Madurai: City in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu; home of one of the world's most spectacular Saivite temples, called Meenakshi-Sundaresvara.

magic: Use of charms, spells and rituals in seeking or pretending to cause or control events, or govern certain natural or supernatural forces. Also, wondrous, producing extraordinary results.

maha: A prefix meaning "great."

Mahabharata: "Great Epic of India." The world's longest epic poem. It revolves around the conflict between two kingdoms, the Pandavas and Kauravas, and their great battle of Kurukshetra near modern Delhi in approximately 1424 bce. Woven through the plot are countless discourses on philosophy, religion, astronomy, cosmology, polity, economics and many stories illustrative of simple truths and ethical principles. The Bhagavad Gita is one section of the work. The Mahabharata is revered as scripture by Vaishnavites and Smartas. See: Bhagavad Gita.

Mahadeva: "Great shining one; God." Referring either to God Siva or any of the highly evolved beings who live in the Sivaloka in their natural, effulgent soul bodies. God Siva in His perfection as Primal Soul is one of the Mahadevas, yet He is unique and incomparable in that He alone is uncreated, the Father-Mother and Destiny of all other Mahadevas. He is called Parameshvara, "Supreme God." He is the Primal Soul, whereas the other Gods are individual souls. See: Gods, Parameshvara, Siva.

mahapralaya: "Great dissolution." Total annihilation of the universe at the end of a mahakalpa. It is the absorption of all existence, including time, space and individual consciousness, all the lokas and their inhabitants into God Siva, as the water of a river returns to its source, the sea. Then Siva alone exists in His three perfections, until He again issues forth creation. During this incredibly vast period there are many partial dissolutions, pralayas, when either the Bhuloka and/or the Antarloka are destroyed.

maharaja: "Great king." Indian monarch. Title of respect for political or (in modern times) spiritual leaders.

maharishi (maharshi): "Great seer." Title for the greatest and most influential of siddhas.

mahasamadhi: "Great enstasy." The death, or dropping off of the physical body, of a great soul, an event occasioned by tremendous blessings. Also names the shrine in which the remains of a great soul are entombed. Mahasamadhi day names the anniversary of a great soul's transition. See: cremation, death.

Mahashivaratri: "Siva's great night." Saivism's foremost festival, celebrated on the night before the new moon in February-March. Fasting and all-night vigil are observed as well as other disciplines: chanting, praying, meditating and worshiping Siva as the Source and Self of all that exists.

mahatma: "Great soul." Honorific title given to people held in high esteem, especially saints. See: atman.

mahavakya: "Great saying." A profound aphorism from scripture or a holy person. Most famous are four Upanishadic proclamations: Prajanam Brahma ("Pure consciousness is God"ÑAitareya U.), Aham Brahmasmi ("I am God"ÑBrihadaranyaka U.), Tat tvam asi ("Thou art That"Ñ‚handogya U.) and Ayam atma Brahma ("The soul is God"ÑMandukya U.).

mala: "Impurity." An important term in Saivism referring to three bonds, called pashaÑanava, karma, and mayaÑ which limit the soul, preventing it from knowing its true, divine nature. See: liberation.

mandala: "Circular; orb; mystic diagram." A circle. Name of the chapters of the Rig Veda Samhita. A circular diagram without beginning or end, which indicates the higher and the lower and other possibilities upon which one meditates. A tapestry, picture or grouping of words used in meditation to enter the realms depicted.

mandapa: From mand, "to deck, adorn." Temple precinct; a temple compound, open hall or chamber. In entering a large temple, one passes through a series of mandapas, each named according to its position, e.g., mukhamandapa, "facing chamber." In some temples, mandapas are concentrically arranged. See: temple.

mandira: Temple or shrine; abode." See: temple.

Mango Mandapam: A small gazebo type structure under a giant, deva-filled mango tree near Kadavul Hindu Temple.

