Barborka, Geoffrey - Gods and Heroes of the Bhagavad Gita

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GODS AND HEROES

OF THE

BHAGAVAD-GITA

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE MYTHOLOGYOF ANCIENT INDIA AS CONTAINED

IN THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, INCLUDINGTECHNICAL TERMS AND EXPLANATIONS:

IN THE LIGHT OF THEOSOPHY

GEOFFREY A. BARBORKA

THEOSOPHICAL UNIVERSITY PRESS

POINT LOMA, CALIFORNIA

1939

Contents

FOREWORD

MOST Theosophists are aware of the fact that itwas H. P. Blavatskys especial wish that a

selection from the Bhagavad-Gt should always beread at commemoration services held on the day ofher passing, which she desired to have known asWhite Lotus Day. There must have been a potentreason for thus singling out this ancient work,and we have her words stating that the Gt isan esoteric work. A clue to this is the fact thatthe very first word of the Bhagavad-Gt (in theSanskrit text) is Dharmakshetre, meaning on the

field of (Dharma), and indicating that what isabout to be recounted occurs not only on thefield of the Kurus (i.e., Kurukshetre thesecond word of the text), but on the field ofmoral law (dharma), and is to be interpreted in acosmic sense.

W. Q. Judges high regard for the book is wellknown, and an interpretation is suggested by himin his Antecedent Words to his recension.

Readers of the Bhagavad-Gt have doubtless

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pondered upon the signification of the manySanskrit words and names appearing in thisphilosophical work. Perhaps some, having been

deeply impressed by the teachings inculcated, havecommenced a study of the background of the work,and have thus acquired a knowledge of the mainevents in the great epic of India theMahbhrata in which the episode of theBhagavad-Gt occurs. But the task of looking upall the characters mentioned, and finding asatisfactory meaning of the terms, is a difficultone. To meet this need the present book is

offered, as a means of gaining a deeperunderstanding of the work.

The Bhagavad-Gt is pre-eminently an ethicaltreatise. It inculcates teachings applicable todaily life, suited to the time in which it waswritten. These are considered from the stand pointof two highly philosophical systems of thoughtwhich were then prominent, namely, the Snkhya andthe Yoga. Furthermore there is a philosophical and

religious background which is not very prominentin the theme, yet is al ways present: this is themythology of ancient India, a consideration ofwhich is necessary for a complete understanding oftheBhagavad-Gt.

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It is information along this line that the presenthandbook supplies.

It would seem from a study of the mythology ofHindsthn that it may be divided into three mainperiods: (1) the Vedic period, containing theoriginal exposition of the deities, etc., as foundin the Vedas; (2) the post-Vedic period,consisting of The Laws of Manu and the two greatepics, the Mahbhrata and the Rmyana (3) thepost-Mahbhratan period, as found in the Purnas.

Pursuing this line of thought one finds that along

with the modifications which the deities undergo

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during these three periods, there is acorresponding change in religious outlook. Asreligious ideas and beliefs do not change suddenlybut arise slowly and only after considerablelapses of time, the conclusion naturally followsthat great periods of time must have elapsedbetween the production of the Sanskrit works aboveenumerated; and the works themselvesindicate the trend of thought of the time in whichthey were written.

The characters and terms used in the Bhagavad-Gtrepresent the religious outlook and mythology ofthe Mahbhratan-period. Never-

viiitheless the information given in this handbook inregard to the deities comprises the three periodsabove outlined. This plan has been followed inorder to give as complete an explanation aspossible.

Although there are voluminous commentaries uponthe ancient Sanskrit literature, written byEastern sages, the keys to an interpretation of

the mythology of India were not known in the Westuntil Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (the founder ofthe modern Theosophical Movement) published herbooks. Such keys are not easily accessible,however, as they are scattered throughout herworks. The effort in this hand book has been toplace this information before students. Whereverpossible the inner meanings which H. P. Blavatskygave to terms or to deities have been included

herein (with references subjoined). These esotericexplanations are of inestimable value, as theygive a means of understanding the Bhagavad-Gt ina new light. Witness the following citation: theauthor is referring to the story about Vaivasvata-Manu as told both in the Mahbhrata and thePurnas:

All this, which seems a jumble to the profane, is

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full of philosophical meaning to the Occultist. Onthe very face of the narrative a secret and sacredmeaning is perceivable, all the details, however,being so purposely mixed up that the experiencedeye of an Initiate alone can follow them and placethe events in their proper order.

The story as told in the Mahabhrata strikes thekey-note, and yet it needs to be explained by thesecret sense contained in the Bhagavad Gt. It isthe prologue to the drama of our (Fifth) Humanity.

The Secret Doctrine, II, 139

The best information about the charactersoccurring in the Bhagavad-Gt is the Mahbhrata

itself, for the stories about the gods and heroesare therein told in detail. This epic was used forthe background of the compilation. Verificationwas made by use of Monier-Williamss SanskritDictionary, and the systemic spelling for thenames and terms adopted; also the orthography. Thelabor of preparation has been materially aided byaccess to this standard authority. Further,material has been drawn from Dowsons Classical

Dictionary. Due acknowledgment is given to theseworks, as well as to the Theosophical works of H.P. Blavatsky and G. de Purucker for theillumination and

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clarification which Theosophy brings to anunderstanding of the Sanskrit terms employed inits literature.

Root-meanings of Sanskrit words have been placedin parentheses at the conclusion of articles,because the root-meaning of a Sanskrit wordprovides the key to its correct understanding.

The names and terms in this book are those thatappear in the recension ofthe Bhagavad Gt made by William Q. Judge (thework principally known to Theosophists), and hislatest edition (the sixth) was used in regard to

pagination which the 1939 Point Loma editionalso follows.

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Theosophical University,

Point Loma, California.

May, 1939.

ERRATUM

Through an error in composition, credit was notgiven in the previous Foreword for a certainnumber of passages or extracts taken from anencyclopaedic glossary which it is hoped to

publish in the future, and for others from theSimplified Sanskrit Course of The JuniorTheosophist. The author is happy to acknowledgehis indebtedness to these sources for the extractsused.

July, 1939


CONTENTSGods and Heroes and Technical Terms 1120in alphabetical order

Favorite Quotations from theBhagavad-Gt 121

Pronunciation Key129

ABBREVIATIONSadj. = adjective

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B.G. = Bhagavad-Gt (W. Q. JudgesRecension). B.G. followed by a number hasreference to the page in which the word firstappears inW. Q. J.s edition of 1896, and Point Loma editionof 1939

comp. = compound

dict. = dictionary form or crude form.Sanskrit words when not used in sentences (i.e.,when isolated without grammatical form) have aspecial form; this is the manner in which theyappear in dictionaries (e. g. tman dict.; tm

nominative case.)

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lit. = literallythe literal meaning of theword

m. = meaning of the word itself

Manu = The Laws of Manu (Mnava-Dharma Sstra)

N.B.G. = Notes on the Bhagavad. by Subba Rownom. = nominative case

q.v. = quod vide (which see)

S.D. = The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky

Theos. Gloss. = The Theosophical Glossary byH.P.B. Blavatsky

* (asterisk preceding a Sanskrit word)= derivedfrom the verbal root

GODS AND HEROES

OF THE

BHAGAVAD-GT1

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Achyuta The unfallen, i.e., the imperishable: aphilosophical term about which H.P.Blavatskywrites: Achyuta is an almost untranslatable term.

It means that which is not subject to fall orchange for the worse: the Unfalling; and it is thereverse of chyuta, the Fallen. The Dhyanis whoincarnate in the human forms of the Third Root-Race and endow them with intellect (Manas) arecalled the chyuta, for they fall into generation.(S.D.II,47) Achyuta is applied to Vishnu and toKrishna in his avatric aspect of Vishnu: not,however, as an individualized entity but in

respect to the condition or state of essentialCosmic Being. (comp. a, not; chyuta from *chyu, tomove to and fro, to fall, to fade. B.G.132)

Adhibhta lit. Original Element, i.e., theprimordial substratum or element of matter and

* The asterisk preceding a Sanskrit word herein means derived from the

verbal root. (See Abbreviations, pp.xi-xii, and Pronunciation Keypp.127-32.)

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all objects, in its cosmic aspect. (comp. adhi,above, therefore implying superiority; bhta, aword frequently used for element. B.G.57)

Adhidaivata lit. The original or primordialdivine, i.e., the divine agent operating in andthrough beings and objects. A generalizingadjective applying to the divine part of any beingfrom the hierarchical standpoint: applicable toAdhytman (q.v.). (comp. adhi, above, thereforeimplying superiority; daivata, divine. B.G.57)

Adhiyaja lit. Primordial sacrifice.

