Eastern Spirituality

Glossary Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Subtle nerve on the left side of the shushumna (the kundalini channel within the spine); the lunar nadi.

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The word Ikshvaku means "bitter gourd". Ikshvaku was the first king and founder of the Sun Dynasty in Vedic civilization in ancient India. He was the son of Manu (the first man on earth), sired by the Sun God, Surya. Rama, of the epic Ramayana is a descendant of the house of Ikshvaku. So are Bhagiratha, Dasaratha, Luv and Kusa.

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Ilvala and Vatapi were rakshasas, they ruled from Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, named after rakshasa king Vatapi. According to the Mahābhārata, Vatapi ruled the area along with his brother Ilvala. Legend has it that both rakshasa were vanquished by the sage Agasthya. Ilwala, the word means "absence of good qualities, of restless mind". Vaataapi means "one who drinks of all life” meaning "death". Once Ilvala invited a tapasvi Brahmin, played host to him with reverence and asked him to grant a boon. He desired to have a son equal to Indra. But the sage did not oblidge. Following this, his anger turned to hatred against all Brahmins and medicants. Ilvala and his brother Vatapi took a grudge against sages and hated them implacably.

Vatapi knew the art of transformation and had the power to change into any life form. Ilvala knew the ‘Mritasanjivani’ mantra to bring back the dead to life. They used these powers to loot and kill people. Ilvala would invite a brahman to a feast and Vatapi would turn himself into a goat. There he would serve the meat of the goat which Vatapi had turned into. Ilvala would offer the meat to the sages and later invoke his brother, Vatapi. After the Brahmin had partaken of the feast he would call his brother out by shouting "Vatape athragacha" who would rend his way back to life, tearing the belly of the guest.

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Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient being who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial. In its religious context the word is used to mean the descent from Heaven of a god, or divine being in human/animal form on Earth.

Example via www.ramdass.org: Re: Incarnations

Example via www.mindpodnetwork.com: Jack Kornfield – Heart Wisdom – Mystery & Compassion

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King of the Gods. The chief deity of the Rigveda, the god of weather and war as well as Lord of Svargaloka in Hinduism. Indra, also known as Śakra in the Vedas, is the leader of the Devas and the lord of Svargaloka or heaven in Hinduism. He is the deva of rain and thunderstorms. He wields a lightning thunderbolt known as vajra and rides on a white elephant known as Airavata. Indra is the most important deity worshiped by the Rigvedic tribes and is the son of Dyaus and the goddess Savasi. His home is situated on Mount Meru in the heaven. He has many epithets, notably vṛṣan the mighty, and vṛtrahan, slayer of Vṛtra, Meghavahana "the one who rides the clouds" and Devapati "the lord of devas". Indra appears as the name of a daeva in Zoroastrianism (though 'Indra' can be used in a general sense for a leader, either of devatas or asuras), while his epithet, Verethragna, appears as a god of victory. Indra is also called Śakra frequently in the Vedas and in Buddhism (Pali: Sakka). He is known Malay as Indera,in Kannada as Indra, in Telugu as Indrudu, in Tamil as Inthiran, Chinese as Dìshìtiān, and in Japanese as Taishakuten. He is celebrated as a demiurge who pushes up the sky, releases Ushas (dawn) from the Vala cave, and slays Vṛtra; both latter actions are central to the Soma sacrifice. He is associated with Vajrapani - the Chief Dharmapala or Defender and Protector of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha who embodies the power of the Five Dhyani Buddhas. On the other hand, he also commits many kinds of mischief (kilbiṣa) for which he is sometimes punished. In the Puranas, Indra is bestowed with a heroic and almost brash and amorous character at times, even as his reputation and role diminished in later Hinduism with the rise of the Trimurti.

Example via www.mindpodnetwork.com: Yudishthira And His Dog

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Son of Ravana, King of Lanka, also known as Meghanath, who conquered Indra, the Lord of Gods and received his name 'Indra-jit' (Victor of Indra), and who was killed by Rama's brother Lakshmana.

Indrajit or Meghanada was a prince of Lanka and a conqueror of Indra Loka (heaven). He was mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana as the son of king Ravana. Indrajit played an active role in the great war between Rama and Ravana. He was said to be invincible in battle because of a Yajna he used to perform before every battle. He was a mighty Atimaharathi. He is considered as the most powerful and the only warrior ever had the three ultimate weapons of Trimurti i.e.Brahmanda astra, Vaishnava astra and Pashupatastra. He twice defeated Lakshman and even Rama once, but on the third occasion Lakshmana disrupted the Yajna with the help of Vibhishana and fought with him for three days and three nights and finally killed him.

Meghnad is the central figure of Meghnad Badh Kabyo, a Bengali ballad, which describes Meghnad as a caring husband, a devoted son of parents and friend of all people.

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A mountain Arjuna passed on his way to the Himalayas to practise austerities to acquire powerful new weapons from Lord Mahadeva.

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Indraprastha (City of Indra) was a major northern city in ancient India that was the capital of the kingdom led by the Pandavas in the Mahabharata epic, located upon the banks of the river Yamuna, believed to be the site of present Purana Qila, in the modern national capital of Delhi.

Indraprastha ("City of Indra") was the capital of the kingdom led by the Pandavas in the Mahabharata epic. It is often thought to have been located in the region of present-day New Delhi but there is no certainty. The city is sometimes also known as Khandavaprastha, the name of a forest region on the banks of Yamuna river.

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A kinsman of the Pandavas, son of Nala and Damayanti.

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Daughter of Nala and Damayanti.

