Further reading: G. S. Ghurye with L. N. Chapekar,
Indian Sadhus (Bombay: Popular Prakashan, 1964);
Dolf Hartuiker, Sadhus: India’s Mystic Holy Men (Lon-
don: Thames & Hudson, 1993).
Avalon, Arthur See WOODROFFE, SIR JOHN.
avatar
Avatar is a modern Hindi word from the SAN-
SKRIT word avatara, which means “one who has
descended to the earthly realm.” The word in
both its Sanskrit and its Hindi forms is used
in VAISHNAVISM to refer to the incarnations of
Vishnu, which usually number 10. Technically,
Shiva never becomes an avatar. In recent times,
the word avatar has come to be used for any
enlightened teacher. It is, in effect, an honorific
bestowed upon the teacher by his or her disciples
or the larger community. One such example is
Avatar ADI DA SAMRAJ.
Further reading: Antonio T. de Nicolas, Avatar, the
Humanization of Philosophy through the Bhagavad Gita
(New York: N. Hays, 1976).
avidya
Avidya, or “ignorance,” is a centrally important
term in Hinduism. The term also has an impor-
tant place in Buddhism. Avidya is the funda-
mental ignorance that causes us to misperceive
the phenomenal world. Ignorance causes us to
imagine that what we see is the only reality, when
this is not the case. There is an underlying real-
ity that transcends the mundane sphere and also
underlies it, but which cannot be seen by ordi-
nary vision.
In the VEDANTA of SHANKARA this misunder-
standing or avidya is often equated with MAYA,
or illusion. According to Shankara avidya is the
perception of an actual reality when there is none
there, only a false or illusory reality. The only
thing real is the BRAHMAN, which underlies all
names and forms.
In Hindu tantrism the understanding of
avidya is different. In that tradition, avidya is
what makes us see the world as other than the
divinity. The word is used in theistic, nontantric
contexts in the sense of misperception of the
nature of things.Further reading: Aditi De, The Development of the
Concept of Maya and Avidya with Special Reference to
the Concept of Vivarta: An Interpretation of Sankara
Philosophy (Patna: De, 1982); John Grimes, The Seven
Great Untenables (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1990);
Chandranarayan Mishra, The Problem of Nescience
in Indian Philosophy (Darbhanga: Kashinath Mishra,
1977); Swami Muktananda, From the Finite to the Infi-
nite, 2d ed. (South Fallsburg, N.Y.: SYDA Foundation,
1994); Bashistha Narain Tripath, Indian View of Spiri-
tual Bondage (Varanasi: Aradhana Prakashan, 1987).Ayodhya
Ayodhya is located in North India on the Gogra
River (formerly the Sharayu), just east of Faizabad
in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the city
where Lord RAMA, the AVATA R of VISHNU, was born
and where he ruled. Rama’s story is told in the
ancient Indian epic the RAMAYANA.
Since the time of the Ramayana story, Ayodhya
has been recognized as an important urban center
and both Hindu and Jain (see JAINISM) mythologi-
cal literature mentions this city and its king often.
In modern times, Ayodhya has become a place of
controversy because of a medieval mosque that
is said to have been built upon the birth place of
Lord Rama. (Because of controversy over the site
the mosque had been decommissioned for many
years.) Encouraged by politics, this mosque was
destroyed in 1993 by fervent Hindus, commenc-
ing a time of sharpened conflict between Hindus
and Muslims in India.Ayodhya 57 J