The Death of Vishnu

Glossary

Ambassador: traditional Indian automobile

Ambika: goddess of mangoes, one of Lakshmi’s forms

amavas: day with a moonless night, considered inauspicious by many

Ananta: “the endless one,” the snake on whose coils Vishnu rests and goes to sleep as the universe comes to an end

anna: coin, one-sixteenth the value of a rupee

Arjun: One of the Pandava brothers, a key figure in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita

attar: perfume

avatar: an incarnation of a god or goddess

Bakr-Eid: Muslim festival with a goat being traditionally sacrificed

banyan: large, spreading fig-like tree

barfi: diamond-shaped sweet dessert, with an ultra-thin layer of silver foil on the top

bandar: monkey

bechara: poor fellow

beedi: type of inexpensive Indian cigarette

Benarisi sari: one of the most expensive types of saris, from Benares

beta: son (also used to address boys who are not necessarily one’s own child)

beti: daughter (also used to address girls who are not necessarily one’s own child)

bhajan: Hindu devotional song

bhajia: vegetable fritters (same as pakoras)

bhang: intoxicant, sometimes mixed with milk for consumption

Brahma: part of the primary Hindu trinity of gods; the creator, whose breathes out the universe to make it come into existence

Brahmin: highest (priestly) caste

brinjal: eggplant

burkha: full-cover robe or dress worn by Muslim women who maintain purda, the screening of women’s bodies from public observation

chaat: spicy-sweet snacks, usually flavored with tamarind chutney

chameli: jasmine

chapati: tortilla-like whole wheat bread

charpoy: cot

dacoit: bandit

dacoity: criminal activities of dacoits

dharma: sacred duty

dhobi: person who washes clothes

Divali: Hindu festival of lights celebrated with fireworks. The start of the Hindu new year, and the night the goddess Lakshmi descends to earth

dupatta: long women’s scarf, usually worn with a salwar kameez

fakir: holy man

Ganesh: elephant god

ganga: female servant who performs domestic chores for several households

Garuda: gold-colored mythical eagle who carries Vishnu and Lakshmi to Vaikuntha, their heaven in the sky

ghat: flat area like a river bank; also place like this where cremations are performed

ghee: clarified butter, used as a cooking medium

ghungroo: anklet festooned with bells

golgappa: popular snack item, bought from street vendors—a kind of chaat

gulab jamun: dessert of fried cheese balls in golden syrup

gunghat: veil, often the end of a sari draped over the head

gur: soft unrefined sugar

halwai: maker and vendor of sweet desserts and snacks

Hanuman: monkey god

Holi: Hindu festival during which people are playfully doused with brightly colored powders

Indra: god of the heavens, comparable to Zeus

Irani hotels: old-fashioned tea-shops started by Iranis who immigrated to Bombay in the 1920s and 1930s

jackfruit: large, heavy, intensely sweet tropical fruit

jamadarni: sweeper, cleaner of toilets

jambul: tree with small purple fruit

jee or ji: suffix added to a name to show respect, sometimes used by itself

kadai: wok-like cooking vessel

Kaliyuga: the current age we live in, which is the last of the four eras of this universe. This is the age when goodness disappears from the world and the universe is slowly inhaled back into Brahma’s nostrils (before the cycle can begin again).

Kalki: Vishnu’s final incarnation, and also the name of the white horse he will ride when he descends to earth to eradicate evil and end the current cycle of existence

karma: actions and deeds that will lead to consequences in this or future lifetimes

Krishna: one of the most revered of Hindu deities, celebrated both for his mischievous love of life and for his divine power and wisdom; an incarnation of Vishnu, who as Arjun’s charioteer in the Bhagavad Gita reveals himself as God

kulfi: ice cream made with boiled milk

kurta: tunic-like man’s shirt

laddoo: round, yellow, walnut-sized confection, used as ceremonial dessert

Lakshmi: goddess of fortune, consort of Vishnu, who accompanies him from incarnation to incarnation in her many forms

lathi: long piece of bamboo, usually used as a weapon

loban: a type of aromatic resinous wood

maharaja: provincial king; also the cartoon mascot of Air India

mandap: wedding platform

masala: spice mixture

masjid: mosque

Matsya: Vishnu’s first incarnation, a fish that instructed Manu to save humanity by building a ship and then towed the ship to safety when the deluge came

maya: the illusion that characterizes all transitory existence in Hindu philosophy, with only the spirit being permanent

mela: a fair

mem: a white memsahib

memsahib: a form of address used for higher-ranking or higher-class women, also, a general reference to such a woman

Muharram: Muslim holy day to commemorate the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussain in the battle of Karbala.

mullah: Muslim religious man

namaste: greeting performed with folded hands, hello

namaz: prayer performed by Muslims five times each day

nazar: curse or spell, evil eye

om: sacred syllable used in meditation, which combines the spiritual energy of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva

paan: chew made of betel leaf wrapped around spices and other ingredients

paisa (plural paise): coin, one-hundredth the value of a rupee

pakoras: deep-fried fritters made with gram flour

paneer: home-made Indian cheese

papdi: puffy wafer used to make golgappa

paratha: pita-like bread, but without a pocket

pataka: firecracker

peda: milk and sugar sweet, usually in the form of a yellow disc

phuljadi: sparkler

pista: pistachio

pomfret: flat diamond-shaped fish, prized for its texture and taste

Radha: incarnation of Lakshmi as Krishna’s beloved milkmaid

Rama: an incarnation of Vishnu; the leading character in the Ramayana

Ramzan: the Muslim fasting month (Ramadan)

roza: daily fast during Ramzan

Rukhmini: incarnation of Lakshmi as Krishna’s wife

rupee: primary unit of Indian currency

sadhu: Hindu holy man

sahib: a form of address used for higher-ranking or higher-class men; also, a general reference to such a man

salaam: formal salutation

salwar kameez: long tunic (kameez) and loose pants (salwar) worn by women of north Indian origin

samosa: deep-fried triangular Indian snack of dough stuffed with spiced vegetables

Saraswati: goddess of the arts, consort of Brahma

Shiva: part of the primary Hindu trinity of gods, the destroyer; unlike Vishnu, Shiva being an ascetic prefers to distance himself from the world, and it is this lack of action that causes the universe’s cycle to wind down

shrimati: wife

tamasha: fuss, spectacle

thali: round metal tray used to serve food

tiffin: stacking containers used to carry prepared food

trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; these are not separate gods, but three faces of the same god, which is why the Hindu trinity is called “Trimurti” (three forms)

tulsi: basil

Varuna: god of the ocean

Vishnu: part of the primary Hindu trinity of gods, the preserver or caretaker of the universe, who must balance everything that exists, and whose constant action (karma) keeps everything running; worshipped in many forms all over India, especially as Rama and Krishna

walla: suffix meaning “one associated with,” as in paanwalla (one who sells paan) or radiowalla (the one with the radio)

yogi: one who practices prolonged yoga or ascetism to gain control over the body and mind