The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (328 page)

(Skt.). The development in Hinduism of an increasing detachment from the external world. The first three stages (
yama
,
niyama
, and
sana
) of
Patañjali's
yoga are means to this end.

 
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Bahubali
(first person to achieve liberation in this world cycle)
:

see
PILGRIMAGE (JAIN)
;
DIGAMBARA
.

 
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(13th cent. CE).
Jewish commentator and
kabbalist
. Serving as
Dayyan
in Saragossa, he produced a commentary on the
Pentateuch
(
Be'ur‘al ha-Torah
, 1291) which interpreted the text literally, homiletically, rationally and kabbalistically. It was very popular. He is important in the history of Kabbalah in that he preserves and quotes the mystical teaching of
Na
manides'
contemporaries. He adopted a four-level interpretation of scripture:

(i) 
peshat
, plain or literal;
(ii) 
midrash
, homiletical;
(iii) 
sekhal
, reasoned and argued;
(iv) 
s
dh
, derived from mystical union with God. This approach is summarized under the mnemonic, pardes.

 
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