ulatbamsi, see Appendix A in Linda Hess
and Shukdev Singh (trans.), The Bijak
of Kabir, 1983.
Uma
Epithet of the goddess Parvati, wife of
the god Shiva. The name supposedly
comes from the exclamation uttered by
Parvati’s mother, Mena, when Parvati
announces that she intends to perform
asceticismto win Shiva as a husband.
According to the story, Mena covers her
ears with her hands and replies “U Ma!”
(Oh, don’t!) As with all forms of Parvati
(and all married goddesses), Uma is
a beneficent and benevolent presence,
maternal and life affirming, although
at times she can be capricious and
spiteful if insulted. For more informa-
tion on Uma and all the goddesses
of Hinduism, see David R. Kinsley,
Hindu Goddesses, 1986.
Untouchable
Name denoting certain jatiswho were
considered so impure that their very
presence was polluting to caste
Hindus, that is, Hindus belonging to
the four varnas (major social divi-
sions). Jatis are endogamous social
subgroups—groups in which members
are forbidden to marry outside of their
particular group—that were often
defined by the group’s hereditary occu-
pation. Untouchability usually stemmed
from occupations considered impure or
debased, such as working with leather,
in the case of the Chamars, or the
groups whose hereditary occupation
was to remove night soil, often by carry-
ing it in baskets balanced on their heads.
In traditional society, untouchables
were subject to numerous restrictions
and prohibitions on where they could
live, work, draw water, and even move
about. In many cases they had to
announce their presence to allow caste
Hindus to remove themselves from the
area. Although untouchability has been
illegal since independence, social atti-
tudes supporting it persist, and in a
country in which one’s name often con-
veys one’s jati, such discrimination is
difficult to escape. In many places these
people are still underprivileged and
desperately poor, as a legacy of the past.
In recent years they have become more
militant—among other things, adopting
the name dalit(“oppressed”) to describe
themselves—and have begun to
exercise their power at the ballot
box, trying to take advantage of their
considerable numbers.Upachara
(“honoring,” “entertaining”) In its literal
meaning, this word denotes the act of
showing politeness, courtesy, or honor
to any superior. In the context of wor-
ship, the meaning has been extended to
refer to the things that are normally
offered to the deityas part of the stan-
dard hospitality that would be offered to
any honored guest. Although there are
differing enumerations of these offer-
ings, one of the most common lists has
sixteen of them: summoning (avahana),
offering a seat (asana), water for wash-
ing the feet (padya), thirst-quenching
beverages (arghya), water for rinsing the
mouth (achamaniya), bathing (snana),
clothing (vastra), affixing the sacred
thread(yajnopavit), fragrant unguents
(anulepana), flowers (pushpa), incense
(dhupa), lamp (dipa), food (naivedya),
reverential salutation (namaskara), cir-
cumambulation (pradakshina), and
dismissal (visarjana). To give all sixteen
offerings is a long and detailed ritual,
and the most common of the offerings is
the eleventh, the offering of light, which
is also known as arati.Upadana
In Indian philosophy, the word
upadanadenotes the “material cause”
for something, that is, the stuff from
which it is formed. Although this notion
seems obvious to modern materialist
ears, it carries several important
assumptions that not all Indian
philosophical schools were willing toUma