Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism

Frauwallner, Erich 70 Frauwallner, Erich (1898–1974) Professor of Indian and Iranian studies at the University of Vienna. His co ...

Gaja-Lak•mï (‘Elephant-Lak•mï’) A portrayal of LAKÆMÏbeing doused by two elephants, one on each side, a favourite motif in Hindu ...

Returning to India in 1915 he joined the freedom movement and quickly rose to be one of its leaders. He organized mass civil dis ...

Bhägïratha to purify the ashes of the 60,000 sons of his ancestor King Sagara, who had been burnt to death by the anger of the s ...

ghï Clarified butter, an ingredient of many SACRIFICESand PÜJÄS, such as the Vedic sacrifice homa, in which ghï is thrown into f ...

The Vedas speak of 33 gods: 11 assigned to the earth, 11 to the heavens and 11 to the region in between. They address Agni (fire ...

founded the Servants of India Society, devoted to social and economical sup- port of the lower classes. At the age of 30 he beca ...

ered exemplary: they forsook their hus- bands and neglected their families in order to be with Kø•æa. They are the subject of nu ...

grammar See VYÄKÄRAŒA. gøha praveÿa (‘entering the house’) A ceremony performed by brahmins when a family first enters a new hom ...

Hacker, Paul (1913–79) Eminent Indologist. He taught at Bonn and Münster. His main contribution was the study of early ADVAITA, ...

happiness (sukha) This is the declared aim of all Hindu systems, spurred by the experience of unhappiness (duåkha). Hara (‘the o ...

Haflha-yoga (‘forced yoga’) A system of physical exercises designed to increase bodily strength and health. The Haflhayoga pradï ...

Hindu Mahäsabhä (‘Great Hindu Assembly’) Political party founded by Pandit Mohan MALAVIYAin 1909 to counter- act a perceived pro ...

birth of a child, entering the precise astronomical coordinates. All important events in the life of a person are decided upon a ...

icchä (‘desire’, ‘wish’) This usually has a negative connotation as longing for some finite object and therefore a hindrance to ...

85 International Society for Krishna Consciousness with AMØTA, nectar providing immor- tality. By a ruse the gods appropriated i ...

International Transcendental Meditation Society 86 public chanting of the Hare-Kø•æa MAHÄ-MANTRA. It is by now established in al ...

jaõa-patha (‘braided text’) A form of recitation of the Veda involv- ing a reverse reading. jagad-guru (‘world teacher’) Title a ...

by two smaller ones, carrying Kø•æa’s sister Subhädrä and his brother Baladeva. After seven days Kø•æa returns from his summer h ...

poet-saints. Asked by him to help him compose a large number of abhaögas she excelled in this task. According to legend she was ...