Abhijit is a nakṣatra (nakshatra; star), the twenty second among the twenty eight major stars; Brahmā (Brahma)is its presiding deity. Abhijit was like the younger sister of the star Rohiṇī (Rohini), and she got jealous of Rohiṇī. In order to attain the respect due to seniority, she went off to forest to perform tapasyā (tapasya, hard […]

Abhimanyu was one of those who became Saptarṣi (Saptarshi; the seven iconic Sages) in Sāvarṇi (Savarni) Manvantara.

Abhimanyu was one of the gods who belonged to Tviṣimanta (Twishimanta) gaṇa (gana; genus) in Svāyambhuva (Svayambhuva) Manvantara.

Abhimitra was one of the forty nine Marut gods, born of the womb of Diti — daughter of Dakṣa (Daksha), and sired by Kaśyapa (Kasyapa) Prajāpati (Prajapati). These gods were divided into seven gaṇa(s).Abhimitra was one of the seven gods belonging to the second gaṇa. In Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana), he is referred to as Amitra.

Abhiyu was one of the forty nine Marut gods, born of the womb of Diti — daughter of Dakṣa (Daksha), and sired by Kaśyapa (Kasyapa) Prajāpati (Prajapati; Ruler of the people). These gods were divided into seven gaṇa(s) (gana; genus) . Abhiyu was one of the seven gods belonging to the second gaṇa. In Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa […]

Abhrama is an elephant. Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana) mentions his name as the king of the elephant race.

According to Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana) and Vāyupurāṇa (Vayupurana), Abhūmi (Abhumi) was the son of Citraka (Chitraka), belonging to Yadu-Vṛṣṇi (Yadu-Vrishni) vaṃśa (vamsa).

Static or immobile. It has been said that, at the time of pralaya (doomsday), the mountains of the previous epoch melted in the fire, caused by pralaya, called saṃvartaka (samvartaka). Wherever these molten mountains fell, having been blown by strong gusts of wind, they became static after solidifying upon crystallisation after coming in contact with the […]

A Bhairava [a destructive mode or appearance of Śiva (Shiva)]. 

In Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana), Ācāra(Achara) is mentioned as a Gandharva (a kind of demi-god).

Acchoda (Achchhoda) is one of the greatest of all the famous lakes mentioned in Purāṇas (Puranas). In significance it is at par with the lakes Mānasa and Vindu. Due to variance in pronunciation it is sometimes spelled as Akṣoda (Akshoda). The lake was dug by a particular sect of manes called Agniṣvātta (Agnishvatta). It is […]

The river Acchodā (Achchhoda) emerged out of lake Acchoda (Achchhoda). The famous Caitraratha (Chaitraratha) forest was located on the banks of this river. According to a story in Purāṇas (Puranas), Acchodā was the mānasī (manasi; female conceived by the mind) daughter of a sect of divine manes called Agniṣvātta (Agnisvatta). Her form was that of […]

Acetanā (Achetana) was the wife of Manu. However, it is not clearly stated in Brahmāndapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana) to which particular King Manu (ruler of which particular epoch) she was the wife.

According to Vāyupurāṇa (Vayupurana) and Brahmāṇdapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana), Ādarśa(Adarsa) is one of the sons of Sāvarṇi (Savarni) Manu in the eleventh Manvantara, in future.

According to Vāyupurāṇa (Vayupurana) and Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana), Ādarśa(Adarsa) is one of the sons of Sāvarṇi(Savarni) Manu in the eleventh Manvantara of the future.

In the ninth manvantara (epoch; age of a Manu; an astronomical period of time measurement) in the future, when Dakṣasāvarṇi (Dakshasavarni) will become the supreme authority or the designated Manu,  Adbhuta will be the appointed Indra.

A son of Savana, a fire.

Adhaḥśirā (Adhahshira) or Adhaḥśiras (Adhahshiras) is a foremost type of hell. Purāṇas (Purana) mention and distinctly elaborate upon numerous hells, and also accord specific types of hell after death for committing specific sins in a lifetime.  Adhaḥśirā is one prominent hell among those. This hell is also known in some places as Adhomukha. 

One of the ten sons of Hṛidika (Hridika) of the Yadu lineage.

Adhipati is the youngest of Bhṛgu’s (Bhrigu) sons out of the twelve somapayī deities (somapayi , the deities who can be pleased with soma, a Vedic ritual drink) born to the great sage Bhṛgu  and Devī (Devi).