Cosmologically this refers to the Cosmic Logos,which in the Esoteric Philosophy is represented as

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in a sense sacrificing itself for the benefit ofthe world; because due to its own coming intomanifestation it enables the waiting hosts ofmonads to come into being. In the small, everyAvatra repeats the sacrifice for the benefit ofall that lives. The Bhagavad-Gt refers to thisin the words Adhiyaja is myself in this body,i.e., Krishna the Avatra in a physical body.(comp. adhi, upper, paramount; yaja, sacrifice.B.G.58)

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Adhytman lit. The Supreme or Original tman,the highest of a hierarchy, equivalent to

Paramtman. (comp. adhi, above, therefore implyingsuperiority; tman, Self. B.G.57)

dityas The twelve great gods of the Hindupantheon, sometimes also reckoned as seven (as inearly Vedic times, and named, Varuna, the chief,Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Daksha, Ana Srya): sonsof boundless infinitude (Aditi). These great gods

have been known under many names in differentkalpas: they are the eternal sustainers of thedivine life which exists in all things. The wisecall our fathers Vasus; our paternal grandfathersRudras; our paternal great grandfathers, dityas;agreeable to a text of the Vedas. (Manu, iii,284) Astronomically, the seven dityas are theregents of the seven planets.(S.D.I,99) (m. belonging or coming from Aditi.B.G.73)

Agni The god of fire: one of the most importantof the Vedic deities, to whom the greatest numberof hymns are addressed, for he presides chieflyover the earth, and is regarded as the mediatorbetween men and the gods, as protector of men andtheir homes, and as witness

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of all their actions. Fire is regarded in threephases: in heaven as the sun, in the air aslightning, and on earth as ordinary fire. Agni isrepresented as clothed in black, having smoke forhis standard and head-piece, and carrying aflaming javelin; he has four hands and seventongues, with which he licks up the butter used insacrifices. His chariot is drawn by red horses;the seven winds form the wheels of his car, and heis followed by a ram. Esoterically Agni representsthe divine essence present in every atom of theuniverse, the Celestial Fire; hence in itsmanifestations Agni is often used synonymouslywith the Adityas (q.v.) or our spiritual Pitris

(q.v.). In this sense Fire is spoken of as thePRIMARY in the Stanzas of Dzyan: The Spirit,beyond manifested Nature, is the fiery BREATH inits absolute Unity. In the manifested Universe, itis the Central Spiritual Sun, the electric Fire ofall Life. In our System it is the visible Sun, theSpirit of Nature, the terrestrial god. And in, on,and around the Earth, the fiery Spirit thereofair, fluidic fire; water, liquid fire; Earth,

solid fire. All is fire ignis, in its ultimateconstitution, . . the three Vedic chief gods areAgni (ignis), Vayu [q.V.], and Srya

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Fire, Air, and the Sun, three occult degrees offire. (S.D.II, 114) (B.G.85)

Ahankra (orAhamkra) Egoism, the sense ofpersonality or I-am-I-ness: in its lower aspectin man it is the egoistical principle whichproduces the notion of the personal ego as beingdifferent from the Universal One-Self. Kosmicallyspeaking, Ahankra is that which first issuesfrom Mahat or divine mind; the first shadowyoutline of Self-hood, for pure Ahankra becomespassionate and finally rudimental (initial); .. . (S.D.1,452-3). (comp. aham, I; kra, doer,

maker; from *kri, to do. B.G.53)

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Airvata The elephant produced by the gods atthe time of the churning of the ocean. (SeeAnanta.) He became the special charge of Indra andone of the eight Lokaplas. These latter are the

cosmical spirits who preside over the eight pointsof the compass (Airvata guards the east), and areclosely akin to the four Mahrjas the fourGreat Watchers. Although the Lokaplas arerepresented as elephants, H. P. Blavatskyremarks that all of them have anoccult significance. (S.D.I,128) (m. producedfrom the ocean, fr. irvat, the ocean. B.G.74)

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ka The Fifth Kosmic Element: the spiritualEssence which pervades allspace; in fact it may be called imbodied universalSpace in this aspectknown as Aditi. It is the substratum for the sevenPrakritis (roots) of all in the universe; thus inone sense is Mlaprakriti (the Kosmical Root-Substance). The word itself, without itsphilosophical meaning, signifies the sky, the open

space, hence it is often rendered ether intranslations from the Sanskrit works, but asH.P.Blavatsky pointed out, ka is not thatEther of Science, not even the Ether of theOccultist, who defines the latter as one of theprinciples of ka only (S.D.I,296). In theBrhmanical scriptures the term is used in thesame manner that Northern Buddhists employSvabhavat more mystically di-Buddhi. Some have

associated the Astral Light with ka but theformer is but a reflection of the latter: To putit plainly, ETHER is the Astral Light, and thePrimordial Substance is KA, the Upadhi ofDIVINE THOUGHT.(S.D.I,326) (*k to shine, to appear. B.G.53)

Amb The eldest daughter of the king of KThrough the fault of Bhshma she was

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rejected by her suitor, whereupon she withdrew tothe forest and after practising severe penancesshe ended her life on the funeral pyre, and wasthen reborn as ikhandin (q.v.). The word in thetext (last line of p.iii B.G.) should read Ambik(q.v.) the second daughter of the king.

Amblik The third daughter of the king of Kgiven by Bhshma in marriage to his half brotherVichitravrya. After the latters death she waswedded to Vysa, and became the mother of Pndu(q.v.). (B. G. p.iii)

Ambik The second daughter of the king of Kwedded to Vichitravrya. After his death she wasmarried to Vysa, and gave birth to Dhritarshtra(q.v.).(B.G. p.iii)

Amrita The nectar of the gods, by quaffing whichimmortality was attained; hence called the watersof immortality or the elixir of life. The amritawas produced when the gods used Ananta (q.v.) forchurning the ocean. In the Vedas, amrita isapplied to the mystical Soma (q.v.), which makes anew man of the Initiate. Amrita is beyond anyguna [for it is UN-

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CONDITIONED per Se; (S.D.I,348). Mystically it is

the drinking of the water of supernal wisdom andthe spiritual bathing in its life-giving power.(comp. a, not; mrita, dying. B.G.74)

Ananta The name of the serpent esha,represented as seven-headed and forming the couchof Vishnu (q.v.), on which he reclines during thepralayas. esha is called Ananta (meaning theunending, the infinite) because he perduresthrough manvantaras as well as during the

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pralayas, i.e., during the periods of activity andquiescence. Ananta is represented as carrying aplow and a pestle, for during the churning of thewaters for the purpose of making Amrita (q.v.),the gods used esha as a great rope, twisting histail around the mountain Mandara, and thus usingit as a churn. Ananta is also the symbol ofeternity, i.e., a serpent in the form of a circle.In the Purnas esha is said to have a thousandheads an expansion of the legend. The sevenheads of the serpent typifies the Sevenprinciples throughout nature and man; the highestor middle head being the seventh. (S.D.I,407)(comp. an, not; anta, ending. B.G.74)

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Ananta-Vijaya The name of the conch-shell ofYudhishthira. (m. eternally victorious. B.G.4)

Arjuna The hero of the Bhagavad-Gt depicted asthe disciple of Krishna is one of the mostinteresting and lovable characters in the

Mahbhrata. He is the third of the Pndavabrothers, the son of Indra by Pritha (or Kunt)hence referred to throughout the poem as the sonof Prith, or again as the son of Kunt (inSanskrit Prtha and Kaunteya). His individualexploits are related at great length in the epic,each one being of interest. As the warrior-heropar excellence, his achievements are foremost inthe martial line; thus Arjuna is represented asthe favorite pupil of Drona (q.v.), as beinginstructed in arms by the gods themselves (fromwhom he obtained celestial weapons as well as hisremarkable bow, Gndva, q.v.). By means of hisprowess in arms he was chosen by Draupad (q.v.)as husband at her svayamvara (self choice).During a self-imposed exile, Arjuna traveled toPtla (the Antipodes, the name by which Americawas known in ancient Hindsthn) and there waswooed by the princess

Ulp, who wedded him (see S.D.II, 214).

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Arjuna is best known in his relationship withKrishna: the manner in which Krishna becameArjunas charioteer is related as follows. When it

became apparent that a war was to be waged betweenthe Kurus and the Pndavas, both Duryodhana andArjuna hastened to Krishna in order to obtain hisaid. Duryodhana arrived first, but Krishna was inbed asleep: he was still reposing when Arjunareached the palace, so he stationed himself at thefoot of Krishnas bed, so that upon awaking hiseyes rested on his brother-in-law (Arjuna wasmarried to Krishnas sister, Subhadr).

Immediately each hero implored Krishna to aid hiscause: but the latter declared that he would notfight in the coming battle, that he would actsolely as an advisor; and as each was entitled tohis help, Krishna gave his petitioners the choiceof his splendidly equipped army to the one side,and to the other himself as advisor. Duryodhanahaving arrived first was given first choice, andhe chose the army, whereupon Arjuna was over joyedto accept Krishna as his advisor, and the latter

agreed to act as his charioteer in the battle.Because of this Arjuna was victorious.

Of especial interest is the fact that there is

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a second dialog between Krishna and Arjuna in theMahbhrata, known as theAnu-gt, which is even more philosophical andmore occult than the first dialog, but as it is

more difficult of comprehension and deals withmore abstruse subjects it is not so well known.(See S.D.I,94-6.)

Arjuna, who was called Nara, was intended torepresent the human monad.(N. B. G. 11)

Krishna is the seventh principle in man, and hisgift of his sister in marriage to Arjuna typifiesthe union between the sixth and the fifth.

