-22_Glossary and Index Page 258 to 273.htm

Puloma in Hindu mythology, name of the titaness who was the wife of Bhrigu. She gave birth to CHYAVAN, who even from the womb inherited his father’s greatness and ascetic energy. (M.N.;A)  5:239, 253 27:152, 158

Puloman in Hindu mythology, name of an Asura who was father of Sachi, the wife of Indra. (Dow.)  27:158

Punjab Pancanada, a province of India which under British rule extended from N.W.F.P. (North West Frontier Province) to Delhi. Lahore was its capital. With the creation of Pakistan in August 1947, Punjab was partitioned approximately along a line that divides the main concentrations of the Moslem and Hindu populations. The Hindu section now constitutes two states of the Indian Republic: Haryana and Punjab, both having their capital at Chandigarh. (Col. Enc.;D.I.H.) VarPanjab Der: Punjabee;

Punjabi n 1:169, 182, 188, 194, 198, 262, 266, 269, 279-80, 301, 303, 317, 324-25, 333-34, 338, 346, 354, 357, 359, 363-64, 366, 385, 393, 407-08, 432, 435, 448, 459, 482, 503, 508, 510-11, 590, 635, 654, 674, 725, 728, 778, 783, 793, 870, 891 2:37, 205, 244, 249-50, 260, 265, 276-77, 296, 307, 329-30, 345, 354-56, 360, 363-64, 370, 385 3:97, 214 4:24, 147, 159, 178-79, 186, 191, 228, 231, 235, 237-38, 240, 246, 268 10:4, 88, 96, 100, 105, 107, 112, 193, 212, 233 14:376, 418 17:278 26: 30, 351, 409, 433 27:49, 51-52, 58, 67, 471 111:7 IV: 195 X:187 XV: 17, 30 XVI: 134-36, 146 XVIII: 144

Punjabee a nationalist joumal of Punjab, started in 1904 at Lahore by Lala Jaswant Rai. K. K. Athavale was the editor. Both these persons were convicted for sedition in 1907. In February 1910 the paper was taken over by a syndicate which changed its policy. (P.T.I.;D.N.B.)1:108, 244, 266, 269, 271-72, 279, 325, 334, 490, 617, 648, 777 2: 353, 356-57, 363 4:243

Punjab University the Punjab University of united India. It was located at Lahore, and went to Pakistan at the time of the partition of India in 1947. Lala Harkissenlal was a graduate of this university. (D.N.B.) D 4:235

Purana(s) in Hindu sacred literature, popular, encyclopaedic collections of myth, legend, and genealogy, varying greatly as to date and origin. Statements about Puranas are found even in the Brahmanas. The Mahabharata has used the term Purana to mean stories about devas and siddhas. The Upanishads say that the Puranas are itihasas and as such constitute the fifth Veda. The Smriti sa’ys that the Puranas are commen- taries on the Vedas. Traditionally a Purana treats five subjects: primary creation of the universe, secondary creation after periodical annihilation, genealogy of gods and saints, grand epochs, and history of the royal dynasties. However, in many of the Puranas that are now current, one or more of these five subjects are wanting. There are eighteen principal surviving Puranas, generally grouped loosely according to whether they exalt Vishnu, Shiva, or Brahma. There are also eighteen "lesser" or Upapuranas, treating similar material. (Enc. Br.; Pur. Enc.) Der: Pauranic; Puranic; Puranistic; Purano;Puranist  2:19, 227 3:91, 120, 142, 144, 146, 222, 226, 243-44, 295, 311, 359 4: 36, 46, 53-54, 125, 127, 129, 293, 310 10: 3-6, 14, 19, 33-34, 37, 42-43, 68, 89, 93, 97, 102, 167, 170-71, 179, 197, 306-07, 334-35, 341, 352, 448, 461 11: 3, 23, 33 12: 48, 232, 410, 416, 448, 532 13:6-7, 13, 64, 73, 78, 86 14:81, 97, 134, 152-54, 157, 233, 263, 281, 286, 294, 296, 307-08; 311-13, 315, 317, 320, 407, 419 15: 425, 541 16: 351, 404 17: 62, 117, 267, 278, 293, 336 19: 837 22: 97, 388, 403-05, 425-26, 443 24: 1334 25: 373, 384 27: 104, 149, 299, 313, 430 I: 8, 25, 57 III: 78 V: 96-97 VIII: 183, 187 IX: 35 X: 145 XI: 56 XIV: 116-18, 131 XV: 6, 21, 23-24, 26, 29, 32-33, 46 XVI: 133-35, 140, 144-46, 148, 153, 155-56, 158-59, 163, 170-71 XVII: 10, 17, 25, 27, 59 XVIII: 152, 162

Purani, Ambalal Balkrishna (1894-1965), a disciple of Sri Aurobindo who came under his influence in boyhood. He, along with his brother C. B. Purani, was a pioneer of physical education in Gujarat. He worked also to organise a wide-spread revolution for the liberation of the country on the lines indicated by Sri Aurobindo. To seek his consent and guidance Purani visited Pondicherry in 1918. Sri Aurobindo gave him an assurance that India would be free even without a revolution, and advised him to concentrate on Yoga, for which he had a call. Soon after his second visit to Pondicherry in 1921, Purani became an inmate of the Ashram. He was a prolific writer, and full of a remarkable verve and vigour.  II: 28

Puritan member of a religious reform movement in the Church of England during the late 16th and 17th centuries that sought to "purify" the Church from remnants of  Roman Catholic "popery" that its  adherents

claimed had been retained in the Church of England after the religious settlement made under Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. Noted for a spirit of moral and religious earnestness. Puritans attempted through church reform to make their own earnest life-style the pattern for the nation and thus influenced the religious, social, economic, political, literary, artistic, and intellectual institutions of the English-speaking world. (Enc. Br.) Der: Puritanic; Puritanism a 1: 305 3: 81 5: 380 7: 705, 1048 9: 84, 549-50 15: 14, 88, 165 17: 241 24:1294 26: 260 29: 798

