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earrings: Decorative jewelry worn in the ears by Hindu women and many men. Yogis, especially those of the Natha tradition, wear large earrings to stimulate the psychic nadis connected to the ears. Traditionally, the ascetic Kanphatis ("split-eared ones") split the cartilage of their ears to accommodate massive earrings. Ear-piercing for earrings is said to bring health (right ear) and wealth (left ear). See: Kanphati, samskaras of childhood.

ecclesiastical: "Of the church or clergy." By extension, relating to the authoritative body of any religion, sect or lineage. Having to do with an assembly of spiritual leaders and their jurisdiction.

ecology: The science of relations between organisms and their environment.

ecstasy (ecstatic): State of being overtaken by emotion such as joy or wonder. Literally, "standing outside oneself." See: enstasy, samadhi.

ecumenical: General or universal. --ecumenism: the principles or practices of promoting worldwide cooperation and better understanding among differing denominations, especially among Christians. From the Greek oecumene, "the inhabited world." A Christian term. The broader term interfaith is used by all religions striving for peace and harmony.

efficacious: Producing or capable of producing the desired effect.

efficient cause: Nimitta karana. That which directly produces the effect; that which conceives, makes, shapes, etc. See: cause.

effulgent: Bright, radiant; emitting its own light.

egalitarian: Equalitarian. Characterized by the belief in the equal sharing of powers, rights or responsibility among all people.

ego: The external personality or sense of "I" and "mine." Broadly, individual identity. In Saiva Siddhanta and other schools, the ego is equated with the tattva of ahamkara, "I-maker," which bestows the sense of I-ness, individuality and separateness from God. See: ahamkara, anava.

eligible: Qualified; suitable; desirable.

eliminate: To remove; get rid of; reject.

elixir: Hypothetical substance that would change any metal into gold or prolong life indefinitely. An English term for soma, a magical beverage celebrated in ancient Vedic hymns and which played an important role in worship rites. See: amrita.

elliptical: Having the shape of an ellipse (more or less egg-shaped).

elusive: Tending to escape one's grasp or understanding. Hard to capture.

emanation: To "flow out from." Abhasa. To come forth from a source, to be emitted or issued from. A monistic doctrine of creation whereby God issues forth manifestation like rays from the sun or sparks from a fire. See: abhasa.

emancipator: That which, or one who, liberates.

eminent: High; above others in stature, rank or achievement. Renowned or distinguished; prominent, conspicuous. Not to be confused with: 1) imminent, about to happen; 2) emanate, to issue from; 3) immanent, inherent or indwelling.

empower: To give power or authority to a person or society. Strengthen.

emulate: To imitate. To attempt to equal or surpass someone, generally by copying his ways, talents or successes.

encompass: To surround or encircle; to include.

endow: To give. To provide with a quality or characteristic.

enhance: To improve, make better.

enlightened: Having attained enlightenment, Self Realization. A jnani or jivanmukta. See: jivanmukta, jnana, Self Realization.

enlightenment: For Saiva monists, Self Realization, samadhi without seed (nirvikalpa samadhi); the ultimate attainment, sometimes referred to as Paramatma darshana, or as atma darshana, "Self vision" (a term which appears in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras). Enlightenment is the experience-nonexperience resulting in the realization of one's transcendent Self--Parasiva--which exists beyond time, form and space. Each tradition has its own understanding of enlightenment, often indicated by unique terms. See: God Realization, kundalini, nirvikalpa samadhi, Self Realization.

enshrine: To enclose in a shrine. To hold as sacred and worthy of worship.

enstasy: A term coined in 1969 by Mircea Eliade to contrast the Eastern view of bliss as "standing inside oneself" (enstasy) with the Western view as ecstasy, "standing outside oneself." A word chosen as the English equivalent of samadhi. See: ecstasy, samadhi, raja yoga.

enthrall: To hold in a spell; captivate; fascinate.

