-18_Glossary and Index Page 195 to 209.htm

Magadh(a) an ancient kingdom of India comprising originally the Patna and Gaya districts of modern Bihar. It was the nucleus of several larger kingdoms or empires be- tween 6th century BC and 8th century AD. The people of the country were known as Magadhas. (Enc. Br.) Var: Maghadha (a misspelling) Der: Magadhan;

Magadhine (see also Maagadh) D 3:189-91, 194.214 4: 93 6: 205 7: 894-95. 898 8: 43-45, 51-52, 54, 57, 340 14: 327 XVIII: 136

Magha (fl. 8th cent.), Sanskrit poet, son of Dattaka, and author of the magnificent poem called, from its subject, Sisupala-vadha or, from its author, Magha-kavya. (Dow.; Enc. Br.) n 14:301-02.320 1:25 XX: 131, 133

Maghadha See Magadh(a)

Maghavahan Meghavahan, in the Mahabharata, name of a king ardently devoted to Jarasandha. (M.N.) a 8:40

Maghavan a name of Indra. (Dow.; M.N.) D [Indexed with Indra]

Magi (pi. of Magus) 1. the priestly class in ancient Media and Persia, supposedly having occult powers. 2. (26: 447) in the Bible, the wise men from the East (in later tradition, three in number) who came bearing gifts to the infant Jesus. (Web.) Der: Magian (one of the Magi; an adherent of the Magi) D 6: 337 11: 4 26: 447 XVII: 11

Magna Charta or Magna Carta, the most important instrument of English consti- tutional history guaranteeing personal and political liberty. It was issued by King John at Runnymede in 1215 under threat of civil war, and reissued with alterations in 1216, 1217 and 1225. (Col. Enc.; Enc. Br.) n 1: 460 2: 332 15: 621 17: 357 III: 11

Magura a subdivision of Jessore district, Bengal (now in Bangladesh). (A.B.T.) a 1: 262, 715. See also Malgura.

Magyar(s) (of) the people of Hungary. The terms "Magyar" and "Hungarian" are iden- tical, but in non-Hungarian languages the word "Magyar" is frequently used to distin- guish the Hungarian-speaking population of Hungary from the German, Slavic, and Rumanian minorities, which were consider- able until the end of the First World War. (Col. Enc.) a 15:285, 411-12

Mahabaleshwar hill resort in Satara district of Maharashtra state, northwest of Satara town, at an altitude of 4, 718 ft. in the Sahya- dri Hills of the Western Ghats. (Enc. Br.) n IV: 197

Mahabalipuram a town in Chingleput (now spelled Chengalpattu) district of Tamil Nadu state. It is famous for its many surviving 7th and 8th-century Pallava temples and monu- ments. (Enc. Br.) n 17: 300

Mahabhagawat, Pt. Lingeca editor of the Anglo-Sanskrit quarterly Sanskrit Research, conducted by the Sanskrit Academy of India, Bangalore. (A) a 17:290

Mahabharata the great epic poem of the Hindus, probably the longest in the world, valued both for its high literary merit and its religious inspiration. Containing 18 parvas or books, it has been subjected to much modification and numerous comparatively modern additions. The original epic was possibly something over 24, 000 and under 26, 400 slokas; but in its present final form it runs to 100.OOOs to kas. Tradition attributes the original to Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa, the traditional compiler of the Vedas. The date of the poem is very uncertain. Its lead- ing subject is the great war between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. (Dow.; A) a 1: 128, 398, 745, 767-68 3:141-53.155, 157, 159-62.165.169-72, 174-75, 179-83, 185, 188-89, 191-92, 194, 196-97. 199-200.217-20, 222.226, 232, 303-05, 312, 331 4: 67, 70-71, 80, 82, 92, 97-98, 141, 166, 252, 288 5: 258, 333 6: 205 8: 25, 61 9: 245, 312, 523 10: 15 12: 457 13: 9, 12-14, 16-17, 166.455.543 14: 1, 102, 186, 193, 230, 256.268.281, 284-87. 289, 291, 296, 303, 305, 317, 319-20, 349, 364, 372 15: 203 17: 267, 385 20: 87 22: 12, 82, 88, 382, 414;425-26, 447 23: 676 25: 62, 275, 383 26: 122, 130. 187, 265, 267, 366 27: 77, 79-81, 83, 141, 143, 150.152-54, 354.511 29:815 1:25, 28 II: 64 III: 8 IV: 161 V: 4 XVI: 182 XVII: 44 XIX: 80

Mahabharata1 translation of the epic in English verse by Romesh Dutt. (A) D 17: 370

Mahabharata’ English translation of the epic edited by Manmatha Nath Dutt o 3: 170

Mahachamasya a seer who discovered the fourth Vyahriti, Mahar, the world of Truth. (A) a 10:171 12:321 XV: 33-36 XVI: 145, 154

Mahadev(a) "the Great God", a name of Shiva, l-l [Indexed with Shiva]

Mahaffy, Robert Pentland (d. 1943), a contemporary of Sri Aurobindo at Cam- bridge, who joined the university in the same year (1890) as Sri Aurobindo. He was a student of history and passed the Historical Tripos in the first class. In his later life, after working as a journalist for some years, he served at the Bar. During World War I he was an officer in the Army. a 27: 419

Mahajan Wadi a locality in Kalbadevi area, Bombay, where Sri Aurobindo gave his lecture on National Education on January 19, 1908. Halai Lohana Mahajanwadi is probably its full name. a l: 652 27: 68

Mahakali one of the four great Aspects or leading Personalities of the Mother. Mahakali "embodies her power of splendid strength and irresistible passion, her warrior mood, her overwhelming will, her impetuous swiftness and world-shaking force." (25: 25) Her love too is as intense as her wrath, and she has a deep and passionate kindness. (Mahakali and Kali are not the same. Kali is a lesser form. Mahakali in the higher planes appears usually with a golden colour.) (A) a 4:163 9: 493 21:752 22: 382.390 23: 951, 963, 976, 1179, 1335 25: 26, 28-31, 33, 62, 71, 73-77, 87, 93, 270-71 26: 77 XIX: 8 XX: 130, 137-38, 141, 143 XXI: 7, 35, 50-51, 53, 72-73, 88 XXII: 133, 135, 160, 185, 192, 196

Mahalakshmi one of the four Powers or outstanding Personalities of the Mother. Mahalakshmi is the most attractive Aspect of the Divine Shakti. She is "vivid and sweet and wonderful with her deep secret of beauty and harmony and fine rhythm, her intricate and subtle opulence, her compelling attraction and captivating grace" (25: 25). (A) Var: Mahalaxmi a 4: 163 8: 387 9: 493 21:752 22:382, 390 25:26, 30-31, 33, 62, 71, 73, 75.77-78, 367 XIX: 8 XX: 137

Mahamandal, The See Bharat Dharma (Maha)mandal

Mahanirvana Tantra title of a Tantricwork. A translation and commentary on this work was brought out by Arthur Avalon in 1913 under the title The Great Liberation (Maha- nirvana Tantra). (Preface ofAvalon’s book) a 17: 269

Mahar See Mahar(loka)

Maharas(h)tra a mountainous region of west-central India. The people of this region, the Marathas, were the dominant power in the Deccan for over a century before being subdued by the British. Now Maharashtra is a state in the Republic of India, with Bombay as the capital. (D.I.H.) Der: Maharashtrian a 1:141, 147, 197, 223, 292, 632, 654, 674, 700.725, 758 2: 37, 62, 147, 199, 244, 246, 261-62, 314, 330, 333, 347, 385 3: 484 4: 96, 140, 143, 147, 178.191, 222 10: 35 14: 187, 317, 380 17: 291, 332, 350-54, 358 26: 4, 14, 25, 28, 45, 47-48, 61, 64, 409-10 27: 40-41, 67, 69 I: 1-2, 4-5, 8 K: 1, 2 XIV: 102, 105 XIX: 29

Maharatta a major people of India, famed in history as yeoman warriors and champions of Hinduism.

