Aum (also Om, ॐ) is the most sacred syllable in Hinduism, first coming to light in the Vedic Tradition. The syllable is sometimes referred to as the "Udgitha" or "pranava mantra" (primordial mantra); not only because it is considered to be the primal sound, but also because most mantras begin with it. As a seed syllable (bija), it is also considered holy in Esoteric Buddhism. In Devanagari it is written ॐ (Unicode U+0950) and in Tibetan script ༀ (Unicode U+0F00). Aum - The ...

Including:

Aum - The Significance of the Symbol Om Aum - Aum in Hindu tradition
Aum - Origin Aum - Philosophy of AUM
Aum - Om in Jain tradition Aum - Om in Buddhist tradition Aum - Om in Sikh tradition Aum - When you pronounce AUM:
Aum - Some quotations from Hindu scriptures regarding AUM
Aum - Other traditions interpretations and understandings

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An acharya is a prominent guru, teacher and scholar who teaches by his own example (from Sanskrit 'achara', behavior). Often head of a sampradaya, philosophical school in the Indian tradition. Among the famous acharyas in the Vedic tradition are Adi Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Among the Jain Acharyas, Sthulabhadra, Haribhadra and Hemachandra belonged to Svetambar orders, and Kundakunda, Akalanka, Jinasena, Nemichandra belonged the Digambar order. Modern Jain Acharyas include Digambar Vidyasagar, Vi ...

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Sanskrit - Grammatical tradition. Sanskrit grammatical tradition (vyākaraṇa, one of the six Vedanga disciplines) begins in late Vedic India, and culminates in the Aṣṭādhyāyī of See also:

Sanskrit, Sanskrit - History, Sanskrit - Vedic Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Classical Sanskrit, Sanskrit - European Scholarship, Sanskrit - Phonology and writing system, Sanskrit - Vowels, Sanskrit - Consonants, Sanskrit - Phonology, Sanskrit - Pitch, Sanskrit - Sandhi, Sanskrit - Script, Sanskrit - Grammar, Sanskrit - Grammatical tradition, Sanskrit - Verbs, Sanskrit - Verbs: Conjugation, Sanskrit - Nominal inflection, Sanskrit - Personal Pronouns and Determiners, Sanskrit - Compounds, Sanskrit - Syntax, Sanskrit - Numerals, Sanskrit - Influence, Sanskrit - Modern-day India, Sanskrit - Interactions with Sino-Tibetan languages, Sanskrit - Western vogue for Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Computational linguistics

Read more here: » Sanskrit: Encyclopedia II - Sanskrit - Grammar

brahminical tradition: The hereditary religious practices of the Vedic brahmins, such as reciting mantras, and personal rules for daily living.

(See also: Brahminical tradition, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

The Dravidians and South Indians have been in some respects the best preservers of ancient Vedic culture and traditions, especially when the north of India was dominated by Buddhism and later was affected by Islam. Some modern theories of the origins of both Hinduism and Buddhism focus on the resultant mixture of the "Aryan" and "Dravidian" cultures. According to the Puranas, the Dravidians are descendants of the Vedic Turvasha people. According to the Matsya Purana, Manu is considered as a south Indian king. In Hindu tradition the cr ...

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Dravidian people, Dravidian people - Ethnology, Dravidian people - Dravidian languages and Dravidian peoples, Dravidian people - Dravidian and Vedic culture, Dravidian people - Kumari Kandam, Dravidian people - The Eastern Ethiopians, Dravidian people - Dravidian tradition and Hinduism

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Sanskrit - Grammatical tradition. Main article: Sanskrit grammarians Sanskrit grammatical tradition (vyākaraṇa, one of the six Vedanga disciplines) begins in late Vedic India, and culminates in the See also:

