Dictionary

Versions of the Ramayana !Rama and Hanuman fighting Ravana, an album painting on paper, c1820 Depending on the methods of counting, as many as three hundred versions of the Indian Hindu epic poem, the Ramayana, are known to exist. The oldest version is generally recognized to be the Sanskrit version attributed to the sage Narada, the Mula Ramayana. Narada passed on the knowledge to Valmiki, who authored Valmiki Ramayana, the present oldest available version of Ramayana....

Vibhandaka type Hindu name Vibhandaka affiliation Rishi children Rishyashringa texts Mahabharata Vibhandaka (विभण्डक) is a rishi in Hinduism, belonging to the lineage of Sage Kashyapa. His son was Rishyashringa, featured in the epic Ramayana. Legend The Mahabharata states that Sage Vibhandaka once chanced upon Urvashi, the most beautiful of the apsaras. While observing her, he was so aroused that he produced seminal fluid, which fell into some water. The water was consumed by a female deer, after which the creature subsequently became pregnant, and gave birth to a son whom the sage called Rishyashringa, named for the horns upon his head when he was born....

Vibhu Vibhu (Sanskrit:विभु) means – ‘mighty’, ‘powerful’, ’eminent’, ‘supreme’, ‘able to’, ‘capable of’, ‘self-subdued’, ‘firm’ or ‘self-controlled’; in Nyaya philosophy, it means – ’eternal’, ’existing everywhere’, ‘all-pervading’, ‘pervading all material things’. This word also refers to manas) or mind. This word has its root in the term, bhū ( भू), meaning – ‘become’, ‘arise’, ‘come into existence’; thus vibhu means – ’expand’, ‘become manifest’, ‘appear’, ‘pervade’. Vedic significance अहं ह्युग्रो मरुतो विदानो यानि चयवमिन्द्र इदीश एषाम् || (Rig Veda I....

Vichara Vichāra, (Pāli: vicāra) in Buddhism, means deliberation; It is the faculty of discrimination that discerns the Real, Brahman, from the unreal. Etymology Vichāra (विचार) means deliberation; its root is वि (prefix to verbs and nouns it expresses) – चर् (to move, roam, obtain knowledge of). It is the faculty of discrimination between right and wrong; it is deliberation about cause and effect, and the final analysis. This Sanskrit word, Vichāra, does not have a corresponding word in English....

Vidya (philosophy) Vidya (विद्या, ) figures prominently in all texts pertaining to Indian philosophy – meaning science, learning, knowledge, and scholarship. Most importantly, it refers to valid knowledge, which cannot be contradicted, and true knowledge, which is the intuitively-gained knowledge of the self. Vidya is not mere intellectual knowledge, for the Vedas demand understanding. Meaning Vidya primarily means “correct knowledge” in any field of science, learning, philosophy, or any factual knowledge that cannot be disputed or refuted....

Vijñāna Vijñāna (विज्ञान) or viññāa (विञ्ञाण) is translated as “consciousness,” “life force,” “mind,” or “discernment.” The term vijñāna is mentioned in many early Upanishads, where it has been translated by terms such as understanding, knowledge, and intelligence. In the Pāli Canon’s Sutta Pitaka s first four nikāyas, viññāa is one of three overlapping Pali terms used to refer to the mind, the others being manas) and citta. Each is used in the generic and non-technical sense of “mind” in general, but the three are sometimes used in sequence to refer to one’s mental processes as a whole....

Vijnanamaya kosha Vigyanamaya kosha is one of the five koshas that cover Atman). Vigyanamaya kosha literally means a shell that is composed of wisdom (vijnana) or intellect. It is the fourth covering of Atma. It is also the first layer of the causal mind located in the Vishudda chakra, the Ajna chakra and the Sahasrara chakra. Metaphysically, it is considered the first embodiment of light. The Vigyananamaya kosha according to Swami Sivananda The Vigyananamaya Kosha consists of the intellect in conjunction with the five organs of knowledge or the Jnana-Indriyas....

Vinayagar Agaval !Chola Ganesha Vinayagar Agaval is a devotional poetic hymn to the Hindu deity Ganesha. It was written in the 10th century during the Chola dynasty by the Tamil poet Avvaiyar, shortly before her death. It is considered to be her greatest poem. The 72-line ‘Agaval’ is a form of blank verse, close to speech. Vinayagar Agaval defines a religious path, part of the Tamil devotional tradition of Bhakti, within the Hindu philosophy of the Shaivite sect....

