Hindu Feasts, Fasts and Ceremonies/Appendix B
APPENDIX B.
Glossary
Ashtami.—The eighth day of a fortnight.
Bhagavad Gita or the Song-Celestial is a dialogue between the hero Arjuna and Krishna who had incarnated upon earth to restore righteousness. It forms Chaps. 25—42 of the Bhishmaparva of the Mahabharata and therein are set forth the path of action, the path of devotion, and the path of knowledge, all leading towards one goal, in a manner which is pre-eminently useful to the man of the world engaged in the busiest affairs of life, as to the recluse in the forest.
Bachkanas.—Cloths worn by young children.
Bhavishyottara-purana.—The title of a book— the sacred book which describes the events which are to occur in the future.
Dhoties.—Cloths worn by males.
Dvaraka.—A sacred place in the extreme western projection of the peninsula of Kathiawar, about seven hundred miles to the south-west of Mathura (Muttra) Krishna is Dvarakavasin, one who resides in Dvaraka. It is said that Krishna got the god Visvakarman to build Dvaraka for him on land which the sea bared by receding at his request and the reason assigned for his seeking Dvaraka is that Jarasandha, a king of the Magadhas drove away Krishna and the Yadavas from Mathura.
Ganges.—The river Ganges or Ganga is the mother of Kumara and represents the goddess Vak or Vidya.
Garbagriha.—The Garbagriha is the innermost part of a Hindu Temple, called the holy of the holies. In the Garbagriha the image of the temple god is placed and worshipped.
Gayatri.—The sacred Gayatri verse, to which great religious importance is attached, freely translated means: "Let us meditate as on ourselves, on the shining Creator and All-pervader, that divine light which destroys avidya or ignorance and its effects. May that Sun enlighten our intelligence."
This is also the prayer taught to the initiate when he becomes a Brahmana in the Upanayana ceremony, and is used in several rites connected with sacrifices. The verse is repeated many times in the daily Sandhya worships. The sage Visvamitra is supposed to be the author of the Gayatri verse.
Kallan.—A criminal tribe found chiefly in the districts of Madura, Trichinopoly and Tanjore.
Kasan.—A shrub bearing purple flowers, Memyecylon tinctorium. Vishnu’s colour is said to resemble the colour of Kasan. Kaveri-snana.—A snana or bath in the river Kaveri. The term Kaveri-snana is applied to fees paid to Brahmans for performing baths in the sacred river Kaveri. The fee thus paid is supposed to wash away the sin of the donor.
Ketaki.—The sweet-scented screwpine flower, Pandanas oderatissima.
Navami.—The ninth day of a fortnight.
Philosophy of the Hindus.—There are six schools of Indian philosophy and they are the Nyaya, the Vaisheshika, the Sankhya, the Yoga, the Purva Mimamsa and the Uttara Mimamsa schools. For a good idea of these our readers are referred to Professor Max Muller’s excellent treatise on the Six Systems of Indian Philosophy.
Rahukala.—An inauspicious portion of the day of the duration of an hour and a half, being that part which is considered to be under the influence of Rahu, the ascending node regarded as one of the nine planets.
Sandhya.—The Sandhya worship in which the Gayatri is used seems to be of very ancient date. The following account is found in the Taittiriya Aranyaka:—
In the old days, the Rakshasas performed hard penances when the god Prajapati asked them as to what boon they wished for. They said in reply : ‘Grant that we should fight with the sun’ which request the god granted. From that day these Rakshasas are said to be fighting with the rising sun till he sets. But they are put down by means of the water consecrated by uttering the Gayatri. Therefore, these Brahmavadins, facing the east at the morning Sandhya, throw up water consecrated by uttering the Gayatri. The particles of that water become Vajra weapons and throw the Rakshasas down into the island called Mandeharuna. By turning round to the right after throwing up the water, they blow away sin. The Brahman who contemplates the sun at sunrise and sunset and performs Sandhya gets all happiness.
Samudra-snana.—A snana or bath in the sea. This term also like the Kaveri-snana is applied to fees paid to the Brahmans.
Sankalpa.—A solemn vow.
Sari.—A dress consisting of an entire piece of cloth wrapped several times round the loins; and falling down over the legs to the ankle serves as a petticoat. The other end is passed round the neck and hangs on one side.
Sthala-purna.—A purana or legend describing the history of a certain sacred place or temple. It is more mythological than historical.
Sravishta.—The twenty-third lunar mansion consisting of four stars.
Tarka.— Logic.
The Upanishads.—The word Upanishad signifies according to Sri Sankara "that knowledge which tears asunder the veil of ignorance and makes one realise and approach Brahman." It also means "esoteric knowledge or esoteric doctrine" as we find in the Taittiriya Upanishad, Chapter 1, 3, "We shall now explain the Upanishad of the Samhita" meaning its esoteric meaning. In the Mahabharata, the word Upanishad is used for secret or essence, for when Vyasa speaks of "truth being the Upanishad of the Veda, subjigation of sense, the Upanishad of truth, and charity the Upanishad of the control of the senses," he means that the essence of the Vedas lies in the practice of the influences and that without the latter a knowledge of the Vedas is of no use. Primarily, the word Upanishad therefore means secret knowledge and secondly the books containing that knowledge.
The Upanishads are many in number but the authoritative Upanishads are the Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Munda, Mandukya, Aitreya, Taittireya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka and Swetaswatara. The Upanishads are mainly dialogues between teachers and pupils or discussions between sages at king’s courts or in the forest. In some cases the gods are declared as imparting knowledge of Brahman to men.
Upanayana.—The performance of Upanayana entitles the Brahmans, the Kshatriyas and Vaisyas to the application of dvija twice-born. The ceremony is known as the Upanayana because of the child being carried to or brought near his preceptor for initiation into the Veda. He has his first birth from his natural father and mother but his second birth is from Savitri, the Gayatri as mother, and the preceptor, Acharya, as father. The earliest period for the Upanayana is the seventh or the eighth year for a Brahman, the eleventh for a Kshatriya, and the twelfth for a Vaisya, the latest periods being respectively the 16th, 22nd, and the 24th years after which a prayaschita is necessary. The Yagyopavita or sacred thread which the child wears on the day of the Upanayana ceremony consists of three threads and is so called because the person wearing it is invested with the sign of Yagya, another name for Vishnu. The three threads are supposed to represent the three attributes of Satwa, Rajas, and Tamas of which the universe is composed or the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Siva in one. Its knots represent the pranava with the ardhmatra and it is worn with the formula: "The Yagyopavita is most sacred ; it is the ornament and sign of Brahmanhood. It was produced by Brahma sitting on his seat of lotus and from the threads of the stalk of lotus."
The Vedas.—The Vedas are four in number, viz., the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda. The Rig Veda consists entirely of hymns classified and arranged for worshipping with gratitude and wonder the great and beneficent manifestations and powers of nature. By an ancient custom some of these hymns were chanted in some forms of sacrifice, and a collection of these select hymns, set to music, was called the Sama Veda. Again, special sacrificial formulas were required for the use of the officiating priests, and these formulas were separately collected and known as the Yajur Veda. The Atharva Veda was the last one. The study of the Vedas which were supposed to embody alj the learning which it was given to man to acquire, was considered the most important duty and the most cherished heritage of all Hindus.
Vyakarana.—Grammar