PHX-ULT  

GODS AND HEROES

OF THE

BHAGAVAD-G1TA

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE MYTHOLOGY
OF ANCIENT INDIA AS CONTAINED
IN THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, INCLUDING
TECHNICAL 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 it was H. P. Blavatsky’s especial wish that a selection from the Bhagavad-Gîtâ should always be read at commemoration services held on the day of her passing, which she desired to have known as White Lotus Day. There must have been a potent reason for thus singling out this ancient work, and we have her words stating that the ‘Gîtâ’ is an esoteric work. A clue to this is the fact that the very first word of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ (in the Sanskrit text) is Dharmakshetre, meaning ‘on the field of (Dharma),’ and indicating that what is about to be recounted occurs not only ‘on the field of the Kurus’ (i.e., Kurukshetre — the second word of the text), but on the field of moral law (dharma), and is to be interpreted in a cosmic sense.

     W. Q. Judge’s high regard for the book is well known, and an interpretation is suggested by him in his ‘Antecedent Words’ to his recension.

     Readers of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ have doubtless

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pondered upon the signification of the many Sanskrit words and names appearing in this philosophical work. Perhaps some, having been deeply impressed by the teachings inculcated, have commenced a study of the background of the work, and have thus acquired a knowledge of the main events in the great epic of India — the Mahâbhârata — in which the episode of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ occurs. But the task of looking up all the characters mentioned, and finding a satisfactory meaning of the terms, is a difficult one. To meet this need the present book is offered, as a means of gaining a deeper understanding of the work.

     The Bhagavad-Gîtâ is pre-eminently an ethical treatise. It inculcates teachings applicable to daily life, suited to the time in which it was written. These are considered from the stand point of two highly philosophical systems of thought which were then prominent, namely, the Sânkhya and the Yoga. Furthermore there is a philosophical and religious background which is not very prominent in the theme, yet is al ways present: this is the mythology of ancient India, a consideration of which is necessary for a complete understanding of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ.

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     It is information along this line that the present handbook supplies.

It would seem from a study of the mythology of Hindûsthân that it may be divided into three main periods: (1) the Vedic period, containing the original exposition of the deities, etc., as found in the Vedas; (2) the post-Vedic period, consisting of The Laws of Manu and the two great epics, the Mahâbhârata and the Râmâyana (3) the post-Mahâbhâratan period, as found in the Purânas.

     Pursuing this line of thought one finds that along with the modifications which the deities undergo during these three periods, there is a corresponding change in religious outlook. As religious ideas and beliefs do not change suddenly but arise slowly and only after considerable lapses of time, the conclusion naturally follows that great periods of time must have elapsed between the production of the Sanskrit works above enumerated; and the works themselves indicate the trend of thought of the time in which they were written.

     The characters and terms used in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ represent the religious outlook and mythology of the Mahâbhâratan-period. Never-

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theless the information given in this handbook in regard to the deities comprises the three periods above outlined. This plan has been followed in order to give as complete an explanation as possible.

     Although there are voluminous commentaries upon the ancient Sanskrit literature, written by Eastern sages, the keys to an interpretation of the mythology of India were not known in the West until Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (the founder of the modern Theosophical Movement) published her books. Such keys are not easily accessible, however, as they are scattered throughout her works. The effort in this hand book has been to place this information before students. Wherever possible the inner meanings which
H. P. Blavatsky gave to terms or to deities have been included herein (with references subjoined). These esoteric explanations are of inestimable value, as they give a means of understanding the Bhagavad-Gîtâ in a new light. Witness the following citation: the author is referring to the story about Vaivasvata-Manu as told both in the Mahâbhârata and the Purânas:

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

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

     The story as told in the “Mahabhârata” strikes the key-note, and yet it needs to be explained by the secret sense contained in the Bhagavad Gîtâ. It is the prologue to the drama of our (Fifth) Humanity.

—The Secret Doctrine, II, 139

     The best information about the characters occurring in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ is the Mahâbhârata itself, for the stories about the gods and heroes are therein told in detail. This epic was used for the background of the compilation. Verification was made by use of Monier-Williams’s Sanskrit Dictionary, and the systemic spelling for the names and terms adopted; also the orthography. The labor of preparation has been materially aided by access to this standard authority. Further, material has been drawn from Dowson’s Classical Dictionary. Due acknowledgment is given to these works, as well as to the Theosophical works of H. P. Blavatsky and G. de Purucker for the illumination and

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clarification which Theosophy brings to an understanding of the Sanskrit terms employed in its literature.

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

     The names and terms in this book are those that appear in the recension of the Bhagavad Gîtâ made by William Q. Judge (the work principally known to Theosophists), and his latest edition (the sixth) was used in regard to pagination — which the 1939 Point Loma edition also follows.

GEOFFREY A. BARBORKA

Theosophical University,

Point Loma, California.

May, 1939.

ERRATUM

Through an error in composition, credit was not given in the previous Foreword for a certain number of passages or extracts taken from an encyclopaedic glossary which it is hoped to publish in the future, and for others from the “Simplified Sanskrit Course” of The Junior Theosophist. The author is happy to acknowledge his indebtedness to these sources for the extracts used.

July, 1939

GEOFFREY A. BARBORKA

CONTENTS

Gods and Heroes and Technical Terms   1—120
in alphabetical order

Favorite Quotations from the
Bhagavad-Gîtâ                                             121

Pronunciation Key                                        129            

ABBREVIATIONS

adj.     = adjective

B.G.     = Bhagavad-Gîtâ (W. Q. Judge’s Recension). B.G. followed by a number   has reference to the page in which the word first appears in
W. Q. J.’s edition of 1896, and Point Loma edition of 1939

comp.    = compound

dict.    = dictionary form or ‘crude form.’ Sanskrit words when not used in sentences (i.e., when isolated without grammatical form) have a special form; this is the manner in which they appear in dictionaries (e. g. Âtman — dict.; Âtmâ — nominative case.)

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lit.     = literally—the literal meaning of the word

m.       = meaning of the word itself

Manu     = The Laws of Manu (Mânava-Dharma Sâstra)

N.B.G.   = Notes on the Bhagavad. by Subba Row

nom.     = nominative case

q.v.     = quod vide (‘which see’)

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

Theos. Gloss.  =  The Theosophical Glossary by H.P.B. Blavatsky

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

GODS AND HEROES

OF THE

BHAGAVAD-GîTÂ

1

Achyuta The unfallen, i.e., the imperishable: a philosophical term about which H.P.Blavatsky writes: “Achyuta is an almost untranslatable term. It means that which is not subject to fall or change for the worse: the Unfalling; and it is the reverse of chyuta, ‘the Fallen.’ The Dhyanis who incarnate in the human forms of the Third Root-Race and endow them with intellect (Manas) are called the chyuta, for they fall into generation.” (S.D.II,47) Achyuta is applied to Vishṇu and to Kṛishṇa in his avatâric aspect of Vishṇu: not, however, as an individualized entity but in respect to the condition or state of essential Cosmic Being. (comp. a, not; chyuta from ^*chyu, to move to and fro, to fall, to fade. B.G.132)

Adhibhûta lit. ‘Original Element,’ i.e., the primordial 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 Key’ pp.127-32.)

