Roberto Calasso - Ka

Kaustubha; one of the

ratnas

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

preman

Love

Prisonnière

La Prisonnière

; the third-to-last part of Proust’s

Recherche

Pr

ī

ti

Daughter of Dak

ṣ

a and V

ī

ri

ṇ

ī

Progenitor

Praj

ā

pati

Progenitors

The Saptar

ṣ

is

Propitious

Ś

iva

Proust

Marcel Proust, 1871–1922

Pulaha

A

ṛṣi

of the second list

Pulastya

A

ṛṣi

of the second list

punarmṛtyu

Repeated death

púr

Most commentators interpret the word as “walls”; W. Rau gives it as “livestock corral”

P

ū

ra

ṇ

a K

ā

ś

yapa

Philosopher at the time of the Buddha

Pur

ā

ṇ

as

Ancient Ones; texts that tell the stories of the gods and, in relation to them, deal with any other matter, cosmic or human; composed mostly between the fourth and fourteenth centuries

A.D.

pūrṇa

Full

Pur

ū

ravas

Lover of Urva

ś

ī

, father of

Ā

yus

Puru

ṣ

a

Person; primordial man, who is broken up in the world

puruṣa

Person

pūrvácitti

First thought

P

ū

rvácitti

Name of an Apsaras

pūrváhūti

First ritual call

P

ū

ṣ

an

Nourisher; one of the

Ā

dityas, brother (or husband) of S

ū

ry

ā

puṣkara

Blue lotus

pūṣkara

Rock

P

ū

tan

ā

Fetid; a demon

Python

Snake of Delphi

quincunx

The shape in which the number five is displayed on dice

R

ā

dh

ā

K

ṛ

ṣ

ṇ

a’s most celebrated lover, a

gopī

R

ā

hula

Son of the Buddha and Gop

ū

Raivataka

A mountain near Prabh

ā

sa

R

ā

jag

ṛ

ha

A city in Bihar where the first Buddhist council was held shortly after the Buddha’s death

rājasūya

Rite in which the king was consecrated

Rambh

ā

Name of an Apsaras

rasa

Juice, flavor, emotion, essence

rāsalīlā

Game of the dance; a circular dance

Rati

Pleasure; K

ā

ma’s consort

ratililā

Game of pleasure

ratnas

Gems; visions that appeared during the churning of the ocean; including Sun, Moon, the Apsaras, Uccai

ḥ

ś

ravas,

Ś

r

ī

, Air

ā

vata, Dhanvantari, K

ā

madhenu, and Kaustubha

Rauhi

ṇ

a

An immense tree from whose branches hang the V

ā

lakhilyas

ṛc

Praise, hymn

ṛddhipāda

Basis of magic power

Recherche

À la recherche du temps perdu

by Marcel Proust

Renou

Louis Renou, indologist. 1896–1966

Residue

Ś

e

ṣ

a

Ṛ

g Veda

Wisdom made up of hymns; A collection of 1,028 hymns divided into ten books (

maṇḍalas

), belonging to the eponymous Veda. It is believed to have been put together between 1200 and 1000

B.C.

Ring

Der Ring des Nibelungen

, by Richard Wanger

riṣ-

To consume oneself

rocaná

Space of light

Rohi

ṇ

ī

Tawny One; Aldebaran

Romance of the Horse

Narrative implicit in the course of the

aśramedha

ṛṣi

Seer

Ṛ

ś

ya

ś

ṛ

ṇ

ga

Son of the

ṛṣi

Vibh

ā

ṇ

ḍ

aka: hermit

ṛta

Order, truth; Heinrich Lüders dedicates a considerable part of his two-volume

Varuṇa

(unfinished) to a demonstration of how and why the two meanings are copresent

ṛtáran

Endowed with truth

Rudra

Yelling One or Tawny One, according to the ancient etymologists; antecedent of

Ś

iva

Rüdras

Eleven divinities who, with the Vasus, the

Ā

dityas, and the two A

ś

vins, make up the thirty-three Vedic gods

Rukmi

ṇ

ī

First wife of K

ṛ

ṣ

ṇ

a

rūpa

Form

ruran

Roaring

sabhā

Meeting place, assembly hall

sāhā

The girl who takes part in the rite of the

aśramedha

Sah

ā

Name of an Apsaras

Sahadeva

The youngest of the five P

ā

ṇ

ḍ

avas, twin brother of Nakula, whose parents were Dasra, one of the A

ś

vins, and M

ā

dr

ī

, P

ā

ṇ

ḍ

u’s second wife

Ś

ā

kalya

A bralunan of the Kuru-Pa

ñ

c

ā

las

śakti

Power: the

śakti

pur excellence is

Ś

iva’s consort

Ś

akuntal

ā

Daughter of Vi

ś

v

ā

mitra and the Apsaras Menak

ā

; from her union with King Du

ṣ

yanta she gives birth to Sarvadamana, later known as Bharata, emperor of India

Ś

ā

kyas

The royal clan to which the Buddha belonged, hence his name

Ś

ā

kyamuni, “Wise man of the

Ś

ā

kyas”

śāla

Shorea robusta,

Vatica robusta

, a resinous tree common in India

Ś

ā

lavat

ī

An area of the principality of Kosala

Ś

ā

lva

A tribe settled on the banks of the Yamun

ā

Ś

ā

ma

ś

ravas

Disciple of Y

ā

jñavalkya

śamī

Acacia suma, Mimosa suma, Prosopis spicigera

, a tree of the acacia family

Sa

ṃ

jayin Vairat

ī

putra

Philosopher living at the time of the Buddha

saṃjīranī vidyā

The science of resurrection

Sa

ṃ

j

ñ

a

Name; simulacrum of Sara

ṇ

y

ū

created by Sara

ṇ

y

ū

herself; also known as Ch

ā

y

ā

, “Shadow”

S

ā

ṃ

khya

One of the six schools of thought fundamental to Indian philosophy

saṃnyāsin

Renouncer

sampad

That which falls together, equivalence

saṃsāra

Migration; the circle of rebirth, becoming of phenomena

Ś

ā

ṃ

tanu

King of the lunar dynasty, father of Bh

ī

ṣ

ma, husband of Satyavat

ī

, and father of Vicitrav

ī

rya

saṃtati

Continuity

S

ā

ñ

c

ī

A place in Madhya Pradesh sacred to Buddhism

Sandhy

ā

Conjunction, dusk; daughter of Brahm

ā

Sannati

Daughter of Dak

ṣ

a and V

ī

ri

ṇ

ī

śāntarasa

Flavor of peace

Saptar

ṣ

is

The seven

ṛṣis

who reside in the stars of the Great Bear, also known as

ṛṣis