Mahabharata: (Sanskrit) "Great Epic of India."

The world's longest epic poem. It revolves around the conflict between two royal families, the Pandavas and Kauravas, and their great battle of Kurukshetra near modern Delhi in approximately 1424 bce. Woven through the plot are countless discourses on philosophy, religion, astronomy, cosmology, polity, economics and many stories illustrative of simple truths and ethical principles. The Bhagavad Gita is one section of the work. The Mahabharata is revered as scripture by Vaishnavites and Smartas.

See: Bhagavad Gita, Itihasa.

(See also: Mahabharata , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Wealth Dictionary

wealth: Artha. Abundance; financial stability.

See: purushartha.

(See also: Wealth , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Wealth Dictionary

This is a sitemap for Dream Dictionary - W . Click on a link and you will find multiple dream interpretations and the meaning behind this particular dream.

Dream Dictionary - W

wadding, wading, wafer, wafers, wager, wager, wages, wagon, wagtail, waif, wail, waist, waiter, wake, walk, walking, walking stick, wallet, walls, walnut, waltz, want, war, wardrobe, warehouse, warlock, warrant, wart, warts, washboard, wash-bowl, washer woman, washing, wasp, waste, watch, watching others eat, water, water lily, water-carrier, waterfall, waves, waves, wax taper, way, wealth, weapon, weapons, weasel, weather, weaving, web, wedding, wedding clothes, wedding ring, weddings, wedge, wedlock, weeding, weeds, weeping, weevil, weighing, welcome, well, welsh rarebits, werewolf, wet, wet nurse, whale, whalebone, whales, wheat, wheels, whetstone, whip, whirlpool, whirlwind, whisky, whispering, whistle, white, white hair, white lead, white moth, whitewa, widow, wife, wig, wild, wild animals, wild man, will, willow, wind, windmill, window, windows, wine, wine-cellar, wine-glass, wings, winter, wire, wisdom, witch, witness, wizard, wolf, wolves, women, wooden shoe, wood-pile, woods, wool, work house, workshop, worm, worms, wound, wrath, wreath, wrecks, wrinkled skin, writing,

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Also see these pages:

Hinduism Dictionary , Buddhism Dictionary, Spiritual Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary , Parapsychology Dictionary, Paganism Dictionary,  Mysticism Dictionary , Theosophy Dictionary , Alternative Health Dictionary

Read more here: » Dreams Sitemap I - W

Gita Jayanti

THE GITA Jayanti, or the birthday of the Bhagavad Gita, is celebrated throughout India by all the admirers and lovers of this most sacred scripture on the eleventh day (Ekadashi) of the bright half of the month of Margaseersha (December-January), according to the Hindu almanac. It was on this day that Sanjaya narrated to King Dhritarashtra the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Gita Jayanti: Hindu Traditions - Gita Jayanti

Hinduism and Food

According to Hinduism, food is verily an aspect of Brahman (annam parabrahma swaroopam). Because it is a gift from God, it should be treated with great respect. The gross physical body is called annamayakosh or the food body, because it is nourished by food and grows by absorbing the energies from the food. Orthodox Hindus offer food to God mentally before eating. 

Read more here: » Hinduism and Food: Hindu view on Food

Sundarkand forms part of Ramcharitmanas of Goswami Tulsidas which is commonly known as Tulsi Ramayana. It is the essence of the Ramcharitmanas, and is awarded as much importance as the Bhagavad Gita in the Mahabharata.

Like the Gita, the Sundarkand can be read independently. It has a powerful theme: When you are on a good mission, God gives you strength to overcome all obstacles. Sundarkand commences with Hanuman’s departure for Lanka in search of Sita and ends with Rama and his army’s preparation to reach Lanka across the sea. This entire episode is called sundar or beautiful because every act described in it is auspicious, elevating the human mind and promoting right human values.

(See also: Sundarkand , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Sundarkand: All’s Well That Ends Well - Sundarkand  

Scriptures by themselves cannot make a person enlightened. They give knowledge, not wisdom. But the Ashtavakra Gita is different. This scripture negates every facet of life, except supreme consciousness.

