Mahabharata:
the epic of Krishna, Pandavas & Kauravas; one of the world's longest epic poems written by the sage Veda Vyas
Mahadeva:
'Great
God', one of the names of the deity Shiva
Mahadevi:
'Great Goddess', the
Mother Goddess of Hinduism
Mahashivratri:
Hindu festival devoted to Lord
Shiva
Mahavakyas:
great sayings of Vedantic knowledge
Mahayana:
great
vehicle, northern school of Buddhism
Manas:
mind or emotion
Mandal:
Hindu
temple which can also be used for socio-cultural purposes
Mandap/mandva:
the
canopy under which a wedding ceremony takes place
Mandir:
a Hindu temple
Mantra:
spiritual
or sacred syllables or sounds which contain in their essence divine cosmic power
Manu:
Vedic original man, founder of human culture
Marmas:
sensitive
body zones in Ayurvedic treatment
Mata:
mother, a compound often used in
the names of female goddesses
Maya:
illusion, particularly the illusion
of the transient, impermanent, phenomenal world
Mayavada:
doctrine that
the world is unreal
Mehndi:
long-lasting pattern made with henna dye on
the hands of a woman at her wedding and sometimes at festive occasions
Meru:
the
poles
Mimamsa:
ritualistic form of Vedic philosophy
Moksha:
pursuit
of liberation from the cycle of reincarnation, loss of the egoistic self, and
union with Brahman
Monism:
the theory that everything in the cosmos is a
unity and is equated with the divine
Monotheism:
belief in one personal
god or goddess
Murti:
the image and representation of a deity in a temple,
shrine or in the home
Back to Glossary Index: Alphabetic List of Terms