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all objects, in its cosmic aspect. (comp. adhi, ‘above,’ therefore implying superiority; bhûta, a word frequently used for ‘element.’ B.G.57)

Adhidaivata lit. The original or primordial divine, i.e., the divine agent operating in and through beings and objects. A generalizing adjective applying to the divine part of any being from the hierarchical standpoint: applicable to Adhyâtman (q.v.). (comp. adhi, above, therefore implying superiority; daivata, divine. B.G.57)

Adhiyajña lit. ‘Primordial sacrifice.’ Cosmologically this refers to the Cosmic Logos, which in the Esoteric Philosophy is represented as in a sense sacrificing itself for the benefit of the world; because due to its own coming into manifestation it enables the waiting hosts of monads to come into being. In the small, every Avatâra repeats the sacrifice for the benefit of all that lives. The Bhagavad-Gîtâ refers to this in the words “Adhiyajña is myself in this body,” i.e., Kṛishṇa the Avatâra in a physical body. (comp. adhi, upper, paramount; yajña, sacrifice. B.G.58)

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Adhyâtman lit. ‘The Supreme or Original Âtman,’ the highest of a hierarchy, equivalent to Paramâtman. (comp. adhi, above, therefore implying superiority; âtman, Self. B.G.57)

Âdityas The twelve great gods of the Hindu pantheon, sometimes also reckoned as seven (as in early Vedic times, and named, Varuṇa, the chief, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Daksha, Anśa Sûrya): sons of boundless infinitude (Aditi). These great gods have been known under many names in different kalpas: they are the eternal sustainers of the divine life which exists in all things. “The wise call our fathers Vasus; our paternal grandfathers Rudras; our paternal great grandfathers, Âdityas; agreeable to a text of the Vedas.” (Manu, iii, 284) Astronomically, the seven Âdityas are the regents 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 important of the Vedic deities, to whom the greatest number of hymns are addressed, for he presides chiefly over the earth, and is regarded as the mediator between men and the gods, as protector of men and their homes, and as witness

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of all their actions. Fire is regarded in three phases: in heaven as the sun, in the air as lightning, and on earth as ordinary fire. Agni is represented as clothed in black, having smoke for his standard and head-piece, and carrying a flaming javelin; he has four hands and seven tongues, with which he licks up the butter used in sacrifices. His chariot is drawn by red horses; the seven winds form the wheels of his car, and he is followed by a ram. Esoterically Agni represents the divine essence present in every atom of the universe, the Celestial Fire; hence in its manifestations Agni is often used synonymously with the Adityas (q.v.) or our spiritual Pitris (q.v.). In this sense Fire is spoken of as the PRIMARY in the Stanzas of Dzyan: “The Spirit, beyond manifested Nature, is the fiery BREATH in its absolute Unity. In the manifested Universe, it is the Central Spiritual Sun, the electric Fire of all Life. In our System it is the visible Sun, the Spirit of Nature, the terrestrial god. And in, on, and around the Earth, the fiery Spirit thereof— air, fluidic fire; water, liquid fire; Earth, solid fire. All is fire — ignis, in its ultimate constitution, . . the three Vedic chief gods are Agni (ignis), Vayu [q.V.], and Sûrya

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

Ahankâra (or Ahamkâra) Egoism, the sense of personality or ‘I-am-I-ness’: in its lower aspect in man it is the egoistical principle which produces the notion of the personal ego as being different from the Universal One-Self. Kosmically speaking, Ahankâra is “that which first issues from ‘Mahat’ or divine mind; the first shadowy outline of Self-hood, for ‘pure’ Ahankâra becomes ‘passionate’ and finally ‘rudimental’ (initial); . . .“ (S.D.1,452-3). (comp. aham, I; kâra, doer, maker; from *kṛi, to do. B.G.53)

Airâvata The elephant produced by the gods at the time of the churning of the ocean. (See Ananta.) He became the special charge of Indra and one of the eight Lokapâlas. These latter are the cosmical spirits who preside over the eight points of the compass (Airâvata guards the east), and are closely akin to the four Mahârâjas —the four ‘Great Watchers.’ Although the Lokapâlas are represented as ‘elephants,’ H. P. Blavatsky remarks that “all of them have an occult significance.” (S.D.I,128) (m. produced from the ocean, fr. irâvat, the ocean. B.G.74)

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Âkâśa The Fifth Kosmic Element: the spiritual Essence which pervades all space; in fact it may be called imbodied universal Space — in this aspect known as Aditi. It is the substratum for the seven Prakṛitis (roots) of all in the universe; thus in one sense is Mûlaprakṛiti (the Kosmical Root-Substance). The word itself, without its philosophical meaning, signifies the sky, the open space, hence it is often rendered ‘ether’ in translations from the Sanskrit works, but as H.P.Blavatsky pointed out, Âkâśa “is not that Ether of Science, not even the Ether of the Occultist, who defines the latter as one of the principles of Âkâśa only” (S.D.I,296). In the Brâhmanical scriptures the term is used in the same manner that Northern Buddhists employ Svabhavat more mystically Âdi-Buddhi. Some have associated the Astral Light with Âkâśa but the former is but a reflection of the latter: “To put it plainly, ETHER is the Astral Light, and the Primordial Substance is ÂKÂŚA, the Upadhi of DIVINE THOUGHT.”
(S.D.I,326) (*kâś to shine, to appear. B.G.53)

Ambâ The eldest daughter of the king of Kâśî Through the fault of Bhîshma she was

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rejected by her suitor, whereupon she withdrew to the forest and after practising severe penances she ended her life on the funeral pyre, and was then reborn as Śikhaṇḍin (q.v.). The word in the text (last line of p.iii B.G.) should read Ambikâ (q.v.) — the second daughter of the king.

Ambâlikâ The third daughter of the king of Kâśî given by Bhîshma in marriage to his half brother Vichitravîrya. After the latter’s death she was wedded to Vyâsa, and became the mother of Pâṇḍu (q.v.). (B. G. p.iii)

Ambikâ The second daughter of the king of Kâśî wedded to Vichitravîrya. After his death she was married to Vyâsa, and gave birth to Dhṛitarâshṭra (q.v.).
(B.G. p.iii)

Amṛita The nectar of the gods, by quaffing which immortality was attained; hence called the waters of immortality or the elixir of life. The amṛita was produced when the gods used Ananta (q.v.) for churning the ocean. In the Vedas, amṛita is applied to the mystical Soma (q.v.), which makes a new man of the Initiate. “Amṛita is beyond any guna [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 and the spiritual bathing in its life-giving power. (comp. a, not; mṛita, dying. B.G.74)

