The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2617 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
4.5Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
Varu
a
.
Early Hindu god, prominent in the Vedic period. Possibly connected with
v
(‘veil’), he was associated with the all-covering sky, but in the
Vedas
his activities resemble those of
Indra
and
Agni
. He was connected with oceans and rivers, though in later mythology Indra has taken precedence over him, and he has been reduced to the god of death.
V
san
s
(Skt., ‘underlying desire’).
1
In Hinduism, the underlying desires, memories, ambitions, etc., which form character, and which can surface at any moment. They are thus close to (sometimes synonymous with)
sa
sk
ras(z)
.
2
In Buddhism, they contribute to the storehouse consciousness,
laya-vijñ
na
.

Other books

After the Plague by T. C. Boyle
Death Stretch by Peters, Ashantay
Terminus by Joshua Graham
Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
Game of Thrones A-Z by Martin Howden
Another, Vol. 1 by Yukito Ayatsuji