Their homeland is the present state of Maharashtra, the Marathi-speaking region of west-central India. (Enc. Br.) Var: Mahratta; Marhatta; Maratha; Marathi (XVI: 194) 0 1: 141, 147, 172, 198, 301, 308, 348, 363, 475, 537, 633, 738, 815 2: 183, 195, 287, 295, 297-98. 310 3: 67, 98, 215, 328, 483-84 4: 96, 140, 268 5: 282, 284, 286-88, 291-92 7: 1027, 1031-32 14: 318, 368, 370, 377-78, 380 15: 354 17: 332, 350, 352-53, 356 26:4, 14-15, 25, 47.68, 351-53 27:501 1:4, 73, 76 XVI: 194 XVII: 67

Mahar(loka) world of Truth discovered, according to the Taittiriya Upanishad, by Rishi Mahachamasya as the fourth Vyahriti; world of Vastness; world of large conscious- ness; the world of the superconscient Truth of things. (Dow.;A) Var: Mahas a 4:29 10:42-43, 61, 93-94, 171, 174, 271, 337, 515, 519 11: 23, 453, 496 12: 124, 321-22, 330, 343, 515 17:62, 64 20:465 22:243 XV: 25-26, 32, 34, 43, 46 XVI: 144-45, 154, 161, 184 XVII: 53, 56, 58 XVIII: 180-81

Maharshi, Ramana See Ramana Maharshi

Mahas See Mahar(loka)

Mahasaraswati one of the four Powers or outstanding Personalities of the Mother. "Mahasaraswati is the Mother’s Power of Work and her spirit of perfection and order. The youngest of the Four, she is the most skilful in executive faculty and the nearest to physical Nature." (25: 33) All the work of the other Powers leans on her for perfec- tion. (A) a 4:163 21:752 22:382.390 23: 1159, 1181 25: 26. 33.62, 71, 73, 77-78 XIX: 8 XX: 130, 137 XXI: 35.50-51, 53, 73, 88 XXII: 132, 160, 185, 193, 196

Mahasegn See (Chunda) Mahasegn

Mahashiva a greater manifestation than that ordinarily worshipped as Shiva. (A) a 22: 391

Mahatma SeeGandhi.Mahatma

Mahatmas in Theosophy, the Masters; adepts of the highest order; exalted beings who having attained to the mastery over their lower principles are thus living un- impeded by the "man of flesh", and are in possession of knowledge and power commensurate with the stage they have reached in their spiritual evolution. They live chiefly in Tibet. They are perfected men whose task it is to watch over humanity and guide it on the path of evolution. The two most concerned with the Theosophical Society are called Morya (see Maurya2) and Koot Hoomi (see Kutthumi), (T.G.; Enc. Unex., p. 250) D XIII: 28, 30-34

Mahavidyas goddesses of the Tantra system. They are ten in number: Kali, Tara, Sodasi, Bhuvanesvari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. According to some Tantriks it is these goddesses who manifested as the ten Avataras. (H.S.S.) a 17: 269

Mahavira’ (c. 599 BC – 527 Be), last of the 24 Tirthankaras (prophets) who founded Jainism. Mahavira is an honorific title; the real name of the historical figure was Vardhamana. (Enc. Br.) a 14:187

Mahavira2 literally "the great hero", a name of Sri Krishna as one of the caturvyuha; he contains all the others and puts them forth from his being. His manifestation is lordship, his attributes might and wisdom; he is the brdhmana served by the ksatriya, who has the divine knowledge and uses his might under the guidance of the Knowledge. He reigns in the Satya Yuga. He is identified with Shiva, and his Shakti is Maheshwari. (A &R, XIX: 93) a XIX: 54

Mahavishnu This term occurs in Ramot- taratapani Upanishad, where it has been used in the sense of Param Brahman. But Sri Aurobindo has used it in its primal sense, according to which Mahavishnu is the great Agni in whom is centred the Bhu. He is the Virat Purusha (Cosmic Spirit), who as Agni pours Himself out into the forms of sun and star. He is also Prajapati and Matariswan. (A &R, VI: 209) a VI: 182, 184

Mahayana "Greater Vehicle", one of the two major Buddhist traditions; it is the form most adhered to in China, Korea, Japan and Tibet. It emerged in c. 1st century AD from the ancient Buddhist schools (represented in the modern world by the Theravadins of Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambo- dia) as a more liberal and innovative inter- pretation of the Buddha’s teachings. The Mahayanists deprecatingly termed the more orthodox schools as Hinayana (Lesser Vehi- cle). They attribute to the Buddha a supra- mundane quality and interpret the historical Buddha as an earthly manifestation of a transcendent celestial Buddha. The ideal goal of the follower of the Mahayana is to become not an arhat (perfected saint), but a BODHISATTVA. (Enc. Br.) Der: Mahayanist 12:233 13:79, 228, 527 14:150 22:61, 64, 68

Mahdi (Arabic: the "rightly guided one"), in Islamic eschatology, a messianic deliverer who will fill the

earth with justice and equity, restore true religion, and usher in a short golden age lasting seven, eight, or a nine years before the end of the world. The Koran does not mention him. Men have arisen from time to time in Persia and Egypt claiming to be the Mahdi. The only one of these who gained historic importance was Mohammad Ahmed. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) Var: Mehdi n 1:284 15:609 17:100

Mane formerly, one of the settlements comprising the overseas territory of French India. Since the transfer of the territory to the Government of India in 1954, it has been one of the four constituents of the centrally administered state of Pondicherry. It is an enclave in the Cannanore district of Kerala, 3.5 sq. miles in area. Within this territory there is also a town named Mahe. (Enc. Br.) a 17:403

Mahendra name of one of the seven mountain ranges of South India: the hills which run fron Gondwana to Orissa and the Northern Circars. (Dow.) a 8:210

Maheshwara’ the aspect of the fourfold manifestation of the Supreme whose characteristics are sovereignty and wisdom. His Shakti is Maheshwari. (A & R; XXII:

204-05) a XXII: 135

Maheshwara2 a name of SHIVA. D [Indexed with Shiva]

Mahes(h)wari one of the four Powers or outstanding Personalities of the Mother. Maheshwari is the Mother’s Personality of "calm wideness and comprehending wisdom and tranquil benignity and inexhaustible compassion and sovereign and surpassing majesty and all-ruling greatness" (25: 25). The "Truth of things is her one concern, knowledge her centre of power and to build our soul and our nature into the divine Truth her mission and her labour" (25: 28). (A) D 21:752 22:382, 389 25:26, 30, 33, 62, 71, 73-75, 78, 87, 90 XIX: 8 XX: 130, 137 XXI: 33, 35, 51, 88- XXII: 185, 193, 196

Mahi1 (Mahi), in the Veda, the goddess of the Vast Truth (Mahas); she represents the vast Word that brings us all things out of the divine source. She is the same as Bharati, but different from the Bharati of the Puranas (weSaraswati^e)). (A, 11: 32) n 10:89-91. 37711:32.212, 494 XV: 5, 25, 29, 32 XVII: 51-54

Mahi2 (Mahi), name of a river in western India. It rises in the western Vindhya Range, just south of Sardarpur in Dhar district, and flowing through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, enters the sea by a wide estuary beyond the old Cambay port after a 360-mile course. (Enc. Br.) a i:69

Mahisha Mardini an epithet of the goddess Durga as the slayer of the Asura called Mahisasura. a [Indexed with Durga]

Mahmud ofGhazni (971-1030), Sultan of Ghazni from 986 to 1030. Ghazni originally comprised modern Afghanistan and the northeastern part of modern Iran. Mahmud made frequent raids (generally computed to be seventeen in number) into India. He made his kingdom the centre of an empire including at its zenith modern Pakistan and most of Iran. (Enc. Br.; D.I.H.) a 1:646

Mahmud Shevket Pasha a Turkish leader who rose to power after Sultan ABDUL HAMID. a 2:248

Mahomed in full Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim (c. 570-632), founder of the religion of Islam and of the Arab Empire. He was an initiator of religious, social and cultural developments of monumental significance in the history of mankind. (Enc. Br.) Var: Mahomet; Mohammad D 1:757, 905 2:24, 405 3:11, 375 4:71 5:177 7:837 13:9 15:425 16:284, 365, 430 17:99-100 22:408 26:483 IV: 168 X:113

Mahomed (Alzayni) See Alzayni

Mahomedan follower of Islam; Moslem, Muslim, Mussalman, Mussulman, Musulman Var: Mohammadan; Mohammedan;

Mohamedan; Muhanunadan D 1:16, 49, 136-37, 145, 169, 209-14, 216-18, 251-52, 261, 285-86, 302, 310-12, 315, 318, 323, 329-32, 336, 346, 353, 358, 360, 369-70, 372, 377, 385, 391, 402-03, 445, 481-82, 495, 520, 526, 587, 602, 608, 610, 625, 627, 631, 635, 645, 733, 752, 755, 769, 815, 817, 879, 887 2: 22-24, 35, 89, 169, 181, 183, 217, 226-27, 245-46, 251-52, 259-62, 279-80, 285, 291-92, 294, 298, 303, 305-06, 309, 312, 354, 361, 423-24 3:4, 123, 164, 296 4: 15, 96, 140-41, 143, 147, 166, 179-80, 183-85, 194, 217-18, 220, 230, 240, 260 5:284 7:567, 724 8:340-41 10:17 14: 123, 131, 187, 190, 216, 223-24, 319, 329, 354, 370, 376-79, 403, 419 15:294, 316, 411, 438, 446, 626, 644 16:283 17:86, 181, 306 23:510.795, 850 25:54 26:27, 46, 389, 402, 404, 408, 483 27:12, 20-22, 40, 44, 46, 53-54, 111, 116, 124, 286, 445-47 1:4, 7, 41, 73, 76 111:6, 16, 72 IV: 195 VIII: 173, 190 IX: 32 X: 160

