The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2605 page)

Vai
ya
.

The third of the four Hindu social categories, or
varna
. Traditionally the Vai
yas were traders and businessmen, or peasant farmers. Vai
yas are often vegetarian, and zealous in religious observance; they have a particular devotion to
Lak
m
, goddess of wealth.

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

(Skt.; Tib.,
rdo.rje
, ‘diamond’, ‘thunderbolt’).
1
In Hinduism, the weapon of
Indra
. Although often described as his ‘thunderbolt’, the adamantine (‘diamond’) connections of vajra mean that it is equally described as hard and sharp—the splitter. The association may simply be in the connection between lightning and thunder.
2
Double-headed ritual implement in
Tibetan Buddhism
, used in conjunction with a bell
(Skt.,
gha
; Tib.,
dril.bu
). The bell is always held in the left hand where it represents wisdom, emptiness (
nyat
)
nirv
na
, and the feminine principle; the vajra is always held in the right hand where it represents skilful means (
up
ya-kau
alya
), compassion,
sa
s
ra
, and the masculine principle.