Ananta The name of the serpent Śesha, represented as seven-headed and forming the couch of Vishṇu (q.v.), on which he reclines during the pralayas. Śesha is called Ananta (meaning the unending, the infinite) because he perdures through manvantaras as well as during the pralayas, i.e., during the periods of activity and quiescence. Ananta is represented as carrying a plow and a pestle, for during the churning of the waters for the purpose of making Amṛita (q.v.), the gods used Śesha as a great rope, twisting his tail around the mountain Mandara, and thus using it as a churn. Ananta is also the symbol of eternity, i.e., a serpent in the form of a circle. In the Purâṇas Śesha is said to have a thousand heads — an expansion of the legend. The seven heads of the serpent “typifies the Seven principles throughout nature and man; the highest or 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 of Yudhishṭhira. (m. eternally victorious. B.G.4)

Arjuna The hero of the Bhagavad-Gîtâ depicted as the disciple of Kṛishṇa is one of the most interesting and lovable characters in the Mahâbhârata. He is the third of the Pândava brothers, the son of Indra by Pṛitha (or Kuntî)— hence referred to throughout the poem as the son of Pṛithâ, or again as the son of Kuntî (in Sanskrit Pârtha and Kaunteya). His individual exploits are related at great length in the epic, each one being of interest. As the warrior-hero par excellence, his achievements are foremost in the martial line; thus Arjuna is represented as the favorite pupil of Droṇa (q.v.), as being instructed in arms by the gods themselves (from whom he obtained celestial weapons as well as his remarkable bow, Gâṇḍîva, q.v.). By means of his prowess in arms he was chosen by Draupadî (q.v.) as husband at her svayamvara (‘self choice’). During a self-imposed exile, Arjuna traveled to Pâtâla (the Antipodes, the name by which America was known in ancient Hindûsthân) and there was wooed by the princess
Ulûpî, who wedded him (see S.D.II, 214).

10

Arjuna is best known in his relationship with Krishna: the manner in which Krishna became Arjuna’s charioteer is related as follows. When it became apparent that a war was to be waged between the Kurus and the Pâṇḍavas, both Duryodhana and Arjuna hastened to Kṛishṇa in order to obtain his aid. Duryodhana arrived first, but Kṛishṇa was in bed asleep: he was still reposing when Arjuna reached the palace, so he stationed himself at the foot of Kṛishṇa’s bed, so that upon awaking his eyes rested on his brother-in-law (Arjuna was married to Kṛishṇa’s sister, Subhadrâ). Immediately each hero implored Kṛishṇa to aid his cause: but the latter declared that he would not fight in the coming battle, that he would act solely as an advisor; and as each was entitled to his help, Kṛishṇa gave his petitioners the choice of his splendidly equipped army to the one side, and to the other himself as advisor. Duryodhana having arrived first was given first choice, and he chose the army, whereupon Arjuna was over joyed to accept Kṛishṇa 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 Kṛishṇa and Arjuna in the Mahâbhârata, known as the Anu-gîtâ, which is even more philosophical and more occult than the first dialog, but as it is more difficult of comprehension and deals with more abstruse subjects it is not so well known. (See S.D.I,94-6.)

“Arjuna, who was called Nara, was intended to represent the human monad.”
(N. B. G. 11)

“Krishna is the seventh principle in man, and his gift of his sister in marriage to Arjuna typifies the union between the sixth and the fifth.”

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

Ârya A respectable, honorable, or faithful man; also an inhabitant of Aryâvarta (or India). In later times the word is used as a title for the first three castes of ancient India. (*ri, to rise, to tend upwards. B.G.p.iii)

Aryaman The chief of the Pitris (q.v.). Also the name of one of the Âdityas (q.v.). (m. a bosom friend. B.G. 75)

Aryana (see Aryaman)

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Asat Not-being, non-being: applied in Hindu philosophy to the manifested universe as being illusory, unreal, false, in contradistinction to Sat—Be-ness, Reality. In this sense Asat is “Nature, or the illusive shadow of its one true essence.”
(Theos. Gloss. 33) (comp. a, not; sat, being, be-ness. B.G. 119)

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

Asura Originally the word stood for the supreme spirit (being so used in the Ṛig-Veda) and equivalent to the Zoroastrian Ahura Mazda; then it became applied to deities, such as Indra, Agni, and Varuṇa; later still it denoted a class of elemental beings evil in nature, and consequently Asuras are termed demons. The Taitti rîya-Brâhmana represents the Asuras as being created from the breath of Brahmâ-Prajâpati, likewise the Laws of Manu, but the Purâṇas indicate that they sprang from his thigh. “Esoterically, the Asuras, transformed subsequently into evil Spirits and lower gods, who are eternally at war with the great deities — are the gods of

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the Secret Wisdom. . . . They are the sons of the primeval Creative Breath at the begining of every new Mahakalpa, or Manvantara; . . . Evidently they have been degraded in Space and Time into opposing powers or demons by the ceremonialists,” (S.D.II,500-1). (*as, to breathe. B.G. 65)

Aśvattha The pippala, the sacred Indian fig tree, ficus religiosa. In Buddhism called the Bodhi-tree — the tree under which the Buddha received full illumination. Mystically, the ‘Tree of Life,’ the great World Tree, symbolic both of the vital structure of the universe and of the cosmic hierarchies in all their various inter-relations. The roots of the Aśvattha “represent the Supreme Being, or First Cause, the Logos; but one has to go beyond those roots to unite oneself with Kṛishṇa, . . . Its boughs are the highest Dhyan Chohans or Devas. The Vedas are its leaves. He only who goes beyond the roots shall never return, i.e., shall reincarnate no more during this ‘age’ of Brahmâ.” (S.D.I,406-7)
(See B.G. 105.) (m. ‘under which horses stand’: aśva, a horse; ttha fr. sthâ, to stand. B.G.74)

14

Aśvatthâman The son of Droṇa and Kṛipâ (sister of Kṛipa, q.v.): one of the generals in the army of the Kauravas. He was one of the three surviving warriors at the end of the war, and was then made commander. (B.G.3)

Aśvins (or more correctly Aśvinau, the word itself meaning ‘the two horsemen’). Two Vedic deities represented as twin horsemen, harbingers of Ushas, the dawn. They appear in the sky in a chariot drawn by golden horses, or again by birds. Their attributes pertain to youth and beauty. They are regarded as the physicians of the gods, and avert from mankind sickness and misfortune; hence many Vedic hymns are addressed to them. Yâska, the celebrated commentator of the Vedas, referring to the ‘twin horsemen’ as precursors of light and the dawn, held that they represent the transition from darkness to light, and the intermingling of both produces that inseparable duality which is expressed by the twin nature of the Aśvinau H.P.Blavatsky remarks: “ . . . these twins are, in the esoteric philosophy, the Kumâra-Egos, the reincarnating ‘Principles’ in this Manvantara.” (Theos. Gloss. 41) (B.G. 78)

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Bhagavad-Gîtâ lit. Krishna’s song (or divine song). The philosophical discourse between Arjuna and Krishna, the latter being represented as the Avatâra of Vishṇu, but acting as Arjuna’s charioteer. It is cast in the traditional form of question and answer between disciple and teacher in verses of metrical prose termed lokas. The meter is called Anu-shṭubh and consists of four pâdas or quarter verses of eight syllables each, or two lines of sixteen syllables each. The dialog is placed in the sixth book of the Mahâbhârata entitled the Bhîshma-parva (the book. of Bhîshma) śokas 830-1532 thereof. “The work is pre-eminently occult or esoteric,” writes H.P.Blavatsky in Theosophical Glossary, p. 56, and also states in The Secret Doctrine that there is a “secret sense contained in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ.” (II, 139)

“The main object of the Bhagavad Gîtâ — which is one of the main sources of Hindu philosophy — is to explain the higher principles that operate in the cosmos, which are omnipresent and permanent and which are common to all the solar systems.” (N. B. G. 108) (comp. bhagavat, holy, divine; also a name of Kṛishṇa; gîtâ, song.)