Mahomedanism See Islam

Mahomed Hakim Khan a student of the Government School of Art, Calcutta, towards the beginning of the 20th century. (A) a 3:421

Mahomed Reza Khan a character in the Bengali novel Ananda Math by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Historically, he was the Deputy Nawab, and later on also appointed the Deputy Dewan of Bengal by the East India Company, and thus placed in control of the revenue administration also. He did not concern himself about the sufferings of the poeple in the famine of 1769-70. (A; D.I.H.) a 8:319

Mahomet See Mahomed "

Mahopanishad an Upanishad belonging to the Samaveda. (Up.K.) D 18:511 19:726

Mahratta See Maharatta

Mahratta English weekly journal of Poona, founded in 1881 under the guidance and inspiration of prominent national leaders of Maharashtra such as Tilak and Apte. It was edited by N. C. Kelkar. Tilak. who contributed articles to the journal, obtained its proprietorship in 1890. (B.A.C.; P.T.I.) Var: Maratha a 1:746 1:1

Mahuva a taluka (administrative unit) in southwest Gujarat, formerly included in the princely state of Baroda. Mahuva is also a port on the Gulf of Kutch. (G.R.A.) a xv: 77

Mai(a) See Mayasura

Mainak in Hindu mythology, a mountain stated in the Mahabharata to be situated north of Kailasa. Personified, he is the son of Himavat (Himalay) and Mena. When Indra clipped the wings of the mountains, Mainak is said to have been the only one which escaped, having taken refuge in the sea. According to some scholars this mountain stands in central India; according to others, near the extremity of the peninsula. (Dow.;

A) Var: Mainaac; Mainac a 5: 224 7:953 8:31, 103, 106, 118, 176

Maithili "belonging to MITHILA"; a name of Sita Q [Indexed with Sita]

Maitrayani Upanishad an Upanishad of the Samaveda. (Up.K.) a 18:501, 596

Maitreya, Akshaya Kumar (1861-1930), a famous lawyer of Rajshahi (Bengal), better known as an author of books on Indian history, especially in Bengali. He came into the limelight with the publication of his books Siraj-ud-daulah (1898) and Mir Kasim (1906). He followed the scientific method of writing history, based on documents, and regularly contributed his articles to various journals. (S.B.C.) n 17:301

Majumdar, Ambikacharan (1850-1922), a prominent leader of the Moderate party in Bengal, also known as "the Grand Old Man of East Bengal". A lawyer by profession, he was an orator and one of the strongest advocates of constitutional development of India. He came into prominence in the days of the

partition of Bengal in 1904-05. He presided over the Congress session of 1916 held at Lucknow. (A; D.N.B.) Var: Mazumdar, AmbicaCharan a l: 641 2:293 4:191, 238

Majumdar, Ram(achandra) an associate of Sri Aurobindo, a young man on the staff of Karmayogin and Dharma. He informed Sri Aurobindo of his impending arrest in Feb- ruary 1910, and accompanied or led him to the Ganga Ghat where Sri Aurobindo left for Chandernagore. He belonged to Cal- cutta, and was more familiarly known as Rambabu. (A.Remini.) Var: Mazumdar Ramchandra; Ram(a)chandra a 26: 57, 61-67, 70 27: 439

Majumdar, Sardar a resident of Baroda, in whose house Sri Aurobindo had the experi- ence of Nirvana, probably in January 1908 (not in January 1909 as mentioned in Vol. 26; at that time Sri Aurobindo was in jail). (A; A & R) Var: Mazumdar D 26: 353 IV: 198

Makers of Italy title of a book by Marriot; Sri Aurobindo remarked about it that it was "not a biography nor anything like comprehensive". (A) n XVII: 64

Malabar region on the west coast of India from Goa to the southern tip of the penin- sula at Cape Comorin; also the name of a smaller area, formerly under British rule, nowpartofKerala. (Col. Enc.) n 26:66

Malabari, B. M. Behramji M. Malabari (1853-1912), a Parsi social reformer, famous for his service in the cause of Indian women, children, education and journalism. He was editor of the Bombay Spectator, and later of East and West (1901-12). (A.H.I.; D.N.B.; Gilbert, p. 203) a l: 626-27

Mal(a)va (the modern Malwa), a historic province comprising a large portion of western Madhya Pradesh state and parts of southeastern Rajasthan state. Strictly, the name is confined to the hilly tableland bounded on the south by the Vindhya Range, but it has been extended to include the Narmada Valley. The people of the region were called Malavas. (D.I.H.;Enc. Br.) a 3:213-16, 229, 262, 322 14:325 1:26

Malavica a character – a princess of the Vidurbhan house – in Sri Aurobindo’s Malavica and the King. a 3: 280, 283 8:135, 138-42.145 X:116, 118-22, 126 ,

Malavica (and the King) Malavikdgnimitram, a Sanskrit play of Kalidasa in five acts, some- times referred to by Sri Aurobindo in short as Malavica or as Agnimitra. The drama is a harem intrigue, comical and playful, but not less accomplished for lacking any high purpose. Only the first act of the drama was translated by Sri Aurobindo under the title In the Gardens of Vidisha or Malavica and the King. (An incomplete rough draft of this translation was published in S.A.B.C.L. Volume 8. The full translation came out in A & R.December 1981.) (A; Enc. Br.; A & R, X: 188) a 3:261, 276, 287-89, 323 8: 133, 137 X: 115, 117, 158, 170-71, 174-75

Malaviya a character – representing Madan Mohan Malaviya – in "The Slaying of Congress", a tragedy published in Bands Mataram (February 1908). D 1:674-76

Malaviya, Madan Mohan (1861-1946), a leading Indian nationalist leader, prominent educationist and social reformer. He was an orthodox Hindu but he believed in "recon- version " and "removal ofuntouchability". He was thrice president of the Hindu Mahasabha. He also presided over two annual sessions of the Congress, in 1909 at Lahore and in 1918 at Delhi. His greatest achievement was the founding in 1915 of the Hindu University at Benares by raising the necessary funds from the princes and the people of India. (D.I.H.) a 1:231-32, 246 2:305, 307, 309, 318, 320, 330 4:177, 199, 231-32, 238, 240 27:43 VIII: 124

Malavya, Madanmohan See Malaviya, Madan Mohan. ("Malavya" is a misprint.)

Malay(an) native or inhabitant of Southeast Asia and adjacent islands including the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and smaller islands between these areas. (Enc. Br.) n 1:58 5:276

Maldeh orMaldaorMaldah, atownand district in Jalpaiguri division of Bengal (now West Bengal state). (Enc. Br.) D 3:84

Malgura probably a misspelling of MAGURA. n 27:64

Malias the Malias, a tribal people in the time of Buddha (6th – 5th centuries BC) who settled in the northern parts of modern Bihar. The Malias had a republican form of government with an assembly. (Enc. Br.) D IX: 1, 2

Mallanne, Stephane (1842-98), French poet, a master of the evocative use of the French language. He was one of the dominant figures in 19th-century European literature and a major influence on the Symbolist movement. (Enc.Br.) D 9:58, 96, 107, 385, 433.442, 445, 475-76.479.529-32

Mallik, Subodh (Chandra) See Mulli(c)k, Subodh (Chandra)

Mallinath (fl. c. 14th or 15th cent AD), a Sanskrit poet and author of commentaries of great repute on several of the great classical poems, e.g. the Raghuvansha, Meghaduta, Shishupala-vadha etc. (Dow.; M.W.) a 3:308-09, 313-17.319-20

Malory, Sir Thomas (fl. c. 1470), English writer whose identity remains uncertain but whose name is famous as the author of Morfe d’Arthur, the first prose account in English of the rise and fall of King Arthur and the fellowship of the Round Table. Malory’s original book was called The Book of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. It was the printer Caxton who erroneously gave it the title of Morte d’Arthur. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) n 9:136

Malplaquet a village of Nord departement in northern France. Here in 1709. in the War of the Spanish Succession, Marlborough and Eugine of Savoy won a costly victory over the French under Marshal Villars. (Col. Enc.) a 7:847

Malsar a place on the banks of the Narmada where a saint named Madhavdas lived. (A) D 26:19

Malsure, Tanaji Shivaji’s boyhood friend, who had a duel with Udaya Bhan of Kondana Fort in which both were killed. Subsequently, Tanaji’s brother Suryaji took over the command of the fort and defeated the Rajputs. Kondana was renamed Simhagadh. (Shiva.) D 5:283, 293

