Rishis(sages), 298
Rituals, Hindu, 16; bathing, 36–37, 72;
consecration, 37; of death, 72; Devi
jagrata, 159; fasting, 33; fire in, 84, 85;
garlands in, 219, 221; inner meaning
of, 245; life cycle in, 17–18; marriage,
17, 63–75; in mass media, 241; at Sri
Venkateswara temple (Penn Hills,
PA), 241–42, 247n8; symbolism in,
239–41; types of, 104; Varalaksmi
Vratham, 241; Vedic, 12–13
Roszak, Theodore: Where the Wasteland
Ends, 46
Rowland, Benjamin, 239
Rupa (Gosvami), 107
Rushdie, Salman, 293
Sacrifice: animal, 27n4; modes of, 295
Sadgurus. SeeSatgurus
Sadhana(spiritual discipline), 167
Sadhus(ascetics), 76–77; acaryas, 82; be-
lief in Vishnu, 77; bhavnaof, 134; in-
cantations by, 135; mendicants, 80–81,
84; pilgrimages by, 80–81, 84, 86, 87;
at Ramlilasof Ramnagar, 117, 118,
120, 125, 129, 130, 135; on transforma-
tion, 132
Sagar, Ramanand, 140–41; Aankhen, 144;
Arzoo, 144; love ofManas, 144–45, 150;
Ramayanaof, 20, 140–53; response to
critics, 149; as storyteller, 151; use of
kathatradition, 150–51
Sagar Enterprises, 154n12
Saints: bhakti, 201–5, 210; poet, 203, 233
Saints, Muslim, 266; attacks on tombs of,
262; shrines of, 45; tombs of, 7,
266–70
Faiva theology, 161
Saksara(cycle of life and death), 50
Faktasinging, 104
Faktatheology, 161, 166
fakti(feminine creative principle), 33, 40,
173, 182, 252; Anandamayi Ma’s, 183;
degrees of, 168; of goddesses, 159, 160;
inherited, 167; in Feranvaliworship, 161
Samatananda, Swami, 182–83
Samvada(dialogue), 289, 298
Sambhaji Brigade, 6
Sakkalpa(intention), 291, 292
Sampoorna Ramayana(film), 149
Samskaras(life cycle ceremonies), 17
Samskaras(predisposition): for goddess
possession, 167
Sanatana (Gosvami), 107
Sankaranarayanan, Vasanti, 218
Sannyasa(renunciatory initiation),
76–87; ceremony for, 82–86; entitle-
ment to, 81–82; fire in, 84, 85; instruc-
tion for, 80
Sannyasis(renunciants), 17–18, 76, 251;
apparel of, 82, 85; bathing by, 86, 87;
cremation of, 18; first food of, 86; staff
of, 85; topknot of, 85
Santhanagopalachari, Sri K. V., 247n3
SantosiMa(goddess), 161
Sant Tukaram(film, 1936), 153n5
Saptagiri Vani(Sri Venkateswara bul-
letin), 237, 239, 241
Satgurus, 185; relationship to followers,
192
Sati, 71
Satsangis, 185–86; communion among,
193; wealthy, 192
Satsangs, 184–95; Radhasoami, 193
Satyagraha, Gandhian, 26, 288; in Hindu
diaspora, 284; in Hindu studies,
283–85; principles of, 284
Satyanarayana, worship of, 241
Savari(possessed person), 164. See also
Goddess possession
Schmalenbach, Eugen, 193
Secularism: of Congress Party, 261; post-
colonial, 262
Self, genderless, 181
Self-inquiry, Vedantic principles of, 242
Sensex (stock exchange), 1