entourage: A group of accompanying attendants, associates or assistants.

entreat: To ask earnestly; to beseech, implore, plead or beg.

epic history: Long narrative poem in a high style about grand exploits of Gods and heroes. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are India's two great epic histories, called Itihasa. See: Itihasa, Mahabharata, Ramayana.

equanimity: The quality of remaining calm and undisturbed. Evenness of mind; composure.

equilibrium: Evenly balanced. A quality of good spiritual leadership. "Having attained an equilibrium of ida and pingala, he becomes a knower of the known." See: jnana.

equivalent: Equal, or nearly so, in quantity, volume, force, meaning, etc.

erotic: "Of love (from the Greek eros)." Of or arousing sexual passion.

erroneous: Containing or based on error; wrong.

eschew: To shun, avoid, stay away from.

esoteric: Hard to understand or secret. Teaching intended for a chosen few, as an inner group of initiates. Abtruse or private.

essence (essential): The ultimate, real and unchanging nature of a thing or being. --essence of the soul: See: atman, soul.

esteem: To respect highly; to value.

estranged: "Made a stranger." Set apart or divorced from.

eternity: Time without beginning or end.

ether: Akasha. Space, the most subtle of the five elements. See: akasha, tattva.

ethics: The code or system of morals of a nation, people, religion, etc. See: dharma, pancha nitya karmas, punya, purity-impurity.

etymology: The science of the origin of words and their development. The history of a word. See: Nirukta Vedanga, Sanskrit.

evil: That which is bad, morally wrong, causing harm, pain, misery. In Western religions, evil is often thought of as a moral antagonism to God. This force is the source of sin and is attached to the soul from its inception. Whereas, for Hindus, evil is not a conscious, dark force, such as Satan. It is situational rather than ontological, meaning it has its basis in relative conditions, not in ultimate reality. Evil (badness, corruption) springs from ignorance (avidya) and immaturity. Nor is one fighting with God when he is evil, and God is not standing in judgment. Within each soul, and not external to it, resides the principle of judgment of instinctive-intellectual actions. God, who is ever compassionate, blesses even the worst sinner, the most depraved asura, knowing that individual will one day emerge from lower consciousness into the light of love and understanding. Hindus hold that evil, known in Sanskrit as papa, papman or dushta, is the result of unvirtuous acts (papa or adharma) caused by the instinctive-intellectual mind dominating and obscuring deeper, spiritual intelligence. (Note: both papa and papman are used as nouns and adjectives.) The evil-doer is viewed as a young soul, ignorant of the value of right thought, speech and action, unable to live in the world without becoming entangled in maya. --intrinsic evil: Inherent, inborn badness. Some philosophies hold that man and the world are by nature imperfect, corrupt or evil. Hinduism holds, on the contrary, that there is no intrinsic evil, and the real nature of man is his divine, soul nature, which is goodness. See: hell, karma, papa, Satan, sin.

evoke: To call forth; to conjure up; to summon, as to summon a Mahadeva, a God. See: puja, yajna.

evolution of the soul: Adhyatma prasara. In Saiva Siddhanta, the soul's evolution is a progressive unfoldment, growth and maturing toward its inherent, divine destiny, which is complete merger with Siva. In its essence, each soul is ever perfect. But as an individual soul body emanated by God Siva, it is like a small seed yet to develop. As an acorn needs to be planted in the dark underground to grow into a mighty oak tree, so must the soul unfold out of the darkness of the malas to full maturity and realization of its innate oneness with God. The soul is not created at the moment of conception of a physical body. Rather, it is created in the Sivaloka. It evolves by taking on denser and denser sheaths--cognitive, instinctive-intellectual and pranic--until finally it takes birth in physical form in the Bhuloka. Then it experiences many lives, maturing through the reincarnation process. Thus, from birth to birth, souls learn and mature.