Sanskrit, Sanskrit - History, Sanskrit - Vedic Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Classical Sanskrit, Sanskrit - European Scholarship, Sanskrit - Phonology and writing system, Sanskrit - Vowels, Sanskrit - Consonants, Sanskrit - Phonology, Sanskrit - Pitch, Sanskrit - Script, Sanskrit - Grammar, Sanskrit - Grammatical tradition, Sanskrit - Verbs, Sanskrit - Verbs: Conjugation, Sanskrit - Nominal inflection, Sanskrit - Personal Pronouns and Determiners, Sanskrit - Compounds, Sanskrit - Syntax, Sanskrit - Numerals, Sanskrit - Influence, Sanskrit - Modern-day India, Sanskrit - Interactions with Sino-Tibetan languages, Sanskrit - Western vogue for Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Computational linguistics

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According to Tamil Tradition, the Dravidians originally came from a submerged island Kumari Kandam in the south of India. The Epics Shilappadikaram and Manimekhalai describe the submerged city of Puhar (Poombuhar). Kumari Kandam has also been linked to Lemuria. At Mahabalipuram, near Chennai, submerged ruins have been found in the ocean. ...

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Dravidian people, Dravidian people - Ethnology, Dravidian people - Dravidian languages and Dravidian peoples, Dravidian people - Dravidian and Vedic culture, Dravidian people - Kumari Kandam, Dravidian people - The Eastern Ethiopians, Dravidian people - Dravidian tradition and Hinduism

Read more here: » Dravidian people: Encyclopedia II - Dravidian people - Kumari Kandam

Like Plato, Gnosticism also presents a distinction between the highest, unknowable "alien God" and the "creator" of the material - the Demiurge. However, in contrast to Plato, many systems of Gnostic thought present the Demiurge as antagonistic to the will of the Supreme Creator: this sort of Demiurge focusses solely on material reality and on the "sensuous soul". In this system, the Demiurge acts as a solution to the problem of evil. In the Apocryphon of John (in the Nag Hammadi library), the Demiurge has the name "Yaltabaoth", and proclaim ...

See also:

Demiurge, Demiurge - Platonism, Demiurge - Gnosticism, Demiurge - Comparisons, Demiurge - Christianity, Demiurge - Vedic tradition Hinduism, Demiurge - Siberian Shamanism

Read more here: » Demiurge: Encyclopedia II - Demiurge - Gnosticism

The Fall of Man - Genesis. According to Genesis, God created a garden in the land of Eden, and placed Adam and Eve in the garden. He placed a number of trees in the garden, which were good to eat. He also placed two trees which are named specially in the text: the Tree of life and the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were told that they were free to eat of any tree in the garden, but not of the tree of the knowledg ...

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The Fall of Man, The Fall of Man - Accounts of the fall, The Fall of Man - Genesis, The Fall of Man - Quran, The Fall of Man - Other traditions, The Fall of Man - Interpretations, The Fall of Man - Judaism and Islam, The Fall of Man - Christianity, The Fall of Man - Vedic Hindu tradition, The Fall of Man - Felix Culpa the fortunate fall

Read more here: » The Fall of Man: Encyclopedia II - The Fall of Man - Accounts of the fall

The term arose from nineteenth century Western scholars assumptions that Dravidian speakers were a distinct group within India, separate from the speakers of the Indo-Aryan languages in the north of the country. It was supposed that the generally darker-skinned Dravidians constituted a distinct race. This notion corresponded to racial hierarchies of the time according to which darker skinned peoples were more primitive than light-skinned whites. Accordingly, Dravidians were envisaged as primitive early inhabitants of India who had been parti ...

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Dravidian people, Dravidian people - Ethnology, Dravidian people - Dravidian languages and Dravidian peoples, Dravidian people - Dravidian and Vedic culture, Dravidian people - Kumari Kandam, Dravidian people - The Eastern Ethiopians, Dravidian people - Dravidian tradition and Hinduism

Read more here: » Dravidian people: Encyclopedia II - Dravidian people - Ethnology

The Dravidian languages are grouped into Northern, Central and Southern categories. The Northern is mainly Brahui which is spoken in Southern or Southwestern Pakistan. The southern is the most active and mainly consists of the languages Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. It should be noted that Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada are highly influenced by Sanskrit both in vocabulary and grammar. This could be attributed to the dominance of Brahmins in the past and also to the adaptation of Sanskrit as the principal language of Buddhism, Jainism ...