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(N. B. G. 9) (m. white, clear; cf. rijra and *rajor *raj, to redden, to glow, also illuminate.B.G.2)

rya A respectable, honorable, or faithful man;also an inhabitant of Aryvarta (or India). Inlater times the word is used as a title for thefirst three castes of ancient India. (*ri, torise, to tend upwards. B.G.p.iii)

Aryaman The chief of the Pitris (q.v.). Also thename of one of the dityas (q.v.). (m. a bosom

friend. B.G. 75)

Aryana (see Aryaman)12

Asat Not-being, non-being: applied in Hinduphilosophy to the manifested universe as beingillusory, unreal, false, in contradistinction to

SatBe-ness, Reality. In this sense Asat isNature, or the illusive shadow of its one trueessence. (Theos. Gloss. 33) (comp. a, not; sat,being, be-ness. B.G. 119)

Asita One of the Vedic Rishis a descendant ofKayapa closely associated with Devala (q.v.).(B.G. 72)

Asura Originally the word stood for the supremespirit (being so used in the Rig-Veda) andequivalent to the Zoroastrian Ahura Mazda; then itbecame applied to deities, such as Indra, Agni,and Varuna; later still it denoted a class ofelemental beings evil in nature, and consequentlyAsuras are termed demons. The Taitti rya-Brhmanarepresents the Asuras as being created from the

breath of Brahm-Prajpati, likewise the Laws ofManu, but the Purnas indicate that they sprang

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from his thigh. Esoterically, the Asuras,transformed subsequently into evil Spirits andlower gods, who are eternally at war with thegreat deities are the gods of

13the Secret Wisdom. . . . They are the sons of theprimeval Creative Breath at the begining of everynew Mahakalpa, or Manvantara; . . . Evidently theyhave been degraded in Space and Time into opposingpowers or demons by the ceremonialists,(S.D.II,500-1). (*as, to breathe. B.G. 65)

Avattha The pippala, the sacred Indian figtree, ficus religiosa. In Buddhism called theBodhi-tree the tree under which the Buddhareceived full illumination. Mystically, the Treeof Life, the great World Tree, symbolic both ofthe vital structure of the universe and of thecosmic hierarchies in all their various inter-relations. The roots of the Avattha representthe Supreme Being, or First Cause, the Logos; butone has to go beyond those roots to unite oneselfwith Krishna, . . . Its boughs are the highestDhyan Chohans or Devas. The Vedas are its leaves.He only who goes beyond the roots shall neverreturn, i.e., shall reincarnate no more duringthis age of Brahm. (S.D.I,406-7)(See B.G. 105.) (m. under which horses stand:ava, a horse; ttha fr. sth, to stand. B.G.74)

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Avatthman The son of Drona and Krip (sisterof Kripa, q.v.): one of the generals in the armyof the Kauravas. He was one of the three survivingwarriors at the end of the war, and was then madecommander. (B.G.3)

Avins (or more correctly Avinau, the worditself meaning the two horsemen). Two Vedic

deities represented as twin horsemen, harbingersof Ushas, the dawn. They appear in the sky in a

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chariot drawn by golden horses, or again by birds.Their attributes pertain to youth and beauty. Theyare regarded as the physicians of the gods, andavert from mankind sickness and misfortune; hencemany Vedic hymns are addressed to them. Yska, thecelebrated commentator of the Vedas, referring tothe twin horsemen as precursors of light and thedawn, held that they represent the transition fromdarkness to light, and the intermingling of bothproduces that inseparable duality which isexpressed by the twin nature of the AvinauH.P.Blavatsky remarks: . . . these twins are, inthe esoteric philosophy, the Kumra-Egos, thereincarnating Principles in this Manvantara.

(Theos. Gloss. 41) (B.G. 78)

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Bhagavad-Gt lit. Krishnas song (or divinesong). The philosophical discourse between Arjunaand Krishna, the latter being represented as theAvatra of Vishnu, but acting as Arjunascharioteer. It is cast in the traditional form ofquestion and answer between disciple and teacher

in verses of metrical prose termed lokas. Themeter is called Anu-shtubh and consists of fourpdas or quarter verses of eight syllables each,or two lines of sixteen syllables each. The dialogis placed in the sixth book of the Mahbhrataentitled the Bhshma-parva (the book. of Bhshma)okas 830-1532 thereof. The work is pre-eminentlyoccult or esoteric, writes H.P.Blavatsky inTheosophical Glossary, p. 56, and also states inThe Secret Doctrine that there is a secret sensecontained in the Bhagavad-Gt. (II, 139)

The main object of the Bhagavad Gt which isone of the main sources of Hindu philosophy isto explain the higher principles that operate inthe cosmos, which are omnipresent and permanentand which are common to all the solar systems.(N. B. G. 108) (comp. bhagavat, holy, divine; alsoa name of Krishna; gt, song.)

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Bharata The name of a great number of kings andheroes. The one referred to in the Bhagavad-Gtis of the Puru branch (or Pauravas) of theChandravana (Lunar Race), the son of Dushyanta

and akuntal. The ninth king in descent fromBharata was Kuru, and the seventeenth from Kuruwas Yudhishthira and his four brothers, i.e., thePndavas. (B.G.11)

Bhrata A descendant of Bharata: referable toeither the Kauravas or the Pndavas, but mostoften applied solely to the latter. Arjuna isoften referred to as son of Bharata or best ofthe Bharatas. (B. G. 11)

Bhma The second son of Kunt by the god of thewind, Vyu. All through the Mahbhrata theremarkable achievements of Bhma provideentertaining reading: his feats of valor andstrength are unsurpassable, especially thoseperformed with his enormous club. He shared with

Arjuna the honors of valorous exploits in thegreat conflict, in which the Pndavas were finallyvictorious.(m. the terrible. B.G.3)

Bhshma The son of king antanu and the river-goddess Gang Although the rightful heir

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to the throne of the Kurus, he relinquished thekingdom so that the children of his fatherssecond wife, Satyavat, might rule instead, but heremained the protector to the throne. Thus he wasthe ancestor of both the Kauravas and the Pndavas(referred to in the text as the grandsire of theKurus). He was persuaded to side with the sons ofDhritarshtra and was made the commander-in-chief.He was mortally wounded on the tenth day of the

conflict, but as he had been granted the boon toterminate his life whenever he wished, Bhshma

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remained alive for 58 days and instructedYudhishthira in the duties of a king.(m. the terrible. B.G.2)

Bhrigu One of the most celebrated of the VedicRishis or Sages, regarded as the ancestor of theBhrgavas (in which race Parau-Rma was born). Heis known as one of the ten Prajpatis (or mind-born sons of Brahm regarded as the fathers ofthe human race). He is also regarded as one of thenine great Rishis (in the Vishnu-Purna). The Lawsof Manu were confided to Bhrigu and Manu calledhim his son. Some hymns in the Rig-Veda are at

tributed to the Rishi (B.G.74)18

Bhtas The decaying remnants of corpses in theastral world the real part of man having droppedoff these grossest portions of its former vehicle;hence phantoms or shells, the eidola or shadesof the ancients. They are popularly believed tohaunt burial places, etc., for these remnants,

although in the astral world (and invisible), arestill attracted to the localities of their formerphysical associations. (*bh, to be come; lit.has-beens, i.e., entities that formerly livedand have passed on. B.G.68)

Brahm The first aspect of the Hindu Trimrti(or triad), the emanator or creator the othertwo being Vishnu, the preserver, and iva, the

destroyer, or rather the regenerator. The ideaof the Trimrti is not found in the Vedas, nordoes the name Brahm occur; the active creator istherein known as Hiranyagarbha, or Prajpati: inlater times the term Prajpati was bestowed onBrahm (meaning the Progenitor). In Manu it issaid that the supreme soul, the self existent lordcreated the waters and deposited in them a seed,which seed became a golden egg (Hiranyagarbha) in

which he himself was born as Brahm, theprogenitor of all the worlds.

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The idea of the Trimrti is of course present inthe epic poems: Brahm is represented as springingfrom the lotus which arose from the navel of

Vishnu. From Brahm then rise the mind-born Sons(the Prajpatis) who people the world. In thePurnas (especially in Vishnu-Purna), Vishnubecomes more prominent than Brahm: the latter isrepresented as being in its totality the aspect ofPrakriti (q.v.), both evolved and unevolved(Mlaprakriti), and also the aspect of Spirit, andthe aspect of Time.

Brahm is in fact the vehicle or sheath of

Brahman: the spiritual evolving or developingenergy-consciousness of a solar system, i.e., theLogos, deriving from Brahman. It should be pointedout that the Sanskrit word Brahman is bothmasculine and neuter, and therefore has twomeanings: in order to distinguish these, inTheosophical literature the masculine is spelledBrahm (the nominative form), whereas the neuteris spelled Brahman (q.v.).

Brahm, as the germ of unknown Darkness, is thematerial from which all evolves and develops asthe web from the spider, as foam from the water,etc. . . . Brahm expands and becomes theUniverse woven out of his own sub-

20

stance. (S.D.I,83). (*brihto expand, to grow,also meaning to fructify.)(B.G.56 where it should be spelled Brahman. See

B.G.61.)

