(ed.), Presuppositions of India’s
Philosophies, 1972.
Apabhramsha
(“fallen away”) An important northern
Indian Prakrit, one of the vernacular
languages that developed naturally
from Sanskrit. Apabhramsha was the
latest addition to the Middle Indo-
Aryanlanguages and is considered a
direct precursor of early modern Hindi,
which was becoming established as
early as the twelfth century. Although
Apabhramsha has lesser status than
Sanskrit, it was nevertheless an impor-
tant regional literary language.
Apaddharma
Religious protocol that comes into effect
in times of distress, disturbance, natural
disaster, or social deterioration. The
practical effect of apaddharma is to sus-
pend most of the normal social rules,
particularly those governing interaction
and commensalitybetween different
social subgroups (jatis). In ordinary cir-
cumstances these rules are affected by
concepts of purity, impurity (ashaucha),
and relative social status.
The underlying message here is
that the preservation of life is more
important than such rules, and that
they can be broken to save a life—as in
the case of escaping a fireor flood, in
which the usual concerns about phys-
ical contact with lower-status people
are suspended.
Apana
One of the five bodily “winds” consid-
ered to be responsible for basic bodily
functions, the others being prana,
vyana, udana, and samana. The apana
wind is believed to exist in the region of
the anus and is associated with dis-
charging material out of the body: urine,
feces, gas, semen, menstrual discharges,
and the birthof children.
Apastamba
(4th c. B.C.E.?) Sage, writer, and
commentator. Apastamba is known for
his influential work with the Kalpa
Sutraform, a type of text that consists
of three essential elements: instruc-
tions for Vedic rituals (Shrauta
Sutras), for domestic rites (Grhya
Sutras), and for suitable human
behavior (Dharma Sutras).
He is one of three authors, along
with Baudhayanaand Hiranyakeshin,
who wrote complete Kalpa Sutras with
all three parts. All three of these
men belonged to the same school,
the Taittiriya school of the Black
Yajur Veda.
Apastamba’s Dharma Sutra is
extremely significant, for it is consid-
ered one of the major sources for the
law code attributed to Manu. This
code was an important legal docu-
ment even in the early twentieth cen-
tury, since India’s British rulers
considered it a source of “traditional”
Hindu law.Appar
(7th c. C.E.) One of the earliest of the
Nayanars, a group of southern Indian
poet-saints who were devotees (bhakta)
of the god Shiva. The Nayanars helped
to revitalize the Hindu religion through
their passionate devotion (bhakti) to a
personal god, conveyed through hymns
sung in the Tamil language.
Historians believe that Appar was born
into a Shaivite family but became a Jain
asceticin his youth. The turning point
came when he suffered a serious illness.
Discouraged when Jain medicines were
unable to cure his illness, he prayed to
Shiva for help and was cured.
Along with his younger contemporary
Sambandar, Appar actively confronted
and opposed the heterodox sects of the
times, particularly the Jains, with open
defiance, debates, and miracles. His great-
est achievement is reported to have been
the conversion of King Mahendravarman
(r. 600–630 C.E.), one of the greatest kingsApabhramsha