hotr. (hotri)Vedic priest who pours libations into the sacrificial fire and
chants hymns from the R.g Veda; literally, “one who offers sacrifice.”
huzu ̄ r (P) “sacral presence” of Alla ̄h in the courts of the Islamic sultanates.
‘ı ̄d (A) “festival” or “day.”
‘ı ̄d al ad.h.a ̄ (A) “festival of the sacrifice”; commemorates the day on which
the Prophet Ibrahim tried to fulfill Alla ̄h’s command to sacrifice his son
Ishmael, but was prevented from doing so by an angel.
‘ı ̄d al fit.r (A) “festival of the breaking of the fast.” It is a time of celebration
and rejoicing for it officially brings the observance of fasting during
Ramad.a ̄n to a close.
ijma ̄‘(A) consensus of legal scholars regarding a particular moral or ethical
issue, it is one of the four sources of Sunnı ̄ Muslim jurisprudence (also
ı ̄d
̄j
̄ma ̄’).
ima ̄ m (A) individual interpreter of the Qur‘an, especially in Shı ̄ite Islam;
often the ima ̄m is both a religious and political figure.
̄sı ́vara (ishvara)lord; a personal deity found in some forms of yoga.
itiha ̄sa history; literally, “thus it was”; the Maha ̄bha ̄ratais referred to as itiha ̄sa
literature.
jamrat (A) the three stone pillars which symbolically represent the locations
where the devil attempted to tempt the Prophet Ibrahim away from the
path of Alla ̄h; pilgrims symbolically stone these pillars.
jiha ̄ d (A) “striving” to carry out the will of Alla ̄h.
jı ̄va life-entities, associated with Jainism (see also: ajı ̄va).
jizyah (A) the tax paid by non-Muslims (d
̄
h
̄immı ̄s) in exchange for protection.
jña ̄na knowledge, wisdom; one of the principal means of ascertaining how
one ought to live in order to live in accordance with dharma; a means of
attainingmoks.a(see also: dharma,moks.a).
ka‘ba (A) sacred stone that is in the center of the Grand Mosque of
Mecca, toward which Muslims face in prayer and to which they make
pilgrimage.
kaliyuga the last of the four cyclical time periods in Hindu cosmology.
ka ̄ma aesthetics; life of culture, e.g., literature, arts; love (i.e., Kamasu ̄ tra);
one of the four goals/aims of humankind (purus.a ̄rthas).
karma action; especially important in Buddhism, Jainism, and other ethical,
action-oriented systems.
kathak North Indian style of classical dance, characterized by rhythmic
footwork.
kevalajña ̄na in Jainism, knowledge isolated from karmic obstruction;
infinite knowledge; omniscience; knowledge involving awareness of every
existent thing in all its qualities and modes.
ks.atriya warrior class, previously known as rajanyas; second of four-fold class
scheme (see also: brahman,vais ́ya,s ́u ̄ dra).252 Glossary