Malta an island in the Mediterranean, south of Sicily. Formerly a British colony, it is now an independent democratic state comprising the islands of Malta. Gozo, and Comino, and a few adjacent islets. (Col. Enc.) D 3:306

Malva(s) See Mal(a)va

Malvolio a character – steward to Olivia – in Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night. He is considered one of Shakespeare’s best comic characters. (Shakes.) o 9:333

Mamata wife of the Rishi Uchathya and the mother of Dirghatamas. a 11:177, 264

Manavaca See Manavaka

Manava Dharmashastra (manava- dharmasdstra); Laws ofManu; name of the famous code of laws attributed to Manu, more popularly known as Manusmrti. It is "the science of the law of conduct of the mental or human being". (I & G) 0 3: 123 14:283 15:425 VIII: 190

Manavaka a character – King Pururavas’ jester and companion, a Brahmin – in Kalidasa’s drama Vikramorvasie (translated by Sri Aurobindo). Var: tVIanavaca a 3:269.274, 284.287-88 7:909, 926-33, 936-49, 954-57, 959-65, 967-68.990-96, 999, 1002-03 X: 151, 156. 171.174

Manchester a city and county borough and the nucleus of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. It has long been the leading textile centre of England and the world’s foremost cotton manufac- turer. Manchester is often characterized as the typical city of the Industrial Revolution;

it reached its peak in the 19th century with the development of the cotton industry. Sri Aurobindo was in Manchester from 1879 to 1884 in the charge of the Drewetts, who tutored him at home. (Enc. Br.; I & G, p. 6) a 1:388.704 26:1 27:65.73, 94 II: 87 IV: 198 XIV: 163 XVII: 66. 73

The Manchester Guardian English daily of Manchester (England), published by John Russell Scott, now called The Guardian. (Cal. Lib.) a 22: 203

Manchester Grammar School school in Manchester, England where Sri Aurobindo’s two elder brothers studied. (A) n 26: 1

Manchuria historic region of northeastern China. It is separated from the USSR largely by the Amur, Argun, and Ussuri rivers and from Korea by the Yalu and Tumen rivers. (Col. Enc.) a 1: 260 IS: 584

Mandalay a city on the Irrawaddy River, , former capital (now chief town) of Upper Burma, and headquarters of Mandalay district and.division. Tilak was interned in Mandalay Jail for six years, from 1908 to 1914. At that time Burma was a part of British India. (Enc. Br.) D 1: 607 2: 62, 314 17: 265 27: 58

Mandar(a) in Hindu mythology, the mountain used by the gods and asuras as a churning stick to churn the Milky Ocean. Some identify it with a mountain in Bhagalpur (Bihar) so named and held sacred. (Dow.) D 3:277 8: 175 X: 158

Mandavya an ancient Hindu seer (Brahmarshi), mentioned in the Maha- bharata. For killing a moth he was condemned by Yama to be impaled upon a stake (suit).

When he was put there, he resumed his meditation as though nothing had happened. (M.N.) a 5: 86 II: 24

Mandhata an ancient Hindu king, son of Yuvanas(h)va, of the race oflkshwaku, and author of a hymn in the Rig-veda. According to Sisloka in the Mahabharata, Mandhata conquered the whole earth in a single day. (Dow.; M.N.) n 3:190 8:46 11:342

Mandukya Upanishad an Upanishad belonging to the Arthurva-veda. (Up. K.) a 12:pre., 289 13:315, 425 14:277 16:262 18: 17, 132, 295, 553 19: 746 20: 19, 21, 305 22:256 IV: 166

Manek; Manik Manik, a name used by an "introducer of the writing" (script) of c. 1907, which was used as evidence in the Alipore Bomb Trial (1908-09). In the court this script was referred to as "The Scribblings", since it was barely legible. In c. 1920 an "introducer" wrote that "Manek" (with an "e") was the name of the "old introducer of the writing". [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov. 1913-Oct. '27]

Manekwada a locality in the city of Baroda, capital of the former Indian native state of Baroda. (A) a 27: 114

Mangal See Mars

Mangoe Lane a lane in central Calcutta, near Dalhousie Square, n 1: 330

Manicheanism or Manichaeism, a dualistic religion founded by Mani, a Persian who had a vision in his early youth and came forward as a prophet inspired by divine revelation (AD 242). The religion flourished from the 3rd to the 5th century AD. (Col. Enc.) Der: Manichean (of Manicheanism) D 3:383 13:336 16:179 18:95, 499 27: 263 29: 482

Manicktala a locality in eastern Calcutta, formerly considered a suburb of the city. Var: Maniktola; Manicktola n 1:59 2:99, 400 4: 215, 263, 288. 291 26: 51 X: 186

Manik See Manek

Maniktola See Manicktala

Manindranath Manindra Nath Naiek, a follower and disciple of Motilal Roy. He played a major role in the revolutionary work at Chandernagore, taking charge of  the bomb-making.

 The historic bomb thrown at Lord Hard^nge at Delhi on 23 December 1912 by Basanta Biswas under the direction of Rash Behari Bose was made by Naiek. Later, Naiek met Sri Aurobindo on 26 De- cember 1925 as a representative from Chandernagore in the French Indian Legislature at Pondicherry. (L. to Sl.; Purani) Var: Mani Naik n 27:484, 499

Manipur an ancient city of India, on the sea-coast of Kalinga, where Babhruvahana, the son ofArjuna, dwelt. One scholar identifies it with the modern Manipur, a territory east of Bengal, but this is very questionable. (Dow.) Var: Monipur(a) Der: Manipurian n 5:315, 318-19, 325, 328

Manipushpaca in the Mahabharata, name of the conch-shell of Sahadeva, the youngest of thePandavas. D 4:77 8:77

Manmohan (Ghose) (1869-1924), Sri Aurobindo’s elder brother, second son of K. D. Ghose. He was romantic and poetic, and enamoured of England and English life. In England he was a classmate of Laurence Binyon and a friend of Oscar Wilde. He was also very intimate with Stephen Phillips, and was himself a promising poet, having written verse which was included in an Oxford anthology entitled Primavera. On his return to India in 1894 he served as professor of English at Patna and later at Dhaka. For some time he was also professor of English literature at Presidency College in Calcutta University. In the family circle Manmohan was known as Mano or Mejdada (in Bengali, second brother, addressed or referred to as such by brothers or sisters junior to him). (Purani; N.S.I., p. 221; S.B.C.) a 4:pre. 9:345, 397 26:2, 7 27:145, 421 1:68, 70, 74 VI: 140

Manoranjan See Guha, Manoranjan

Manou See Manu(s)

Man Singh the most famous king of the Tanwar dynasty of the Rajputs of Gwalior. He ruled from 1486 to 1517. He developed a great centre of the fine arts and built a magnificent palace at Gwalior. (D.I.H.) D 17:303

Manthara in the Ramayana, an ugly hunch- backed maid-servant of Queen Kaikeyi who stirred up her mistress’s jealousy against Rama and induced her to persuade King Dasaratha to exile him. (Dow.) o 3:237, 428 9:318 27:98

Mantuan an epithet of Virgil, who was born near Mantua, a city and capital of Mantua province in Lombardy, North Italy. (Col. Enc.) a 26:339

Manubhai private secretary to the Maharaja of Baroda in 1902. Later he became Dewan of the state. (A&R) a 1:74

Manuel one of the two solicitors for the accused in the Alipore Bomb Trial. (A.B.T.) a 4:263

Manu(s); Manu Vaivaswata In Hindu mythology, Manu is the first Prajapati, the progenitor of mankind. On earth Manu incarnates fourteen times in each Kalpa and each of these fourteen incarnations is called a Manu. The period for which a Manu rules and holds sway on earth is called a Manwantara, which is composed of a varying number of Chaturyugas (there are not less than 4, 320, 000 years in one Chaturyuga). The first of the Manus was Swayambhuva, to whom the law-book Manusmriti (or Manu Samhita) is ascribed. The Manu of the present age is the seventh, and is named Vaivasvata, son of Vivasvata, the Sun. The legend of the fish and the deluge is connected with this Manu. "Manu, the first Prajapati, … is different from the four Manus who are more than Prajapatis, they being the four Type-Souls from whom all human Purushas are born; they… in themselves are beyond this manifest universe." (VI: 184) The Gita also speaks of four eternal Manus along with the seven great Rishis. They are "fathers of man, – for the active nature of the Godhead is fourfold and humanity ex- presses this nature in its fourfold character., . from them are all these living creatures in the world;… these Manus are in themselves perpetual mental becomings of the supreme Soul and born out of his spiritual transcendence into cosmic Nature." (13: 333) (Dow.; A & R; A) Var: Manou D 2:404 3:120-21, 124, 173, 270, 309 5:297, 299-307, 311 8:3, 88 10:147 11:344, 346 12:463 13:137, 157, 333 14:166, 263, 283, 332 15:405, 425, 436 20:192 27:195, 279, 360 IV: 145 VI: 155, 182-84, 186, 188-90, 192-93 VIII: 144, 187-88, 190 IX: 5 X: 152 XVIII: 177

The Mail Who Dreamed of Faeryland a poem by Yeats. (A) D 9:535

Manx cat breed of tailless domestic cat of unknown origin but presumed by tradition to have come from the Isle of Man (an island in the Irish Sea, and part of Great Britain).

