A Popilar Dictionary of Hinduism Karel Werner

18 A POPULAR DICTIONARY OF HINDUISM
The manifested universe (including individual beings) is illusory and unreal and
comes about by a false limitation imposed on brahman by the mind’s ignorance,
just as the illusory ideal of ‘snake’ may be imposed on a rope by the mind
ignorant of its true nature when seeing it in semi-darkness (cf. adhyāsa—
superimposition). Since the mind itself is unreal and an imposition on brahman,
the sole and only true reality, it is again brahman who is responsible for it all.
The vexed question of the reason or motivation for producing the whole gigantic
spectacle of the manifested universe with its multiplicity of ignorant minds is
never fully tackled, except by suggesting that it is a divine game or sport (cf.
līlā).
Adyār originally a town east of Madrās, now its suburb, the seat of the
headquarters of the Theosophical Society.
ādya-śrādha a substitute funerary rite which can be performed during one’s
lifetime. It is meant for those Hindus who have no son to conduct funerary rites
for them or for some reason believe that they will not be performed for them
after their death.
āgama arrival, acquisition, accumulation.
Āgamas sectarian works which contain mythological, epical and philosophical
materials, alternative or supplementary to traditional scriptures. They are usually
regarded by their respective sectarian followers as the ‘fifth Veda’ and therefore
as divine revelation. Only Śaiva Āgamas always retain the word in their titles,
the sectarian scriptures are usually called and the Śākta sources are
mostly called Tantras.
agni fire; one of the four elements (earth, water, air, fire, with space or ether
sometimes added as the fifth) or physical forces constituting the material
universe.
Agni god of fire, especially of the sacrificial fire. He is the priest of the gods and
the mediator between gods and their human worshippers.
agnicayana the ceremonial act of preparing the vedi, i.e. the altar or the fireplace
for a sacrifice.
agnihotra a fire offering; a daily Vedic household rite whose offering consists
mostly of milk, oil and sour gruel.
Agnikūla a division of Rājpūts who derive their descent from Agni on Mount
Abu (as distinct from those who claim Lunar or Solar origins). The legend may
have originated in the Brahminic fire ceremony by which invading warriors who
settled in the country and became rulers of parts of it were elevated to the
status and thereby legitimized.
the offering of soma, an important and complicated Vedic rite which
usually lasted five days.
aham brahmāsmi ‘I am brahman’ (BU 1, 4, 10), one of several pronouncements
from the early
which later came to be called the ‘Great Sayings’
(mahāvākyas). It expresses the Vedāntic philosophy of the essential oneness
between the individual and the Divine source of reality and probably stemmed
originally from the overwhelming inner experience of the
sages