Sage Ashtavakra says to Janaka: "My son, you recite or listen to countless scriptures, but you will not be established within until you can forget everything"(16.1). He stresses the import of knowing one's own self. A person may quote extensively from the Bhagavad Gita or the Upanishads. But only through self-knowledge can he even begin to discover the stainless truth.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Life and Death: All that Exists is Total Awareness

While the Upanishads are indeed classed within the fold of the "Vedas," their actual importance to Hindu thought has far exceeded that of possibly any other set of Hindu scriptures, and even resulted in the Bhagavad Gita, which is a self-proclaimed yoga upanishad. Thus, they deserve a look that is independent from the samhitas and brahamans, whose excessive ritualism the Upanishads famously rebelled against. They form Vedanta and ...

See also:

Hindu scripture, Hindu scripture - The Vedas, Hindu scripture - The Upanishads, Hindu scripture - Post-Vedic Hindu scriptures, Hindu scripture - The Bhagavad Gita, Hindu scripture - The Puranas, Hindu scripture - Other Hindu texts

Read more here: » Hindu scripture: Encyclopedia II - Hindu scripture - The Upanishads

Quite often we are faced with the dilemma of having to decide what is right and what is wrong. Our instinct tells us one thing, whereas our conscience tells us something else. Which are the good qualities that must be developed and which are those undesirable ones that must be abandoned?

Lord Krishna addresses this problem in chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita . Krishna explains that there are two basic types of inherently opposite dispositions in people - the daivic or divine and the asuric or demonic. Daivic qualities are the cause of liberation ( moksha ), and asuric qualities, the cause of bondage. Krishna lists 26 qualities as divine, which are self-explanatory. Fearlessness tops the list as the prime virtue. It is all encompassing.

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

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Oust The Demonic, Liberate Self

A dictionary Of Siddha Yoga Terminology. From Abhanga to Yogini.

Please note that all words in grey, like "enlightenment" or "kundalini" are hyperlinked to archives further explaining the term. At the corresponding archive you will also find articles related to the term.

For more dictionary entries, see » Wealth Dictionary

Hinduism and the paths of liberation

According to Hinduism, liberation does not mean dying and going to heaven. Heavenly life is as desirable or undesirable as earthly life because in the ultimate sense, heavenly life is also limited and transient, thought compared to earthly life it may be longer and more intense. True liberation means liberation of the individual soul from the cycle of births and deaths, from the sense of duality and separation, and union with Brahman, the Supreme Soul. 

Read more here: » Hinduism and Enlightenment: Hinduism and the paths of liberation

Hinduism and Creation: The 24 Principles of Creation & Samkhya Yoga

According to the Bhagavad gita, the Purusha enters the Prakriti and manifests the entire creation. At the human level, the purusha is compared symbolically with a man and the Prakriti with a woman. At the microcosmic level a union between the two indeed leads to the creation of a new being, which can be compared to the Hiranyagarbha (the golden embryo) at the microcosmic level. 

Read more here: » Hinduism and Creation: The 24 Principles of Creation Samkhya Yoga

Hinduism and Violence: Hindu view on violence

The Bhagavad gita, which is considered to be very sacred by the Hindus, equate anger (krodh), pride (mad), arrogance (darp), cruelty (kruratv), slaying the enemies (satru hatya), hatred (dhvesh), as demonical qualities (asura pravritti), in contrast to the divine qualities (daiva pravritti), which are harmlessness (ahimsa), absence of anger (akrodha), peace (santi), compassion (daya), forgiveness (kshama) and absence of malice (adhroho). From this description it becomes clear that Hinduism does not support violence, especially when it is perpetrated for selfish or egoistic reasons. 