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"Bringer of joy to the assembly." Originally from Sanskrit karmadana, lit. bestower of conduct [karma]. In Zen, the supervisor of the meditation hall [sodo]. One of the six senior temple administrators.

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Arjuna's son by a Naga princess Ulupi who fell in the battle on the eighth day, fought on the side of the Pandavas, killed by the Rakshasa Alumvusha. Iravan (Sanskrit: Irāvān), also known as Iravat (Irāvat) and Iravant, is a minor character from the Hindu epic of Mahabharata. The son of Pandava prince Arjuna (one of the main heroes of the Mahabharata) and the Naga princess Ulupi, Iravan is the central deity of the cult of Kuttantavar —which is also the name commonly given to him in that cult—and plays a major role in the cult of Draupadi. Both these cults are of South Indian origin, from a region of the country where he is worshipped as a village deity and is known as Aravan (Aravāṇ). He is also a patron god of well-known transgender communities called Ali (also Aravani in South India, and Hijra throughout South Asia).

The Mahabharata portrays Iravan as dying a heroic death in the 18-day Kurukshetra War (Mahabharata war), the epic's main subject. However, the South Indian cults have a supplementary tradition of honouring Aravan's self-sacrifice to the goddess Kali to ensure her favour and the victory of the Pandavas in the war. The Kuttantavar cult focuses on one of the three boons granted to Aravan by the god Krishna in honour of this self-sacrifice. Aravan requested that he be married before his death. Krishna satisfied this boon in his female form, Mohini. In Koovagam, Tamil Nadu, this incident is re-enacted in an 18-day festival, first by a ceremonial marriage of Aravan to Alis and male villagers (who have taken vows to Aravan) and then by their widowhood after ritual re-enactment of Aravan's sacrifice.

The Draupadi cult emphasizes another boon: Krishna allows Aravan to witness the entire duration of the Mahabharata war through the eyes of his severed head. In another 18-day festival, the ceremonial head of Aravan is hoisted on a post to witness the ritual re-enactment of the Mahabharata war. The head of Aravan is a common motif in Draupadi temples. Often it is a portable wooden head; sometimes it even has its own shrine in the temple complex or is placed on the corners of temple roofs as a guardian against spirits. Aravan is worshipped in the form of his severed head and is believed to cure disease and induce pregnancy in childless women.

Iravan is also known in Indonesia (where his name is spelled Irawan). An independent set of traditions have developed around Irawan on the main island of Java where, for example, he loses his association with the Naga. Separate Javanese traditions present a dramatic marriage of Irawan to Titisari, daughter of Krishna, and a death resulting from a case of mistaken identity. These stories are told through the medium of traditional Javanese theatre (Wayang), especially in shadow-puppet plays known as Wayang Kulit.

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A Hindu philosophical concept of God referring to the Supreme Being which is the lord and the ruler of everything. Hinduism uses the term Ishvara exclusively to refer to the Supreme God in a monotheistic sense.

Ishvara (Sanskrit: Īśvara) is a concept in Hinduism, with a wide range of meanings that depends of the era and the school of Hinduism. In ancient texts of Indian philosophy, Ishvara means supreme soul, Brahman (Highest Reality), ruler, king or husband depending on the context. In medieval era texts, Ishvara means God, Supreme Being, personal god, or special Self depending on the school of Hinduism.

In Shaivism, Ishvara is synonymous with "Shiva", as the "Supreme lord over other Gods" in the pluralistic sense, or as an Ishta-deva in pluralistic thought. In Vaishnavism, it is synonymous with Vishnu. In traditional Bhakti movements, Ishvara is one or more deities of an individual's preference from Hinduism's polytheistic canon of deities. In modern sectarian movements such as Arya Samaj and Brahmoism, Ishvara takes the form of a monotheistic God. In Yoga school of Hinduism, it is any "personal deity" or "spiritual inspiration". In Advaita Vedanta school, Ishvara is a monistic Universal Absolute that connects and is the Oneness in everyone and everything.

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Hinduism: Within Hinduism, an Ishta-Deva or Ishta Devata (Sanskrit: iṣṭa-deva(tā), literally "cherished divinity" from iṣṭa "desired, liked, cherished, preferred" and devatā "godhead, divinity, tutelary deity" or deva "deity") is a term denoting a worshipper's favourite deity.

It is especially significant to both the Smarta and Bhakti schools wherein practitioners choose to worship the form of God which inspires them the most. Within Smartism, one of five chief deities are selected. Even in denominations that focus on a singular concept of God, such as Vaishnavism, the Ishta Deva concept exists. For example, in Vaishnavism, special focus is given to a particular form of Lord Vishnu or one of his Avatars (i.e. Krishna or Rama), and similarly within Shaktism, focus is given to a particular form of the Goddess such as Parvati or Lakshmi. The Swaminarayan sect of Vaishnavism has a similar concept, but notably differ from practically all Vaishnavite schools in holding that Vishnu and Shiva are different aspects of the same God.

Buddhism: Yidam is a type of deity associated with tantric or Vajrayana Buddhism said to be manifestations of Buddhahood or enlightened mind. During personal meditation (sādhana) practice, the yogi identifies their own form, attributes and mind with those of a yidam for the purpose of transformation. Yidam is sometimes translated by the terms "meditational deity" or "tutelary deity". Examples of yidams include the meditation deities Chakrasamvara, Kalachakra, Hevajra, Yamantaka, and Vajrayogini, all of whom have a distinctive iconography, mandala, mantra, rites of invocation and practice.

In Vajrayana, the yidam is one of the three roots of the "inner" refuge formula and is also the key element of Deity yoga since the 'deity' in the yoga is the yidam.

Glossary Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z