The word adhirāja (adhiraja) does not merely define a king ruling over a populated geographical locale. Rather adhirāja is a king who has conquered even other kingdoms and has established his indisputable power. In one particular hymn of Ṛgveda (Rigveda), the second incantation reads as a prayer, “Let all four directions bow down to me, […]

In the Svārociṣa (Swarochisha) epoch of Manu, Ābhūtaraya (Abhutaraya) was one among the various classes gods were divided into. Adhṛiti (Adhriti) was a god who belonged to this category.

One of the disciples of sage Yājñavalkya (Yajnavalkya)

In the Purāṇas (Purana), twelve great battles between the Devas (gods) and the Asuras (a kind of demons) have been described. The sixth battle is known as Āḍi-vaka (Adi-vaka). Kakutstha, son of King Śaśāda (Sasada) of the Ikṣvāku (Iksvaku) clan, helped Indra in this battle. Virocana (Virochana), son of Prahlāda (Prahlada), died at the hand […]

Āditya (Aditya) is the Sun. The most important observation about Āditya has been made in Aitareya Brāhmaṇa (Aitareya Brahmana). The One who provides heat, is manifested as Agniṣṭoma yajña (Agnishtoma yajna). Āditya is associated with daytime, and the Agniṣtoma yajña has to be performed in one day. So Āditya  himself is Agniṣṭoma. When rises in the morning, he emits a […]

Forty nine ‘Marut’ devatā ( devata; gods) were born out of the womb of Dakṣa’s (Daksha) daughter Diti, sired by Kaśyapa (Kasyapa) Prajāpati (prajapati; Ruler of the people). These forty nine gods were divided in seven gaṇa (gana, genus). Āditya(Aditya) was one of the seven gods included in the first gaṇa. However, in the reading […]

One of the apsarās (apsaras) born of Prajāpati Kaśyapa (Prajapati Kashyapa) to Dakṣa’s (Daksha’s) daughter Muni. It is known that when King Uparicara (Uparichara) Vasu used to reside in the divine seven storied abode given to him by Indra, Adrikā, the apsarā, used to live there with him. One day, while King Uparicaravasu (Amāvasu or […]

Adṛśyanti was the wife of Śaktri, and the daughter-in-law of the great sage Vaśiṣṭha. When Śaktri died, due to the conspiracy of Viśvāmitra, Vaśiṣṭha considered committing suicide in grief. However, failing to kill himself, when he was coming back, he could hear the sound of Vedic chanting. Actually his daughtr-in-law was following him, and she […]

Ādya is one of the gaṇa ( classificatory genus) of the gods as per the classification existing in the Cākṣuṣa (Chakshusha) Manvantara.

Mahābhārata (Mahabharata) mentions  Agāvaha (Agabaha) who was a brave warrior from the Vṛṣṅi clan. During the Kurukṣetra (Kurukshetra) war, Dhṛtarāṣtra (Dhritarashtra), who had become very anxious at the death of Abhimanyu, expressed his concern that this incident could enrage the warriors of the Vṛṣṅi clan and incite them to leave the Kauravas’s side for joining the […]

Son of Mṛga (Mriga), a dighastī (dighasti). [See Dighastī]

Agamyāśca na gaccheta, meaning, “never transgress social customs and engage in coitus with agamyā, or inaccessible women”, is a directive expressed in Mahābhārata (Mahabharata), along with a catalogue of certain relationships that lay outside the bounds of copulation. These women were, therefore, agamyā, or ‘inaccessible’. This list included a king’s wife, wife’s friend, wife of a learned […]

When God Srīhari (Shrihari) created Urvaśi (Urvashi) from his thighs, all the gods were bewitched by her. Mitra was one of the gods of the pair Mitrāvaruṇa (Mitravaruna). Urvaśī consented when Mitra sought union with her. But Varuṇa (Varuna) followed her, pulling at the corner of her dress. Urvasī told him, “Mitra has courted me […]

The rākṣasa (rakshasa, a type of demons) belonging to the clan of Agastya. In the Purāṇas, it is described that Kuvera, king of the yakṣa (yaksa; a type of demi-gods), was their ruler.

One of the thirteen brahmiṣṭha (brahmishta) sages of the Kauśika (Kaushik) clan. Purānas (Puranas) mention sage Aghamarṣaṇa’s (Aghamarshana) kindred as one of the family lines linked to Sage Viśvamitra’s (Bishwamitra) lineage. The lineages of the sages Viśvamitrā, Madhuchandā (Madhuchhanda) and Aghamarṣaṇa were closely related by blood; therefore, marital alliances among the three families were not […]

Agnibāhu (Agnibahu) was the son of the fourteenth Bhautya Manu.  According to another opinion, a hermit sage during the reign of Bhautya Manu was called Agnibāhu. Bhāgavatapurāṇa (Bhagavatapurana) has identified him as Agnirvāhu (Agnirbahu). 