The Manx is noted as an affectionate, loyal, and courageous cat. (Enc. Br.) a 3:52 ‘

Maori Polynesian natives of New Zealand, ninety percent of whom live on North Island, largely in the Hot-Springs district. The earliest Polynesian migrants, known as Moa Hunters because of their use of this now extinct Moa bird, probably reached New Zealand about AD 800 or earlier. (Col. Enc.; Enc. Br.) a

XIV: 117

Mara (Mara), in Buddhism, the Destroyer, the Evil One who tempts men to indulge their passions and is the great enemy of the Buddha and Buddhist bhikkhus. In Hindu- ism, Mara is an epithet of Kamadeva, the god of love, who is also a tempter. (M.W.; Dow.) a 4:86 18:31 22:428

Maran See Nammalwar

Maratha See Maharatta

Maratha See Mahratta

Maratha Confederacy an alliance formed in the 18th century after Moghul pressure forced the collapse of Shivaji’s kingdom of Maharashtra. It originated during the administration of the second Peshwa, Baji Rao I (1720-40), and was held in strict control also during the administration of Balaji Baji Rao (1740-61). The confederacy expressed a general Maratha nationalist sentiment but was bitterly divided by the jealousies of its chiefs. In 1802 Baji Rao II sought protection from the British, and the latter’s intervention destroyed the confederacy by 1818. (D.I.H.;Enc.Br.) a 1:198

Marathi Indo-Aryan language of western and central India, spoken in a region that extends from north of Bombay down the west coast past Goa and eastward across the Deccan; in 1966 it became the official language of the state of Maharashtra. It is written in Devanagari script. (Enc. Br.) a 1:262 10:572 14:186, 318-19 17:265, 349, 361 26:290 27:426 1:1, 5-6 IV: 148

Marble Arch one of the distinctive features of the Hyde Park of West London; it is a meeting-place where soapbox orators hold forth. (Col. Enc.) a 7:1017

Marc a character participating in "A Dialogue" (incomplete) written by Sri Aurobindo around 1891. (A&R) a II: 8

Marcion a character – a forester – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Witch ofllni. 0 1:1057, 1060, 1065-67, 1069, 1072, 1081

Marconi, Guglieimo (1874-1937), Italian physicist and electrical engineer whodeveloped the use of radio waves as a practical means of communication. In 1895 he sent long-wave signals over a distance of a mile, and in 1901 received in Newfoundland the first transatlantic signals sent out by his station in Cornwall, thus making the dis- covery that radio waves can bend around the spherically shaped earth.

Marconi received, jointly with K. R. Braun, the 1909 Nobel Prize for physics. (Pears; Col. Enc.) D 24:1249

Mardouc in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Viziers ofBassora, a tailor of Bassora, creditor of Nureddene. (A) n 7:634

Margaret Dacre a character — wife of Sir Gerald Curran – in Sri Aurobindo’s story "The Devil’s Mastiff’, a 7:1048

Margasirsha (Margasirsa), in the Vikram Era the 9th month of the Hindu calendar beginning with Chaitra. In ancient times it was perhaps considered the first or most important and sacred month of the year. D 13:349

Marhatta See Maharatta

Marichi in Hindu mythology, the chief of the Maruts; name of one of the Prajapatis. He was the father of Kashyapa, and one of the seven great Rishis. (Dow.) a 13:349

Mario, Don name of a nobleman mentioned in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Maid in the Mill. n 7:836, 862, 870

Mariolatry worship of the Virgin Mary, regarded as carried to an idolatrous extreme. (Web.) o 16:365

Markanda See Morcundeya

Markandeya Purana a Purana of some 9, 000 verses, narrated in the first place by Rishi Markandeya (see Morcundeya), and in the second, by certain fabulous birds profoundly versed in the Vedas. It has a character differ- ent from all the other Puranas. The popular Candipdtha (see Chandi1) is an episode of this Purana. (Dow.) n 4:53 25:73

Market Street a street of Calcutta, near Hogg Market (East). (Guide) Q 1:220-21

Marlboro’ John Churchill (1650-1722), 1st Duke of Marlborough, English general and statesman, one of the great military commanders of history. (Col. Enc.) D 7:847

Marlowe, Christopher (1564-93), English dramatist and poet. Among the Elizabethan dramatists, he was second only to Shakespeare. (Col. Enc.) n 3:96, 186, 233 4:286 5: 351 9:62, 65-66, 69-70, 313-14, 318, 457 29:758, 803

Maroutta See Marutta

Marpessa in Greek mythology, daughter of Euenus, son of Ares. Idas, who was an Argonaut, won Marpessa as his bride, but she was carried off by Apollo. Zeus inter- vened and offered her a choice between the two. She chose Idas. Marpessa is the main figure in a poem written by Stephen Phillips. (M.I.) a 5:495 9:184-85

Marpessa a blank-verse narrative poem by Stephen Phillips, which Sri Aurobindo read before it was published, at the age of seven- teen. Its impression on him lasted till it was worked out in Love and Death. (A) 0 26:254, 266-67

Marrakesh also spelled Marrakech, chief city of southern Morocco and capital of Marra- kech province. It lies in the centre of the fertile Haouz Plain, south of Oued Tensift. Misnamed Morocco by the Europeans, it gave its name to the kingdom of which it was for long the capital. (Enc. Br.) a XXI: 100

Marriot author of a book entitled Makers of Italy, to which Sri Aurobindo referred in a letter of 1907 to Aswini Kumar Banerji. (A) D XVII: 64

Marriot, Charles a writer who contributed an article on the work of an English artist, J. D. Ferguson, to the second number of the magazine Shama’a, which was reviewed by Sri Aurobindo in Arya. (A) a 17:314

Mars the fourth major planet from the sun, revolving in an orbit outside that of the earth. It is glaring red in colour. In Hindu astronomy it is called Mangal. (Enc. Br.) D 3:43 5:177 7:992, 1024 17:91, 259-62 25:373 VI: 182 XIII: 33

Marsyas in Greek mythology, a celebrated player on the pipe, of Celaena in Phrygia, who had the impudence to challenge Apollo to a musical contest. It was agreed that the victor should treat the loser as he wished. The victory was with difficulty adjudged by the Muses in favour of Apollo. He there- upon tied Marsyas to a tree and flayed him alive. (Ox. Comp.) a 26:302

Martanda in the Veda, the eighth son of Aditi whom she casts away from her; the black or dark, the lost, the hidden Sun. (A) a 10:426

Martineau Governor of Pondicherry (July 1910-June 1911); a supporter of Bluysen in the election to the French Chamber in 1914, and himself a candidate in 1920. He was a historian. (H. P., p. 276; A) D 27:445-47, 484

Martund a famous and valiant Rajput prince belonging to the GEHLOTE clan. (A) a 7:797-98, S 11

Martyaloka an epithet of Bhurloka; the world of mortals, a 4:33, 306 11:77-78

Maruti See Hanuman

Marut(s) in Hindu religion, the storm-gods, who hold a very prominent place in the Vedas and are represented as friends and allies of Indra. The Maruts are the Life- Powers and Thought-Powers. Their number is said in one place to be thrice sixty, and in another place only twenty-seven. (Dow.; A;

V.G.) n 4: 23-24 10:19, 56. 137. 140. 157-59, 162-63, 205, 219, 238, 241-43, 254-62, 265, 274, – 298, 325, 329, 333-34, 342, 356, 377, 415, 438, 447, 454, 469-70, 520, 532, 534 11:32, 44, 167, 240, 466.470.494 12:130 13:349, 364 16:284 17:85.305, 339 26:243 27:128.196 29:789 III: 31-32, 34. 37-39, 41-42, 44-45 VIII: 143. 150-52 IX: 4-5 X: 179 XIII: 54-55 XIV: 108 XVI: 133, 144, 175 XVII: 54 XVIII: 178

Marutta in the Mahabharata, a descendant of Manu Vaivaswata. He was a Cakravarti Raja (universal monarch) and performed a far-famed sacrifice on an unprecedented scale. (Dow.) Var: Maroutta a 3:190 8:46

