laks.a ̄ rcana praising by 1,000 names; a type of ritual performed to temple
icons.
langar communal kitchen in Sikhism.
laya yoga ethicalyoga.
lı ̄la ̄ literally, “play”; the view espoused by Na ̄t.yas ́a ̄stra, a text which
elaborates upon aesthetics, that is, drama, music, art; associated generally
with Kr.s.n.a, particularly in his childhood, and his playful mischievousness;
the world is seen as a “play” that one enters into joyfully.
lin.ga aniconic representation of the deity S ́iva; literally, “mark” or
“auspicious mark.”
maha ̄ka ̄ vya type of poetry; literally, “great poem.”
maha ̄ra ̄ja great king.
manas mind; in its widest sense, mind as the seat of intellectual operations
and of emotions.
man.d.ala circle, cycle; in literature, refers to cycles or chapters of a particular
work; also, used in meditation practice as a visual aid.
man.d.apa part of the Hindu temple; pavilion. (Tamil: man.t.apam.)
mantra syllable, word, or group of words which have some special
significance, often sacred in nature; used in meditation, chanting, and
temple ritual.
ma ̄ rga path; a particular means or way by which one lives a “religious” life,
or a path leading to release or liberation (moks.aa); for Buddhists, the
Eightfold Path that leads to the cessation (nirodha) of suffering (duh.kha).
masta ̄ bhis.ekam (mast-abhi-shekam)head anointing ceremony (see abhis.eka).
mat.ha monastery or solitary hut of an ascetic or student. (Tamil: mat.am.)
ma ̄tsya nya ̄ya literally, the “law of the fishes”; since big fish swallow smaller
fish, powerful rulers will “swallow” weak rulers.
ma ̄ya ̄ the measured world; illusion.
mleccha (mlekkh-a)foreigner or barbarian.
moks.a “liberation” or “release” from the vicissitudes of dharmic existence,
for example; the goal of a religious path; one of the four purus.a ̄rthasor
“goals” of the human (see also: ka ̄ma,artha,dharma).
mudra ̄ specific hand pose, each with a different meaning; used in art,
dance, and iconography.
mu ̄lamantra “primal insight”; usually given to a disciple by a guru.
muzuri (A) an Islamic emperor who is perceived to be a representative of
Alla ̄h.
naks.atra constellation; twenty-seven through which the moon passes each
month.
na ̄ma name;na ̄maandru ̄pa, together, designate an entity that has “name
and form,” as opposed to merely an abstract or conceptual existence.
nama ̄ z (U) Urdu ̄ for s.ala ̄t, the Islamic canonical prayer. The means given
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