See also:

Dravidian people, Dravidian people - Ethnology, Dravidian people - Dravidian languages and Dravidian peoples, Dravidian people - Dravidian and Vedic culture, Dravidian people - Kumari Kandam, Dravidian people - The Eastern Ethiopians, Dravidian people - Dravidian tradition and Hinduism

Read more here: » Dravidian people: Encyclopedia II - Dravidian people - Dravidian languages and Dravidian peoples

Demiurge - Christianity. The concept of an evil Demiurge is completely at odds with typical Christian theology, which is often considered as the orthodox one. According to this classical Christian theology, the creation is originally all good and the work of one all-good Creator. It rejects the notion that Satan (or an equivalent being) could create the physical universe. The Platonic interpretation also contradicts this Christian theology, because it presupposes the pre-existence of matter (in a chaotic form), conflicting with the concept of an all-powerful creator who fashioned the u ...

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Demiurge, Demiurge - Platonism, Demiurge - Gnosticism, Demiurge - Comparisons, Demiurge - Christianity, Demiurge - Vedic tradition Hinduism, Demiurge - Siberian Shamanism

Read more here: » Demiurge: Encyclopedia II - Demiurge - Comparisons

Plato refers to the Demiurge frequently in the Socratic dialogue Timaeus as the entity who "fashioned and shaped" the material world. Plato describes the Demiurge as unreservedly good and hence desirous of a world as good as possible. The world remains allegedly imperfect, however, because the Demiurge had to work on pre-existing chaotic matter. Pagan philosophers in the lineage of Plato also rebuke the Gnostics. This would include Plotinus who, rebuked Gnosticism in the ninth tractate of the second Enneads, "Against Those that ...

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Demiurge, Demiurge - Platonism, Demiurge - Gnosticism, Demiurge - Comparisons, Demiurge - Christianity, Demiurge - Vedic tradition Hinduism, Demiurge - Siberian Shamanism

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Herodotus, Homer and other Greek authors called the Dravidians the Eastern Ethiopians. Greek writers sometimes identified the "Western Aethiopians" of East Africa with the "Eastern Aethiopians" of South India. Also the African and Indian geography were sometimes compared or identified with eachother: Arrian (vi. i.) mentions that the Indus River was thought by some ancient Greeks to be the source of the Nile. It is usually assumed that by 'Aethiopian' Herodotus simply means 'black person', so that the term really only function ...

See also:

Dravidian people, Dravidian people - Ethnology, Dravidian people - Dravidian languages and Dravidian peoples, Dravidian people - Dravidian and Vedic culture, Dravidian people - Kumari Kandam, Dravidian people - The Eastern Ethiopians, Dravidian people - Dravidian tradition and Hinduism

Read more here: » Dravidian people: Encyclopedia II - Dravidian people - The Eastern Ethiopians

The Dravidian languages are grouped into Northern, Central, South-Central, and Southern categories. The Northern consists of Malto and Kurukh, spoken in northeast India, Nepal, and Bangladesh, as well as Brahui which is primarily spoken in southwestern Pakistan. South-Central consists mainly of Telugu. The southern branch has the most languages, with Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. It should be noted that Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada are highly influenced by Sanskrit both in vocabulary and grammar. This could be attributed to the dominance o ...

See also:

Dravidian people, Dravidian people - Ethnology, Dravidian people - Dravidian languages and Dravidian peoples, Dravidian people - Dravidian and Vedic culture, Dravidian people - Kumari Kandam, Dravidian people - The Eastern Ethiopians, Dravidian people - Dravidian tradition and Hinduism

Read more here: » Dravidian people: Encyclopedia II - Dravidian people - Dravidian languages and Dravidian peoples

The adjective saṃskṛta- means "refined, consecrated, sanctified". The language referred to as saṃskṛtā vāk "the refined language" has by definition always been a 'high' language, used for religious and scientific discourse and contrasted with ...

