Encyclopedia of Hinduism J: AF i-xL-hindu-fm.indd i 12/14/06 1:02:34 AM Encyclopedia of Buddhism Encyclopedia of Catholicism Encyclopedia of Hinduism Encyclopedia of Islam Encyclopedia of Judaism Encyclopedia of Protestantism i-xL-hindu-fm.indd ii 12/14/06 1:02:34 AM Encyclopedia of World Religions nnnnnnnnnnn Encyclopedia of Hinduism J: AF Constance A. Jones and James D. Ryan J. Gordon Melton, Series Editor i-xL-hindu-fm.indd iii 12/14/06 1:02:35 AM Encyclopedia of Hinduism Copyright © 2007 by Constance A. Jones and James D. Ryan All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the pub- lisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 ISBN-10: 0-8160-5458-4 ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-5458-9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jones, Constance A., 1961– Encyclopedia of Hinduism / Constance A. Jones and James D. Ryan. p. cm. — (Encyclopedia of world religions) Includes index. ISBN 978-0-8160-5458-9 1. Hinduism—Encyclopedias. I. Ryan, James D. II. Title. III. Series. BL1105.J56 2006 294.503—dc22 2006044419 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Text design by Erika K. Arroyo Cover design by Cathy Rincon Printed in the United States of America VB Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. i-xL-hindu-fm.indd iv 12/14/06 1:02:35 AM contents K About the Editor vii List of Illustrations ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Note on Terms and Spelling xv Introduction: Hinduism xvii Chronology xxvii ENTRIES A TO Z 1 Bibliography 519 Index 525 i-xL-hindu-fm.indd v 12/14/06 1:02:35 AM i-xL-hindu-fm.indd vi 12/14/06 1:02:35 AM about the editor K Series editor J. Gordon Melton is the director of books and anthologies as well as numerous papers the Institute for the Study of American Religion and articles for scholarly journals. He is the series in Santa Barbara, California. He holds an M.Div. editor for Religious Information Systems, which from the Garrett Theological Seminary and a supplies data and information in religious stud- Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Melton is ies and related fields. Melton is a member of the the author of American Religions: An Illustrated American Academy of Religion, the Society for History, The Encyclopedia of American Religions, the Scientific Study of Religion, the American Religious Leaders of America, and several com- Society of Church History, the Communal Stud- prehensive works on Islamic culture, African- ies Association, and the Society for the Study of American religion, cults, and alternative religions. Metaphysical Religion. He has written or edited more than three dozen vii i-xL-hindu-fm.indd vii 12/14/06 1:02:35 AM i-xL-hindu-fm.indd viii 12/14/06 1:02:35 AM list of illustrations K Amritanandamayi Ma 26 Hindu sculpture at Ellora Jiddu Krishnamurti 242 Sikh devotees outside the Golden Caves 149 Swami Krishnananda 245 Temple in Amritsar 28 Mohandas Karamchand Main symbols of Lord Shiva: Anandamayi Ma 32 “Mahatma” Gandhi 158 lingam and trident 260 Sri Aurobindo 52 Lord Ganesha, the elephant- Monolithic stone architec- Devotional practice (bhakti) headed god 161 ture 267 is a central feature of Morning bathing on the steps Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara of Hinduism 76 to the Ganges River 163 Jainism 271 Birla Mandir, a temple devoted Hanuman 178 Hindu temple in Kuala Lum- to Vishnu 86 Baba Hari Dass 179 pur, Malaysia 274 The Universal Peace Hall in Harihara, iconic deity that Wedding of Shiva and the Brahma Kumaris World combines Vishnu and Minakshi, goddess of Spiritual Organization 90 Shiva 181 Madurai 284 Brahmin priest with sacred Woman worshipping her Meher Baba 286 thread at village temple 92 personal divinity (ishta The Mother 292 Haridas Chaudhuri 105 devata) 203 Swami Muktananda 295 Gurumayi Chidvilas- Jain temple complex of white Naked hermit of Naga sect at ananda 108 marble 209 source of Ganges River 301 Sri Chinmoy 111 Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati 213 Guru Nanak 303 Shantivanam 113 Temple to goddess Kali where Nandi, divine bull 304 Goddess Durga slaying Sri Ramakrishna served as Neem Karoli Baba 310 Mahesha, the buffalo priest 221 Swami Bhagawan Nity- demon 139 Sant Keshavadas 233 ananda 315 Eknath Easwaran 143 Temple to the sun god, with om 319 Brahmin householder per- his chariot 236 Parshvanath 325 forming water ablutions at Lord Krishna, an incarna- Religious mendicants on pil- dawn on the banks of the tion of Vishnu, with consort grimage 328 Ganges 148 Radha 239 Sri Harilal