Marwaris people originally belonging to Marwar, a popular name of the former native state of jodhpur in Rajputana. The Marwari community is mostly engaged in business. (D.I.H.) a 1; 803 4: 210 VIII: 134

Marx, Karl (1818-83), German revolutionist, sociologist, and economist, from whom the movement known as Marxism derives its name and many of its ideas. His works were the intellectual basis of late 19th-century European socialism. Marxism is a social and political doctrine based on a philosophy of history and an elaborate economic theory that purports to demonstrate the inevitability of Communism. (Enc. Br.) Der: Marxian;

Marxism; Marxist a 9:558 15:193, 466, 479, 569 22:208

Mary or Virgin Mary or the Virgin, the Mother of Jesus, worshipped in the Christian Church since the apostolic age, and a favourite subject in art, music and literature. (Enc. Br.) a 5:544 7:835 12:55 13:12

Mary, Queen Victoria Mary of Teck (1867-1953), consort of King George V of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. She was crowned with him in 1911. She shared the duties of the throne with her husband, taking an active interest in the social and educational problems of their people, and working

tirelessly in the two world wars to organize relief. (Enc. Am.) a 26:378

Mary Abelard a character – Walter’s wife – in Sri Aurobindo’s story "The Door at Abelard". a 7:1026

Mary Queen of Scots Mary Stuart (1542-87), controversial Scottish queen, who was put to death by her cousin Queen Elizabeth I of England, who considered Mary a threat to her throne. Mary’s tragic history has made her one of the most popular heroines of romance. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) a 9:77

Masefield, John (1878-1967), 15th poet laureate of England (appointed in 1930); also a playwright and a novelist. (Enc. Br.) a 9:2

Mashonaland a region of northeastern Zimbabwe in south-central Africa. (Enc. Br.) a V:95

Maskelyne, John Nevil (1839-1917), English magician whose inventions, patronage of new performers, and encouragement of coopera- tion among performers greatly influenced the development of magic in the late 19th tury. Trained as a watchmaker, he became famous in 1865 when he exposed the Daven- port Brothers as fraudulent spiritualists. (Enc. Br.) D 3:398-400

Masonic (brotherhood) the Masonic Fraternity, an oath-bound fraternal order of men, originally deriving from the medieval fraternity of operative stonemasons. General- ly conceded primacy among fraternal orders, it is disseminated over the civilized world. It has no central authority, being divided into more than 100 grand jurisdictions, each autonomous. In India a Lodge was formed in 1730 in Bengal. (Enc. Am.) -o 1:396 XIII: 26

Massis, Henri (1886-1970), editor-in-chief of Revue universelle (founded in April 1920) and author of La defense de {‘Occident. (A) a 22:128

Masson name, apparently, of a warder in the Alipore Jail around 1908-09, when Sri Aurobindo was kept there as an undertrial prisoner. (A) a XIX: 22

Mataris(h)wan a Vedic epithet of the Hindu god Vayu, who representing the divine principle in the Life-energy or Prana, extends himself in Matter and vivifies its forms. He is described in the Rig-veda as bringing down or producing Agni (fire) for theBhrigus. (A; Dow.) Var: Matarisvan 0 4:38 10:53, 213, 341, 362, 440 11:130, 506 12:64, 67, 83-84, 99, 116, 130, 218.301, 470-73 17: 339 27:201, 205, 209, 236, 239-41, 255, 260-61, 328, 334-35, 338 V: 69 VI: 175, 182 VII: 60 XXII: 184

Mathura an ancient city on the right bank of the Yamuna in U.P.; the birthplace of Sri Krishna, and one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus. It was known during British rule as "Muttra", but even before independence Indians corrected the spelling to "Mathura". (Dow.) Var: Mothura a 1:595, 599-600, 811 5:226 7:889, 891, 893, 896 8:42, 284-85, 406 16:429 22:87 23:676 26:120, 130 27:139-40

Matilda Dacre a character – sister-in-law of Sir Gerald Curran – in Sri Aurobindo’s story "The Devil’s Mastiff", n 7:1049

Matsya(s) Matsya was the name of an ancient country of India. There was more than one country of this name, and one of them seems to have been situated in North India. The people of this country moved south for fear of Jarasandha. According to the Mahabharata, King Virata’s capital was called Matsya, his people were called Mat- syas, and he himself was styled Matsya. One scholar locates Matsya in the neigh- bourhood of Jaipur. (M.N.;Dow.) D 3:191, 195-96, 203, 207 8:41, 59 27:79 IV: 115

Matterhorn a famous mountain peak in the Alps, 14, 780ft. high, on the Swiss-Italian border. (Col. Enc.) a 7:870 16:266 V:92

Maudgalya a character – a chamberlain – in Malavica and the King, a translation by Sri Aurobindo of the first act of Kalidasa’s drama Malavikdgnimitram. 0 8:147-49 X: 116, 127-28, 130

Mauretania. S.S. name of a ship. (Note: Mauretania was an ancient district of north- west Africa in Roman times.) (A; Col. Enc.) n 22:423

Mauritius an island country in the Indian Ocean, about 500 miles east of Madagascar. Under British rule India used to import sugar from Mauritius. (Enc. Br.) 1-1 4:203

Maurois, Andre, pen-name of Emile Herzog (1885-1967), an outstanding biographer, also a novelist and an essayist. He was a prominent personality in French literature for fifty years. The publication of his Ariel (1923;

English translation 1924), a life of Shelley, established his fame as a biographer. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) o 9:481

Maurya’ a dynasty of emperors, founded by Chandragupta in c. 322 BC at Pataliputra (Patna) in Magadha. The last king of this dynasty was Brihadratha, who was killed in c. 185 BC. (D.I.H.) n 8:135, 144 14:351, 364, 373.375-76 15:264, 341, 347 17:299 X: 124 XVII: 25

Maurya2 or Morya, a Himalayan Adept, one of the two "Masters" or MAHATMAS with whom the Theosophists are chiefly concerned. The principal means of communica- tion of the Mahatmas with their devotees is the "precipitated" letter: communications which flutter out of the air or are found in the pocket of the person for whom they are intended. The Masters also appear visibly to those who are sufficiently susceptible. (One night Morya appeared to the Russian novelist Vsevolod Soloviev.) (Enc. Unex., p. 140) D XIII: 28

Mauser Mauser pistol or rifle, breech-loading fire-arms named after the German inventor Paul von Mauser (1838-1914). (Enc. Br.) a VI: 201

Max Miiller See Miiller, Max

Mayas a race of American Indians who formerly lived in southeastern Mexico and central America and are still found in Yuca- tan, British Honduras, and northern Guate- mala. The Mayas had a highly developed civilization when discovered by Europeans early in the 16th century. (Web.) n 10:147

Mayasura (Mayasura), in the Mahabharata, a great Titan, architect and artificer of the Asuras, as Visvakarma was the architect of the gods. He built a palace for the Pandavas. (Dow.) Var:Mai;Maia a 8:30, 32-33 17:299

Mayo Richard Southwell Bourke (1822-72), 6th Earl of Mayo, Irish political figure and civil servant. Viceroy of India (1869-72). During the short period of his administration as Viceroy, Lord Mayo greatly improved the finances of the country, and had the first general census in India taken in 1870. In 1872 when on a visit to Port Blair in the Andamans, he was assassinated by a Pathan convict. (Enc. Br.; D.I.H.) o m: 12

Mayo, Miss ‘ an American journalist who visited India in the 1930s, it is said, on the invitation of the British Government. She is the author of Mother India, a book which gives a very ugly and dirty picture of India and Indians. She was, therefore, nicknamed "Drainage Inspector" by the Indian people. D 26:329.