Brahmacharya Following a life of philosophicand religious training usually applicable to thefirst stage in the life of a Brhmana of ancienttimes, signifying the state of an unmarriedreligious student of the Vedas. (comp. Brahman,the Cosmic Spirit in some cases meaning

spiritual wisdom; charya, conduct). The personfollowing this mode of life is called a

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Brahmachrin.(B.G.46)

Brahman The impersonal and uncognisablePrinciple of the Universe, implying both theaspect of essential consciousness and that ofsubstance: thus it represents the spiritual background of the Universe, the Cause of all Causes.The student must distinguish between Brahma theneuter, and Brahm, the male creator of the IndianPantheon. The former, Brahma or Brahman, is theimpersonal, supreme and uncognisable Principle ofthe Universe from the essence of which all

emanates, and into which all returns, which isincorporeal, immaterial, unborn, eternal,beginningless and endless. It is

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all-pervading, animating the highest god as wellas the smallest mineral atom. Brahm, on the otherhand, the male and the alleged Creator, existsperiodically in his manifestation only, and thenagain goes into pralaya, i.e., disappears and isannihilated. (Theos. Gloss. 62)

Brahman is what is called in Theosophy theUnmanifest Logos: through and from It, therefore,arises Brahm (q.v.). (*brih, to expand, to grow.B.G.58)

Brhmana (often Anglicized as BRAHMAN orBRAHMIN) The highest of the four castes into whichthe social classes of Hindsthn were divided inpost-Vedic times. Originally a Brhmana was onewho had been twice-born (i.e., a dvja, or aninitiate), but in decadent times the term came tobe used simply as a hereditary prerogative, andhence applied to the members of the priestlycaste. (B.G. 127)

Brihaspati The deity who represents theworshiper of the gods: the suppliant and

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sacrificer, designated as the Purohita (familypriest), because he intercedes with the gods onbehalf of mankind, and likewise protects therighteous men from the wicked. He is often calledthe

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father of the gods because of his creative powers,and is named the shining one, the golden coloredone. Brihaspati is also the regent of the planetJupiter. The lengthy legend about his wife, Tr,being carried off by Soma, the moon, and theconsequent war in heaven (the Trakmaya) isrelated in The Secret Doctrine (II,498-9) and is

there interpreted by H.P.Blavatsky. (comp. brih,as noun, prayer, fr. *brih, to grow great, toexpand;pati, lord. B.G.74)

Brihat-Sman The name of the hymns in the Sma-Veda, written in theBrihat meter, i.e., meters of 36 syllables(originally written 8-8-12-8). (comp. Brihat, theBrihat meter; Sman, a sacred verse to be sung.B.G.76)

Buddhi The sixth principle in the Theosophicalclassification of mans component parts. As thevehicle for Universal Spirit, Buddhi isinseparably linked with tman and regarded as itsvehicle. It is the channel for the divineinspiration which streams from tman, as well as

the faculty of discrimination, and the knowledgeof discrimination between good and evil, hencespiritual consciousness. When awakened in man theBuddhic principle evokes compassionate love

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for all, instant understanding, and intuition. Aman so fully awakened is termed a Buddha. . . theSpiritual Soul (Buddhi) . . conceals a mysterywhich is never given to any one, with theexception of irrevocably pledged chelas, (The Key

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to Theosophy,119-20). (*budh, to awaken, toenlighten. B.G.28)

Chakra A word with a number of meanings: awheel; a circle; a discus the weapon of Vishnu(hence also a symbol of the deity); a cycle orperiod of time; also the physiological centers ofprnic vitality in the human body. In Buddhism thechakra is a favorite symbol, especially associatedwith Gautama the Buddha, for he is represented assetting a new chakra in motion: his disciples, inbroadcasting his message are often referred to asturning the wheel. As the weapon of Vishnu, the

chakra means the whirling wheel of spiritual willand power. (W.Q.Judge, in footnote, B.G.80.)

Chekitna An ally of the Pndavas: a son ofDhrishtaketu (or Kaikeya), the father-in-law ofKrishna and Rja of the Kekayas, (one of the chiefnations in the war of the Mahbharata). (B.G.2)

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Chitraratha The king of the Gandharvas (q.v.).(m. having a fine car. B.G.74)

Daityas lit. Descendants of Diti by the RishiKayapa The daityas are the titans (popularlycalled demons), constantly warring with the gods;at times they are the victors, at others thevanquished. The first war happened in the night

of time, between the gods [And] the (A)-suras, andlasted for the period of one divine year. Onthis occasion the deities were defeated by theDaityas, under the leadership of Hrada. Afterthat, owing to a device of Vishnu, to whom theconquered gods applied for help, the latterdefeated the Asuras. In the Vishnu Purna nointerval is found between the two wars. In theEsoteric Doctrine, one war takes place before the

building of the Solar system; another, on earth,at the creation of man; S.D.I,419). The meaning

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of the wars is, therefore, that the Daityasrepresent the urgers of evolutionary progress inthe cosmic scheme. B.G.75)

Dasra One of the twin sky deities, the Avins(q.v.), father of Sahadevathe fifth Pndava byMdr. (The text is incorrectly spelled

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Darsa B.G.p.iv) (m. accomplishing wonderfuldeeds.)

Deva A divinity, a spiritual being. In the pluralthe reference is to the heavenly or shining onescalled in the Rig-Veda (ii, 3, 4) vive devs allthe gods, often reckoned as 33 (figuring 11 foreach of the three worlds), or again as the 8Vasus, the 11 Rudras, the 12 dityas, and the 2Avins. This is also the enumeration in theMahhrata. The three worlds are the three planesabove us. (Theos. Gloss. 98) The word isgenerally rendered god, although incorrectly, aspointed out by Subba Row: Do not make the mistakeof thinking that the word Deva means a god, andthat because we have thirty-three crores of Devas,we therefore worship thirty-three crores of gods.This is an unfortunate blunder generally committedby Europeans. Deva is a kind of spiritual being,and because the same word is used in ordinaryparlance to mean god, it by no means follows thatwe have and worship thirty-three crores of gods.

These beings, as may be naturally inferred, have acertain affinity with one of the three componentupadhis [basic principles] into which we have

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divided man (N.B.G.37-8) i.e., the updhi of theKrana-arra (fr. div, the sky, the heaven.B.G.74)

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Devachan A Sanskrit-Tibetan compound word (deva,a divine being, deity; chan, region): the heaven-world. The state of the ego after death betweenearth-lives, when it rests in utter bliss and

perfect repose. In this state all the spiritualaspirations and intellectual yearnings of the pastlife find fulfillment. Devachan is an absoluteoblivion of all that gave it pain or sorrow in thepast incarnation, and even oblivion of the factthat such things as pain or sorrow exist at all.The Devachanee lives its intermediate cyclebetween two incarnations surrounded by everythingit had aspired to in vain, and in thecompanionship of everyone it loved on earth. Ithas reached the fulfillment of all its soul-yearnings. And thus it lives throughout longcenturies an existence of unalloyed happiness(The Key to Theosophy, 148). (B.G.51)

Devadatta The name of the conch-shell of Arjuna.This conch was given to Arjuna by his parentIndra, the deity of the sky, upon the successful

conclusion of the expedition which he27

was requested to make against the daityas of thesea, who had been troubling the deities. They werevanquished by Arjuna. (m. god-given. B.G.3)

Devala A Vedic Rishi descendant of Kayapa: heis credited with having written some of the hymns

of the Vedas, particularly Rig-Veda ix. (B.G.72)

Deva-sthna lit. The place of a deity, or anyplace in which a deity stays or has its abode.Equivalent to Deva-loka (the word usuallyemployed). (comp. deva, a divine being, a deity;sthna, a place, an abode. B.G.67)

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Dhanajaya (or Dhanamjaya) A name of Arjuna.(comp. dhana, prize, wealth, riches; jaya, winner,conqueror: hence winner of the prize orconqueror of wealth. B.G.16)

Dhrishtadyumna The brother of Draupad, son ofDrupada, the king of Pachla. He was made thecommander-in-chief of the Pndava army, andaccomplished the death of Drona, after losing hisown father in the great conflict. (m. confident instrength. B.G.4)

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Dhrishtaketu An ally of the Pndavas: son ofiupla the king of the land of the Chedis living in the district of the modern Bundelkhand(or Bundelcund). The Chedis were renowned fortheir attachment to ancient laws and institutions.(m. confident in clearness. B.G.2)

Dhritarshtra The eldest son of Krishna

Dvaipyana Vysa and Ambik (widow ofVichitravrya) being born blind. He was the fatherby Gndhr of Duryodhana (the eldest of 100sons), to whom he relinquished the government ofhis kingdom at Hastinpura. Therefore he sidedwith the Kauravas (i.e., the sons of Kuru, asDuryodhana and his followers were called) ratherthan with the Pndavas, the sons of his half-brother Pndu. Vysa offered Dhritarashtra vision,

but he refused the gift inasmuch as he could notbear the sight of the fratricide and slaughter inthe oncoming battle at Kurukshetra; nevertheless,taking a keen interest in the proceedings, as theopening stanzas show, he has Sajaya narrate everyevent that occurs. With the final victory of thePndavas, Dhritarashtra enthrones Yudhishthira atHastinpura, and with his wife, Gndhr, andKunt, he retires to the

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forest, where all lose their lives in aconflagration.

