Viśvakarma: The celestial architect of the gods.
Viśvaksena: The commander general of Viṣṇu’s celestial troops, Viśvaksena holds an important place in Śrī Vaiṣṇava mythology and is often invoked as the Lord’s agent.
Yadu: The warrior clan that Lord Kṛṣṇa was born into and later ruled. The people of this clan are called Yādavas.
Yama: The god of death who rules the underworld (pātāḷa). He is often pictured riding a water buffalo and holding a noose.
Yamuna: A river in North India that flows near the town of Vṛndāvana, the childhood home of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
ālāp: unmetred exposition of a rāga
amṛtam: the nectar of the gods
artha: money or material wealth, one of the three goals of life
ārati: sacred offering of fire, also hārati
asura: an anti-god or demon
bhakta: a staunch devotee
bhakti: religious devotion and faith
brahman: a priest
bŏṭṭu: the traditional decoration worn on the forehead by Hindu women
cakravāka: love birds that suffer separation at night
caṁpaka: a golden yellow flower (Tel sampaṅgi, sampĕga)
cīra: traditional draped garment worn by Indian women
deva: a god
devadāsi: a temple dancer
dharma: righteousness or moral conduct, one of the three goals of life
ghee: clarified butter
gopuram: a temple spire
kāṭuka: Indian eye make-up; lamp black, antimony, collyrium (Hind kohl)
kāma: sexual fulfilment, one of the three goals of life
karma: action, effect, fate
kṣatriya: a warrior or ruler
kuṁkum: red powder made from vermillion; used for religious and decorative purposes
mokṣa: spiritual liberation, the final goal of life
muggulu: intricate chalk patterns made out of powdered lime that decorate the entranceways to Indian homes (Tam kolam, Hind raṅgolī)
muni: a sage
pān: see tāmbūlam
prasādam: religious offerings blessed by god
pūja: a religious ritual or ceremony
rāga: Indian melodic form
ṛṣi: a sage
sāri: see cīra
śūdra: a labourer or farmer
śāstra: a scientific treatise
śruti: the ‘heard’ as in reference to the revealed Vedas
sūtra: pithy aphorisms ‘strung’ together into a continuous text
tambūra: a fretless drone instrument, also tānpura
tāmbūlam: a mild stimulant made with areca nut and various other ingredients wrapped in betel leaf; when chewed, it colours the mouth red
tilaka: see bŏṭṭu
tulasi: holy basil used in Vaiṣṇava worship
tapas:* religious heat, austerity, penance
uśīra: a fragrant root
vaiśya: a merchant
vīṇa: an Indian string instrument
*see ‘On the Word Tapas’ in Heifetz (1985) 17.
GLOSSARY OF TEXTS
Ādhyātma Rāmāyanam: Literally the ‘Spritual Rāmāyaṇa,’ this Sanskrit text tells the story of Rāma with a view to elucidate the principles of Vedāntic philosophy.
Bhagavad Gīta: This famous dialogue between Lord Kṛṣṇa and the warrior Arjuna is embedded in the Mahābhārata. It represents a powerful summary and synthesis of various Indian philosophical doctrines.
Bhāgavatam: Also known as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, this Sanskrit text of South Indian origin tells the many stories of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is the foundational text for Kṛṣṇa bhakti. A well-known Telugu version was produced in the 15th century by the great Telugu poet Bammĕra Potana.
Brahma Sūtras: An ancient collection of short philosophical aphorisms that form the foundation of all Vedāntic philosophy.
Chāndogya Upaniṣad: One of the ten principal Upaniṣads. It is one of the oldest and most important texts in the developement of Vedāntic philosophy.
Divya Prabandham: Also known as the Nālāyiram, this collection of 4,000 devotional Vaiṣṇava hymns in Tamil was composed by the twelve Ālvār saints. It was compiled by Nāthamuni in the 9th century and become the scriptual foundation for Śrī Vaiṣṇavism.
Irāmāvatāram: Kampan’s epic 12th century retelling of the Rāmāyaṇa in Tamil.
Kumārasambhava: Kālidāsa’s masterful mahā-kāvyam is considered the finest long poem in Sanskrit. It relates the events leading to the birth of the god Kumāra, the son of Śiva and Pārvati.
Lalita Sahasranāma: Literally ‘The Thouand Names of the Goddess’, this devotional hymn in Sanskrit praises the divine attributes of the goddess Pāravati.
Mahābhārata: One of the two great Sanskrit epics of Indian literature. It narrates the stoy of the Pāṇḍavas and Kauravas, two groups of warring cousins. It is also a gigantic compendium of Indian knowledge.
Manu Caritram: Allasāni Pĕddana’s landmark 16th century Telugu mahā-kāvyam that tells the story of Svārociṣa Manu, the First Man. It is likely based on the Mārana’s earlier Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇamu, a Telugu version of the Sanskrit original.
Nācciyār Tirumoli: A collection of 143 Tamil poems (pāsurams) written by Goda Devi about her love and desire for Lord Viṣṇu.
Naiṣadhīya Caritramu: Śrīnātha’s masterful retelling of Śrīharśa’s Sanskrit mahā-kāvyam of the same name is the first kāvya written in Telugu. It tells the famous story of the fated couple Nala and Damayanti.
Pārijāta Apaharaṇamu: Nandi Timmana’s 16th century Telugu maha-kāvyam that describes the story of Lord Kṛṣṇa stealing the Tree of Heaven to appease his jealous wife Satyabhāma.
purāṇas: A rich stock of Sanskrit texts that elaborate the stories and creation myths of Hindu mythology.
Rāmāyaṇa: One of the two great Sanskrit epics of Indian literature. It tells the story of Rāma, his love for Sīta and his defeat of the demon king Rāvaṇa. It was composed by the sage Vālmīki, the ādi-kavi or first poet.
Soundarya Lahari: A Sanskrit text attributed to Śaṅkara that describes the tāntric union of Śiva and Śakti, and the physical beauty of the goddess Pārvati.
Subāla Upaniṣad: A lesser known Upaniṣad dealing with the nature of the universe. It is framed as a dialogue between the sage Subāla and the god Brahma.
Tiruppāvai: A collection of 30 Tamil songs composed by Goda Devi about her ritual devotion to Lord Viṣṇu.
Upaniṣads: A large corpus of post-Vedic literature that delves into the philosphical and metaphyscial rationale behind Vedic ritual. These speculative texts form the basis for all Vedāntic philosophy.
Varāha Purāṇa: One of the 18 principal purāṇas, this Sanskrit text deals with cosmology as well as Viṣṇu’s rescue of Pṛthvi (the Earth) in his descent as a boar (varāha).
Vedas: The ancient revealed texts of the early Indo-Aryan people of North India. These enigmatic oral hymns and mantras are the oldest known Sanskrit literatiure. The four books (Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma and Atharva) constitute the oldest layer of Hindu scripture.
Vedānta: Literally the ‘End (or Culmination) of the Vedas’, this term refers to the Upaniṣads as well as the later philosphical school that developed from them.
Viṣṇu Purāṇa: One othe oldest and most imporant purāṇas, this Sanskrit text deals with creation myths as well as the various avatāras of the god Viṣṇu.
APPENDIX I
INDEX OF VERSES
APPENDIX II
TELUGU PROSODY
Trika mnemonic: ya-mā-tā-rā-ja-bhā-na-sa
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