Roberto Calasso - Ka

chandas

Meter

Chāndogya Upaniṣad

Together with the

Bṛhad Āranyaka

, the oldest and most important of the Upani

ṣ

ads

Ch

ā

y

ā

Shadow; another name for Sa

ṃ

j

ñ

ā

cit

-

To think intensely

citi

Brick

Citrasena

A Gandharva and music and dance master in Indra’s heaven

Coomaraswamy

Ā

nanda K. Coomaraswamy, indologist, 1877–1947

Cow of Desires

K

ā

madhenu, magic cow possessed by Vasi

ṣ

ṭ

ha; one of the gems,

ratnas

, that appeared during the churning of the ocean

Cows

Go

; a term in the language of enigmas: cows have twenty-one secret names

Craftsman

Tva

ṣ

ṭ

ṛ

Creator

Brahm

ā

Cyavana

A

ṛṣi

of the Bh

ṛ

gu clan

Dadhikr

ā

van

In the

Ṛ

g Veda, the name of a regal horse

Dadhyañc

Son of the primordial priest Atharvan; knows the

pravargva

, a ceremony incorporated in the cult of the

soma

Daityas

Sons of Ka

ś

yapa and Diti, enemies of the Devas

daiva

Fate

Dak

ṣ

a

Skillful (

dexter

); born from Brahm

ā

’s right thumb. Also “Dak

ṣ

a was generated by Aditi and Aditi was generated by Dak

ṣ

a” (

Ṛg Veda

, 10.72.4); father of Sat

ī

Dakṣiṇā

Ritual fee

D

ā

navas

Demonie beings, enemies of the Devas, sons of Ka

ś

yapa and Danu

Danu

Daughter of Dak

ṣ

a, wife of Ka

ś

yapa, mother of the D

ā

navas

darbha

Grass frequently used in sacrifices

Dark

K

ā

l

ī

; epithet of the Goddess and of K

ṛ

ṣ

ṇ

a

darśana

Vision

Daughter

U

ṣ

as

Daughter of the

Mountain

P

ā

rvat

ī

Daughter of the Sun

S

ū

ry

ā

, daughter of S

ū

rya

Dawn

U

ṣ

as

Dawns

uṣ saḥ

Dead Egg

M

ā

rt

ā

ṇ

ḍ

a

Death

M

ṛ

tyu

Delphi

Sanctuary of Apollo

Desire

K

ā

ma

Devas

Gods, younger brothers of the Asuras

Devavrata

One who observes a divine vow; the first name of Bh

ī

ṣ

ma

Devi

The Goddess, of whom P

ā

rvat

ī

and Sat

ī

are manifestations

Dev

ī

Ku

ṇ

ḍ

alin

ī

Twisted Goddess;

śakti

, the “power” of

Ś

iva coiled around the base of the spine

Devourer

Agni

dexter

Able; Dak

ṣ

a

Dhanvantari

Physician of the gods; one of the

ratnas

, “gems,” that appear during the churning of the ocean

Dhany

ā

Fortunate; sister of Men

ā

Dharma

Law; the god who fathers Yudhi

ṣ

ṭ

hira with Kunt

ī

; name of the dog of Yudhi

ṣ

ṭ

hira

dharma

Law, order; in the Buddhist lexicon also means “element”

Dharmasūtras

Ancient works of jurisprudence attributed to various founders of the Vedic schools

Dh

ā

t

ṛ

Ruler; one of the

Ā

dityas

Dhenuka

Full of cows; a place of pilgrimage in India

Dhi

ṣ

a

ṇ

ā

Hymn, prayer, intelligence; the cup that contains the

soma;

also the goddess who brings wealth and fortune

Dh

ṛ

tar

ā

ṣ

ṭ

ra

Blind son of Vy

ā

sa and Ambik

ā

, father of the Kauravas

dhrani

Poetic suggestion

dīkṣita

Initiate; one who submits himself to the rites of the

dīkṣā

, “consecration”

Dinkas

A Nilotic tribe

D

ī

rghatamas M

ā

mateya

Long Darkness, son of Mamat

ā

; the

ṛṣi

to whom hymns 140–164 of the first book of the

Ṛ

g Veda are attributed

Disorder

Adharma

Diti

Limit; daughter of Dak

ṣ

a, wife of Ka

ś

yapa, mother of the Daityas

Draupad

ī

Daughter of Drupada, king of the Pa

ñ

c

ā

las, born from the sacrificial fire, marries the five P

ā

ṇ

ḍ

ava brothers

Dro

ṇ

a

Master of arms of both the P

ā

ṇ

ḍ

avas and the Kauravas, born of the seed of Bharadv

ā

ja, father of A

ś

vatth

ā

man, an ally of the Kauravas

Drupada

King of the Pa

ñ

c

ā

las, father of Draupad

ī

Durv

ā

sas

A brahman and

ṛṣi

, a portion (

aṃśa

) of

Ś

iva

Dusk

Sandhy

ā

drāpara

When playing dice the throw that gives a remainder of two. In the sequence of the

yugas

, it follows the

kṛtayaga

and the

tretāyuga

, and comes before the

kaliyugu

Dv

ā

rak

ā

City where K

ṛ

ṣ

ṇ

a reigns, on the northeastern coast of India

dritīya

Second

Dwarf

V

ā

mana, the fifth

aratāra

of Vi

ṣ

ṇ

u

Earth

P

ṛ

thiv

ī

Elephant

Air

ā

vata, one of the

ratnas

“gems,” that appeared during the churning of the ocean

Eleusis

Place of the eponymous mysteries

Euchantress

Mohin

ī

Everything

Sarva; one of the names of Rudra

Evil of Death

Pāpmā mṛtyuḥ

Existence

Bhava; one of the names of Rudra

Extreme

Uttar

ā

Eye of the Pond

Hradeck

ṣ

us

Father

Praj

ā

pati

Father Time

Praj

ā

pati

Fénelon

French theologian, 1651–1715

Fifth Veda

One of the definitions of the

Mahābhārata

Fire

Agni

Forest of Cedars

Devad

ā

ruvana: a place inhabited by

ṛṣis

and their wives, on the slopes of the Him

ā

laya

Forest of Kh

ā

ṇ

ḍ

ava

A forest near Indraprastha; or Sugar Candy Forest

Forest of Naimi

ṣ

a

Naimi

ṣ

ā

ra

ṇ

ya: the forest where Ugra

ś

ravas recited the

Mahābhārata

for the first time

Four Vedas

The

Ṛ

g Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda

Fury of the

Bralumanicide

Brahmahaty

ā

Ga

ṇ

as

Genies who follow

Ś

iva

Gandham

ā

dana

A mountain east of the Him

ā

laya

G

ā

ndh

ā

r

ī

Wife of Dh

ṛ

tar

ā

ṣ

t