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Bharata The name of a great number of kings and heroes. The one referred to in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ is of the Puru branch (or Pauravas) of the Chandravaṇśa (Lunar Race), the son of Dushyanta and Śakuntalâ. The ninth king in descent from Bharata was Kuru, and the seventeenth from Kuru was Yudhisḥṭhira and his four brothers, i.e., the Pâṇḍavas. (B.G.11)

Bhârata A descendant of Bharata: referable to either the Kauravas or the Pâṇḍavas, but most often applied solely to the latter. Arjuna is often referred to as ‘son of Bharata’ or ‘best of the Bharatas.’ (B. G. 11)

Bhîma The second son of Kuntî by the god of the wind, Vâyu. All through the Mahâbhârata the remarkable achievements of Bhîma provide entertaining reading: his feats of valor and strength are unsurpassable, especially those performed with his enormous club. He shared with Arjuna the honors of valorous exploits in the great conflict, in which the Pâṇḍavas were finally victorious.
(m. the terrible. B.G.3)

Bhîshma The son of king Śantanu and the river-goddess Gangâ Although the rightful heir

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to the throne of the Kurus, he relinquished the kingdom so that the children of his father’s second wife, Satyavatî, might rule instead, but he remained the protector to the throne. Thus he was the ancestor of both the Kauravas and the Pâṇḍavas (referred to in the text as the grandsire of the Kurus). He was persuaded to side with the sons of Dhṛitarâshṭra 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 to terminate his life whenever he wished, Bhîshma remained alive for 58 days and instructed Yudhishṭhira in the duties of a king.
(m. the terrible. B.G.2)

Bhṛigu One of the most celebrated of the Vedic Ṛishis or Sages, regarded as the ancestor of the Bhârgavas (in which race Paraśu-Râma was born). He is known as one of the ten Prajâpatis (or mind-born sons of Brahmâ — regarded as the fathers of the human race). He is also regarded as one of the nine great Ṛishis (in the Vishṇu-Purâṇa). The Laws of Manu were confided to Bhṛigu and Manu called him his son. Some hymns in the Ṛig-Veda are at tributed to the Ṛishi (B.G.74)

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Bhûtas The decaying remnants of corpses in the astral world — the real part of man having dropped off these grossest portions of its former vehicle; hence phantoms or ‘shells’, the eidola or shades of the ancients. They are popularly believed to haunt burial places, etc., for these remnants, although in the astral world (and invisible), are still attracted to the localities of their former physical associations. (*bhû, to be come; lit. ‘has-beens’, i.e., entities that formerly lived and have passed on. B.G.68)

Brahmâ The first aspect of the Hindu Trimûrti (or triad), the emanator or ‘creator’ — the other two being Vishṇu, the ‘preserver,’ and śiva, the ‘destroyer,’ or rather the ‘regenerator.’ The idea of the Trimûrti is not found in the Vedas, nor does the name Brahmâ occur; the active creator is therein known as Hiraṇyagarbha, or Prajâpati: in later times the term Prajâpati was bestowed on Brahmâ (meaning ‘the Progenitor’). In Manu it is said that the supreme soul, the self existent lord created the waters and deposited in them a seed, which seed became a golden egg (Hiraṇyagarbha) in which he himself was born as Brahmâ, the progenitor of all the worlds.

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The idea of the Trimûrti is of course present in the epic poems: Brahmâ is represented as springing from the lotus which arose from the navel of Vishṇu. From Brahmâ then rise the mind-born Sons (the Prajâpatis) who people the world. In the Purâṇas (especially in Vishṇu-Purâṇa), Vishnu becomes more prominent than Brahmâ: the latter is represented as being in its totality the aspect of Prakṛiti (q.v.), both evolved and unevolved (Mûlaprakṛiti), and also the aspect of Spirit, and the aspect of Time.

Brahmâ is in fact the vehicle or sheath of Brahman: the spiritual evolving or developing energy-consciousness of a solar system, i.e., the Logos, deriving from Brahman. It should be pointed out that the Sanskrit word Brahman is both masculine and neuter, and therefore has two meanings: in order to distinguish these, in Theosophical literature the masculine is spelled Brahmâ (the nominative form), whereas the neuter is spelled Brahman (q.v.).

“Brahmâ, as ‘the germ of unknown Darkness,’ is the material from which all evolves and develops ‘as the web from the spider, as foam from the water,’ etc. . . . Brahmâ ‘expands’ and becomes the Universe woven out of his own sub-

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stance.” (S.D.I,83). (*bṛiḥ to 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 philosophic and religious training — usually applicable to the first stage in the life of a Brâhmaṇa of ancient times, signifying the state of an unmarried religious student of the Vedas. (comp. Brahman, the Cosmic Spirit — in some cases meaning spiritual wisdom’; charya, conduct). The person following this mode of life is called a Brahmachârin.
(B.G.46)

Brahman The impersonal and uncognisable Principle of the Universe, implying both the aspect of essential consciousness and that of substance: thus it represents the spiritual back ground of the Universe, the Cause of all Causes. “The student must distinguish between Brahma the neuter, and Brahmâ, the male creator of the Indian Pantheon. The former, Brahma or Brahman, is the impersonal, supreme and uncognisable Principle of the Universe from the essence of which all emanates, and into which all returns, which is incorporeal, immaterial, unborn, eternal, beginningless and endless. It is

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all-pervading, animating the highest god as well as the smallest mineral atom. Brahmâ, on the other hand, the male and the alleged Creator, exists periodically in his manifestation only, and then again goes into pralaya, i.e., disappears and is annihilated.” (Theos. Gloss. 62)

Brahman is what is called in Theosophy the Unmanifest Logos: through and from It, therefore, arises Brahmâ (q.v.). (*bṛih, to expand, to grow. B.G.58)

Brâhmaṇa (often Anglicized as BRAHMAN or BRAHMIN) The highest of the four castes into which the social classes of Hindûsthân were divided in post-Vedic times. Originally a Brâhmana was one who had been twice-born (i.e., a dvîja, or an initiate), but in decadent times the term came to be used simply as a hereditary prerogative, and hence applied to the members of the priestly caste. (B.G. 127)

Bṛihaspati The deity who represents the worshiper of the gods: the suppliant and sacrificer, designated as the Purohita (family priest), because he intercedes with the gods on behalf of mankind, and likewise protects the righteous men from the wicked. He is often called the