Read more here: » Hinduism and Violence: Hindu view on violence

Agni and the Fire of Self-Inquiry

Self-inquiry (Atma-vichara), such as taught by Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, is regarded as the simplest and most direct path to Self-realization. However, Self-inquiry is also very subtle and can be hard to accomplish even after years of dedicated practice. It depends upon a great power of concentration and acuity of mind along with an intense longing for liberation. One might say metaphorically that Self-inquiry requires a certain flame. It requires that we ourselves become a flame and that our lives become an offering to it. Without such an inner fire, Self-realization may elude us whatever else we may attempt. Therefore, it is important to look at Self-inquiry not simply as a mental practice but as an energetic movement of consciousness like the rising up of a great fire.

Read more here: » Agni: Agni and the Fire of Self-Inquiry

Two men went into a mango garden. One man started counting the mango trees and the number of fruit each bore and approximate value of the orchard.

The other man went straight to the owner and making his acquaintance was invited by him to pluck and taste the fruit.

One was busy in counting and calculating, the other was enjoying the delicious fruit. Ramakrishna Paramhansa would cite this example to show the difference between the man of dry academics and the man of devotion.

(See also: Importance of emotions in relation with god , Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Importance of emotions in relation with god: Your Creator can be Your Best Friend  

The different yoga schools simply adhere to different applications of inner discipline, all of which ultimately lead to the liberation of the soul and to a unique understanding of the Divine Unity. The schools are merely named according to the yogi's objective of self-transformation and the instrument chosen for such anticipated change. The yoga schools are: Ashtanga Yoga, Purna Yoga, Integral Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Mantra Yoga,and Tantra Yoga.

Read more here: » Yoga Schools: The different Schools of Yoga

Sufis tend to remain hidden in a mysterious world, revealing themselves only to chosen seekers of truth - who are receptive and devoted. This has been their way for thousands of years. They pray to God in the middle of night, in its deep silence when the world sleeps, as they don't want to make an exhibition of their prayer.

Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "The meditator meditates alone in the deep night when everybody in the world is sleeping". And Sufis do the same.

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

Read more here: » Osho: Sufi Path of Love - Fragrant and Fresh  

The Sruti and the Smriti are the two authoritative sources of Hinduism. Sruti literally means what is heard, and Smriti means what is remembered. Sruti is revelation and Smriti is tradition. Upanishad is a Sruti. Bhagavad-Gita is a Smriti.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Sruti and Smriti: The Sruti and the Smriti in the Hindu Scriptures

Lord Krishna's influence on our lives far exceeds that of any other God-incarnate. Krishna is depicted not only as an embodiment of wisdom and selfless action, but also as a humane liberal and practical philosopher with foresight.

Krishna's mysticism and activism have greatly inspired poets, painters, writers, dramatists and dancers. The advice he rendered to a disheartened Arjuna at Kurukshetra - immortalised in the Bhagavad Gita - greatly influenced philosophers and continues to inspire millions of people worldwide.

(See also: Krishna , 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: » Krishna: Krishna The Cowherd - The Perfect Avatar  

Kriya Yoga: The Breath of God Is Our Breath of Life

Kriya Yoga gives extreme importance to the breath. It teaches that breath control is self control, breath mastery is self mastery, it is deathlessness. If you take a very short breath and seek God in the fontanel and the pituitary, you will attain calmness and God realization. The Bhagavad Gita, verse 5:27, mentions this short breath: "We are to fix our attention in the pituitary, take a very short breath and touch Him in the pituitary and in the fontanel." The breath must be so short that if you place your finger in front of your nose, the outgoing breath will not touch the finger.

Read more here: » Kriya Yoga: The Breath of God Is Our Breath of Life

Purusharthas, Dharma, Artha, Karma and Moksha

Purusha means human being and artha means object or objective. Purusharthas means objectives of man. According to Hindu way of life, a man should strive to achieve four chief objectives (Purusharthas) in his life. They are: 

1.    dharma (righteousness), 

2.    artha (material wealth), 

3.    kama (desire) and 

4.    moksha (salvation). 

Every individual in a society is expected to achieve these four objectives and seek fulfillment in his life before departing from here. The concept of Purusharthas clearly establishes the fact that Hinduism does not advocate a life of self negation and hardship, but a life of balance, achievement and fulfillment. 

Read more here: » Purusharthas: Dharma, Artha, Karma and Moksha - The Purusharthas