A Popilar Dictionary of Hinduism Karel Werner

14 A POPULAR DICTIONARY OF HINDUISM
mythology, the omissions had to be drastic and readers seeking further
information should resort to a specialized or popular work in Indian mythology or
to a larger encyclopedia of Hinduism. 1 Similar limitations in the number of
entries had to be accepted also with respect to leading personages in the context
of sectarian developments, schools of philosophy, monasteries, missions and
āśrams, both historical and modern. 2 Most users are likely to have read some basic
book on the subject they are interested in and this Dictionary should enable them
to put it into a wider context within Hinduism.
A limited number of English terms or concepts important for the
understanding of Hinduism have been included, e.g. ‘Absolute’, ‘Cosmogony’,
‘Caste’, ‘Liberation’, ‘Marriage’, ‘Transmigration’ etc. Reading them and the
cross-references where given, while browsing through the Dictionary, may
provide for a ‘beginner’ who knows very little about Hinduism an initial picture
of its basic tenets and its more conspicuous features.
A number of books giving an overview of Hinduism is available. There is,
however, a lack of truly comprehensive and detailed works on Hinduism in
English. Further information has to be sought in specialized monographs.
a the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet; the first component of , the
most sacred mantra ; the symbol of creation; a name of .
Ābhāsvaras (‘the lustrous ones’) gods of a higher spiritual realm; a group of
sixty-four deities in Śiva’s retinue.
abhaya fearlessness. Freedom from fear is a state acquired in full only in
liberation.
abhaya mudrā the gesture of fearlessness, known in particular from images of the
Buddha, is in Hinduism characteristic of .
abheda non-difference, an Advaitic term which describes the world as identical
with brahman, the only true reality.
1
For example:
Dowson, John, A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography,
History, and Literature, 9th edn., Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1957.
Garg, Ganda Ram (general editor), Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World, Concept
Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1992. (An on-going project, still dealing with the letter
A.)
Stutley, Margaret & James, A Dictionary of Hinduism, its Mythology, Folklore and
Development 1500 B.C.-A.D. 1500, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and Henley, 1977.
Walker, Benjamin: Hindu World. An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism, 2 vols., George
Allen & Unwin, London, 1968.
2
For a comprehensive book on Hinduism which is packed with information, sometimes
going into considerable detail, see: Brockington, J.L., The Sacred Thread. Hinduism in its
Continuity and Diversity, Edinburgh University Press, 1981.