also described as
settling at Kataragamain Sri Lanka.Valmiki
In Hindu mythology, a sage who is
regarded as the first poet, and who is tra-
ditionally cited as the author of the
Ramayana, the earlier of the two great
Sanskrit epics. According to legend,Valmiki