Manikkavasagar: "He of ruby-like utterances." Tamil saint who contributed to the medieval Saivite renaissance (ce 850). He gave up his position as prime minister to follow a renunciate life. His poetic Tiruvasagam, "holy utterances" (a major Saiva Siddhanta scripture (part of the eighth Tirumurai) and a jewel of Tamil literature express his aspirations, trials and yogic realizations)

mansahara: "Meat-eating."

mansahari: "Meat-eater." Those who follow a non-vegetarian diet. See: meat-eater, vegetarian.

mantra diksha: Initiation into the use of a sacred mantra.

manusha: "Men."

male dharma: See: dharma.

mantra: "Mystic formula." A sound, syllable, word or phrase endowed with special power, usually drawn from scripture. Mantras are chanted loudly during puja to invoke the Gods and establish a force field. Certain mantras are used for worshful incantation, called japa. To be truly effective, such mantras must be given by the preceptor through initiation. See: japa.

manusha manushi cha : ˜ "Men and women."

marga: "Path; way." From marg, "to seek." See: pada.

marriage covenant: The written (or verbal) statements of bride and groom expressing the promises and expectations of their marriage. Known in Sanskrit as vannishchaya, "settlement by word."

Master Course: Prabhu Sanmarga, a course on the Saivite Hindu religion, and more specifically monistic Saiva Siddhanta, the Advaita nshvaravada of Shri Lanka and South India, Part One of which is Saivite Hindu Religion. The Master Course is a home-study course of applied yogic tantras.

mathaseva: Service for the monastery, such as hosting visitors, giving hospitality, lodging and transportation; preparing prasada, cooking for gatherings, harvesting produce, caring for certain areas of the grounds, sewing, making garlands and other decorations for festivals and more.

materialism (materialistic): The doctrine that matter is the only reality, that all life, thought and feelings are but the effects of movements of matter, and that there exist no worlds but the physical. See: worldly.

materialist: One who believes that physical comfort, pleasure and wealth are the only or the highest goals of life, that matter is the only reality.

mathapati: "Monastery head; abbot."

mathavasi: "Monastic; monastery dweller."

maya: "Consisting of; made of," as in manomaya, "made of mind."

maya: "She who measures;" or "mirific energy." The substance emanated from Siva through which the world of form is manifested. Hence all creation is also termed maya. It is the cosmic creative force, the principle of manifestation, ever in the process of creation, preservation and dissolution. Maya is a key concept in Hinduism, originally meaning "supernatural power; God's mirific energy," often translated as "illusion." See: loka, mind (universal).

mead: Wine made from the simple fermentation of water and honey.

meat-eater: Mansahari. Those who follow a nonvegetarian diet.

meditation: Dhyana. Sustained concentration. Meditation describes a quiet, alert, powerfully concentrated state wherein new knowledge and insights are awakened from within as awareness focuses one-pointedly on an object or specific line of thought. See: five steps to enlightenment, raja yoga.

mediumship: Act or practice of serving as a channel through which beings of inner worlds communicate with humans. See: trance.

mendicant: A beggar; a wandering monk, or sadhu, who lives on alms.

menses: A woman's monthly menstruation period, during which, by Hindu tradition, she rests from her usual activities and forgoes public and family religious functions.

mentor: One who advises, teaches, instructs, either formally or informally.

messenger: One who is charged with transmitting messages or performing errands as the tutuvar does.

metaphysics: 1) The branch of philosophy dealing with first causes and nature of reality. 2) The science of mysticism. See: darshana.

microbe: Microscopic life form, especially a bacteria that causes disease.

microscopic: So small as to be invisible except through a microscope.

millennium: A period of 1,000 years. millennia: Plural of millennium.