• Evolution is the result of experience and the lessons derived from it. There are young souls just beginning to evolve, and old souls nearing the end of their earthly sojourn. In Saiva Siddhanta, evolution is understood as the removal of fetters which comes as a natural unfoldment, realization and expression of one's true, self-effulgent nature. This ripening or dropping away of the soul's bonds (mala) is called malaparipaka. The realization of the soul nature is termed svanubhuti (experience of the Self).
• Self Realization leads to moksha, liberation from the three malas and the reincarnation cycles. Then evolution continues in the celestial worlds until the soul finally merges fully and indistinguishably into Supreme God Siva, the Primal Soul, Parameshvara. In his Tirumantiram, Rishi Tirumular calls this merger vishvagrasa, "total absorption. The evolution of the soul is not a linear progression, but an intricate, circular, many-faceted mystery. Nor is it at all encompassed in the Darwinian theory of evolution, which explains the origins of the human form as descended from earlier primates. See: Darwin's theory, mala, moksha, reincarnation, samsara, vishvagrasa.

exalt: To make high. To raise in status, glorify or praise.

excel: To stand out as better, greater, finer than others. To do well at something.

exclusive: Excluding all others. Saivites believe that there is no exclusive path to God, that no spiritual path can rightly claim that it alone leads to the goal.

exemplar: One regarded as worthy of imitation; a model. An ideal pattern to be followed by others.

exhaustive: "Drawn out." Very thorough; covering all details; leaving nothing out.

existence: "Coming or standing forth." Being; reality; that which is.

experience: From the Latin experior, "to prove; put to the test." Living through an event; personal involvement. In Sanskrit, anubhava.

expound: To explain or clarify, point by point.

extended family: Brihatkutumba or mahakutumba. One or more joint families plus their broader associations and affiliations. Unlike the joint family, whose members live in close proximity, the extended family is geographically widespread. The extended family is headed by the patriarch, called brihatkutumba pramukha (or mukhya), recognized as the leader by each joint family. He, in turn is under the guidance of the kulaguru, or family preceptor. It includes the following, in order of their precedence: priests of one's faith; elder men and women of the community; in-laws of married daughters; married daughters, granddaughters, great-granddaughters, and the spouses and children of these married girls; members of the staff and their families and those closely associated with the joint family business or home; maternal great-grandparents and grandparents, parents, uncles and their spouses, aunts and their spouses, children and grandchildren of these families; very close friends and their children; members of the community at large. See: grihastha, grihastha dharma, joint family.

extol: To praise highly.

exultant: Rejoicing greatly. Immensely happy or triumphant.

F

fable: Myth or legend. A story, usually with animal characters, meant to illustrate moral principles. See: mythology, Panchatantra.

faith: Trust or belief. Conviction. From the Latin fides, "trust." Faith in its broadest sense means "religion, dharma." More specifically, it is the essential element of religion--the belief in phenomena beyond the pale of the five senses, distinguishing it sharply from rationalism. Faith is established through intuitive or transcendent experience of an individual, study of scripture and hearing the testimony of the many wise rishis speaking out the same truths over thousands of years. This inner conviction is based in the divine sight of the third eye center, ajna chakra. Rightly founded, faith transcends reason, but does not conflict with reason. Faith also means confidence, as in the testimony and reputation of other people. The Sanskrit equivalent is shraddha. Synonyms include astikya, vishvasa, dharma and mati.

family life: See: grihastha ashrama, extended family, joint family.

far-seeing: Duradarshana. Having the power of clairvoyance, also known as divyadrishti, "divine sight." See: clairvoyance, siddhi.

fast: Abstaining from all or certain foods, as in observance of a vow or holy day. Hindus fast in various ways. A simple fast may consist of merely avoiding certain foods for a day or more, such as when vegetarians avoid tamasic or rajasic foods or when nonvegetarians abstain from fish, fowl and meats. A moderate fast would involve avoiding heavier foods, or taking only juices, teas and other liquids. Such fasts are sometimes observed only during the day, and a normal meal is permitted after sunset. Serious fasting, which is done under supervision, involves taking only water for a number of days and requires a cessation of most external activities.