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father of the gods because of his creative powers, and is named the shining one, the golden colored one. Bṛihaspati is also the regent of the planet Jupiter. The lengthy legend about his wife, Târâ, being carried off by Soma, the moon, and the consequent war in heaven (the Târakâmaya) is related in The Secret Doctrine (II,498-9) and is there interpreted by H.P.Blavatsky. (comp. bṛiḥ, as noun, ‘prayer,’ fr. *bṛiḥ, to grow great, to expand; pati, lord. B.G.74)

Bṛihat-Sâman The name of the hymns in the Sâma-Veda, written in the
Bṛihatî meter, i.e., meters of 36 syllables (originally written 8-8-12-8). (comp. Bṛihat, the Brihatî meter; Sâman, a sacred verse to be sung. B.G.76)

Buddhi The sixth principle in the Theosophical classification of man’s component parts. As the vehicle for Universal Spirit, Buddhi is inseparably linked with Âtman and regarded as its vehicle. It is the channel for the divine inspiration which streams from Âtman, as well as the faculty of discrimination, and the knowledge of discrimination between good and evil, hence spiritual consciousness. When awakened in man the Buddhic principle evokes compassionate love

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for all, instant understanding, and intuition. A man so fully awakened is termed a Buddha. . . the Spiritual Soul (Buddhi) . . conceals a mystery which is never given to any one, with the exception of irrevocably pledged chelas,” (The Key to Theosophy,119-20). (*budh, to awaken, to enlighten. B.G.28)

Chakra A word with a number of meanings: a wheel; a circle; a discus — the weapon of Vishṇu (hence also a symbol of the deity); a cycle or period of time; also the physiological centers of prânic vitality in the human body. In Buddhism the chakra is a favorite symbol, especially associated with Gautama the Buddha, for he is represented as setting a new chakra in motion: his disciples, in broadcasting his message are often referred to as ‘turning the wheel.’ As the weapon of Vishṇu, the chakra means “the whirling wheel of spiritual will and power.” (W.Q.Judge, in footnote, B.G.80.)

Chekitâna An ally of the Pâṇḍavas: a son of Dhṛishṭaketu (or Kaikeya), the father-in-law of Kṛishṇa and Râja of the Kekayas, (one of the chief nations in the war of the Mahâbharata). (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 Ṛishi Kaśyapa The daityas are the titans (popularly called demons), constantly warring with the gods; at times they are the victors, at others the vanquished. “The first war happened in the night of time, between the gods [And] the (A)-suras, and lasted for the period of one ‘divine year.’ On this occasion the deities were defeated by the Daityas, under the leadership of Hrada. After that, owing to a device of Vishṇu, to whom the conquered gods applied for help, the latter defeated the Asuras. In the Vishṇu Purâna no interval is found between the two wars. In the Esoteric 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 of the wars is, therefore, that the Daityas represent the urgers of evolutionary progress in the cosmic scheme. B.G.75)

Dasra One of the twin sky deities, the Aśvins (q.v.), father of Sahadeva—the fifth Pâṇḍava— by Mâdrî. (The text is incorrectly spelled

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‘Darsa’ — B.G.p.iv) (m. accomplishing wonderful deeds.)

Deva A divinity, a spiritual being. In the plural the reference is to the heavenly or shining ones called in the Ṛig-Veda (ii, 3, 4) viśve devâs ‘all the gods,’ — often reckoned as 33 (figuring 11 for each of the ‘three worlds’), or again as the 8 Vasus, the 11 Rudras, the 12 Âdityas, and the 2 Aśvins. This is also the enumeration in the Mahâhârata. The three worlds are the “three planes above us.” (Theos. Gloss. 98) The word is generally rendered ‘god,’ although incorrectly, as pointed out by Subba Row: “Do not make the mistake of thinking that the word Deva means a god, and that because we have thirty-three crores of Devas, we therefore worship thirty-three crores of gods. This is an unfortunate blunder generally committed by Europeans. Deva is a kind of spiritual being, and because the same word is used in ordinary parlance to mean god, it by no means follows that we have and worship thirty-three crores of gods. These beings, as may be naturally inferred, have a certain affinity with one of the three component upadhis [basic principles] into which we have

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divided man” (N.B.G.37-8)— i.e., the upâdhi of the Kâraṇa-śarîra (fr. div, the sky, the heaven. B.G.74)

Devachan A Sanskrit-Tibetan compound word (deva, a divine being, deity; chan, region): the heaven-world. The state of the ego after death between earth-lives, when it rests in utter bliss and perfect repose. In this state all the spiritual aspirations and intellectual yearnings of the past life find fulfillment. Devachan is “an absolute oblivion of all that gave it pain or sorrow in the past incarnation, and even oblivion of the fact that such things as pain or sorrow exist at all. The Devachanee lives its intermediate cycle between two incarnations surrounded by everything it had aspired to in vain, and in the companionship of everyone it loved on earth. It has reached the fulfillment of all its soul-yearnings. And thus it lives throughout long centuries 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 parent Indra, the deity of the sky, upon the successful conclusion of the expedition which he

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

Devala A Vedic Ṛishi descendant of Kaśyapa: he is credited with having written some of the hymns of the Vedas, particularly Ṛig-Veda ix. (B.G.72)

Deva-sthâna lit. ‘The place of a deity,’ or any place in which a deity stays or has its abode. Equivalent to Deva-loka (the word usually employed). (comp. deva, a divine being, a deity; sthâna, a place, an abode. B.G.67)

Dhanañjaya (or Dhanaṃjaya) A name of Arjuna. (comp. dhana, prize, wealth, riches; jaya, winner, conqueror: hence ‘winner of the prize’ or ‘conqueror of wealth.’ B.G.16)

Dhṛishṭadyumna The brother of Draupadî, son of Drupada, the king of Pañchâla. He was made the commander-in-chief of the Pâṇḍava army, and accomplished the death of Droṇa, after losing his own father in the great conflict. (m. confident in strength. B.G.4)

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Dhṛishṭaketu An ally of the Pâṇḍavas: son of Śiśupâla the king of the land of the Chedis — living in the district of the modern Bundelkhand (or Bundelcund). The Chedis were renowned for their attachment to ancient laws and institutions. (m. confident in clearness. B.G.2)

Dhṛitarâshṭra The eldest son of Kṛishṇa Dvaipâyana Vyâsa and Ambikâ (widow of Vichitravîrya) being born blind. He was the father by Gândhârî of Duryodhana (the eldest of 100 sons), to whom he relinquished the government of his kingdom at Hastinâpura. Therefore he sided with the Kauravas (i.e., the sons of Kuru, as Duryodhana and his followers were called) rather than with the Pâṇḍavas, the sons of his half-brother Pâṇḍu. Vyâsa offered Dhṛitarashṭra vision, but he refused the gift inasmuch as he could not bear the sight of the fratricide and slaughter in the oncoming battle at Kurukshetra; nevertheless, taking a keen interest in the proceedings, as the opening stanzas show, he has Sañjaya narrate every event that occurs. With the final victory of the Pâṇḍavas, Dhṛitarashṭra enthrones Yudhishṭhira at Hastinâpura, and with his wife, Gândhârî, and Kuntî, he retires to the

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forest, where all lose their lives in a conflagration.

