Introduction and links to related topics
Caste - A hierarchical system, called varna dharma (or jati dharma), established in India in ancient times, which determined the privileges, status, rights and duties of the many occupational groups, wherein status is determined by heredity.
There are four main estates (varnas) - brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra - and innumerable castes, called jati.
See: varna dharma, Hinduism caste system.
Castes - Castes, Hindu. See CHATUR-VARNA
Vira Saivism - (Sanskrit) "Heroic Saivism." Made prominent by Basavanna in the 12th century. Also called Lingayat Saivism. Followers, called Lingayats, Lingavantas or Sivasharanas, always wear a Sivalinga on their person.
Vira Saivites are proudly egalitarian and emphasize the personal relationship with Siva, rather than temple worship. Vira Saiva priests, jangamas, conduct marriages and other domestic rites and also act as gurus or teachers. Among the most central texts are Basavanna''s Vachanas, Allama Prabhu''s Mantragopya, Chennabasavanna''s Karana Hasuge, and the collected work called Shunya Sampadane.
The monistic-theistic doctrine of Vira Saivism is called Shakti Vishishtadvaita - a version of qualified nondualism which accepts both difference and nondifference between soul and God, like rays are to the sun. In brief, Siva and the cosmic force or existence are one ("Siva are you; you shall return to Siva."). Yet, Siva is beyond His creation, which is real, not illusory. God is both efficient and material cause. In Vira Saivism, Siva divides from His Absolute state into Linga (Supreme Lord) and anga, individual soul, the two eventually reuniting in undifferentiated oneness.
There are three aspects of Sivalinga.
Ishtalinga, personal form of Siva, in which He fulfills desires and removes afflictions - God as bliss or joy;
Bhavalinga, Siva beyond space and time, the highest divine principle, knowable through intuition;
) Pranalinga, the reality of God which can be apprehended by the mind.
The soul merges with Siva by a progressive, six-stage path called shatsthala, consisting of
bhakti (devotion),
mahesha (charity and selfless service),
prasada (seeking Siva''s grace),
Pranalinga (experience of all as Siva),
sharana (egoless refuge in Siva) and
aikya (oneness with Siva).
Today Vira Saivism is a vibrant faith, particularly strong in its religious homeland of Karnataka, South Central India. Roughly 40 million people live here, of which perhaps 25% are members of the Vira Saiva religion. Early on, they rejected brahminical authority, and along with it the entire caste system and the Vedas. By rejecting the Vedas, they continue to stand outside mainstream Hinduism, but in their profound love of Siva and acceptance of certain Saiva Agamas, as well as the main truths of the Vedic wisdom, they have identified themselves as a unique Saiva sect. Though they have established their faith as a distinct and independent religion in Indian courts of law, they are still widely embraced as devout brothers and sisters of the Hindu dharma.
See: Lingavanta, Saivism.
Buddhism - The religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha (ca 624544 bce). He refuted the idea of man''s having an immortal soul and did not preach of any Supreme Deity. Instead he taught that man should seek to overcome greed, hatred and delusion and attain enlightenment through realizing the Four Noble Truths and following the Eightfold Path.
Prominent among its holy books is the Dhammapada. Buddhism arose out of Hinduism as an inspired reform movement which rejected the caste system and the sanctity of the Vedas. It is thus classed as nastika, "unbeliever," and is not part of Hinduism. Buddhism eventually migrated out of India, the country of its origin, and now enjoys a following of over 350 million, mostly in Asia.
See: Buddha.
Brahmins - The highest, priestly caste in India.