See also:

Sanskrit, Sanskrit - History, Sanskrit - Vedic Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Classical Sanskrit, Sanskrit - European Scholarship, Sanskrit - Phonology and writing system, Sanskrit - Vowels, Sanskrit - Consonants, Sanskrit - Phonology, Sanskrit - Pitch, Sanskrit - Script, Sanskrit - Grammar, Sanskrit - Grammatical tradition, Sanskrit - Verbs, Sanskrit - Verbs: Conjugation, Sanskrit - Nominal inflection, Sanskrit - Personal Pronouns and Determiners, Sanskrit - Compounds, Sanskrit - Syntax, Sanskrit - Numerals, Sanskrit - Influence, Sanskrit - Modern-day India, Sanskrit - Interactions with Sino-Tibetan languages, Sanskrit - Western vogue for Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Computational linguistics

Read more here: » Sanskrit: Encyclopedia II - Sanskrit - History

Buddhism, naturally following from Vedic society, also developed its own system and understanding of mantra, which while similar to that of Hinduism's, also took on its own particularities, especially according to region. Mantra - Mantra in Shingon Buddhism. Kūkai advanced a general theory of language based on his analysis of two forms of Buddhist ritual language: dharani (dhāra.nī) and mantra. Mantra is restricted to esoteric Buddhist practice whereas dharani is found in both esote ...

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Mantra, Mantra - Introduction, Mantra - Mantra in Hinduism, Mantra - Mantra Japa, Mantra - Some Hindu mantras, Mantra - Lead me from Ignorance to Truth, Mantra - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, Mantra - The shanti mantras, Mantra - Universal prayer, Mantra - Other examples, Mantra - The Hindu Bija Mantra, Mantra - Remarks, Mantra - What is Dharma?, Mantra - The Significance of the Symbol Om, Mantra - Mantras and Prayers, Mantra - Kirtan and Bhajan, Mantra - Vedic Conception of Sound, Mantra - Mantra in Buddhism, Mantra - Mantra in Shingon Buddhism, Mantra - Mantra in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Mantra - Om mani padme hum, Mantra - Some other mantras used by Tibetan Buddhists, Mantra - Mantra in other traditions or contexts

Read more here: » Mantra: Encyclopedia II - Mantra - Mantra in Buddhism

Sanskrit - Modern-day India. Sanskrit's greatest influence, presumably, is that which it exerted on languages that grew from its vocabulary and grammatical base. Especially among elite circles in India, Sanskrit is prized as a storehouse of scripture and the language of prayers in Hinduism. Like Latin's influence on European languages, Sanskrit has influenced most Indian languages. While vernacular prayer is common, Sanskrit mantras are recited by millions of Hindus and most temple functions are conducted entirel ...

See also:

Sanskrit, Sanskrit - History, Sanskrit - Vedic Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Classical Sanskrit, Sanskrit - European Scholarship, Sanskrit - Phonology and writing system, Sanskrit - Vowels, Sanskrit - Consonants, Sanskrit - Phonology, Sanskrit - Pitch, Sanskrit - Sandhi, Sanskrit - Script, Sanskrit - Grammar, Sanskrit - Grammatical tradition, Sanskrit - Verbs, Sanskrit - Verbs: Conjugation, Sanskrit - Nominal inflection, Sanskrit - Personal Pronouns and Determiners, Sanskrit - Compounds, Sanskrit - Syntax, Sanskrit - Numerals, Sanskrit - Influence, Sanskrit - Modern-day India, Sanskrit - Interactions with Sino-Tibetan languages, Sanskrit - Western vogue for Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Computational linguistics

Read more here: » Sanskrit: Encyclopedia II - Sanskrit - Influence

The word saṃskṛta means "refined, consecrated, sanctified". The language referred to as saṃskṛtā vāk "the refined language" has by definition always been a 'high' language, used for religious and scientific discourse and contrasted with the la ...

