DaanveerPutri

Abhimanyu's Diary (Part XII): ParthaShyaam

Glossary:

Terms/Concepts:

*Prahar – Sanskrit term for unit of time (approximately 3 hours)

*Kaumodaki Mace – the mace in the hands of Lord Vishnu or Narayana

*Khandava Forest – ancient forest mentioned in the Mahabharata; Arjuna and Krishna cleared this forest through a forest fire to enable the construction of their kingdom 'Indraprastha'

*Siddhasana Posture – ancient seated aasana (pose) suitable for meditation

*Malas - garlands or necklaces

*Tulsi - sacred Hindu plant considered the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi (hence also known as Vrinda); Tulsi plant is very dear to Lord Sri Narayana

Characters in this part:

*Lord Sri Narayana – refers to Maha Vishnu; his form where he is situated in his yogic slumber on the celestial waters of the Ksheer Sagara

*Nara and Narayana Sages - known as the Hindu deity pair (two bodies with one soul); the twin-brother avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu on Earth for the purpose of preservation of dharma; Arjuna and Krishna are referred to as the incarnations of Nara and Narayana (respectively) on Earth during the Dwapara Yuga

**Badrinath – was the sacred land of pilgrimage where both Nara and Narayana sages performed their austerities and meditation; this spot was bordered by the Alaknanda River

Names of Krishna used in this part:

*Madhava – meaning the 'Lord of fortune – Mahalakshmi (mother of the universe); also slayer of the demon Madhu

*Vasudeva Krishna– son of Vasudeva (Kunti's brother)

*Keshava – one with the long and beautiful locks of hair

*Geetacharya – the one who spoke the Geeta Upadesha to Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefields

*Geeta Govinda – another name for Krishna meaning 'protector of the cows' and the 'one who provided the Geeta Upadesha'

*Yadunandana – Son of the Yadu Dynasty

*Yashodha Maiya's Priya Nandan - the loveable son of Mother Yashodha

*Jaganmohana – The attractor of the three worlds

* Jagannatha – the Lord of the three worlds

*Shyaam – the beautiful dark-skinned one

Names of Arjuna used in this part:

*Partha – meaning 'son of Pritha (birth name of Kunti)'

*Dhananjaya – meaning 'the one who conquered wealth and gold'

*Gandivadhari – meaning 'wielder of the Gandhiva bow'

*Madhya Pandava – the middle (third) Pandava among the five brothers

*Shwethavahana – meaning the 'one with the milky white horses mounted to his pure white chariot'

*Phalguna – meaning 'the one born under the star Uttara Phalguni'

*Gudakesha – meaning 'the one who has conquered sleep'

*Vijaya - meaning 'always victorious or undefeatable'