The ras leela - the frenzied and uninhibited dance of the gopi s with Krishna - never becomes an orgy. Why? The obvious answer would be that Krishna is divinity; he is immaculate. But the reasons are more philosophical than theological.

The dance symbolises the soul's unceasing struggle to break clear of the constraints of the body, to make contact with the supra-reality it sees out there. This intensely private struggle is an abstraction, but so compulsively felt by the soul straining within the body as to become an obsession. The indulgence of any obsession is a behind-the-scene, secret activity, for it has undertones of guilt.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

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Christmas symbolises peace and goodwill towards all; that is why ceasefires are inspired by Christmas. It also means that we should ready ourselves to receive the child God, who epitomises the spirit of giving and receiving.

For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is ''hurry''.And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognise the spirit of Christmas. Christmas itself is eternal, said Burton Hillis.

(See also: Christmas, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Christmas: Imitation of Christ, Peace on Earth - - about Christmas  

Pilgrims are flocking to the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer on the occasion of the annual Urs. Popularly known as Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, the dargah symbolises a touching synthesis of the hopes and prayers of various faiths and communities.

Both Hindus and Muslims remember Moinuddin Chishti as Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, revering him for his simple teachings and eclectic philosophy. The Khwaja believed that no spiritual exercise, penitence, prayer, or vigil had greater value than bringing succour to distressed hearts and helping the needy. He directed all his efforts towards alleviation of human misery.

(See also: Chishti Shrine, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

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Joan of Arc, the "Maid of France", was a poor peasant girl from Domremy, a remote village tucked away in the north-east of France. Her life and death have come to acquire the flavour of mythology, but her story symbolises the spirit of true nationalism and the power of sheer faith and determination to remain strong in the face of adversity.

Joan was inspired by voices from within. Her faith and conviction made her strong enough to face criticism from Captain de Beaudricourt, the commander at Vaucouleurs, to whom she offered her services to fight the English who had overrun parts of the country.

(See also: Joan of Arc, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

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The Coat of Arms of Vatican City may be borne by (and only by) the Pope, or as a part of the Vatican City Flag. Symbolism. The Cross keys symbolise the keys of St Peter. The keys are gold and silver to represent the key to Heaven and the key to Earth. The triple crown (the tiara) representents the popes three functions as "supreme pastor", "supreme teacher" and "supreme bishop". The Gold Cross surmoun ...

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The Alph is supposedly an "underground river" of Esotericism in Europe, symbolising the secret knowledge held in that Continent. Alph or Alpheus features in concepts of Arcadia, as well as in the famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Kubla Khan and the song Xanadu by the Canadian rock band Rush. Other related archivesArcadia, Esotericism, Europe, Kubla Khan, Rush, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Xanadu, secret knowledge

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Brahmacharya is a Sanskrit word. The root "Brahma" signifies The Ultimate Reality or The Unified whole. The root "Char" means To follow or practice. The word Brahmacharya symbolises a person who is leading a life in quest of Brahma, or in other words a student. It is part of the Hindu scheme of life. Brahmacharya - Pronunciation. 'Brah' as the 'Bru' in 'brush' 'ma' as in 'animal' 'char' as the 'ture' in 'accenture' 'ya' as 'ia' in 'v ...

Including:

Brahmacharya - Pronunciation Brahmacharya - Usage Brahmacharya - Yoga Brahmacharya - Diet and Ahimsa Brahmacharya - Modern Brahmacharis Brahmacharya - Links for more Information and Various Views

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Khadi is a special type of hand woven cloth in India. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha. The spinning of khadi was Mahatma Gandhi's main means of providing self employment to the rural populace of India.He also wanted to spread the message of not using foreign clothes. The freedom struggle revolved around the use of Khadi fabrics and the dumping of foreign made clothes. Thus it symbolised the political ideas and independence itself, and to this day most politicians in India are seen only in khadi clothing. The Indian Flag is ...

Including:

Khadi - See Also

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In Egyptian mythology, Sobek (also spelt Sebek, Sochet, Sobk, Sobki, Soknopais, and in Greek, Suchos) was the deification of crocodiles, and was originally a demon, as crocodiles were deeply feared in the nation so dependent on the Nile River. His worship began as an attempt to placify crocodiles so as to reduce the danger they posed. Gradually, Sobek, as a major one of its residents, also came to symbolise the produce of the Nile, thus the fertility that it brought to the land, and so ...

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The Pschent was the name of the double crown in Ancient Egypt, combining the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and the White Crown of Upper Egypt. The first Pharaoh shown wearing it is Narmer, on the Narmer Palette. Wearing the Pschent in Ancient Egypt represented the Pharaohs power over all of Egypt. On the Pschent is a cobra ready to strike, symbolising Wadjet (as an Upper Egypt god) and a vulture, Nekhbet, for Lower Egypt. Other related archivesAncient Egypt, Lower Egypt, Narmer, Narmer Palette, Nekhbet,

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Sanchi is a small village of India, located 46 km north east of Bhopal, in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the location of several Buddhist monuments, dating from the third century BCE to the twelfth century CE. Stupa 1 (the 'great stupa') at Sanchi was commissioned by the emperor Ashoka in the third century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by the chhatra, a parasol-like structure symbolising high rank, which was intende ...