Mayo Hall a building in the city of Allahabad in U.P., named probably after Viceroy MAYO. a 1:232

Mayoor a character – Atry’s general and minister – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Prince of Mathura. a 7:891, 895-98

Mazarul Haq Mazharul Haque (1866-1930), a leader of the Muslims who was loyal to the British connection. He presided over the Bombay session (1915) of the Muslim League. (A; H.F.M.L; D.N.B.) a 2:224

Mazinderan name of a beautiful city, perhaps belonging to fiction or some other world. In northern Iran there is an ostan (province) named Mazandaran or Mazanderan, bordering the Caspian Sea. (A;Enc.Br.) a 3:475-76 5:263 7:684

Mazrue Haq a Muslim name used by Sri Aurobindo to denote the sort of person picked out by the police as a witness to give prepared evidence in their support, n 2:54

Mazumdar See Majumdar, Sardar

Mazumdar, Ambica Charan See Majumdar, Ambikacharan

Mazumdar, Ramchandra See Majumdar, Ram(achandra)

Mazzini Giuseppe (1805-72), Italian patriot and revolutionary, political thinker and writer, and an outstanding figure of the Risorgimento, the period (1815-70) of national unification in the history of Italy. His relations with CAVOUR were strained. Both strove for Italian unification, but their ideas were divergent, Cavour relying for help on a foreign power (France), Mazzini believing in revolution and war based on direct popular action. (Col. Enc.) a 1: 335, 362, 379, 499, 722, 758, 766, 876, 881 2: 162-66, 411 3: 266-67, 480-82 12: 484 15: 92, 328 16: 304 17: 379 26: 17 II: 84 X: 148-49 XVII: 64

Mecca birthplace of Mohammad, the founder of Islam, and the most sacred city of the Muslim world. It is also the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia and is located 45 miles inland from the Red Sea port of Jidda. (Enc. Br.) a 7:608, 643

Mede See Mede(s)

Medea in Greek mythology, princess of Colchis, famous for her knowledge of sorcery. She is the chief figure in plays by Euripides, Seneca, Corneille and others. (Col. Enc.) a i: 201

Medea a play (431 BC) by the Greek tragic poet Euripides. It is one of the greatest Gree? tragedies. (Col. Enc.) D 9:521

Mede(s) native(s) of Media, the ancient name of tl^e northwestern part of Iran that generally corresponded to the modern regions of Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and parts of Kermanshah. (Enc. Br.) Q 5: 414 6: 198

Medes a character – an usher in the palace – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Perseus the Deliverer. 0 6: 3, 41-44, 47. 182. 185

Medh(y)atithi Kanwa Medhatithi Kanva and Medhyatithi Kanva appear to be the names of the same person, a descendant of Kanva and a famous Vedic Rishi to whom the authorship of various hymns is attribu- ted. According to an Upanishadic legend, Indra, being pleased with Kanva’s austeri- ties, came to him in the form of a ram and carried him to heaven. (V. Index; Dow.) Var: Kanwa Medhyatithi n 4: 37-38 10: 54, 197 11: 40. 47-49 " 1: 32 XV: 4, 29, 48 XVI: 166-67, 173, 177 XVII: 59-60

Mediterranean the world’s largest inland sea, surrounded by Europe, Asia and Africa; (as an adjective), of or pertaining to (the land round about) the Mediterranean Sea. (Col. Enc.;Enc.Br.;C.O.D.) 0 5:276, 486 6:1, 432 7:1022 10:23-24. 75 12: 485, 499 14: 328, 367 15: 91, 318, 338, 340, 460 16: 310, 364, 407 17: 298 27: 203, 280 IV: 161 XIV: 168 XV: 18 XVI: 181-82

Medo-Persia Medo is a combining form of MEDE used parasynthetically with terms denoting other peoples and countries. (O.E.D.) D 15: 342

Medusa in Greek mythology, most famous of the three Gorgon monsters. She was once a beautiful woman, but she offended Athena, who changed her hair into snakes and made her face so hideous that all who looked at her were turned to stone. She was slain by Perseus. (Col. Enc.) a 6:1, 174

Megas a character – a villager or townsman – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Perseus the Deliverer, a 6:3, 115-20, 122-24, 138-41, 144, 149, 170

Megasthenes (c. 350-c. 290 BC) , the Greek ambassador who was sent by Seleucus Nikator to the court of the Indian king Chandragupta Maurya about 302 BC. Though inaccurate, he gave the most complete ac- count of India then known to the Greek world. (D.I.H.;Enc.Br.) a 14:51 15: 338

Meges in Greek legend, nephew of Odysseus and commander of the Epean contingent (from Elis) against Troy. (M.I.) a 5:491

Meghaduta(m) well-known Sanskrit lyric poem by Kalidasa in which a banished Yaksha implores a cloud to convey tidings of him to his beloved. (D. I. H.) Var: Meghadut D [Indexed with Cloud-Messenger]

Meghanada; Meghnad See Indrajit

Meghnad-Badh Meghanddavadha-kavya, a Bengali epic poem (1861) in 9 cantos, on a theme from the Ramayana, by Michael Madhusudan Dutt. It is his magnum opus, a masterpiece, and bears evidence of the poet’s first-hand acquaintance with Homer, Virgil, Dante, Milton, Valmiki, Kalidasa and others. (Gaz.-II) a 2: 208 3: 97

Mehdi See Mahdi

Meherpur Meherpore, a village on the left bank of the Karpadaka River, 24 miles to the south of the district town of Jessore in Bengal (now in Bangladesh). Meherpore was the ancestral home of the Basu or Bose family in which Saurin and Mrinalini Devi were born. (A & R, IV: 206) a 27:451

Mehsana an important town and prant (an administrative unit) in the former native state of Baroda. The town is situated about 40 miles north of Ahmedabad, and is now the administrative headquarters of Mehsana district in the state of Gujarat. (S. Atlas; Enc. Br.) n 27: 116 XV: 78

Mehta a character – representing Sir Pherozshah Mehta- in "The Slaying of Congress", a tragedy published in Bande Mataram (February 1908). n l: 673, 675-87, 690, 693-95

Mehta, Sir Pherozshah (1845-1915), called "The Lion" of Bombay; Indian political leader, the foremost Moderate leader of Bombay. He presided over the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress in 1890. In 1913 he founded The Bombay Chronicle. (Enc. Br.; A) D 1: 11, 15-17, 20-22, 24, 27, 36, 42-44, 107, 141, 192-93, 195, 202, 231, 246-48, 301, 360, 587, 590-91, 593, 598, 607, 609, 616-17, 626, 634, 638, 644-45. 647, 819, 825, 838-39, 841, 870, 892, 896, 899 2:199, 205-06, 215-16, 220, 238, 245-46. 251, 279, 296-97, 304-05, 307, 309, 313, 316.318.320, 325 4: 177, 179, 183, 186-87, 191, 199-200. 202-03, 216, 226-28, 231-32, 236-38, 241 27: 33, 36, 40-41, 43 XIV: 102-03, 105-06 XXI: 79 (P.M.) Mehtaite; Mehtaist a follower or supporter of Sir Pherozshah Mehta, or of his views and policies, n 1:218, 754-55

Mehtar See Bhangi

Mehta-Wacha (organization) led or is Sir Pherozshah Mehta and D. E. Wa(t)cha.’ Q 27:33, 41

Mejdada See Manmohan (Ghose)

Mekhanfluenced by the renowned Moderate leaderla a character in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Prince of Mathura, not listed in the "Persons of Drama", a 7:897-98

Melanchthon, Philipp (1497-1560), humanist, reformer, theologian and educator; author of the Confession of Augsburg of the Lutheran Church. Though he helped to lead the evangelical cause after Luther’s death (1546), his ironic actions were viewed by many as betrayals, and his reputation was tarnished by several controversies. (Enc. Br.) D XIV: 127

Melander a character – a sylvan poet – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Witch ofllni. 0 7: 1057, 1060-70, 1072-73, 1075-78

Meleager (fl. 1st centec), epigrammatist from Gadara, in modern Jordan, who com- piled the first large anthology of epigrams. This was the first of the collections that made up what is known as the Greek Anthology. It contained poems by himself and some fifty other writers. (Enc. Br.) a 8:411

Melitus a character – King Antiochus’ chamberlain – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Rodogune. a 6:333, 349-50, 352, 357-58, 401, 442-43, 459-60.465-66, 468

Memnon in Greek mythology, son of Tithonus (a brother of Priam) and Eos (the Dawn), and king of Ethiopia. He went to Troy to aid his uncle and was slain by Achilles. (Col. Enc.; M.I.) a 5:405-06, 426, 450, 474, 478, 514, 516 VI:134

Memory title of a poem by Harindranath Chattopadhyay, published in his collection The Feast of Youth that was reviewed by Sri Aurobindo in Arya. (A) n 17:311

Memphis in ancient times, the capital of Lower Egypt, and centre of the Old Kingdom (c. 2686-2160 BC). It was south of the Nile Delta, near the site of modern Cairo. (Enc.Br.) o 6:404 14:367

Mena in the Puranas, wife of Himavat (or Himaloy) and mother of Uma and Ganga, and of a son named MAINAK. (Dow.) a 3:310-13, 315 8:103, 106, 118

Menaca See Menaka

Menadevi a character – wife of Curran; a Chouhan princess, sister of the king of Ajmere – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Prince of Edur. 0 7:739, 743-46, 752-53

Menaka in Hindu mythology, a nymph of heaven, sent to seduce the sage Vishwamitra from his tapasya. Succeeding in this mission she became the mother of Shakuntala. In Kalidasa’s drama Vikramorvasie., translated by Sri Aurobindo, Menaka appears as a companion of Urvasie. (Dow.;A) Var: Menaca D 3:282 5:190, 195, 199, 211, 253 7: 909, 912-13, 915-16, 920, 951 27:152 X: 169