W. Q. Judge suggests the interpretation thatDhritarashtra stands for mans physical body

viewing the story from the standpoint of theevolutionary development of man. (m. he whoseempire stands firm. B.G.1)

Doab (Hindustani) A region of land situatedbetween two rivers. The particular reference is tothe country between the Jumn and Sarasvatrivers, which in ancient times was the land of theKurus. (Also written duab, fr. Persian, d, two;b, water; from the Sanskrit, dva, two; p, water.B.G.p.iii)

Draupad The patronymic of Krishn, the daughterof Drupada, king of Pachla. At a svayamvara (agathering for a display of feats of skill for thepurpose of allowing a kings daughter to choose abridegroom) Draupad selected Arjuna as her

bridegroom, but when he returned with his fourbrothers to his mother, Kunt, and announced thatthey had made a great acquisition, she told themthat they were obliged to share it. Because ofthis and also through the insistence of theirancestor, the sage Vysa, it was decided that sheshould become

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the wife of the five brothers. The Mahbhrataalso relates that in a previous life Draupad hadreceived the boon that she should be wedded tofive husbands. The Draupadeyas (i.e., sons ofDraupad) referred to in the text, were the fivesons of the Pndavas, by name: Prativindhya (byYudhishthira), Sutasoma (by Bhma); rutakrti (byArjuna), atnka (by Nakula); rutasena (bySahadeva).

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Symbolically Draupad represents the terrestriallife of the personality.(B.G.2)

Drona A Brhmana son of Bharadvja, who marriedKrip the half-sister of Bhshma, by whom he had ason, Avatthman He was chrya (teacher of themilitary art) to the Kaurava princes as well as tothe Pndavas. Although loving the princes equally,nevertheless because of his relationship toBhshma, he sided with the Kauravas in the greatconflict at Kurukshetra. The words spoken to thepreceptor in the second loka (as narrated by

Sajaya B.G. 2) were addressed by Duryodhana tohis teacher, Drona. When Bhshma was mortallywounded on the field of battle, Drona becamecommander in-chief of the Kaurava army.(B.G. 5)

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Drupada The son of Prishata, king of Pachla(the region adjacent to the land of the Kurus),

father of Dhrishtadyumna (the clever son referredto in the text). He was also the father ofDraupad (the wife of the a Pndavas). His son wasmade commander-in-chief of the Pndava army. (B.G.2)

Duryodhana The eldest son of Dhritarashtra andGndhr, leader of the Kurus (or Kauravas) in theconflict with the Pndavas at Kurukshetra. Because

of his blindness, Dhritarashtra had intended tomake his brothers virtuous son, Yudhishthira theheir-apparent to his throne, but the Kurus underDuryodhana objected so a strongly that instead heallowed his son to take charge of the government,and turned over a portion of his kingdom that ofIndraprastha

to the Pndavas. Owing to further machi-nationsof the Kurus, Yudhishthira lost this kingdom in a

game of dice, and Duryodhana forced the Pndavas

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into exile for thirteen years. When this periodhad elapsed, however, Duryodhana refused to giveup the kingdom, and as a consequence the greatconflict was waged, in which he lost his life. Inthe Mahbhrata

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Duryodhana represents the forces of evil battlingwith the forces of light: one story represents himas doing wicked deeds in spite of himself, andrealizing this he attempted to put an end to hislife. He was prevented from doing this by the impsof darkness, so that he might continue imbodiedfor their purposes.

Duryodhana is represented as an ambitious,malicious prince, the antithesis of the wise andrighteous ruler. (m. difficult to conquer. B.G. 1)

Dvamdva A pair of opposites (e.g., heat andcold, joy and sorrow, etc.). The Dvamdva compoundin the text has reference to a copulativecompound, i.e., two members of a compound which

are in the same case and likewise may be connectedwith the conjunction and. (m. two and two: theword is the num. adj. dva, two, reduplicated. B.G.75)

Dvpa A zone, region, land, or continent,commonly called island, inasmuch as each dvpais described as being surrounded by distinctconcentric circumambient oceans centering aboutMount Meru. Seven dvpas are enumerated asfollows: Jambu, Plaksha, lmal, Kua Kraucha,ka, and Pushkara. Esoterically the

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dvpa refer on the one hand to the seven globes ofthe Planetary Chain of this Earth, and on theother hand to the seven great continents whichcome successively into existence as the homes of

the seven Root-Races. Jambu-dvpa corresponds toGlobe D of the Chain, Mount Meru rising from its

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center.(S.D.II, 320).

This dvpa was divided into nine parts termedvarshas (q.v,). (B.G. p.ii)

Gandharvas The musicians and singers of thegods, represented as dwelling in the sky andpreparing the heavenly soma-juice for the gods, asthey are especially skilled in medicine. In theVedas they are described as revealing the secretsof heaven and divine truths to men. The Athar-va-Veda mentions that there are 6,333 Gandharvas.Cosmically the Gandharvas are the aggregatepowers of the solar-fire, and constitute itsForces; psychically the intelligence residing inthe Sushumna, Solar ray, the highest of the sevenrays; mystically the occult force in the Soma(the moon, or lunar plant) and the drink made ofit; physically the phenomenal,and spirituallythe noumenal causes of Sound and the Voice ofNature. Hence, they are

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called the 6,333 heavenly Singers and musiciansof Indras loka who personify (even in number) thevarious and manifold sounds in Nature, both aboveand below. (S.D.I, 523)(B.G. 74)

Gndiva (or Gndva) A remarkable bow whichArjuna received from the fire-god Agni in orderthat he might assist the deity in a battle withthe god of the sky, Indra. At this time Arjunaalso assisted Agni in the burning of the Khndavaforest an episode in the Mahbhrata. The bowwas originally given by Soma to the god Varuna,who in turn passed it on to Agni. It is likewisesaid to have belonged to Prajpati, Brahm, andiva. (B.G. 6)

Ganges (Gag) The sacred river of India,represented in the Purnas as taking its rise in

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the heavens from the toe of Vishnu, and broughtdown to earth through the prayers of the sageBhagratha, in order to purify the ashes of thesixty thousand sons of king Sagara. (These sonshad been destroyed by the angry glance of the sageKapila.) Gag intended to flood the earth(because of being obliged to descend from herheavenly abode), but the force of the fall

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was intercepted by the god iva, who caught theriver in his matted locks, and allowed it todescend from his brow in seven gentle streams uponthe earth. Gag is personified as a goddess, the

daughter of Men and Himavat (the personificationof the Himlaya mountains). The goddess became thewife of king ntanu and gave birth to Bhshma.(B.G. 75)

Garuda The bearer of Vishnu (hence often calledVishnu-ratha): represented as having the body andlimbs of a man but the head, wings, talons, andbeak of an eagle; the face being white, the wingsred, and the body golden. Garuda is regarded asthe king of the birds and the great enemy ofserpents: his parents were the Vedic sage Kayapaand Vinat one of the daughters of Daksha (oneof the Prajpatis). The myths also relate thatGaruda once took the Amrita (q.v.) from the godsin order to purchase the freedom of his motherfrom Kadru. Indra pursued Garuda and recovered theAmritaalthough the god of the sky was worsted in

the battle for it. Garuda is the symbolesoterically of the great cycle, (S.D.II, 323),while his son, Jatyu is, of course, the cycle of60,000

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years within the great cycle of GARUDA; hence heis represented as his son, or nephew, (S.D.II,570). (B.G. 75)

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Gyatr An ancient meter of 24 syllables(variously arranged, but generally as a triplet of8 syllables each). The word is also appliedspecifically to a verse in the Rig-Veda, iii, 62,

10:tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya

dhmahi,

dhiyo yo nahprachodayt.

Literal translation: Let us meditate on thatexcellent splendor of the divine Sun; may itillumine our hearts (minds). (B.G. 76)

Govinda A name applied to Krishna It refers tothe time of his youth, for he was reared amongstthe cowherds. (m. chief of cowherds: go, a cow.B.G. 11)

Gudkea One of the names given to Arjuna.(m.thick-haired. B.G. 79)

Guru A Teacher, a Preceptor, especially one whoimparts spiritual teachings to a disciple.(B.G.86)

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Hanumn (nom,: dict. Hanumat) The celebratedmonkey-deity of the Rmyana son of Pavana, thegod of the wind, by Ajan. His exploits partake

more of the superhuman than human, thus they arefavorite topics among the Hindus from youth to oldage. As instances:

the epic relates that he jumped from India toCeylon in one leap; he tore up trees by the roots;he flew to and from the Himalayas bringing healingherbs to the wounded. It is related that he andhis monkey host were created by the gods in orderto assist Rma in his battle against Rvana and

the Rkshasas of Lak (Ceylon). Among mentalachievements Hanumn is credited with being a

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skilled grammarian, and no one could equal him inthe stras (scriptures) and in the art ofexplaining them. Arjuna had adopted thetraditional representation of Hanumn as hiscrest. (B.G. 4)

Hari Especially the name of Krishna as an Avatraof Vishnu applied also to Vishnu and iva. (B.G.79)

Hastinpura The city founded by king Hastin(the great-great-grandfather of Kuru), which

became the capital city of the kings of the38

Chandravana (the Lunar Dynasty), and theprincipal city of the Kurus. A great part of themain action of the Mahbhrata centers about thiscity. It formed the main objective of the Pndavasin the great conflict at Kurukshetra (between theKurus and the Pndavas), at the conclusion ofwhich the victoriousYudhishthira was crowned king after a triumphalentry into the city. Hastinpura was situatedabout 57 miles north-east of the modern city ofDelhi, on the banks of an old channel of theGanges river. (m. the city of the elephant hastin, an elephant. B.G. p.i)

