Other characters and issues

Adityas - Vedic deities, fight against evil and reward good, represent divine light, sons of Aditi, initially 6 in number, later 12, including: Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Ansia Daksha, Indra, Savitar, Agni.

Aja Ekapad - The One-Legged Goat, the lightning that holds up the sky.

Agastija - one of the divine sages, author of many hymns of Rigvenda.

Agnihotra – a fire sacrifice. It involved pouring ghee (liquid butter) into the fire and reciting hymns. It was one of the most important rituals of the Brahmanic period.

Ahalya - the first woman created by Brahma, the wife of the sage Gautama.

Ajrawata - Indra's elephant.

Ajus - ruler of the lunar dynasty, father of Nahusha.

Alaka - the legendary divine city in the Himalayas.

Amrita - the drink of the gods that gives them immortality.

Ananta – "Infinite." He was a giant serpent on whose coils the god Vishnu rests in the cosmic waters during the intervals between cosmic creations. He is also referred to as Sesha ("Remainder"). Ananta was considered the son of Kadru, daughter of the god Daksha, and ancestor of all serpents.

Apah - give the faithful health, immortality and wealth, cleanse from sins, accompany Parjanji.

Apam Napat - represents fire arising from water accumulated in a cloud.

Apsara, Apsaras – a semi-divine female being of extraordinary beauty. In the Vedas, she was depicted as a water nymph, and in later accounts, as a celestial dancer and courtesan. In post-Vedic mythology, apsaras were considered wives or lovers of the gandharvas. At that time, they inhabited the paradise of the god Indra and performed in his retinue. The most famous and beautiful apsaras are Menaka and Urvashi.

Arjuna - legendary hero, friend of Vishnu.

Asura - in the Rigveda an epithet applied to gods; in later literature a huge demon hostile to gods, less often to people.

Asuras - in Indian mythology, power-hungry, evil, cunning demons, destructive spirits.

Ashwamedha - in Hinduism it was a horse sacrifice that could only be performed by an independent ruler.

Atharvaveda – one of the four parts of the Vedas, the fundamental texts of ancient Indian literature. The Sanhita (Veda) of the Atharvaveda is much less closely associated with Vedic sacrifice than the other Sanhitas. Its content consists primarily of incantations and magical formulas. The mantras of the Atharvaveda were usually recited mentally by only one of the four main priests-sacrificers, whose task was to prevent any mistakes in the ritual.

Atman - the soul, unchanging in the course of the transformations of Sansara.

Avatar, Avatar - incarnations of the god Vishnu:

1. In the Matsya fish saving Manu during the flood.

2. In the turtle Kurma carrying the mountain Mandara, which serves the gods to stir up the ocean.

3. In the boar Varaha pulling the Earth out of the abyss thrown there by the demon.

4. In the lion-man Narasimha killing the demon that took over the world.

5. In the dwarf Vamana traversing the universe in three great strides to liberate himself from the power of the demon.

6. In the warrior Parasiurama destroying the knight caste to ensure the supremacy of the Brahmins.

7. In the hero Rama.

8. In the hero Krishna.

9. Into the Buddha.

10.In Kalki-Kalkina - the future and only incarnation on a white horse with a flaming sword in his hand.

Bagala - a woman with the head of a crane, she wields murder, poison and magic.

Balarama, Krishna's brother, was created from a white hair.

Bali - king of the three worlds (including the underworld).

Bhishma - opponent of Rama-Vishnu.

Bodhisattva - "One Whose Essence Is Enlightenment." He achieved supreme enlightenment but delayed his entry into the perfect state of nirvana to aid in the salvation of humankind. It seems that bodhisattvas were originally aspects of the Buddha's personality. These aspects then developed into individual beings, whose worship became the basis for a flourishing mythology. Among the principal bodhisattvas are Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara, Maitreya, Mainduśrī, and VadĽrapani.

Chitragupta - secretary of the state of the dead.

Daytya - one of a type of demon named after their mother Diti, who was the daughter of Daksha and wife of Kashyapa, one of the Seven Sages. Most of the Daytyas were killed in a battle between the Asuras and Devas while churning butter from the ocean.