W. Q. Judge suggests the interpretation that Dhṛitarashṭra stands for man’s physical body — viewing the story from the standpoint of the evolutionary development of man. (m. he whose empire stands firm. B.G.1)

Doab (Hindustani) A region of land situated between two rivers. The particular reference is to the country between the Jumnâ and Sarasvatî rivers, which in ancient times was the land of the Kurus. (Also written duab, fr. Persian, dû, two; âb, water; from the Sanskrit, dva, two; âp, water. B.G.p.iii)

Draupadî The patronymic of Kṛishṇâ, the daughter of Drupada, king of Pañchâla. At a svayamvara (a gathering for a display of feats of skill for the purpose of allowing a king’s daughter to choose a bridegroom) Draupadî selected Arjuna as her bridegroom, but when he returned with his four brothers to his mother, Kuntî, and announced that they had made a great acquisition, she told them that they were obliged to share it. Because of this and also through the insistence of their ancestor, the sage Vyâsa, it was decided that she should become

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the wife of the five brothers. The Mahâbhârata also relates that in a previous life Draupadî had received the boon that she should be wedded to five husbands. The Draupadeyas (i.e., sons of Draupadî) referred to in the text, were the five sons of the Pâṇḍavas, by name: Prativindhya (by Yudhishṭhira), Sutasoma (by Bhîma); Śrutakîrti (by Arjuna), Śatânîka (by Nakula); Śrutasena (by Sahadeva).

Symbolically Draupadî represents ‘the terrestrial life of the personality.’
(B.G.2)

Droṇa A Brâhmaṇa son of Bharadvâja, who married Kṛipâ the half-sister of Bhîshma, by whom he had a son, Aśvatthâman He was âchârya (teacher of the military art) to the Kaurava princes as well as to the Pâṇḍavas. Although loving the princes equally, nevertheless because of his relationship to Bhîshma, he sided with the Kauravas in the great conflict at Kurukshetra. The words spoken to the ‘preceptor’ in the second loka (as narrated by Sañjaya — B.G. 2) were addressed by Duryodhana to his teacher, Droṇa. When Bhîshma was mortally wounded on the field of battle, Droṇa became commander in-chief of the Kaurava army.
(B.G. 5)

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Drupada The son of Pṛishata, king of Pañchâla (the region adjacent to the land of the Kurus), father of Dhṛishṭadyumna (‘the clever son’ referred to in the text). He was also the father of Draupadî (the wife of the a Pâṇḍavas). His son was made commander-in-chief of the Pâṇḍava army. (B.G. 2)

Duryodhana The eldest son of Dhṛitarashṭra and Gândhârî, leader of the Kurus (or Kauravas) in the conflict with the Pâṇḍavas at Kurukshetra. Because of his blindness, Dhṛitarashṭra had intended to make his brother’s virtuous son, Yudhishṭhira the heir-apparent to his throne, but the Kurus under Duryodhana objected so a strongly that instead he allowed his son to take charge of the government, and turned over a portion of his kingdom — that of Indraprastha— to the Pâṇḍavas. Owing to further machi-nations of the Kurus, Yudhishṭhira lost this kingdom in a game of dice, and Duryodhana forced the Pâṇḍavas into exile for thirteen years. When this period had elapsed, however, Duryodhana refused to give up the kingdom, and as a consequence the great conflict was waged, in which he lost his life. In the Mahâbhârata

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Duryodhana represents the forces of evil battling with the forces of light: one story represents him as doing wicked deeds in spite of himself, and realizing this he attempted to put an end to his life. He was prevented from doing this by the imps of darkness, so that he might continue imbodied for their purposes.

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

Dvaṃdva A pair of opposites (e.g., heat and cold, joy and sorrow, etc.). The Dvaṃdva compound in the text has reference to a copulative compound, i.e., two members of a compound which are in the same case and likewise may be connected with the conjunction and. (m. two and two: the word is the num. adj. dva, two, reduplicated. B.G. 75)

Dvîpa A zone, region, land, or continent, commonly called ‘island,’ inasmuch as each dvîpa is described as being surrounded by distinct concentric circumambient oceans centering about Mount Meru. Seven dvîpas are enumerated as follows: Jambu, Plaksha, Śâlmalî, Kuśa Krauñcha, Śâka, and Pushkara. Esoterically the

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dvîpa refer on the one hand to the seven globes of the Planetary Chain of this Earth, and on the other hand to the seven great continents which come successively into existence as the homes of the seven Root-Races. Jambu-dvîpa corresponds to Globe D of the Chain, Mount Meru rising from its center.
(S.D.II, 320).

This dvîpa was divided into nine parts termed varshas (q.v,). (B.G. p.ii)

Gandharvas The musicians and singers of the gods, represented as dwelling in the sky and preparing the heavenly soma-juice for the gods, as they are especially skilled in medicine. In the Vedas they are described as revealing the secrets of heaven and divine truths to men. The Athar-va-Veda mentions that there are 6,333 Gandharvas. “Cosmically — the Gandharvas are the aggregate powers of the solar-fire, and constitute its Forces; psychically — the intelligence residing in the Sushumna, Solar ray, the highest of the seven rays; mystically — the occult force in the Soma (the moon, or lunar plant) and the drink made of it; physically — the phenomenal, and spiritually — the noumenal causes of Sound and the ‘Voice of Nature.’ Hence, they are

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called the 6,333 ‘heavenly Singers’ and musicians of Indra’s loka who personify (even in number) the various and manifold sounds in Nature, both above and below.” (S.D.I, 523)(B.G. 74)

Gâṇḍiva (or Gâṇḍîva) A remarkable bow which Arjuna received from the fire-god Agni in order that he might assist the deity in a battle with the god of the sky, Indra. At this time Arjuna also assisted Agni in the burning of the Khâṇḍava forest — an episode in the Mahâbhârata. The bow was originally given by Soma to the god Varuṇa, who in turn passed it on to Agni. It is likewise said to have belonged to Prajâpati, Brahmâ, and Śiva. (B.G. 6)

Ganges (Gañgâ) The sacred river of India, represented in the Purâṇas as taking its rise in the heavens from the toe of Vishṇu, and brought down to earth through the prayers of the sage Bhagîratha, in order to purify the ashes of the sixty thousand sons of king Sagara. (These sons had been destroyed by the angry glance of the sage Kapila.) Gañgâ intended to flood the earth (because of being obliged to descend from her heavenly abode), but the force of the fall

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was intercepted by the god Śiva, who caught the river in his matted locks, and allowed it to descend from his brow in seven gentle streams upon the earth. Gañgâ is personified as a goddess, the daughter of Menâ and Himavat (the personification of the Himâlaya mountains). The goddess became the wife of king Śântanu and gave birth to Bhîshma. (B.G. 75)

Garuḍa The bearer of Vishṇu (hence often called Vishṇu-ratha): represented as having the body and limbs of a man but the head, wings, talons, and beak of an eagle; the face being white, the wings red, and the body golden. Garuḍa is regarded as the king of the birds and the great enemy of serpents: his parents were the Vedic sage Kaśyapa and Vinatâ — one of the daughters of Daksha (one of the Prajâpatis). The myths also relate that Garuḍa once took the Amṛita (q.v.) from the gods in order to purchase the freedom of his mother from Kadru. Indra pursued Garuḍa and recovered the Amṛita—although the god of the sky was worsted in the battle for it. Garuḍa is “the symbol esoterically of the great cycle,” (S.D.II, 323), while his son, Jatâyu “is, of course, the cycle of 60,000

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

Gâyatrî An ancient meter of 24 syllables (variously arranged, but generally as a triplet of 8 syllables each). The word is also applied specifically to a verse in the Ṛig-Veda, iii, 62, 10:

tat savitur vareṇyam bhargo devasya

dhîmahi,

dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayât.

