AJIVIKA

          (Sanskrit: following the ascetic way of life), ascetic sect that emerged in India about the same time as Buddhism and Jainism. It was founded by Goshala Maskariputra (also called Gosala Makkaliputta), a contemporary of Mahavira.

Ajivikas did not believe in karma and thought that the destiny was predetermined and could not be changed. Goshala's -followers believed that it was impossible to -influence the course of transmigration and destiny in any way.

The Ajivikas believed that the universe was governed by a cosmic force called niyati (Sanskrit: rule or destiny), which determined all events and, consequently, man's fate. Believing in the futility of making efforts to alter their fate, the Ajivikas practised austerity not for any purposeful goal but because their niyati had determined them to do so.  

After a period of acceptance during the Maurya dynasty (third century BC), the sect apparently dwindled, although followers lived on until the fourteenth century in what is present-day Karnataka. In latter-day developments of the sect, the founder Goshala came to be worshipped as a divinity, and the tenet of niyati developed into the doctrine that all change was illusory and everything was eternally immobile.  

AGNI

  (Sanskrit: fire), in Hinduism, the fire god, second only to Indra in the Vedic mythology of ancient India. He is equally the fire of the sun, of lightning, and of the hearth that men light for purposes of worship. Agni could -assume three forms: celestial as the sun, -atmospheric as lightning, and terrestrial as fire. As the divine personification of the fire of sacrifice, Agni is the mouth of the gods and thus the messenger between the human and the divine orders. Born from a lotus created by Brahman (the supreme), Agni is described in the scriptures as ruddy-hued with two faces, one kind and one severe. He has three or seven tongues, hair that stand on end like flames, three legs, and seven arms. In the Rig Veda, he is sometimes identified with Rudra, the forerunner of Shiva. Though Agni has no sect in modern Hinduism, his presence is invoked in several ceremonies, especially by Agnihotri Brahmins. Agni is believed to be the presiding deity and guardian of the southeast direction according to Hindu cosmology.  

AGAMA

(Sanskrit: acquisition of knowledge), any of a class of Hindu tantric writings of medieval India that are sacred texts of the Shaivites, the followers of Shiva. The agamas include the tantras, mantras, and yantras. These are treatises explaining the external worship of god, in idols, temples, etc. All the agamas deal with (1) jnana or knowledge, (2) yoga or concentration, (3) kriya or esoteric ritual, and (4) charya or exoteric worship. They correspond to the other tantric sectarian writings, the Vaishnava Samhitas and the Shakta Tantras. They are often in the form of a dialogue between Shiva and his wife Parvati. The Shaiva agamas probably began to emerge around the eighth century. For convenience, scholars discuss the texts according to the four Shaivite sects that follow the agama tradition. These are the Sanskrit school of Shaivasiddhanta, the Tamil -Shaivas, the Kashmir Shaivas, and the Virashaivas, also known as the Lingayats. Considered to be the manuals of worship, the agamas provide considerable amount of information on the earliest codes of temple building, image making, and religious procedure.  

ADVAITA

(Sanskrit: non-dualism), a central philosophy of India and the most influential of the schools of Vedanta, it historically began with the seventh-century thinker Gaudapada, author of Mandukya-karika , a commentary in verse form on the Mandukya Upanishad.

The basic premise of advaita is of non-duality. There is only one reality - it does not allow for an individual self or soul ( jiva ); only the ultimate self (atman) exists. The mind, awake or dreaming, moves through illusion (maya); and only advaita is the final truth. The Advaita School believes that knowledge of man's true nature is liberation. Ignorance leads to bondage. Knowledge gained not from books but from experience roots out bondage and leads to liberation of the self.

The philosopher Shankara (c.700-750) built further on Gaudapada's foundation, principally in his commentary on the Vedanta Sutras, the Shariraka-mimamsa-bhashya (Commentary on the Study of the Embodied Self). Shankara argued that the Upanishads teach the nature of Brahman (the absolute). According to Shankara only the non-dual Brahman is ultimately real. Shankara had many -followers who continued and elaborated his work, notably the ninth-century philosopher Vachaspati Mishra. Advaita literature is extremely extensive, and it plays a major role in Hindu thought.  

ADITI

   (Sanskrit: the boundless), in Hinduism, personification of the Infinite. Also the mother of a group of celestial deities, the Adityas, Aditi is referred to as the mother of many gods, including Vishnu in his dwarf incarnation and, in a later reappearance, Krishna. She supports the sky, sustains all existence, and nourishes the earth, often represented as a cow to depict the latter.  

Her sons are of uncertain number and identity. One hymn names them as Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Daksha, Bhaga, and Amsha. Varuna is their chief. Sometimes Daksha is excluded and Indra, Savitr (the sun), and Dhatr are added. Occasionally the term is extended to include all the gods. Later periods show their number as 12, linking them to the 12 solar months of the year. Aditya in the singular form is one of the names for the sun.