Vinayaki type Hindu name Vinayaki affiliation Shakti of Ganesha, Matrika, Yogini god_of Goddess of Beginnings symbol Modak mount Mouse consort Ganesha Vinayaki (Vināyakī) is an elephant-headed Hindu goddess. Her mythology and iconography are not clearly defined. Little is told about her in Hindu scriptures and very few images of this deity exist. Due to her elephantine features, the goddess is generally associated with the elephant-headed god of wisdom, Ganesha. She does not have a consistent name and is known by various names, Stri Ganesha (“female Ganesha” ), Vainayaki, Gajananā (“elephant-faced”), Vighneshvari (“Mistress of the remover of obstacles”) and Ganeshani, all of them being feminine forms of Ganesha’s epithets Vinayaka, Gajanana, Vighneshvara and Ganesha itself....

Viprachitti Viprachitti is a danava) featured in Hindu literature, a son of Kashyapa and Danu). According to the Mahabharata, he becomes the king of the Danavas after his brother Puloman was killed by Indra. Viprachitti marries Siṃhikā, who is the sister of Hiranyakashipu and a daughter of Diti. He has a son named Svarbhanu. His army is stated to have defeated the devas) under the guidance of Svarbhanu. Incarnation Viprachitti later incarnates as Jarasandha in the Mahabharata....

Viprata Vipratā (विप्रता) is derived from the word vipra (विप्र) which means ’excited, enthusiastic or inspired, seer, domestic priest, learned, wise, poet or a learned theologian or theologist.’ In the context of Hindu philosophy, this term occurs very significantly in the second śloka (verse) of Sri Shankara’s Vivekachudamani which śloka reads as follows: The purport of this statement is that all three twice-born castes are qualified to study the Vedas but attaining the status of viprata – that of being aBrāhmana – is very rare....

Viraj Verse 158 – God, cause of the regions of the universe etc., whose body consists of five elements, kindled by delusion “I am (this) All” thus has become Viraj. Verse 159 – Earlier than this (Viraj) is Sutram, for, if this one exists, (then also) Viraj (exists). (This is so) on account of another sruti and according to the indirect evidence (of the sruti-quotation, which reads:) “Understanding”. Verse 160 – Setting aside (the words) “consisting of food”, etc....

Visalakshi !The Hindu Goddess Parvati LACMA M.72.1.14 (1 of 2).jpg?width=300) Vishalakshi (विशालाक्षी) is primarily an epithet of the Hindu goddess Parvati. Shiva Purana Parvati is described to be Vishalakshi in a chapter in the Shiva Purana, when Shiva sets his eye on Parvati for the first time: Skanda Purana In the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana, Vishalakshi appears with Vishvanatha for grant a boon to Kubera during the Meghavahana Kalpa....

Visayah Viśayah primarily means – ’the sphere of influence or activity’, and also refers to – ‘dominion’, ‘kingdom’, ’territory’, ‘country’, ‘abode’, ’lands’ etc., but in Hindu philosophy, it has been used to indicate ’the subject matter’, ’the sense-objects’, ’the subject of interpretation’, ’the area or range of words’ or ’the field of experience’. According to the Mimamsakas a complete adhikarana (अधिकरणम्) i.e. main, relation or connection, consists of viśayah (विषयः) - the subject or the matter to be explained, viśeya (विशय) or sanśeya (संशय) - the doubt or the question arising upon that matter, pūrvapakśa (पूर्वपक्ष) – the prima facie argument concerning it, uttarpakśa (उत्तर्पक्ष) or siddhanta (सिद्धान्त) – the answer or the demonstrated conclusion, and sangati (संगति) – pertinency or relevancy or the final conclusion....

Vishishtadvaita !Ramanujacharya Vishishtadvaita (IAST ; विशिष्टाद्वैत), is a highly regarded school of Hindu philosophy belonging to the Vedanta tradition. Vedanta refers to the profound interpretation of the Vedas based on Prasthanatrayi. Vishishta Advaita, meaning “non-duality with distinctions”, is a non-dualistic philosophy that recognizes Brahman as the supreme reality while also acknowledging its multiplicity. This philosophy can be characterized as a form of qualified monism, attributive monism, or qualified non-dualism. It upholds the belief that all diversity ultimately stems from a fundamental underlying unity....