mind (five states): A view of the mind in five parts. --conscious mind: Jagrat chitta ("wakeful consciousness"). The ordinary, waking, thinking state of mind in which the majority of people function most of the day. --subconscious mind: Samskara chitta ("impression mind"). The part of mind "beneath" the conscious mind, the storehouse or recorder of all experience (whether remembered consciously or not)Ñthe holder of past impressions, reactions and desires. Also, the seat of involuntary physiological processes. --subsubconscious mind: Vasana chitta ("mind of subliminal traits"). The area of the subconscious mind formed when two thoughts or experiences of the same rate of intensity are sent into the subconscious at different times and, intermingling, give rise to a new and totally different rate of vibration. This subconscious formation later causes the external mind to react to situations according to these accumulated vibrations, be they positive, negative or mixed. --superconscious mind: Karana chitta. The mind of light, the all-knowing intelligence of the soul. At its deepest level, the superconscious is Parashakti, or Satchidananda, the Divine Mind of God Siva. --subsuperconscious mind: Anukarana chitta. The superconscious mind working through the conscious and subconscious states, which brings forth intuition, clarity and insight. See: chitta, consciousness, samskara.

mind (three phases): A perspective of mind as instinctive, intellectual and superconscious. --instinctive mind. Manas chitta, the seat of desire and governor of sensory and motor organs. --intellectual mind. Buddhi chitta, the faculty of thought and intelligence. --superconscious mind: Karana chitta, the strata of intuition, benevolence and spiritual sustenance. Its most refined essence is Parasakti, or Satchidananda, all-knowing, omnipresent consciousness, the One transcendental, self-luminous, divine mind common to all souls. See: consciousness, mind (five states).

mind (universal): In the most profound sense, mind is the sum of all things, all energies and manifestations, all forms, subtle and gross, sacred and mundane. It is the inner and outer cosmos. Mind is maya. It is the material matrix. It is everything but That, the Self within, Parashiva. See: chitta, consciousness, maya.

mind-reading: Perceiving another's thoughts without verbal communication.

minister: Someone charged with a specific function on behalf of a religious or political body, especially in serving the spiritual needs of the people. In Hinduism, this term may be applied to temple priests, monks, preceptors, scriptural scholars and others.

mirific: "Wonder-making; magical; astonishing." See: maya.

misconception: A wrong idea or concept; misunderstanding, avidya.

mission house: A family home where members of a local Saiva Siddhanta Church mission gather for weekly satsang.

mitahara: "Measured eating; moderate appetite." A requisite to good health and an essential for success in yoga. The ideal portion per meal is described as no more than would fill the two hands held side by side and slightly cupped piled high, an amount called a kudava. All the six tastes should be within these foods (sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter and astringent), and the foods should be well cooked and highly nutritious. See: yama-niyama.

moksha: "Liberation." Release from transmigration, samsara, the round of births and deaths, which occurs after karma has been resolved and nirvikalpa samadhiÑrealization of the Self, ParashivaÑhas been attained. Same as mukti. See: kundalini, liberation.

Moksha Ritau: The third period of the year, the cool season, from mid-December to mid-April. It is the season of dissolution. The key word is resolution. Merging with Siva: Hinduism's Contemporary Metaphysics is the focus of study and intense investigation.

monastic: A monk or nunk (based on the Greek monos, "alone"). A man or woman who has withdrawn from the world and lives an austere, religious life, either alone or with others in a monastery. (Not to be confused with monistic, having to do with the doctrine of monism.) A monastery-dweller is a mathavasi, and sadhu is a rough equivalent for mendicant. See: monk, sannyasin.

monism: "Doctrine of oneness." 1) The philosophical view that there is only one ultimate substance or principle. 2) The view that reality is a unified whole without independent parts. See: advaita.

monistic theism: Advaita Ishvaravada. Monism is the doctrine that reality is a one whole or existence without independent parts. Theism is the belief that God exists as a real, conscious, personal Supreme Being. Monistic theism is the dipolar doctrine, also called panentheism, that embraces both monism and theism, two perspectives ordinarily considered contradictory or mutually exclusive, since theism implies dualism. Monistic theism simultaneously accepts that God has a personal form, that He creates, pervades and is all that exists and that He ultimately transcends all existence and that the soul is, in essence, one with God. See: advaita, Advaita Ishvaravada, Advaita Siddhanta, theism.

monitor: keep watch over. One who advises, warns or cautions.

monistic: Expressive of the belief that reality is of one kind or substance.

