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Hinqumemen
A lake in British Columbia that is known as 'The Engulfer.' The indigenous peoples who live in the vicinity avoid it at all cost. It is believed that whoever draws water from the lake is ...
Churning of the Ocean
An event frequently mentioned in Hindu mythology. It refers to the legend that followed a great deluge in which many precious objects were lost. In order to recover them, Vishnu in his ...
Goloka
'Place of cows,' and 'heaven,' particularly Krishna's heaven. It is a later addition to the original seven lokas, the Vaishnava concept of a realm of eternal beauty and bliss. It is also ...
Govinda
A frequent term of address for Krishna which refers to his role as knower of the earth and the senses and as protector of cows (go, 'cow,' but also 'earth').
Amitayus
'Boundless Life.' A manifestation of the buddha Amitabha. In iconography he is depicted sitting, holding in his hands a vessel that contains the nectar of immortality.
Akshobhya
'Immovable.' The buddha who reigns over the eastern paradise Abhirati. He was once a monk who took a vow before the buddha who, long ago, reigned over Abhirati, never to feel anger or ...
Adhidevata
A term used to refer to a divinity whom one invokes for protection.
Kumari
'Virgin.' A name to designate Sita and also Durga. In the temple of Kanya-Kumari, located on the southernmost tip of India, Shakti is worshiped as a virgin.
Kauravas
'Descended from Kuru.' A clan who attacked the Pandavas and drove them from their territory. Later the Pandavas returned and conquered the Kauravas with the help of Indra, Arjuna, and ...
Katha-Upanishad
An Upanishad which belongs to the Black Yajurveda. In it, Nachiketa's instruction by Yama, the god of dead, is described.
Pandavas
The descendants of King Pandu. The five Pandava princes led the great battle against the Kauravas. This battle between the two related Bharata families, the evil Kauravas and the virtuous ...
Pandu
'The pale one.' He is the brother of the blind Dhritarashtra, and the king of Hastinapura. The great battle that was fought over his kingdom is described in detail in the Mahabharata. Pandu ...
Nidra
'Sleep.' The goddess of sleep. Various sources refer to her as a feminine form of Brahma or say that she emerged from the great deluge, the Churning of the Ocean.
Nataraja
'King of the dance.' The god Shiva as the king of dancers and lord of the world stage. In his cosmic dance he portrayes his five activities: creation, destruction, embodiment, liberation ...
Nilakantha
An epithet for Shiva. At the Churning of the Ocean, a great flood in which many objects became lost in the ocean, he is said to have drunk the poison that rose to the surface. He did this ...
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