fate: From the Latin fatum, "prophetic declaration, oracle." In Western thought, fate is the force or agency, God or other power, outside man's control, believed to determine the course of events before they occur. According to Hindu thought, man is not ruled by fate but shapes his own destiny by his actions, which have their concomitant reactions. The Hindu view acknowledges fate only in the limited sense that man is subject to his own past karmas, which are a driving force in each incarnation, seemingly out of his own control. But they can be mitigated by how he lives life, meaning how he faces and manages his prarabdha ("begun, undertaken") karmas and his kriyamana ("being made") karmas. See: adrishta, karma, destiny.

fellowship: Companionship. Mutual sharing of interests, beliefs or practice. A group of people with common interests and aspirations.

festival: A time of religious celebration and special observances. Festivals generally recur yearly, their dates varying slightly according to astrological calculations. They are characterized by acts of piety (elaborate pujas, penance, fasting, pilgrimage) and rejoicing (songs, dance, music, parades, storytelling and scriptural reading). See: sound, teradi.

fetch: Retrieve. To go get a thing and bring it back.

finesse: Ability to handle situations with skill and delicacy.

firewalking: The trance-inducing ceremonial practice of walking over a bed of smoldering, red-hot coals as an expression of faith and sometimes as a form of penance. Participants describe it as a euphoric experience in which no pain is felt and no burns received. Many lose body consciousness during the walk. Firewalking is associated with folk-shamanic Shaktism and is popular among Hindu communities inside and outside India. See: folk-shamanic, penance, Shaktism.

five acts of Siva: Panchakritya. Creation, preservation, destruction, veiling and revealing. See: Nataraja, Parameshvara.

flux: Continuous movement or change.

folk narratives: Community or village stories which are passed from generation to generation through verbal telling--often a mixture of fact and fiction, allegory and myth, legend and symbolism, conveying lessons about life, character and conduct. The most extensive and influential of India's folk narratives are the Puranas. While these stories are broadly deemed to be scriptural fact, this contemporary Hindu catechism accepts them as important mythology--stories meant to capture the imagination of the common peoples and to teach them moral living. See: fable, katha, mythology, Purana.

folk-shamanic: Of or related to a tribal or village tradition in which the mystic priest, shaman, plays a central role, wielding powers of magic and spirituality. Revered for his ability to influence and control nature and people, to cause good and bad things to happen, he is the intermediary between man and divine forces. The term shaman is from the Sanskrit shramana, "ascetic," akin to shram, "to exert." See: Shaktism, shamanism.

forbearance: Self-control; responding with patience and compassion, especially under provocation. Endurance; tolerance. See: yama-niyama.

formerly: At an earlier time; in the past.

formless: Philosophically, atattva, beyond the realm of form or substance. Used in attempting to describe the wondersome, indescribable Absolute, which is "timeless, formless and spaceless." God Siva has form and is formless. He is the immanent Pure Consciousness or pure form. He is the Personal Lord manifesting as innumerable forms; and He is the impersonal, transcendent Absolute beyond all form. Thus we know Siva in three perfections, two of form and one formless. This use of the term formless does not mean amorphous, which implies a form that is vague or changing. Rather, it is the absence of substance, sometimes thought of as a void, an emptiness beyond existence from which comes the fullness of everything. In describing the Self as formless, the words timeless and spaceless are given also to fully indicate this totally transcendent noncondition. See: atattva, Parasiva, Satchidananda, void.

fortress: A fortified place; a fort.

foster: To help grow or develop.

fountainhead: A spring that is the source of a stream. The source of anything.

fruition: The bearing of fruit. The coming to fulfillment of something that has been awaited or worked for.

funeral rites: See: cremation, bone-gathering, samskaras of later life.

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