See also:

Sanskrit, Sanskrit - History, Sanskrit - Vedic Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Classical Sanskrit, Sanskrit - European Scholarship, Sanskrit - Phonology and writing system, Sanskrit - Vowels, Sanskrit - Consonants, Sanskrit - Phonology, Sanskrit - Pitch, Sanskrit - Sandhi, Sanskrit - Script, Sanskrit - Grammar, Sanskrit - Grammatical tradition, Sanskrit - Verbs, Sanskrit - Verbs: Conjugation, Sanskrit - Nominal inflection, Sanskrit - Personal Pronouns and Determiners, Sanskrit - Compounds, Sanskrit - Syntax, Sanskrit - Numerals, Sanskrit - Influence, Sanskrit - Modern-day India, Sanskrit - Interactions with Sino-Tibetan languages, Sanskrit - Western vogue for Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Computational linguistics

Read more here: » Sanskrit: Encyclopedia II - Sanskrit - History

Sanskrit - Modern-day India. Sanskrit's greatest influence, presumably, is that which it exerted on languages that grew from its vocabulary and grammatical base. Especially among elite circles in India, Sanskrit is prized as a storehouse of scripture and the language of prayers in Hinduism. Like Latin's influence on European languages, Sanskrit has influenced most Indian languages. While vernacular prayer is common, Sanskrit mantras are recited by millions of Hindus and most temple functions are conducted entirel ...

See also:

Sanskrit, Sanskrit - History, Sanskrit - Vedic Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Classical Sanskrit, Sanskrit - European Scholarship, Sanskrit - Phonology and writing system, Sanskrit - Vowels, Sanskrit - Consonants, Sanskrit - Phonology, Sanskrit - Pitch, Sanskrit - Script, Sanskrit - Grammar, Sanskrit - Grammatical tradition, Sanskrit - Verbs, Sanskrit - Verbs: Conjugation, Sanskrit - Nominal inflection, Sanskrit - Personal Pronouns and Determiners, Sanskrit - Compounds, Sanskrit - Syntax, Sanskrit - Numerals, Sanskrit - Influence, Sanskrit - Modern-day India, Sanskrit - Interactions with Sino-Tibetan languages, Sanskrit - Western vogue for Sanskrit, Sanskrit - Computational linguistics

Read more here: » Sanskrit: Encyclopedia II - Sanskrit - Influence

Transcendental Meditation, also known simply as 'TM', uses simple mantras as a meditative focus. TM was founded by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. According to the TM website (see below) the practice can result in a number of material benefits such as relaxation, reduced stress, better health, better self image; but it can also benefit the world by reducing violence and crime, and generally improve quality of life. The founder was well versed in Hindu tradition, but TM attempts to separate itself from ...

See also:

Mantra, Mantra - Introduction, Mantra - Mantra in Hinduism, Mantra - Mantra Japa, Mantra - Some Hindu mantras, Mantra - Lead me from Ignorance to Truth, Mantra - Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, Mantra - The shanti mantras, Mantra - Universal prayer, Mantra - Other examples, Mantra - The Hindu Bija Mantra, Mantra - Remarks, Mantra - What is Dharma?, Mantra - The Significance of the Symbol Om, Mantra - Mantras and Prayers, Mantra - Kirtan and Bhajan, Mantra - Vedic Conception of Sound, Mantra - Mantra in Buddhism, Mantra - Mantra in Shingon Buddhism, Mantra - Mantra in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Mantra - Om mani padme hum, Mantra - Some other mantras used by Tibetan Buddhists, Mantra - Mantra in other traditions or contexts

Read more here: » Mantra: Encyclopedia II - Mantra - Mantra in other traditions or contexts