My Hindu Page Glossary - V

Vahana, Vaikuntha, Vaishnavism, Vaishnavite, Vasana, Vedas, Veena, Vel, Venkateshwara,Lord, Vidya Rambha Samskara, Vimanam, Vishnu,God, Visualizations

Vahana: Vehicle. It refers to the animal mount or vehicle of a Hindu deity. In Hinduism each image of God is designated an animal mount. Often the animal represents one of the characteristics or special ability of the deity. For instance Lord Ganesha’s vahana is the mouse named Mushika. Mushika represents Lord Ganesha’s ability to help devotees overcome challenges, even the ones that are seemingly unsurmountable, just as it seems impossible for a small creature like a mouse to be carrying Lord Ganesha around.

Vaikuntha: The Vaishnavite name of the highest level of heaven.

Vaishnavism: One of the four primary sects of Hinduism that worships any form of God Vishnu as the Supreme Godhead. These forms include the avatars of God Vishnu such as Krishna, Rama, Narasimha and so forth.

Vaishnavite: A follower of the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism. A Vaishnavite worships God Vishnu as Supreme Godhead. Among the forms of God Vishnu commonly worshipped are Maha Vishnu, Krishna, Rama and Venkateswara.

Vasana: Vasanas are impressions of memory, emotions or beliefs that are etched in the subconscious mind. Vasanas occur all through the anatomy of the subconscious mind and form the basis of your personality and ego. The many vasanas within the subconscious mind form our traits, habits, preferences and perspectives. Vasanas can also be ‘the seeds of sprouting karma’, therefore they are the initial vehicles of karmas from past manifesting in the present. The natural traits and inclinations we are born with are manifestations of karmas from past lives through vasanas. Vasanas can be manipulated through modification, erasure or creation of new vasanas. Vasanas that are in the deeper levels of the subconscious mind–the sub of the subconscious–are harder to access and manipulate but not impossible. Yoga practices are chiefly designed to work on the vasanas in the mind to create a clear and positive subconscious mind by eradicating negative vasanas that impede the spiritual flow of divine energies of the soul into our life. Affirmations, japa yoga, hatha yoga and vasana daha tantra (the practice of eliminating negative vasanas through the practice of writing and burning) are yoga techniques that work directly with manipulating vasanas in the subconscious mind.

Vedas: The Vedas are Hinduism’s most ancient and central scriptures. They are of divine origin, being revealed to man directly by God. The Vedas are written in Sanskrit and are the worlds oldest scripture, written over 4,000 years ago. The Vedas comprise of four books: The Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.

Veena: A string instrument that is central to the Hindu ensembleof music instruments. The comparatively modern sitar is based on theveena. The veena is often held by forms of God or Goddess to signifylearning, culture and arts; and more indirectly the powers of creationor srishti. 

Vel: The lance carried by Lord Murugan. The vel itself is a representative of Lord Murugan. It symbolises His power of wisdom and love over ignorance and arrogance. The very shape of the vel’s spearhead  being unusually wide in the middle and then coming to a sharp point at its tip and set on a long shaft has symbolic significance. It smybolises how wisdom is harnessed to make virtuous decisions. That is by being deeply imbedded in the foundation of love and virtue (the long shaft) and by being broad-minded and understanding (the wide spearhead) one will naturally be guided by dharma to make decisive and right decisions (the sharp tip).

Venkateshwara, Lord: A form of God Vishnu, He is also affectionately called Lord Perumal. He is the Lord of the famed Tirupathi temple in Andhra Pradesh, India. He is worshipped as the Lord of Abundance and Wealth. In fact the Tirupati temple which is frequented by Hindus of all sect is the richest Hindu temple in the world.

Vidya Rambha Samskara: A ceremonious rite of passage before a child begins formal study with a teacher. It is usually done during the Navaratri days of Saraswati Puja for children entering school or kindergarten the following year. A respected school teacher will be invited to the ceremony and he or she will feed the child a little sweet after the puja and then ceremoniously help the child write the first letter of the alphabet and numbers in a plate of yellow rice.

Vimanam: The ornate tower that is above the sanctum of the deities enshrined within a temple.

Vishnu, God: The original form of Supreme Godhead of the Vaishnavite sect of  Hinduism. He is often pictured lying on the 9 headed coiled serpent Seshanaga, floating on a mythical ocean–Pall-Kadal–The Ocean of Elixir, that is representative of Satchitananda. His Consort is Goddess Lakshmi. The Vaishnavite philosophy teaches that God takes birth on earth as an avatar. Thus Lord Vishnu's avatars are also worshipped as His forms. His most notable avatars that are worshipped are Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Lord Narashimha among others.

Visualizations: Mental images or imaginations. Visualizations are used in some meditation techniques to concentrate the mind. They are usually done with the eyes closed, though some meditators prefer to do them with their eyes opened.