Ashram
The abode of an asceticor religious renun-
ciant. The word is derived from a form of
the verb “to strive” and has several different
meanings: On one hand, an ashram is also
a place where one gives up one’s conven-
tional worldly striving; on the other hand,
it is a place at which one can seriously
strive for spiritual goals that are often less
emphasized in the material world.
In modern Hinduism (both in India
and abroad) the word can refer to a full
spectrum of living arrangements, from
a simple hut or cave inhabited by one
person to magnificent building com-
pounds that can house thousands of
people at a time.
Ashrama
(“stages, abodes”) See stages of life.
Ashrama Dashanami
One of the ten divisions of the Dashanami
Sanyasis, renunciant ascetics who are devo-
tees (bhakta) of Shiva. The Dashanamis
were supposedly established by the ninth-
century philosopher Shankaracharyain an
effort to create a corps of learned men who
could help to revitalize Hindu life. Each of
the divisions is designated by a different
name—in this case, ashrama (“hermitage”).
Upon initiation, new members are given
this name as a surname to their new
ascetic names, thus allowing for immediate
group identification.
Aside from their individual identity,
these ten “named” divisions are divided
into four larger organizational groups.
Each group has its headquarters in one of
the four monastic centers (maths) sup-
posedly established by Shankaracharya,
as well as other particular religious associ-
ations. The Ashrama Dashanamis belong
to the Kitawaragroup, which is affiliated
with the Sharada Mathin the city of
Dwaraka, located near the Arabian Sea.
The Ashrama division is considered
an elite group because it is one of the few
that will initiate only brahmins (the
other such divisions are the Saraswati
Dashanamis, Tirtha Dashanamis, and
part of the Bharati Dashanamis.)Ashtachap
(“eight seals”) A group of eight northern
Indian bhakti (devotional) poets:
Surdas, Krishnadas, Parmananddas,
Kumbhadas, Nanddas, Chaturbhujdas,
Chitswami, and Govindswami.
In the sectarian literature of the
Pushti Marg, a Vaishnavacommunity
whose members are devotees (bhakta)
of Krishna, all eight of these poets are
named as members of the sect and asso-
ciates of the Pushti Marg’s early leaders.
Surdas, Krishnadas, Parmananddas, and
Kumbhadas are connected with the
Pushti Marg’s founder, Vallabhacharya
(1479–1531); Nanddas, Chaturbhujdas,
Chitswami, and Govindswami are asso-
ciated with Vallabha’s sonand successor,
Vitthalnath(r. 1566–1585). Evidence of
their membership can be found in their
poetry, which confirms this claim for
many of the poets; for Surdas, however,
this claim seems highly unlikely.Ashtadhyayi
(“Eight Sections”) Text composed by the
Sanskrit grammarian Panini(ca. 4th c.
B.C.E.); the text’s name stems from theAshram
Religious leader at an ashram in Puri.