turies. Hindus have been very active in politics
in Malaysia.
See also DIASPORA; INDONESIA.
Further reading: Crispin Bates ed., Community, Empire,
and Migration: South Asians in Diaspora (New York:
Palgrave, 2001); George Coedes, The Indianized States
of Southeast Asia. Edited by Walter F. Vella (Canberra:
Australian National University Press, 1968); K. S.
Sandhu, Indians in Malaya: Some Aspects of Their Immi-
gration and Settlement (1786–1957) (London: Cam-
bridge University Press, 1969); K. S. Sandhu and
A. Mani, eds., Indian Communities in Southeast Asia
(Singapore: Times Academic Press and Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies, 1993); Steven Vertovec, The
Hindu Diaspora: Comparative Patterns (London: Rout-
ledge, 2000).
Mallinatha See TIRTHANKARAS.
mamsa See PANCHA MAKARA.
manas
Manas (mind) is the term for the mental capacity
in the 24 categories that define reality in SAMKHYA
and YOGA. It is seen to oversee the five capacities
of action and the five capacities of perception
directly. Above mind in the schema are the ego
(ahamkara) and the intellect (buddhi). While
manas is essential for the proper functioning of
the human being, it is always understood to be
subject to the whims of ego under the disguise
of instinct or in terms of ego’s role in creating the
“grasping” self.
Further reading: S. N. Dasgupta, History of Indian Phi-
losophy, Vol. 1 (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975).
mandala See YANTRA.
Mandukya Upanishad
The Mandukya is a short UPANISHAD (12 small
stanzas) in the Atharva Veda, one of the most
important for the ADVAITA (non-dual) VEDANTA of
SHANKARA. Shankara’s guru, GAUDAPADA, wrote a
commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad that
became important in that tradition.
In its first stanza the Upanishad establishes the
supremacy of the syllable om, equating it to the
ultimate BRAHMAN. Stanzas 3 through 7 outline the
four STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS. Stanzas 9 through
12 establish that the four parts of om (esoteri-
cally understood as a, u, m, and a fourth, which
is beyond parts) are identical to the four states of
consciousness, thus establishing om as the ATMAN
or self.Further reading: Patrick Olivelle, trans., The Early
Upanishads (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998);
S. Radhakrishnan, The Principal Upanishads (Atlantic
Highlands, N.J.: Humanities Press, 1994); Thomas E.
Wood, The Mandukya Upanisad and the Agamasastra: An
Investigation Into the Meaning of the Vedanta (Honolulu:
University of Hawaii Press, 1990).mangala
Mangala is the name for the planet Mars in Indian
tradition; in North Indian languages it is used as
the name for Tuesday. Its widest meaning, how-
ever, is “auspicious.” Along with its opposite,
amangala, the term is constantly heard on a daily
basis in Indian culture.
A number of factors can contribute to mak-
ing something auspicious in India. It may be an
astrological issue—the stars and conjunctions of
planets can indicate that a particular day, month,
or year will be mangala or amangala. Certain
individuals are by definition mangala, such as
GURUS, saints, and other holy men. Additionally,
certain events can be described as auspicious,
for instance, the arrival of an unexpected guest.
Places, including rivers, mountains, and shrines,
also can be seen as mangala, or auspicious, andmangala 275 J