Poonja 331 ix K x Encyclopedia of Hinduism Brahmin priest performing puja Entrance to the Self- Image of the Hindu trin- to Lord Vishnu 336 Realization Fellowship ity: Brahma, Vishnu, and Lord Krishna’s birthplace, where Headquarters 393 Shiva 453 his puranic tale begins 337 Major deity Shiva as Nataraja, Swaminarayan Temple 462 Rama, an incarnation of Lord of the Dance 406 Hindu temple in Malibu, Vishnu, with wife, Sita, and Sikh Gurudwara 413 California 463 his brother Lakshmana 347 Sri Sri Nathji 421 Old Vedanta temple 464 Sri Ramakrishna 349 Sthanakavasi Jain monk with Ramakrishna Temple 484 Ramana Maharshi 350 mouth covering to practice Lord Venkateshwara, popularly Baba Ram Dass 357 ahimsa 423 known as Balaji, is one of Yogi Ramsuratkumar 360 Satguru Subramuniyas- the manifestations of Lord Raja Rammohun Roy 368 wami 425 Vishnu 491 Sadhu and sacred cow dressed Sunyata (Alfred Julius Emanuel Swami Vivekananda 494 for festival 371 Sorensen) 427 Sri Yantra, symbol of the God- Sai Baba of Shirdi 375 Swaminarayan 430 dess and ritual design for An ochre-robed wandering Rabindranath Tagore 434 meditation 510 sannyasi 381 Typical Hindu temple tower, Paramahansa Yogananda 513 Sri Sarada Devi 386 Krishna Temple 440 i-xL-hindu-fm.indd x 12/14/06 1:02:35 AM preface K The Encyclopedia of World Religions series has in India across southern Asia and then through been designed to provide comprehensive coverage Tibet and China to Korea and Japan. Each time of six major global religious traditions—Buddhism, it crossed a language barrier, something was lost, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, but something seemed equally to be gained, and and Protestant Christianity. The volumes have an array of forms of Buddhism emerged. In Japan been constructed in an A-to-Z format to provide a alone, Buddhism exists in hundreds of different handy guide to the major terms, concepts, people, sect groupings. Protestantism, the newest of the events, and organizations that have, in each case, six traditions, began with at least four different transformed the religion from its usually modest and competing forms of the religious life and beginnings to the global force that it has become. has since splintered into thousands of denomina- Each of these religions began as the faith of tions. a relatively small group of closely related eth- At the beginning of the 19th century, the six nic peoples. Each has, in the modern world, religious traditions selected for coverage in this become a global community, and, with one nota- series were largely confined to a relatively small ble exception, each has transcended its beginning part of the world. Since that time, the world has to become an international multiethnic com- changed dramatically, with each of the traditions munity. Judaism, of course, largely defines itself moving from its geographical center to become a by its common heritage and ancestry and has an global tradition. While the traditional religions of alternative but equally fascinating story. Surviving many countries retain the allegiance of a majority long after most similar cultures from the ancient of the population, they do so in the presence of past have turned to dust, Judaism has, within the the other traditions as growing minorities. Other last century, regathered its scattered people into a countries—China being a prominent example— homeland while simultaneously watching a new have no religious majority, only a number of diaspora carry Jews into most of the contempo- minorities that must periodically interface with rary world’s countries. one another. Each of the major traditions has also, in the The religiously pluralistic world created by modern world, become amazingly diverse. Bud- the global diffusion of the world’s religions has dhism, for example, spread from its original home made knowledge of religions, especially religions xi i-xL-hindu-fm.indd xi 12/14/06 1:02:35 AM K xii Encyclopedia of Hinduism practiced by one’s neighbors, a vital resource in the of the world where the tradition has come to continuing task of building a good society, a world dominate or form an important minority voice, in which all may live freely and pursue visions of where it has developed a particularly distinct the highest values the cosmos provides. style (often signaled by doctrinal differences), or In creating these encyclopedias, the attempt where it has a unique cultural or social presence. has been made to be comprehensive if not exhaus- While religious statistics are amazingly difficult tive.