Vira Saivism - (Sanskrit) "Heroic Saivism." Made
prominent by Basavanna in the 12th century. Also called
Lingayat Saivism. Followers, called Lingayats,
Lingavantas or Sivasharanas, always wear a Sivalinga on
their person. Vira Saivites are proudly egalitarian and
emphasize the personal relationship with Siva, rather than
temple worship. Vira Saiva priests, jangamas, conduct
marriages and other domestic rites and also act as gurus or
teachers. Among the most central texts are Basavanna''s
Vachanas, Allama Prabhu''s Mantragopya,
Chennabasavanna''s Karana Hasuge, and the collected
work called Shunya Sampadane. The monistic-theistic
doctrine of Vira Saivism is called Shakti Vishishtadvaita -
a version of qualified nondualism which accepts both difference and nondifference between soul and God, like
rays are to the sun. In brief, Siva and the cosmic force or
existence are one ("Siva are you; you shall return to
Siva."). Yet, Siva is beyond His creation, which is real,
not illusory. God is both efficient and material cause. In
Vira Saivism, Siva divides from His Absolute state into
Linga (Supreme Lord) and anga, individual soul, the two
eventually reuniting in undifferentiated oneness. There are
three aspects of Sivalinga. 1) Ishtalinga, personal form of
Siva, in which He fulfills desires and removes afflictions -
God as bliss or joy; 2) Bhavalinga, Siva beyond space and
time, the highest divine principle, knowable through
intuition; 3) Pranalinga, the reality of God which can be
apprehended by the mind. The soul merges with Siva by a
progressive, six-stage path called shatsthala, consisting of
bhakti (devotion), mahesha (charity and selfless service),
prasada (seeking Siva''s grace), Pranalinga (experience of
all as Siva), sharana (egoless refuge in Siva) and aikya
(oneness with Siva). Today Vira Saivism is a vibrant faith,
particularly strong in its religious homeland of Karnataka,
South Central India. Roughly 40 million people live here,
of which perhaps 25% are members of the Vira Saiva
religion. Early on, they rejected brahminical authority, and
along with it the entire caste system and the Vedas. By
rejecting the Vedas, they continue to stand outside
mainstream Hinduism, but in their profound love of Siva
and acceptance of certain Saiva Agamas, as well as the
main truths of the Vedic wisdom, they have identified
themselves as a unique Saiva sect. Though they have
established their faith as a distinct and independent
religion in Indian courts of law, they are still widely
embraced as devout brothers and sisters of the Hindu
dharma.
See: Lingavanta, Saivism.
Vaishya - (Sanskrit) "Landowner; merchant." The social class of bankers, businessmen, industrialists; employers. Merchant class, originally those whose business was trade as well as agriculture.
See: varna dharma, caste system.
Varna Dharma - (Sanskrit) "The way of one''s kind." The hereditary social class system, generally referred to as caste, established in India in ancient times. Within varna dharma are the many religious and moral codes which define human virtue.
Varna dharma is social duty, in keeping with the principles of good conduct, according to one''s community, which is generally based on the craft or occupation of the family. Strictly speaking it encompasses two interrelated social hierarchies:
varna, which refers to the four classes: brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya and shudra; and
jati, the myriad occupational subgroups, or guilds, which in India number over 3,000. Hence this dharma is sometimes called jati dharma.
The class-caste system is still very much a part of Indian life today. Many modern Hindus propose that social status is now (and was originally) more properly determined by a person''s skills and accomplishments than by birth. Mobility between jatis, or castes, within Hindu communities worldwide is limited but not impossible, and is accomplished through marrying into a new jati, or changing professions through persistence, skill and education. Shastris say that once a person breaks out of his varna or jati of birth and changes "caste," it takes three generations for his family to become fully established in that new strata of society, provided the continuity is unbroken.
See: caste system, varna dharma, varna, dharma, Dharma Shastras, jati, Brahmin, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra, jati
Shaktism - (Sanskrit) "Doctrine of power."
The religion followed by those who worship the Supreme as the Divine Mother - Shakti or Devi - in Her many forms, both gentle and fierce. Shaktism is one of the four primary sects of Hinduism. Shaktism''s first historical signs are thousands of female statuettes dated ca 5500 bce recovered at the Mehrgarh village in India.
In philosophy and practice, Shaktism greatly resembles Saivism, both faiths promulgating, for example, the same ultimate goals of advaitic union with Siva and moksha. But Shaktas worship Shakti as the Supreme Being exclusively, as the dynamic aspect of Divinity, while Siva is considered solely transcendent and is not worshiped. There are many forms of Shaktism, with endless varieties of practices which seek to capture divine energy or power for spiritual transformation.
Geographically, Shaktism has two main forms, the Srikula "family of the Goddess Sri (or Lakshmi)," which respects the brahminical tradition (a mainstream Hindu tradition which respects caste and purity rules) and is strongest in South India; and the Kalikula, "family of Kali," which rejects brahminical tradition and prevails in Northern and Eastern India.
Four major expressions of Shaktism are evident today: folkshamanism, yoga, devotionalism and universalism. Among the eminent mantras of Shaktism is: Aum Hrim Chandikayai Namah, "I bow to Her who tears apart all dualities." There are many varieties of folk Shaktism gravitating around various forms of the Goddess, such as Kali, Durga and a number of forms of Amman. Such worship often involves animal sacrifice and fire-walking, though the former is tending to disappear.
See: Amman, Goddess, Ishta Devata, Kali, Shakti, tantrism.
Druid - (Celtic, "true seer") A member of the priestly and intellectual elite of the Celts.