Literal translation: “Let us meditate on that excellent splendor of the divine Sun; may it illumine our hearts (minds).” (B.G. 76)

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

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

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

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Hanumân (nom,: dict. Hanumat) The celebrated monkey-deity of the Râmâyaṇa son of Pavana, the god of the wind, by Añjanâ. His exploits partake more of the superhuman than human, thus they are favorite topics among the Hindus from youth to old age. As instances: the epic relates that he jumped from India to Ceylon in one leap; he tore up trees by the roots; he flew to and from the Himalayas bringing healing herbs to the wounded. It is related that he and his monkey host were created by the gods in order to assist Râma in his battle against Râvana and the Râkshasas of Lañkâ (Ceylon). Among mental achievements Hanumân is credited with being a skilled grammarian, and no one could equal him in the śâstras (scriptures) and in the art of explaining them. Arjuna had adopted the traditional representation of Hanumân as his crest. (B.G. 4)

Hari Especially the name of Kṛishṇa as an Avatâra of Vishṇu applied also to Vishṇu and Śiva. (B.G. 79)

Hastinâpura The city founded by king Hastin (the great-great-grandfather of Kuru), which became the capital city of the kings of the

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Chandravaṇśa (the ‘Lunar Dynasty’), and the principal city of the Kurus. A great part of the main action of the Mahâbhârata centers about this city. It formed the main objective of the Pâṇḍavas in the great conflict at Kurukshetra (between the Kurus and the Pâṇḍavas), at the conclusion of which the victorious Yudhishṭhira was crowned king after a triumphal entry into the city. Hastinâpura was situated about 57 miles north-east of the modern city of Delhi, on the banks of an old channel of the Ganges river. (m. the city of the elephant — hastin, an elephant. B.G. p.i)

Himâlaya The lofty range of mountains in central Asia. Also known as Himâchala and Himâdri, and personified as Himavat, mythologically considered to be the husband of Menâ and the father of Gangâ (the Ganges river).(B.G. 74)

Hṛishîkeśa A name applied to Kṛishṇa and to Vishṇu. (m. lord of the senses. B.G. 84)

Ikshvâku The son of Vaivasvata-Manu, of whom it is related in mythology that he was born from the nostril of his father when the latter

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happened to sneeze! Ikshvâku was the founder of the Sûryavanśa (the ‘solar dynasty’), reigning at Ayodhyâ at the commencement of the Tretâ-Yuga (the second Yuga). (B.G. 30)

Indra The god of the sky and atmosphere: in the Vedas, lord of the deities of the intermediate region (the sky), lord of rain and thunder, and leader of the storm-gods (Maruts, q.v.). He is represented as riding in a: golden car drawn by two tawny horses, waging war upon the demons of darkness (especially Vṛitra the demon of drought, whom he slays; hence he is called Vṛitrajit, and conquering them with his thunder bolt (vajra) and his bow and arrows. Originally Indra was not the chief of the gods, but because of the religious observances instituted necessitating the invocation of the deity of the atmosphere, he superseded the more spiritual Varuṇa thus more Vedic hymns are addressed to Indra than to any other deity, except Agni (q.v.). In later mythology, however, the Trimûrti (Brahmâ, Vishṇu, Śiva) became most prominent, therefore Indra was relegated to a subservient position. In Manu he is the regent of Svarga (heaven) with particular watch

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over the east quarter, and is considered one of the twelve Adityas (q.v.). He is then represented as riding a white horse (Uchchaiḥśravas q.v.), or an elephant (Airâvata, q.v.).

“Fohat is the scientific aspect of both Vishṇu and Indra, the latter older and more important in the Ṛig Veda than his sectarian successor”
(S.D.I, 673).(B.G. 67)

Îśvara ‘Lord’ (used in the same sense as is the term ‘Father in heaven’ in the Christian New Testament), hence the Supreme Self or Hierarch of a system, applicable to the great or to the small — to the universe or to man. In man it is the Divine Spirit, or the Divine-Spiritual Monad. Îśvara is also used as a title for many of the gods, such as Vishṇu and Śiva.

“The Logos, or both the unmanifested and the manifested WORD, is called by the Hindus, Îśvara, ‘the Lord,’ . . . Îśvara, say the Vedantins, is the highest consciousness in nature. ‘This highest consciousness,’ answer the Occultists, ‘is only a synthetic unit in the world of the manifested Logos . . . for it is the sum total of Dhyan Chohanic consciousnesses.’” (S.D.I, 573) (*îś. to rule, to be master. B.G. 130)

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Janaka A king of the Mithilâ Dynasty who reigned at Videha, famed for his good works, knowledge, and sanctity: through his righteous life he became a Brâhmaṇa and one of the Râjarshis. He was the father of Sîtâ, who sprang up from the earth from the furrow he had made with his plow. (B.G. 25)

Janârdana In the Purânas the One Cosmic Intelligent Life, manifesting in the threefold aspect of Fashioner, Preserver, and Regenerator (i.e., the Hindû Trimûrti — Brahmâ, Vishṇu Śiva). Applied to Kṛishṇa in his avatâric mani- festation of Vishṇu. (*jan, to be born, to come forth; *ard, to move: ‘the ever-born.’ B.G. 72)

Jayadratha A prince of the Chandravanśa (Lunar Dynasty), son of Bṛihanmanas and king of the Sindhus and Sauvîras (tribes living along the Indus river). Jayadratha married Duḥśalâ the daughter of Dhṛitarâshṭra, hence he became an ally of the Kurus in the war with the Pâṇḍavas during which he was slain by Arjuna. (m. having victorious chariots. B.G. 83)

Junnâ The modern Jamna: a river in the Northwest Provinces of India: it joins the Ganges

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at Allahâbâd. The strip of land lying between it and the Sarasvatî river was the region of the Kurus in the Mahâbhârata. The Yâdavas ruled over the country west of the Jumnâ. Vyâsa was born on an island situated in this river.(B.G.p. iii)