Himlaya The lofty range of mountains in central

Asia. Also known as Himchala and Himdri, andpersonified as Himavat, mythologically consideredto be the husband of Men and the father of Gang(the Ganges river).(B.G. 74)

Hrishkea A name applied to Krishna and toVishnu. (m. lord of the senses. B.G. 84)

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Ikshvku The son of Vaivasvata-Manu, of whom itis related in mythology that he was born from thenostril of his father when the latter

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happened to sneeze! Ikshvku was the founder ofthe Sryavana (the solar dynasty), reigning atAyodhy at the commencement of the Tret-Yuga (thesecond Yuga). (B.G. 30)

Indra The god of the sky and atmosphere: in theVedas, lord of the deities of the intermediateregion (the sky), lord of rain and thunder, and

leader of the storm-gods (Maruts, q.v.). He isrepresented as riding in a: golden car drawn bytwo tawny horses, waging war upon the demons ofdarkness (especially Vritra the demon of drought,whom he slays; hence he is called Vritrajit, andconquering them with his thunder bolt (vajra) andhis bow and arrows. Originally Indra was not thechief of the gods, but because of the religiousobservances instituted necessitating the

invocation of the deity of the atmosphere, hesuperseded the more spiritual Varuna thus moreVedic hymns are addressed to Indra than to anyother deity, except Agni (q.v.). In latermythology, however, the Trimrti (Brahm, Vishnu,iva) became most prominent, therefore Indra wasrelegated to a subservient position. In Manu he isthe regent of Svarga (heaven) with particularwatch

40over the east quarter, and is considered one ofthe twelve Adityas (q.v.). He is then representedas riding a white horse (Uchchaihravas q.v.), oran elephant (Airvata, q.v.).

Fohat is the scientific aspect of both Vishnu andIndra, the latter older and more important in theRig Veda than his sectarian successor(S.D.I, 673).(B.G. 67)

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vara Lord (used in the same sense as is theterm Father in heaven in the Christian NewTestament), hence the Supreme Self or Hierarch ofa system, applicable to the great or to the small

to the universe or to man. In man it is theDivine Spirit, or the Divine-Spiritual Monad.vara is also used as a title for many of thegods, such as Vishnu and iva.

The Logos, or both the unmanifested and themanifested WORD, is called by the Hindus, vara,the Lord, . . . vara, say the Vedantins, isthe highest consciousness in nature. This highestconsciousness, answer the Occultists, is only a

synthetic unit in the world of the manifestedLogos . . . for it is the sum total of DhyanChohanic consciousnesses. (S.D.I, 573) (*. torule, to be master. B.G. 130)

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Janaka A king of the Mithil Dynasty who reignedat Videha, famed for his good works, knowledge,and sanctity: through his righteous life he becamea Brhmana and one of the Rjarshis. He was thefather of St, who sprang up from the earth fromthe furrow he had made with his plow. (B.G. 25)

Janrdana In the Purnas the One CosmicIntelligent Life, manifesting in the threefoldaspect of Fashioner, Preserver, and Regenerator(i.e., the Hind Trimrti Brahm, Vishnu iva).Applied to Krishna in his avatric manifestation

of Vishnu. (*jan, to be born, to come forth; *ard,to move: the ever-born. B.G. 72)

Jayadratha A prince of the Chandravana (LunarDynasty), son of Brihanmanas and king of theSindhus and Sauvras (tribes living along theIndus river). Jayadratha married Duhal thedaughter of Dhritarshtra, hence he became an ally

of the Kurus in the war with the Pndavas during

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which he was slain by Arjuna. (m. havingvictorious chariots. B.G. 83)

Junn The modern Jamna: a river in the NorthwestProvinces of India: it joins the Ganges

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at Allahbd. The strip of land lying between itand the Sarasvat river was the region of theKurus in the Mahbhrata. The Ydavas ruled overthe country west of the Jumn. Vysa was born onan island situated in this river.(B.G.p. iii)

Kalpa A period of time, a cycle: a generalizingterm and therefore used for time-periods ofdifferent lengths; chronologers, however, computea Kalpa by the Life of Brahm minor kalpas arenumerous. A Mahkalpa is often made the equivalentof a Manvantara. (*klrip, to be in order. B.G. 65)

Kmadeva The god of love (lit, the god Kma).The first-born in the Vedas: Him neither devas,

nor pitrs nor men have equalled. Thou artsuperior to these and forever great, chants theAtharva-Veda; while the Rig-Veda sings: Desirefirst arose in It, which was the primal germ ofmind; and which sages, searching with their

intellect, have discovered in their heart to bethe bond which connects entity with non-entity(x, 129). Kmadeva is the lord of the Apsarasas

(the celestial nymphs, consorts of the Gandharvas,q.v.), and is represented as 43

a handsome youth riding on a parrot, attended bythe Apsarasas, one of whom bears his bannerdistinguished by the Makara (q.v.). His bow ismade of sugar-cane, and his bow-string a line ofbees, while each one of his arrows is tipped witha different flower. The Taittirya-Brhmana has itthat Kmadeva was the son of Dharma (moralreligious duty, piety, justice) and of raddh(faith); in another hymn he is born from the heart

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of Brahm and therefore called the Self-Existent(tma-bh), or the Unborn (Aja).

Kmadeva is in the Rig-Veda the personificationof that feeling which leads and propels to

creation. He was the first movement that stirredthe ONE, after its manifestation from the purelyabstract principle, to create, (S.D.II, 176).

As Eros was connected in early Greek mythologywith the worlds creation, and only after wardsbecame the sexual Cupid, so was Kama in hisoriginal Vedic character, (ibid.). (B.G. 74 mentioned as the god of love.)

Kmaduh (dict.: nom. Kmadhuk) The mythical cowbelonging to the sage Vasishtha, produced by thegods at the churning of the cos-

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mic ocean. (See Ananta.) She is supposed to grantall desires and hence is termed the cow ofplenty. The alternative form, Kmadhenu, givesthe clue to this meaning: kma, desire, wish;

dhenu, milch-cow. In interpretation of the aboveallegory: the reference is to the appearance ofthe Earth in space as the mother of all that laterappears on it. (B.G. 23)

Kansa A king of the Ydava line of the LunarDynasty, ruler of the Bhojas, reigning at Mathur,who deposed his own father, Ugrasena. Ugrasena was

the brother of Devaka, the latter being the fatherof Devak, mother of Krishna.

Kansa is usually called the uncle of Krishna;strictly speaking, however, he is a cousin. Inspite of this relationship, he became the avowedenemy of Krishna because a prophecy had beenforetold to him that a son of Devak would causehis death. In order to prevent this fromhappening, Kansa imprisoned Devak and Vasudeva in

his palace and commanded that all infants born tothem should be put to death. Six children were so

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slain, but a seventh, Balarma, was saved throughthe connivance of his parents. Then when Krishnawas born, his parents es-

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caped from the palace and fled from the city ofMathur, whereupon the enraged Kansa ordered allinfant boys in the kingdom put to death; but theparents escaped from the realm with Krishna andthe child was brought up by cow-herds inseclusion. Kansa at length learned that Krishnahad escaped destruction and made several attemptsto bring about his death: as an instance, he sentJarsandha, the king of Magadha, to battle with

the young Krishna eighteen times, but that monarchwas as many times defeated. Krishna finally slewKansa as was pre- dicted, restored Ugrasena, butleft Mathur and established his kingdom atDvrak. (B.G. 121)

Kapila One of the famous Rishis. There are manysages by the name of Kapila, the last being thefounder of the Snkhya (q.v.) philosophy. A legendrelates that while Kapila was engaged inmeditation in Ptla, he was menaced by the sixtythousand sons of Sagara, where upon the sacredflame which darted from his person immediatelyreduced the sixty thousand sons to ashes. Thatthe story is an allegory is seen upon its veryface: the 60,000 Sons, brutal, vicious, andimpious, are the personification of

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the human passions that a mere glance of thesage the SELF who represents the highest stateof purity that can be reached on earth reducesto ashes. (S.D.II, 571)

There are several well-known Kapilas in thePurnas. First the primeval sage, then Kapila, oneof the three Secret Kumras; and Kapila, son ofKasyapa and Kadr . . . besides Kapila, the great

sage and philosopher of the Kali Yuga.

