A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism Klaus K Klostermaie

151 Renou, Louis
chariot and taken in procession through
a town.
Ratï (‘desire’, ‘lust’)
Personified as wife of Käma, the god of
love, and a daughter of DAKÆA. She is
also known by other names such as
Kämi, Revä, Prïti, Kämapriyä and
Mäyävatï.
ratna (‘jewel’)
This is used as title of distinction, and is
the name of a medal given by the Indian
government (Bhärataratna).
Raurava (‘dreadful’, ‘terrible’)
One of the hells. (See also NÄRAKA.)
Rävaæa (‘crying’, ‘screaming’)
The demon king of Laökä, the chief of
the RÄKÆASAS, half-brother of KUBERA,
grandson of the ø•i Pulastya. Laökä was
originally in the possession of Kubera,
but Rävaæa ousted him. He had ten
heads (he is also known as Daÿagrïva or
Daÿavädana). He practised the most
severe penances for 10,000 years to propitiate
Brahmä, and offered one of his
heads at the end of each millennium.
Thus he gained invulnerability from
devas and asuras, but it was foretold
that he was doomed to die through a
woman. He is a major figure in the
RÄMÄYANA, where he is the main adversary
of Räma. He abducted Sïtä, Räma’s
wife, but did not do violence to her. He
eventually succumbed to Räma and his
allies and lost his capital and his life.
Øddhi (‘prosperity’)
The wife of KUBERA, the god of wealth.
Sometimes the name is also used for
PÄRVATÏ, the wife of Ÿiva.
reality (sat/satya)
The quest for a ‘reality’ behind the
deceptive appearance of things is as old
as Hinduism. The Vedas contain the
oft-quoted prayer ‘from the unreal lead
me to the real’ (asatya mä sat gamaya),
and the Upani•ads’ main interest is in
finding the ‘reality of the real’ (satyasa
satyam). All Hindu systems are ways of
‘realization’, i.e. methods of finding
truth and reality. Reality is by definition
imperishable, possesses consciousness
and is blissful (sat–cit–änanda).
rebirth (punarjanma)
From the time of the Upani•ads
onwards the universal belief in the endless
round of rebirth (saƒsära) became
widely accepted in India together with
the notion that it was the major task of
a human being to break that cycle and
attain a state of transcendent freedom.
While rebirth, under the inexorable law
of karma, took place in time, LIBERATION
(mok•a, nirväöa, kaivalya) meant reaching
a timeless state. The major differences
between the competing traditions
arose from differences in understanding
the nature of the ultimate condition and
the means necessary to achieve it.
religious persecution
While Hinduism prides itself on tolerance
towards followers of other religions,
religious persecution is not unknown.
There are historic instances of persecution
(even execution) of Jains in South
India under the instigation of the Ÿaivite
saint SAMBANDHAR as well as persecution
of Vai•æavas by Ÿaivite kings. In
more recent times radical Hindus locally
instigated persecutions of Muslims
and Christians. Many Hindu works
contain not only polemics against other
sects and followers of other religions,
but also a great deal of invective and
condemnation.
Renou, Louis (1896–1966)
Eminent French Indologist. He was
professor of Sanskrit at the Sorbonne