Kalpa A period of time, a cycle: a generalizing term and therefore used for time-periods of different lengths; chronologers, however, compute a Kalpa by the Life of Brahmâ — minor kalpas are numerous. A Mahâkalpa is often made the equivalent of a Manvantara. (*klṛip, to be in order. B.G. 65)

Kâmadeva The god of love (lit, the god Kâma). The first-born in the Vedas: “Him neither devas, nor pitrîs nor men have equalled. Thou art superior to these and forever great,” chants the Atharva-Veda; while the Ṛig-Veda sings: “Desire first arose in It, which was the primal germ of mind; and which sages, searching with their intellect, have discovered in their heart to be the bond which connects entity with non-entity” (x, 129). Kâmadeva is the lord of the Apsarasas (the celestial nymphs, consorts of the Gandharvas, q.v.), and is represented as

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a handsome youth riding on a parrot, attended by the Apsarasas, one of whom bears his banner distinguished by the Makara (q.v.). His bow is made of sugar-cane, and his bow-string a line of bees, while each one of his arrows is tipped with a different flower. The Taittirîya-Brâhmaṇa has it that Kâmadeva was the son of Dharma (moral religious duty, piety, justice) and of Śraddhâ (faith); in another hymn he is born from the heart of Brahmâ and therefore called the Self-Existent (Âtma-bhû), or the Unborn (Aja).

Kâmadeva is in the Ṛig-Veda “the personification of that feeling which leads and propels to creation. He was the first movement that stirred the ONE, after its manifestation from the purely abstract principle, to create,” (S.D.II, 176).

“As Eros was connected in early Greek mythology with the world’s creation, and only after wards became the sexual Cupid, so was Kama in his original Vedic character,” (ibid.). (B.G. 74 — mentioned as ‘the god of love.’)

Kâmaduh (dict.: nom. Kâmadhuk) The mythical cow belonging to the sage Vasishṭha, produced by the gods at the churning of the cos-

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mic ocean. (See Ananta.) She is supposed to grant all desires and hence is termed the ‘cow of plenty.’ The alternative form, Kâmadhenu, gives the clue to this meaning: kâma, desire, wish; dhenu, milch-cow. In interpretation of the above allegory: the reference is to the appearance of the Earth in space as the mother of all that later appears on it. (B.G. 23)

Kansa A king of the Yâdava line of the Lunar Dynasty, ruler of the Bhojas, reigning at Mathurâ, who deposed his own father, Ugrasena. Ugrasena was the brother of Devaka, the latter being the father of Devakî, mother of Kṛishṇa.

Kansa is usually called the uncle of Kṛishṇa; strictly speaking, however, he is a cousin. In spite of this relationship, he became the avowed enemy of Kṛishṇa because a prophecy had been foretold to him that a son of Devakî would cause his death. In order to prevent this from happening, Kansa imprisoned Devakî and Vasudeva in his palace and commanded that all infants born to them should be put to death. Six children were so slain, but a seventh, Balarâma, was saved through the connivance of his parents. Then when Kṛishṇa was born, his parents es-

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caped from the palace and fled from the city of Mathurâ, whereupon the enraged Kansa ordered all infant boys in the kingdom put to death; but the parents escaped from the realm with Kṛishṇa and the child was brought up by cow-herds in seclusion. Kansa at length learned that Kṛishṇa had escaped destruction and made several attempts to bring about his death: as an instance, he sent Jarâsandha, the king of Magadha, to battle with the young Kṛishṇa eighteen times, but that monarch was as many times defeated. Kṛishṇa finally slew Kansa as was pre- dicted, restored Ugrasena, but left Mathurâ and established his kingdom at Dvârakâ. (B.G. 121)

Kapila One of the famous Ṛishis. There are many sages by the name of Kapila, the last being the founder of the Sânkhya (q.v.) philosophy. A legend relates that while Kapila was engaged in meditation in Pâtâla, he was menaced by the sixty thousand sons of Sagara, where upon the sacred flame which darted from his person immediately reduced the sixty thousand sons to ashes. “That the story is an allegory is seen upon its very face: the 60,000 Sons, brutal, vicious, and impious, are the personification of

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the human passions that a ‘mere glance of the sage’ — the SELF who represents the highest state of purity that can be reached on earth — reduces to ashes.” (S.D.II, 571)

“There are several well-known Kapilas in the Purânas. First the primeval sage, then Kapila, one of the three ‘Secret’ Kumâras; and Kapila, son of Kasyapa and Kadrû . . . besides Kapila, the great sage and philosopher of the Kali Yuga.”

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

Karma Briefly, the teaching of Karma in the Bhagavad-Gîtâ (and for that matter throughout the whole of the Mahâbhârata) is, that man’s actions set in motion causes which in due time react upon their producer, hence until he can “burst the bonds of Karma and rise above them” he is in fact chained thereby, and must return to the scene of his actions again and again, i. e., he is reborn on Earth again and again until he is freed from the bonds of Karma. The means for freeing himself are inculcated, principally in chapters iii, v, xiv, and xviii.
(*kṛi, to do, to act: dict. karman, nom. karma. B.G. 15)

Karṇa The son of Pṛithâ (or Kuntî) by Sûrya, the god of the sun, through the instru

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mentality of a mantra granted to her by the sage Durvâsas. This occurred before her marriage to Pâṇḍu hence Karṇa was the half-brother of the Pâṇḍavas, although this was not known to them until after his death, which was accomplished by Arjuna during the battle at Kurukshetra. Karṇa had been abandoned by his mother while yet a child: he was found by the sûta (charioteer) of Dhṛitarâshṭra, named Adhiratha (or Nandana), and brought up as his own son. Although knowing his relationship to the Pâṇḍavas, Karṇa sided with the Kauravas, because Duryodhana had given him the kingdom of Añga. During the great conflict Karṇa was on the point of slaying Arjuna, of whom he was especially envious, but was prevented from doing so by Kṛishṇa (B.G. 2)

Kâśi (or Kâśî A country situated in the vicinity of modern Benares, whose king, Kâśya sided with the Pâṇḍavas. (B.G. 2)

Kauravas (see Kurus)

Keśava A name applied to Kṛishṇa likewise to Vishṇu. (m. having much or fine hair. B.G. 18)

Keśin A daitya (or ‘demon’) slain by Kṛishṇa when the prince was attacked by
Keśin 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 cause the death of Kṛishṇa. (B.G. 121)

Kṛipa The son of the sage Śaradvat. With his sister Kṛipâ he was adopted by king Śântanu (the father of Bhîshma). Kṛipa was one of the privy councillors at Hastinâpura, and was one of the three sole surviving warriors of the conflict on the side of the Kauravas (hence he is referred to in the text as ‘the conqueror in battle’). (B.G. 3)

Kṛishṇa The son of Devakî and Vasudeva (of the Yâdava line of the Chandravanśa—the Lunar Dynasty). (For particulars as to his birth see Kansa.) Kṛishṇa is represented as the eighth Avatâra of Vishṇu in this aspect he is the spiritual teacher, the imbodiment of wisdom; but as with other Saviors, stories and allegories have been woven around him in great abundance. In the Mahâbhârata his story is briefly sketched, yet al