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(S.D.II, 572) (B.G. 74)

Karma Briefly, the teaching of Karma in theBhagavad-Gt (and for that matter throughout thewhole of the Mahbhrata) is, that mans actionsset in motion causes which in due time react upontheir producer, hence until he can burst thebonds of Karma and rise above them he is in factchained thereby, and must return to the scene ofhis actions again and again, i. e., he is rebornon Earth again and again until he is freed fromthe bonds of Karma. The means for freeing himselfare inculcated, principally in chapters iii, v,

xiv, and xviii.(*kri, to do, to act: dict. karman, nom. karma.B.G. 15)

Karna The son of Prith (or Kunt) by Srya, thegod of the sun, through the instru

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mentality of a mantra granted to her by the sageDurvsas. This occurred before her marriage toPndu hence Karna was the half-brother of thePndavas, although this was not known to themuntil after his death, which was accomplished byArjuna during the battle at Kurukshetra. Karna hadbeen abandoned by his mother while yet a child: hewas found by the sta (charioteer) ofDhritarshtra, named Adhiratha (or Nandana), andbrought up as his own son. Although knowing his

relationship to the Pndavas, Karna sided with theKauravas, because Duryodhana had given him thekingdom of Aga. During the great conflict Karnawas on the point of slaying Arjuna, of whom he wasespecially envious, but was prevented from doingso by Krishna (B.G. 2)

Ki (or K A country situated in the vicinity

of modern Benares, whose king, Kya sided withthe Pndavas. (B.G. 2)

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Kauravas (see Kurus)

Keava A name applied to Krishna likewise toVishnu. (m. having much or fine hair. B.G. 18)

Kein A daitya (or demon) slain by Krishna whenthe prince was attacked byKein in

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the form of a horse. The daitya was believed to

have been sent by Kansa (q.v.) in order to causethe death of Krishna. (B.G. 121)

Kripa The son of the sage aradvat. With hissister Krip he was adopted by king ntanu (thefather of Bhshma). Kripa was one of the privycouncillors at Hastinpura, and was one of thethree sole surviving warriors of the conflict on

the side of the Kauravas (hence he is referred toin the text as the conqueror in battle). (B.G.3)

Krishna The son of Devak and Vasudeva (of theYdava line of the Chandravanathe LunarDynasty). (For particulars as to his birth seeKansa.) Krishna is represented as the eighthAvatra of Vishnu in this aspect he is thespiritual teacher, the imbodiment of wisdom; butas with other Saviors, stories and allegories havebeen woven around him in great abundance. In theMahbhrata his story is briefly sketched, yet allhis exploits are enumerated: he appears throughoutthe work mostly as the advisor of the Pndavas.The life of Krishna is told in full in theHarivana (a work regarded as an addition to theepic), also in great detail in the

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Vishnu- and Bhgavata-Purnas, and popularized forthe multitude in the Prem Sgar (written in Hindi.The various stories and allegories woven aroundKrishna are still the most loved topic among thepopulace of India today, who revere him as a god.Nevertheless his teachings as outlined in theBhagavad-Gt are as applicable today in theOccident as in the Orient although couched inthe metaphor and back ground of a people livingthousands of years ago. The date of Krishnasdeath is given as 3102 B.C., and this event markedthe commencement of the Kali-yuga, the presentIron Age. The Bhagavad-Gt itself bestdescribes the avatric character of Krishna: it

represents the teacher as the Logos, while Arjunatypifies man.

H. P. Blavatsky makes the following interestingcomment regarding the successive incarnations ofavatras of Vishnu (i.e., the Narasinha Avatra,Rma, and Krishna) and the successivereincarnations of Daityas. Hiranyakaipu, theunrighteous but valiant monarch of the Daityas,because of his wickedness was slain by the Avatra

Nara-sinha (Man-lion). Then he was born asRavana, the giant king of Lanka, and killed byRama; after which he is reborn

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as Sisupala, the son of Raja-rishi (King Rishi)Damaghosha, when he is again killed by Krishna,the last incarnation of Vishnu. This parallelevolution of Vishnu (spirit) with a Daitya, as

men, may seem meaningless, yet it gives us the keynot only to the respective dates of Rama andKrishna but even to a certain psychologicalmystery. (S.D.II, 225)

(m. dark-colored, black, or blue-black. Krishna isrepresented as being very dark-skinned. B.G. 3)

Krishna Dvaipyana (see Vysa). (B.G.p. iii)

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Krishna-Yajur-Veda lit. the Black YajurVeda an alternative name for the TaittiryaSamhit one of the two divisions of this Veda, theother part being known as the White Yajur Veda. It

is called black (Krishna) because the Samhitand Brhmana portions of this Veda are confusedand mixed together, whereas the part named white( is free from this confusion and is arranged inan orderly manner. Vajur-Veda means sacrificialVeda:it is a collection of sacred mantras whichare practically identical with some of the mantrasin the Rig-Veda; in fact it is simply acollection, cut

51up and rearranged for the priests as a sort ofsacrificial prayer-book. The principal sacrificesare those to be performed at the new and fullmoon, and at the horse-sacrifice (avamedha)(B.G.31)

Kshattriya (or Kshatriya) The second of the

four social classes in the Vedic period: generallycalled the warrior caste, but the term refers alsoto the world of officialdom, i.e., kings, princes,administrators, etc.(see B.G. 127-8).(B.G. 14)

Kshetra A sphere of action, a field, a vehicle.Referred to (in B.G.) as the compoundedconstitution of the knower, or of the conscious

entity, i.e., the body. (B.G. 93)

Kshetraja The conscious ego: the cognising andrecognising element in the human constitutionBuddhi-Manas (translated soul in B.G.). (comp.kshetra, field, i.e., body; ja, the knower. B.G.93)

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Kuntibhoja (or Kunti) King of the Kuntis (apeople of ancient India). This Ydava princeadopted Pritha the daughter of his cousin ra,hence she was called Kunt (q.v.). (B.G. 2)

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Kunt The patronymic of Prith, the sister ofKrishna's father, Vasudeva, and daughter of aYdava prince named ra, who gave her to hischildless cousin Kunti (or Kuntibhoja), by whomshe was adopted hence she was called Kunt. As amaiden she paid such respect and devotion to thesage Durvsas that he taught her a mantra wherebyshe was enabled to have a child by any god shechose to invoke. In order to test the efficacy ofthis she invoked the god of the sun, Srya, andKarna (q.v.) was born: but Kunt abandoned thechild. She chose Pndu as her husband (atsvayamvara). With the aid of her mantra sheinvoked the god of justice, Dharma, by whomYudhishthira was born; by invoking Vyu, the godof the wind, Bhma was born; and by supplicationto Indra, the god of the sky, Kunt gave birth to

Arjuna. In the Mahbhrata Kunt is represented asthe model of maternal affection and devotion, everwatching over the Pndavas, with whom she spentthirteen years in exile. After the great war sheretired with Gndhr and Dhritarshtra into theforest, where she perished in a conflagration.

As Aditi is called Surrani (the matrix or

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mother of the sura gods), so Kunt, the motherof the Pndavas, is called in MahabhrataPandavrani which term is alreadyphysiologized. (S.D.II, 527) (B.G. 4)

Kuru A king of the Paurava line of theChandravana (the Lunar Dynasty) reigning atHastinpura. He was the son of Samvarana andTapat, and the ancestor of Dhritarshtra andPndu by the fourteenth remove. Hence Arjuna is

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referred to as son of Kuru (B.G. 51) or best ofthe Kurus (B.G. 35).

Kurukshetra lit., The field of the Kurus: aplain situated in the vicinity of modern Delhi, onwhich was staged the great conflict which formsthe principal theme of the Mahbhrata. (comp.Kuru, and kshetra, field. B.G. 1)

Kurus (or Kauravas) An ancient people in habitingthe northwest of India, in the vicinity of themodern Delhi. In the Mahbhrata they are divided

into northern and southern Kurus:the northern occupying one of the four Mahdvpas(principal divisions of the known world), andregarded as a country beyond the most northernrange of the Himalayas, often described

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as a country of everlasting happiness andconsidered to be the ancient home of the Aryan

Race. The southern Kurus were those referred to inthe Bhagavad-Gt reigning at Hastinpura.

In the text (of the B.G.), the reference to theKurus is applicable to the sons of Dhritarshtra,although the sons of Pndu are equally Kurus.And so Arjuna is referred to as the best of theKurus, for he was a descendant of Kuru by thefifteenth remove. (B.G. 4)

Kua The sacred grass (Poa cynosuroides), used inIndia at certain religious ceremonies.

H. P. Blavatsky remarks that it has certain occultproperties.(Theos. Gloss.p.183) (B.G. 46)

Kusumkara The season of Spring. (comp. kusuma,

flower, blossom; kara, making a quantity of. B.G.76)

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Ktastha A philosophical term meaning holdingthe highest position, hence the primordialdivinity. As a noun it is often used as a synonym

for vara the Divine-Spiritual Monad. Ktastha isoften used derivatively for ka (q.v.) and forMlaprakriti (comp. kta, the highest, the summit;stha, standing. B.G.108)

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Madhu The name of an asura (q.v.), who was slainby Vishnu. Madhu and his companion Kaitabha sprangfrom the ear of Vishnu while the deity was resting

at the end of a kalpa. These two asuras tookadvantage of the sleep of the god to approachBrahm, who was also resting, and were on thepoint of putting him to death but Vishnu awoke andfrustrated them in their plot by immediatelyslaying the asuras. Because of this act Vishnu isknown by the names of Madhusdana (slayer ofMadhu) and Kaitabhajit (causing the death ofKaitabha).

