Page 50 - Śrī Pañcatantra - Eng

308 Glosssary

Māyāvāda—the faulty philosophy of oneness, or monism,
that claims that the jīva (soul) is equal to God in all respects
and has simply forgotten this “fact.” This stand was widely
propagated throughout India by the great Śaṅkarācārya during
the seventh and eighth centuries AD.
Māyāvāda-bhāṣya—Śaṅkara’s commentary on Vedānta-sūtra
defining his monistic stance.
Māyāvādī—(1) a renunciant who has been initiated into one
of Śaṅkarācārya’s orders, (2) one who believes in monism.
Mehendi—decorative designs on hands and feet for ladies,
made of henna paste.
Melā—a religious function of great proportions, a religious
fair.
Mṛtyu-loka—“the world of the mortals,” the Earth.
Muhūrta—a Vedic time unit, forty-eight minutes.

Muni—a sage.
Musth—a condition of intoxication during the mating period,
in male elephants.
Nāḍī-grantha—an ancient astrological text, a particular type
of prediction.
Nāga—a divine serpent.
Nandī—Lord Śiva’s bull carrier.
Nārada Muni—a great sage and preacher of devotional service
to Lord Viṣṇu.
Naraka—hell.

Nārāyaṇa—Lord Viṣṇu.
Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura—a prominent preacher of the
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya in Bengal after the time of
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He had been studying under the