Agnibāhu (Agnibahu) was one of the ten sons of Svāyambhūva (Swayambhuva) Manu.  According to a different opinion, Agnibāhu was one of the ten sons of Svayambhuva Manu’s eldest son, Priyavrata. Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana) says that Priyavrata’s wife was Kāmyā (Kamya), the daughter of Kardama Prajāpati (Prajapati). Agnibāhu was born to this Kāmyā. Agnibāhu carried memories from […]

Amitābha (Amitabha) was one of the gaṇa (gana or groups) into which the gods were divided during the fifth manvantara (epoch) lorded by Svārociṣa (Swarochisha) Manu. Agnibhāva (Agnibhava) was one of the deities belonging to the Amitābha gaṇa. 

Agnīdhra (Agnidhra) was the son of Bhautya Manu, the lord of the fourteenth epoch (manvantara). According to a different opinion, Agnīdhra was one of the seven great sages (saptarṣi; saptarshi) during the reign of Bhautya Manu. 

Legends say, Agni, the Fire-god, had one desired sixteen rivers, namely Kāverī (Kaveri or Cauvery), Kṛṣñaveṇī (Krishnaveni), Narmadā (Narmada) and others. Basically, this marital relationship was envisaged because it was on the banks of these famous rivers that worship of the Vedic deity Agni started being practiced and flourished. Here the rivers have been identified […]

Pṛśni (Prishni), the wife of Savitā (Savita), a representative form of Sūrya (Surya), gave birth to a sacrificial rite of immense significance known as agnihotra.  Agnihotra has been compared to the grinding of teeth of yajñavaraha (yajnavaraha), the sacrificial boar conceptualised as the mythical presiding deity of a yajña (yajna).  Bhāgavatapurāṇa (Bhagavatapurana) opines, while commenting on the […]

A demon who dwells on the fifth plane of pātāla (patal; ‘the underworld’) which is known as mahātala (mahatal). 

Agnijvāla is the name of one of the Hells. Those who disturb and torture sages dwelling in hermitages are condemned to spend their afterlife in this Hell.  According to a different opinion, this Hell is the destination for a person who strays from the particular phase of Caturāśrama (Chaturashram) which that person is bound to […]

Agnimātā (Agnimata) is that branch of Vedas which was entrusted to Bāskali’s (Baskali) second disciple. It is probably this branch of Ṛgveda (Rigveda)which has been referred to as Agnimāṭhara (Agnimathara) in Vāyupurāṇa (Vayupurana) and Viṣṇupurāṇa (Vishnupurana). 

Agnimitra was the son of Puṣyamitra Śuṅga (Pushyamitra Shunga), the king of Magadha in the epoch of Kali. Agnimitra’s son was called Sujyeṣṭha (Sujyeshtha). Agnimitra reigned for a period of eight years. 

Agnimukha is a demon residing in the third plane of the netherworld (known as vitala). 

Agniṣṭoma (Agnishtoma) was one of the ten sons born to Naḍvalā (Nadwala), fathered by Cākṣuṣa (Chakshusha) Manu. Because of this he has been referred to as Nāḍvaleya (Nadvaleya) Manu.  Matsyapurāṇa (Matsyapurana) and Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (Brahmandapurana) refer to him by the name Agniṣṭut (Agnishtut). 

Agniṣvātta (Agnishvatta) is the term referring to a particular sect of the manes (pitṛ; pitri) as well as the space allocated to them. The region called Agniṣvātta, named after the pitṛ residing there, is located in the south of the cosmos, beneath the Earth and above the upper regions of the abyss called atala — […]

Agnivarcas (Agnibarcāḥ)[Agnichas (Agnivarchah)] is the name of a sage who was one of the six disciples of Romaharṣaṇa (Romaharshana), the storyteller. 

In the main Rāmāyaṇa (Ramayana) the great sage Vaśiṣṭha (Vashishtha) is seen introducing the Solar Dynasty (Sūryavaṃśa; Suryavangsha) before Rāmacandra’s (Ramachandra) marriage. In this description Agnivarṇa is mentioned as Sudarśana’s (Sudarshana) son and the father of Śīghra (Shighra) or Śīghraga (Shighraga). All of them are Rāmacandra’s ancestors. But in Purāṇas (Purana), Kuśa (Kusha) is Rāmacandra’s […]