W. Q. Judge suggests that Madhu represents thequality of passion in nature(B.G. 49). Krishna was also called Madhusdana.(B.G. 9)

Madhusdana A name applied to Krishna Vishnu(Krishna in the aspect of Vishnu). (comp. Madhu(q.v.); sdana, slayer. B.G. 9) Also the name ofmany Sanskrit authors. (B.G. 51)

Mdr A sister of the king of the Madras, whobecame the second wife of Pndu. By means of themantra given her by Kunt (q.v.), she became themother of Nakula and Sahadeva by the twin Avins(the sky-gods). At the

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death of Pndu, Mdr ascended the funeral pyrewith her husbands corpse.(B.G. p.iv)

Mahbhrata lit. The great (war) of theBhratas. The great epic poem of Hindsthn,consisting of about 215,000 lines of metricalprose, which are divided into 18 parvas (books orsections). The main theme of the work is therecounting of the history of the later scions ofthe Chandravana (Lunar Dynasty) dealingespecially with the exploits of the Kurus and thePndavas, culminating in the great conflict which

forms the major portion of the epic. Not only doesit follow the achievements of its principalcharacters, for the ramifications of the narrativeconsider innumerable stories and allegories with awealth of description and fancy unequalled in therealm of fiction; but every phase of the humanemotions is dealt with, so that this epic has beenthe source of material for dramas and stories forsucceeding generations. The mythological and

religious aspect of the people of ancient times isset forth, as regards both the allegories of thedeities and the priestly ceremonial observances;philosophical discourses abound (the Bhagavad-Gtbeing but a single

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instance); teachings in regard to Karman andReincarnation are expounded as well as illustratedin story-form (see under Draupad and ikhandin);

moral and ethical lessons are repeatedlyinculcated, while the traditions and legends ofthe Bhratas are stressed at all times, featuringall the exploits of a war-like race. The tale ofRma (which forms the basis for the second greatepic of India, the Rmyana is told in full, as isalso the story of akuntal (later dramatized byKlidsa). Unquestionably the Mahbhrata is awork intended for the populace, therefore it is

written in a manner which would appeal to thepeople of that time, and deals principally with

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battles. Its compilation is attributed to Vysa(q.v.). No two Orientalists agree as to its date.But it is undeniably extremely ancient. (Theos.Gloss. 201) from the first appearance of the Aryanrace . . . down to the final disappearance ofPlatos small island of Atlantis, the Aryan raceshad never ceased to fight with the descendants ofthe first giant races. This war lasted till nearlythe close of the age which preceded the Kali Yug,and was the Mahabhratean war so famous in IndianHistory. (S.D.II, 395) (B.G. p.i)

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Maharshi lit. Great Sage (great Rishi):referring especially to the ten Maharshis who werethe mind-born sons of Prajpati (or ManuSvyambhuva) enumerated in Manu (i, 34) as:Marchi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu,Prachetas, Vasishtha, Bhrigu, Nrada. They arealso called the ten Prajpatis. Sometimes they arereferred to as seven only as in ch. x, l. 6,rendered as the seven great Sages, B.G. 71. (SeeRishi)

Every nation has either the seven and ten Rishis-Manus and Prajpatis; . . . One and all have beenderived from the primitive Dhyan Chohans of theEsoteric doctrine, or the Builders of theStanzas (Book I). From Manu, Thoth-Hermes, Oannes-Dagon, and Edris-Enoch, down to Plato andPanodorus, all tell us of seven divine Dynasties,of seven Lemurian, and seven Atlantean divisionsof the Earth; of the seven primitive and dual gods

who descend from their celestial abode and reignon Earth, teaching mankind Astronomy,Architecture, and all the other sciences that havecome down to us. These Beings appear first asgods andCreators; then they merge in nascent man, tofinally emerge as divine-Kings and Rulers.(S.D.II, 365-6)

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(comp. mah, great; rishi, a Sage or Seer. B.G.81)

Mahtman lit. Great Soul or Great Self comp. of mah, great; tman, Self. In India todaythe word (Anglicized as Mahatma) is applied as atitle to a man of outstanding achievement,although in ancient times it referred to a man ofoutstanding spiritual attainment, as mentioned inthe Bhagavad-Gt. In Theosophical literature theword is employed technically for those beingsfarther advanced evolutionally than ordinary men,who are also referred to as the Masters of Wisdom,

or the Sages and Seers. (B.G. 55)

Mahevara lit. Great Lord, a term applied tothe spirit. Also a title applied to iva (thethird member of the Hind Trimrti). (comp. mah,great; vara, lord, master. B.G. 96)

Mahusudana (should be Madhusudana, q.v. Thename of many Sanskrit writers.B.G. 51)

Makara A sea-animal: the vehicle of Varuna (godof the ocean). It is variously described: as afish, a shark, a dolphin, or a crocodile; however,in the legends it is depicted as having

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the head and forelegs of an antelope and the bodyand tail of a fish very similar to Capricornus,and like it, allocated to the tenth sign of theZodiac. Makara is now the most sacred andmysterious of the signs of the Zodiac.

(S.D.II, 268) (B.G. 75)

Manas The seat of mind and consciousness ofegoity: the real man. In the Theosophical

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classification of mans principles, the fifth(counting upwards): regarded as the child ofMahat, hence called Mnasaputra.

Manas is a principle, and yet it is an Entity

an individuality or Ego. He is a God, and yet heis doomed to an endless cycle of incarnations, .

In its very essence it is THOUGHT, and is,therefore, called in its plurality Manasaputra,the Sons of the (Universal) mind. (The Key toTheosophy, 183-4)

Manas, or the Thinker, is the reincarnatingbeing, the immortal who carries the results andvalues of all the different lives lived on earth

or elsewhere. Its nature becomes dual as soon asit is attached to a body. The reasoning facultyis the lower aspect of the Thinker or Manas,

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Its other, and in theosophy higher, aspect is theintuitional, which knows, and does not depend onreason. (The Ocean of Theosophy, 54) (B.G. 53)

Manipushpaka The name of the conch-shell ofSahadeva. (m. jewel-flowered. B.G. 4)

Manu In the Laws of Manu it is stated that Manuwas created by Virj: he then produced the tenPrajpatis (q.v.), who in turn produced sevenother Manus; each of these Manus again producedseven Manus. Fourteen Manus, how ever, are

allocated to the seven globes of a planetarychain, two to each: one appears at thecommencement of a Round (called the Root-Manu) andone at the conclusion (the Seed-Manu), theinterval between the two Manus being termed aManvantara. The Manu in charge of our presentFourth Round is named Vaivasvata Manu (q.v.). Thefour Manus (mentioned on p. 71 B.G.) refer to theManus of the four Rounds, the fourth Round being

now in progress. (See Maharshi and Rishi.)

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Esoterically Manu stands for the entitiescollectively which appear first at the beginningof manifestation: it is the spiritual Tree ofLife

62of any planetary chain of manifested being. Manudeclares himself created by Virj, or Vaiswanara,(the Spirit of Humanity), which means that hisMonad emanates from the never resting Principle inthe beginning of every new Cosmic activity:(S.D.II, 311).

Notwithstanding the terrible, and evidentlypurposed, confusion of Manus, Rishis, and their

progeny in the Purnas, one thing is made clear:there have been and there will be seven Rishis inevery Root-Race (called also Manvantara in thesacred books) as there are fourteen Manus in everyRound, the presiding gods, the Rishis and Sons ofthe Manus being identical. .Six Manvantaras aregiven, the Seventh being our own in the VishnuPurna. (S.D.II, 614) (B.G. 30)

Mrgarsha The name of the month in which thefull moon enters Mrigairsha (generally applied toCapricornus in the signs of the Zodiac): the tenthor in later times the first month in the year.(B.G. 76)

Marchi One of the ten Prajpatis (progenitors)or mind-born Sons of Brahm, from whom mankind isdescended (according to Manu).

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He is also regarded as one of the seven greatRishi (q.v.), in the Mahbhrata. He is the fatherof the Rishi Kayapa the Vedic sage, the mostprolific of creators, who produced the Ngas(q.v.). Marchi is also represented as the chiefof the Maruts (q.v.). In Manu the Pitris of the

Gods are reborn as the sons of Marchi and hiswife Sambhti. These Pitris are the Agnishvtta

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Pitris, while those called in Manu the Pitris ofthe Demons, who are reborn as the sons of Atri,are the Barhishad Pitris. (S.D.II, 89) (B.G. 73)

Maruts The storm gods, helpers of Indra: armedwith lightning and thunder they ride on thewhirlwind and direct storms. They are prominent inthe Vedas, being called the sons of Rudra (thestorm god), or again sons and brothers of Indra(god of the sky). In the Purnas it is relatedthat the Maruts were born in the following manner:Diti, the wife of Kayapa (one of the great Rishiwas about to give birth to a son, but the embryo

was separated by Indra into seven portions, eachportion when born being again separated into sevenparts. iva transformed these into boys, callingthem Maruts.

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H. P. Blavatsky interprets this legend as follows:Diti is the sixth principle of metaphysicalnature, the Buddhi of Aksa. Diti, the mother ofthe Maruts, is one of her terrestrial forms, madeto represent, at one and the same time, the divineSoul in the ascetic, and the divine aspirations ofmystic Humanity . . . Indra represents the cosmicprinciple Mahat, in man Manas in its dual aspect:as connected with Buddhi; and as allowing himselfto be dragged down by his Kama-principle (the bodyof passions and desires) . The babe allegorizesthe divine and steady will of the Yogi determined to resist all such temptations, and

thus destroy the passions within his earthlypersonality. Indra succeeds again, because fleshconquers spirit

. . . He divides the Embryo (of new divineadeptship, begotten once more by the Ascetics ofthe Aryan Fifth Race), into seven portions areference not alone to the seven sub-races of thenew Root-Race, in each of which there will be aManu, but also to the seven degrees of adeptship

and then each portion into seven pieces alluding to the Manu-Rishis of each Root-Race, and

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Barborka, Geoffrey - Gods and Heroes of the Bhagavad Gita

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