Druids were the religious and legal authorities in Gaul before its conquest by the Romans (51 BC) and were celebrated for their esoteric knowledge. The druid survived as a stock figure in medieval Irish literature. A priestly caste of the ancient Celtic people of France and the British Isles. They were the keepers of oral history and law, and officiates of religious practices.
Modern Druids are various new religious traditions that attempt to incorporate the insights of ancient Druidism, Celtic history and lore, and romanticized notions of the ancient Druids formed in the eighteenth century. In England today, there are the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, and the Ancient Order of Druids, among others.
While there is no scholarly connection between the Druids and Stonehenge, the Ancient Order of Druids used Stonehenge for their rituals until instances of vandalism by the curious closed the ancient site.
In the United States, the Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA) began in 1963 as a satirical protest against required attendance at chapel at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. The RDNA developed rituals and lore from Celtic history, poetry, and anthropology, and the movement continued and became more serious, even after the chapel attendance requirement was dropped. The RDNA considered Druidism a philosophy of life, not a religion.
In 1966 the New Reformed Druids of North America (NRDNA) reformed Druidism as a Neo- Pagan religion. A few chapters of both groups still exist. Other current American Druidic groups include Ar nDraiocht Fein ("Our Own Druidism"), founded by Isaac Bonewits in 1983. Currently the largest American revivalist Druid organization, it sees itself as a Neo-Pagan religion based on the beliefs and practices of the ancient Indo-Europeans but adapted to modern needs and sensibilities, such as the preservation of the earth and excellence in arts and scholarship.
Sikhism - "Discipleship." Religion of nine million members founded in India about 500 years ago by the saint Guru Nanak. A reformist faith which rejects idolatry and the caste system, its holy book is the Adi Granth, and main holy center is the Golden Temple of Amritsar.
See: Adi Granth.
Yene - Yene, Anganta. The meaning of the Anganta Yene is known to all India. It is the action of an elemental (bhut), who, drawn into the sensitive and passive body of a medium, takes possession of it. In other words, anganta vene means literally "obsession".
The Hindus dread such a calamity now as strongly as they did thousands of years ago. "No Hindu, Tibetan, or Sinhalese, unless of the lowest caste and intelligence, can see, without a shudder of horror, the signs of ‘mediumship’ manifest themselves in a member of his family, or without saying, as a Christian would do now, ‘ he hath the devil’. This ‘gift, blessing, and holy mission’, so called in England and America. is, among the older peoples, in the cradle-lands of our race, where longer experience than ours has taught them more spiritual wisdom, regarded as a dire misfortune."
Brahma - (Sanskrit) The name of God in His aspect of Creator. Saivites consider Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra to be three of five aspects of Siva. Smartas group Brahma, Vishnu and Siva as a holy trinity in which Siva is the destroyer.
Brahma the Creator is not to be confused with
Brahman, the Transcendent Supreme of the Upanishads;
Brahmana, Vedic texts;
brahmana, the Hindu priest caste (also spelled brahmin).
See: Brahman, Parameshvara.
Hinduism - The main religious and social system in India. Hinduism has various sects with the commonality of the belief in reincarnation, polytheism and an ordained caste system as its social base.
Varnashrama Dharma - (Sanskrit) "The way of one''s caste and stage of life." Names the social structure of four classes (varna), hundreds of castes (jati) and four stages of life (ashramas). It is the combined principles of varna dharma and ashrama dharma.
See: ashrama dharma, dharma, varna dharma.
Brahman - The brahman (brahmin) caste of India has long maintained that its members, by their birth, are worthy of the highest respect.
Buddhism borrowed the term brahman to apply to those who have attained the goal, to show that respect is earned not by birth, race, or caste, but by spiritual attainment. Used in the Buddhist sense, this term is synonymous with arahant.
Khaldi - Khaldi. The earliest inhabitants of Chaldea who were first the worshippers of the Moon god, Deus Lunus, a worship which was brought to them by the great stream of early Hindu emigration, and later a caste of regular Astrologers and Initiates.
Chandala - Chandala candala (Sanskrit) A member of a mixed caste, or people without caste, an outcaste. Especially in ancient India the term applied to one of the lowest and most despised status (sometimes described as being born from a Sudra father and a Brahmin mother).
Commonly applied now to anyone of mixed caste "but in antiquity it was applied to a certain class of men, who, having forfeited their right to any of the four castes -- Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras -- were expelled from cities and sought refuge in the forests.
Then they became ''bricklayers,'' until finally expelled they left the country, some 4,000 years before our era. Some see in them the ancestors of the earlier Jews, whose tribes began with A-brahm or ''No-Brahm.'' To this day it is the class most despised by the Brahmins in India" (TG 323-4).
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