monk: A celibate man wholly dedicated to religious life, either cenobitic (residing with others in a monastery) or anchoritic (living alone, as a hermit or mendicant). Literally, "one who lives alone" (from the Greek monos, "alone"). Through the practice of yoga, the control and transmutation of the masculine and feminine forces within himself, the monk is a complete being, free to follow the contemplative and mystic life toward realization of the Self within. Benevolent and strong, courageous, fearless, not entangled in the thoughts and feelings of others, monks are affectionately detached from society, defenders of the faith, kind, loving and ever-flowing with timely wisdom. A synonym for monastic. Its feminine counterpart is nunk. See: monastic, sannyasin.

mors voluntaria religiosa: Self-willed, religious death through fasting, known in Sanskrit as prayopavesha. See: suicide.

Mount Waialeale: Sacred mountain on Kauai, the peak of which is recorded to have the most rainy days per year of any place on earth. Kauai Aadheenam is at the foot of Waialeale.

mridanga: A South Indian concert drum, barrel-shaped and two-headed.

mudra: "Seal." Esoteric hand gestures which express specific energies or powers. Usually accompanied by precise visualizations, mudras are a vital element of ritual worship (puja), dance and yoga. Among the best-known mudras are: 1) abhaya mudra (gesture of fearlessness), in which the fingers are extended, palm facing forward; 2) anjali mudra (gesture of reverence); 3) jnana mudra (also known as chin mudra and yoga mudra), in which the thumb and index finger touch, forming a circle, with the other fingers extended; 4) dhyana mudra (seal of meditation), in which the two hands are open and relaxed with the palms up, resting on the folded legs, the right hand atop the left with the tips of the thumbs gently touching. See: hatha yoga, namaskara.

mukhya: "Head; foremost." From mukha, "face, countenance." Leader, guide; such as the family head, kutumba mukhya (or pramukha).

mula: "Root." The root, base or bottom or basis of anything, as in muladhara chakra. Foundational, original or causal, as in mulagrantha, "original text."

muladhara chakra: "Root-support wheel." Four-petaled psychic center at the base of the spine; governs memory. See: chakra.

Mula Sutras: Nine root aphorisms from the 365 Nandinatha Sutras describing the fundamental qualities of Saiva Hindu living. They unmistakably distinguish the ardent, devout practitioner from those who are yet to make a complete, uncompromised twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment to a life of dharma.

muni: "Sage." A sage or sadhu, especially one vowed to complete silence or who speaks but rarely and who seeks stillness of mind. A hermit. The term is related to mauna, "silence." In the hymns of the Rig Veda, munis are mystic shamans associated with the God Rudra.

murti: "Form; manifestation, embodiment, personification." An image or icon of God or a God used during worship. Another important term for the Deity icon or idol is pratima, "reflected image."

Murugan: "Beautiful one," a favorite name of Karttikeya among the Tamils of South India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere. See: Karttikeya.

Murugan's six South Indian temples: Arupadai Veedu, "six places of pilgrimage" to God Murugan, or Kartikkeya, designated by the Tamil poet Nakkirar (ca 100 ce) in his Tirumurugatruppadai. A journey to all six temples in prescribed order yields immeasurable blessings. 1) Tirupparankundram, a temple carved out of virgin rock five miles west of Madurai. Here the Deity's mood is one of gaiety (ullasam). 2) Tiruchendur, a large seashore temple at Tiruchendur 36 miles from Tirunelveli, where Lord Murugan's mood is carefree (nirakula). 3) Tiruvavinankudi temple at Palani Hill, a temple of meditative striving (yoga) to the the staff-carrying renunciate, Dandayuthapani. 4) Swamimalai, situated on a hillock near Kumbakonam, where devotees experience the benevolent (idam) darshana of the great guru, Lord Swaminatha. 5) Tiruttani, 84 miles from Madras, a temple to Lord Subramanya in the mood of pleasant discourse (sallabham). 6) Palamudirsolai, twelve miles from Madurai, with a mood of wonderment or marvel (arpudam) See: Kartikkeya.