näga (2)
Naked ascetics, quite often militant.Naimi•a
A forest near the Gomatï river, in
which, according to tradition, the
Mahäbhärata was first recited to the
assembled sages by the Süta (a tradi-
tional narrator).Nai•kärmya-siddhi
Treatise by SUREŸVARA, a disciple of
ŸA¢KARA(2), which expounds the final
truth (siddhi) of ADVAITAVEDÄNTA.naivedya
The offering of cooked food during the
daily mürti-püjä(IMAGEworship).nak•atra
Constellation or lunar mansion, the
position of the moon within one of the
27 or 28 parts into which astronomers
divided the zodiac belt. The moon is
seen in a different mansion each day.
For ASTROLOGERSthe position of the
moon in a specific nak•atrais the basis
for all prognostications. They are per-
sonified as daughters of Dak•a married
to the moon.Nakula
The fourth of the Päæõava brothers, son
of MÄDRÏ, famous for his skill with
horses. (See alsoMAHÄBHÄRATA.)Näm(a)dev(a) (1270–1350)
Mahärä•flrian poet-saint, born in
Pandharpur, a centre of Vi•æu worship,
into a low-caste family of tailors. Con-
verted from a dissolute life by
JÑÄNEŸVARAto the worship of VIfifiHOBÄ,
together with twelve members of his
family, he composed a very large num-
ber of abhaögs (HYMNS), which are still
used in worship at Pandharpur.näma–rüpa (‘name and form’)
It is said that in the beginning ‘reality’
was one and undifferentiated: there
were no specific things and no manifes-
tation of anything. By obtaining ‘name’
and ‘form’, individual entities emerged
and became manifest. Subsequently the
expression näma–rüpa was used by
Indian philosophers as a shorthand for
finiteness, individuality and particular-
ity. Näma–rüpaconstitutes an entity as
object, as opposed to consciousness as
subject.Nambüd(i)ris
The highest caste of BRÄHMAŒAS (2)
(brahmins) in Kerala, often referred to
as exemplars of CASTEconsciousness; in
former times a NAYARhad to precede a
Nambüdri when he left his house, and
announce his coming, to make sure that
no OUTCASTEwas in sight, because a
mere glimpse would pollute him.name
Names are considered the expression of
the people bearing them. Names and
name giving are consequently very
important in Hindu traditions. Hindu
parents are advised, when naming a
child, to chose a name that is pleasant to
hear, auspicious in meaning, and appro-
priate for their station. The revealed
names of God are believed to be identi-
cal to the divine essence: ‘taking the
name’ is the equivalent of entering reli-
gious life, and repeating the name
(näma-japa) is one of the most common
religious exercises. There are litanies of
a thousand names (Sahasra näma) of
the major deities that are recited by the
devotees.Nammä¶vär (ninth century?)
(‘our saint’)
Also known as Ÿathakopa, he is consid-
ered the greatest among the Ä®VÄRS. Henäga 124Encyclo - Letter N 10/2/03 9:52 am Page 124