Menander (342-292 Be), Athenian dramatist whom ancient critics considered the supreme poet of Greek New Comedy, the last flower- ing of Athenian stage comedy. During his life, his success was limited; although he wrote more than 100 plays, he won only eight competitions at Athenian dramatic festivals. (Enc. Br.) n 9:193 14:51

Menelaus in Greek legend, younger brother of Agamemnon and husband of Helen. He was king of Sparta, succeeding Tyndareos, Helen’s foster-father, to the throne. He led the Spartan contingent against Troy. (M. I.) n 5:439, 444, 449, 455, 473, 475, 480-81, 486, 491

Menelik Menelik II (1844-1913), emperor of Ethiopia (formerly widely but unofficially known as Abyssinia). One of Ethiopia’s greatest rulers, he expanded the empire almost to its present borders and carried out a wide-ranging programme of modernization. (Enc.Br.) a 15:502

Menes (fl. c. 3100 Be), first historic ruler of the first dynasty of unified Egypt who, according to Egyptian tradition, joined Upper and Lower Egypt in a single centralized monarchy. Tradition attributes to him also the founding of the capital, Memphis. (Enc. Br.) D 27:279

Mentana a village in central Italy, thirteen miles northeast of Rome. Here in 1867 Garibaldi was defeated by French and papal troops. (Col. Enc.) Var: Mentena (a mis- print) a 3:267 X: 149

Mentho a character – Egyptian nurse of Antiochus and Timocles – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Rodogune. D 6:333, 348, 377-79, 391, 402, 413, 455

Mera in the play Prince of Edur by Sri Aurobindo, name of the servant-girl of Comol Cumary. (A) a 7:760

Mercury the planet closest to the Sun, known as BUDHA in Hindu astronomy. (Enc.Br.) a 17:259-60

Meredith, George (1828-1909), English poet and novelist whose prose works are distinguished by their psychological penetration of character, brilliance of dialogue, wit, and intellectual depth. Because of the brilliant unconventionality and the difficulty of his writing, he did not receive wide recognition until the publication of Diana of the Cross- ways (1&S5). (Enc.Br.; Col. Enc.) Der: Meredithian n 3:18, 35, 53, 72, 93 9: 2-3, 157-58, 164, 173, 186, 188, 196, 224, 229, 544 26: 233, 255, 263-64, 273, 314-15

Meriones’ in the Trojan War, a Greek chieftain, a renowned archer, who came from Crete as an aide to Idomeneus. In Sri Aurobindo’s Ilion, he has already been slain by Penthesilea. (M.I.) 1-1 5:404, 427, 466, 477, 486

Meriones2 name of a Syrian soldier men- tioned in Sri Aurobindo’s play Perseus the Deliverer, n 6:102

Meroth a proposed character – the Angel of Youth – mentioned in the Dramatis Personae of Sri Aurobindo’s play The Birth of Sin. a 7:901

Meru; Uttara Meru the Peak of Gold, a fabulous mountain, also known as Sumeru, in the navel or centre of the earth. On Meru is situated Swarga, the heaven of Indra, containing the cities of the gods and the habitations of celestial spirits. It is the Olympus of the Hindus. Meru is also the centre of the seven continents; and around it the planets revolve. (Dow.;I&G) a 4:159 7:914, 919, 934 8:99, 103, 106, 113, 118 11:449 13: 349

Mesopotamia an ancient country of Asia, the region about the lower Tigris and the lower Euphrates, included in modern Iraq. (Col. Enc.) Der: Mesopotamian n 14: 402 15: 467, 645 16: 406-07 17: 180 XV: 5

Mesrour a character – Caliph Haroun’s friend and companion – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Viziers of Bassora. n 7:561, 599, 687-89

Messages title of a poem by Harindranath Chattopadhyay, published in his collection The Feast of Youth that was reviewed by Sri Aurobindo in Arya (A) D 17:306, 308

Messages from the Future English version of a book of speeches by Paul Richard, published by Ganesh & Co., Madras, in 1922. [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov. 1913-Oct. '27]

Messalina. Valeria (c. 22-48), third wife of the Roman emperor Claudius I, notorious for her licentious behaviour and for instigating murderous court intrigues. Her reputation for greed and lust was supposedly unknown to her husband. Ultimately, however, the correspondence secretary, Narcissus, managed to have her put to death by convincing Claudius that she and her ‘ lover, Gaius Silius, had secretly married and were plotting to seize power. (Enc. Br.) D 12:502

Messene an ancient city of Greece, capital of Messenia, the southwest region of the Peloponnesus. At the time of the Trojan War, West Messenia was ruled by Nestor, the rest possibly by Menelaus. (M.I.) D 5:469

Messiah in Judaism, a man who would be sent by God to restore Israel and reign righteously. Jesus Christ considered him- self and is considered by Christians to be the promised Messiah to whom the whole Old Testament pointed. The name Christ is Greek for Messiah. The common idea of Jesus’ time was that the Messiah should reign in glory as an earthly king. The expectation of the second coming of Jesus is similar to the Jewish belief in the Messianic advent. (Col. Enc.) D 1:48, 51, 802 3:442 15:609 16: 307 22:405

Metropolitan College an educational institution of Calcutta; N. N. Ghose was its principal. Presently it is known as Vidyasagar College. (A;S.B.C.) n 1:254, 265, 505, 518-19, 524

Mettemich Clemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar (1773-1859), Furst von Mettemich, Austrian statesman, a champion of conser- vative principles. The period 1815 to 1848 has been called the Age of Mettemich, for during this time he was not only master of Austria but also the chief arbiter of Europe. He was the principal statesman of the so- called HOLY ALLIANCE. The Mettemich system depended upon political and religious censorship, espionage, and the suppression of revolutionary and nationalist movements. (Col. Enc.) a 15:330, 456

Mewar See Udaipur

Mexican War The term Mexican War usually denotes the war between the U.S. and Mexico from April 1846 to September 1847. But here (in the Record of Yoga) the re- ference is to events that took place much later. After the overthrow of the dictator Porfirio Diaz in 1910 Mexico came under the grip of a civil war. Francisco Madero, who had led the uprising against Diaz, was assassinated by Huerta. Huerta established a reactionary regime and revolution broke out in 1913 under the leadership of Carranza, Francisco Villa, and Emiliano Zapata. Huerta was also involved in diplomatic troubles with President Wilson of the U.S. After a long struggle to retain power and after the landing of U.S. troops at Veracruz, Huerta resigned (1914) and fled. Thereafter Carranza’s Constitutionalist army began to splinter. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov. 1913-Oct. '27]

Mexico a country (now a republic) in North America between the United States on the north and Central America on the south. Its capital is Mexico City. (Col. Enc.) Der: Mexican a 15:328, 503, 508

Michael a proposed character – the Angel of War – mentioned in the Dramatis Personae of Sri Aurobindo’s play The Birth of Sin. (Michael is an archangel prominent in Jewish, Christian, and Moslem traditions. In Christian tradition he is the angel with the sword, the conqueror of Satan.) (A; Col. Enc.) a 7:901

Michael Angelo See Michelangelo

Michael (Madhusudan) See Dutt, (Michael) Madhusudan

Michelangelo Michelangelo Di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564), Italian painter, sculptor, architect, and poet. He was one of the greatest and most versatile artists of the Renaissance and exerted an extraordinary influence on the development of Western art. (Enc. Br.) Var: Angelo;

Michael Angelo n 3:100 9:381, 485, 487 12:42 14: 66, 229, 247

Middle Ages (c. AD 400-1500), usually considered to be the period between the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire and the fall of Constantinople to the "Turks. The period covers (i) an earlier part ending with the 12th century, sometimes called the Dark Ages, and (ii) a later age of Arabian influence. The period came to an end with the ushering in of the Renaissance. (Pears, p. L79) n 1: 519, 790 3: 433 4: 218 9:63, 381, 546 13:28 14:82, 431 15:168, 173 16:258 17:169 20:434 II: 88 IX: 27 XIII: 30

Middlesex a former county of southeastern England, now absorbed in Greater London. (Web.N.C.D.) D 1:619

Midnapur -also called Medinipur, a town and district in Burdwan division of Bengal (now West Bengal state). (Enc.Br.) Di:610, 634-35, 640, 643.649, 691, 789 2:27, 33, 60, 250 3:75-76 4:189, 264, 287, 291, 323 26:32, 45

Mihir Sudhakar name of a journal published about 1907. (A) n 1:410, 435

Mikado a former title of the emperor of Japan, used chiefly in the English language. (CoI.Enc.) a 1:67,87,230,568,814 2: 119 IS: 352, 356,446 16: 323