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The Upanayana is a Hindu samskara for children of the three highest castes. It is the beginning of serious study with a guru and also means that the child is fully a part of the religious community. Young male members of the Brahmin and Kshatriya caste may perform a coming of age ceremony, the Upanayana commonly known as Janoy, or the thread ceremony. The Janoy is many strings rolled together to resemble an umblical cord to symbolise the New birth as a student and from this day on he belongs to the ...

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Breathy voice or murmured voice is a phonation in which the vocal cords vibrate, as they do in normal (modal) voicing, but are held further apart, so that a larger volume of air escapes between them. This produces an audible noise. A breathy-voiced phonation [ɦ] (not actually a fricative, as a literal reading of the IPA chart would suggest) can be heard as an allophone of English /h/ between vowels, eg. in behind. A stop with breathy-voiced release (symbolised either ...

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The British Computer Society (BCS) is a professional/academic association within the UK consisting of IT practitioners, the society has a Royal Charter. The society aims to provide a central place for IT practitioners to find information, and accredits individuals with post-nominal letters to symbolise different levels of membership within the society. British Computer Society - Grades of Membership. The society has different grades of membership, a standard grade includes Affiliates, Student ...

Including:

British Computer Society - Grades of Membership British Computer Society - External link

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The Buddhist flag is a flag designed to symbolise Buddhism. It was in designed in 1880 by a committee comprised of Ven Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera (Chairman), Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera, Don Carolis Hewavitharana (father of Anagarika Dharmapala), Andiris Perera Dharmagunawardhana (maternal grandfather of Anagarika Dharmapala), William de Abrew, Charles A. de Silva, Peter de Abrew, H. William Fernando, N. S. Fernando and Carolis Pujitha Gunawardena (Secretary). Colonel Henry Steele Olcott, an American journalist later made sug ...

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A wedding cake is the traditional cake served to the guests at a wedding breakfast, after a wedding. It is usually a large cake, multi-layered or tiered, and heavily decorated with icing, occasionally over a layer of marzipan, topped with a small statue of a bride and groom. Other common motifs include doves, gold rings and horseshoes, the latter symbolising good luck. Achieving a dense, strong cake that can support the decorations while remaining edible can be c ...

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The Commonwealth Jack was the flag of the Commonwealth of England which replaced the Kingdom of England in 1649. In contrast to the Union Jack which it replaced, it consisted of just two symbols. The left two quadrants contained an elogated version of St George's Cross, representing England, while the right two quadrants contained an Irish harp symbolising Ireland. The Commonwealth Jack contained no representation for Scotland or Wales. The flag was replaced by the Protectorate Jack in 1658. It in turn was replaced by the returned Union Jack in 1660, following the restoration of the monarc ...

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The red saltire on the white field is for the ancient province of Lennox and for the town's more recent historic links to Ireland which previously used the same flag. The cog-wheel symbolises all the local industries and the demi-figure of Saint Patrick refers to Old Kilpatrick, a burgh of barony from 1672, and where the saint is reputed to have been born. A representation of part of the Roman Antonine’s Wall has been included as the Wall and Roman forts at Old Kilpatrick and Greenhill are features common to the burgh and to ...

Including:

Clydebank - Areas of Clydebank

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Grihastha - Pronunciation. 'Gri' as the 'Gru' in 'Gruel' 'Has' as the 'Hus' in 'Husk' 'tha' as in 'thaw' Grihastha - Word Root. This is a Sanskrit word. The Sanskrit meaning of "Gruha" is house. And the word Grihasthya symbolises a person who runs a house. Grihastha - Usage. This word is generally used to denote a particular phase of life( next 40 years {20-60 years of human life span} after Brahmacharya ...

Including:

Grihastha - Pronunciation Grihastha - Word Root
Grihastha - Usage

Read more here: » Grihastha: Encyclopedia - Grihastha

In Hinduism, Atri is a legendary bard and scholar, and a son of Brahma. Atri - Maharshi Atri. Atri - Atri and AUM. He is among the three main seers who propounded the sacred thread (after Brihaspati) which has three strands symbolising Creation (Brahma and the letter A), sustenance (Vishnu and the latter U) and Dissolution (Shiva{m} and the letter M). Together these three strands show the vow that a Brahmin takes to recite and adhere to AUM (spelt OM). The first three thr ...

Including:

Atri - Maharshi Atri
Atri - Atri and AUM Atri - A Sapta Rishi Atri - Seer of Rig Veda
Atri - His Life

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The building features a distinctive circular central block (often affectionately referred to by staff as the "doughnut") around which are studios, offices, engineering areas and the new News Centre. In the centre of the main block is a statue of the Greek god of the sun, Helios, which is meant to symbolise the radiation of television light around the world. At the foot of this statue are two reclining figures, symbolising sound and vision, the components of television. (This structure was originally a working fountain but due to the building ...

See also:

BBC Television Centre, BBC Television Centre - The building, BBC Television Centre - History

Read more here: » BBC Television Centre: Encyclopedia II - BBC Television Centre - The building