Purochana in the Mahabharata, the emissary of Duryodhana who attempted to kill the Pandavas by lodging them in a house he had made of lac and setting it on fire. The Pandavas escaped out of the burning house through an underground tunnel. (Dow.) D 3: 197

Purohit, Moreshwar Govind perhaps the manager of the National School, PANDHAR- PUR, around January 1908. (A) n I: 1

Purohit Swami an Indian scholar who collaborated with W. B. Yeats in translating the Upanishads into English, a 26:289

Purshurama See Paras(h)urama

Puru (Piiru), a Vedic Rishi, descendant of Atri. (B.P.C.) D 11: 228 VI: 148 VIII: 150

Puruchchhepa Daivodasi See Paruchchhepa Daivodasi

Purudansas "the Manifold in activity", a term used in the Veda as an epithet of the Ashwins. (A) Var: Purudansha D 10: 318 XV: 41 XVI: 164

Purujit See Pourujit

Purukutsa son of the king Mandhata and his wife Bindumati. He was an ancestor of Trishanku. A Purukutsa is praised in the Rig-veda; it is not known whether he is the same. He, with his wife Narmadadevi, went to the forest of Kurukshetra and practising austerities there attained Moksha (libera- tion). (Pur. Enc.) a VIII: 150

Purulia town and district in Burdwan divi- sion of Bengal (now West Bengal state). (Enc. Br.) n I: 68

Purumilha (Angirasa) (Purumilha Angirasa), a Vedic Rishi, descendant of Angiras. D 11: 357, 359

Pururavas name of a hero in a hymn (X: 95) of the Rig-veda containing a dialogue between him and

Urvasi. In the later literature he is acclaimed as the king of the world (reigning at PRATISTHANA), son of Budha and Ila and grandson of the Moon. Pururavas is the hero of Kalidasa’s drama Vikramorvasie and Sri Aurobindo’s poem Urvasie. (V. Index; A; Dow.) Var: Pururavus a 3:231, 240, 263, 265, 267-68, 270-74, 279-84, 286, 288-89, 296, 300-01 5: 119, 189-95, 197, 199, 201, 204-06, 208-13, 215-16, 218, 220, 222-28 6: 277 7: 901, 913-25, 928-35, 937-44, 946-49, 952-57, 959-63, 965-74, 976, 981, 983-84. 986-89, 991-1009 26: 503 27: 100, 152, 156 IU: 19 X: 145-47, 149-56, 160, 166-71, 173-76

Punish (Purusa), in Hindu mythology, the sonofPrithivi. (A)  3:30, 32, 4i

Purusha-Sukta (Purusa-Sukta), a hymn of the Rig-veda in which the four varnas are first mentioned. It is considered to be one of the latest in date. (Dow.) Var: Purushasukta a 13: 495 15: 5

Purushishta name of a Rishi mentioned in Taittiriya Upanishad. a 12: 324

Purushottam Purushottam Narshibhai Patel (1896- ? ) of Baroda. He came to the Ashram in 1925 and stayed here for four- teen or fifteen years. He was in charge of "Prosperity" (the department that looks after the storage and distribution of Ashramites’ material needs) and the Ashram gardens. [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov. 1913-Oct. '27]

Purvamimansa (Purvamimamsa), one of the six Darshanas, or systems of orthodox Indian philosophy; founded by Jaimini. Commonly known as the Mimamsa, it emphasizes the value of the performance of Vedic rites. (Dow.) D 4:46 12:461 13:80 VIII: 183

Pushan (Pusan), a deity not of a distinctly defined character who is mentioned fre- quently in the Vedas. The word means "the increaser", "the nourisher". In the Nirukta and in works of later date Pushan is iden- tified with Surya, the Sun. (Dow.) D 10:137-39, 229-30, 274, 280, 425, 427, 433-36, 438, 464 11:14, 44, 82, 172 12:125 X: 179 XIV: 110

Pushya or Tishya, a high constellation, one of the twenty-seven Nakshatras of Hindu astronomy. It includes the somewhat faint group in the body of the CRAB (or Cancer). None of the group is at all prominent. (V. Index; H.S.S.) D 8:9

Pushyamitra Pushyamitra Sunga, founder of the Sunga dynasty (c. 185 BC) after the deposition of the Maurya dynasty. He was the commander-in-chief of Brihadratha, the last of the Maurya kings, whom he killed and ascended the throne. To celebrate his victory over the invaders of his empire, he per- formed an ASHWAMEDHA sacrifice and thus declared the revival of orthodox Hinduism which had suffered an eclipse under Asoka. (D.I.H.) n 4:98 8:135 XVII: 25

Puspamitra the same as PUSHYAMITRA a 8:135

Putana in Hindu mythology, a female demon (Rakshasi), daughter of Bali. She was deputed by Kansa to kill the infant Krishna by suckling him, but was herself sucked to death by Krishna. (Dow.) a 1:600, 818

Pylians people of Pylos. (M.I.) 0 5:484

Pylos name of three places in the Pelo- ponnesus. In Sri Aurobindo’s Ilion, the reference is to the city in the southwest, in Messenia. It lay at the north end of Navarino Bay of the Ionian Sea, and was ruled by Nestor. (M.I.; Col. Enc.) n 5:459

Pyrrhic victory a costly military success, like that of Pyrrhus (319-272 Be), the king of Hellenistic Epirus. The heavy losses suffered by him in his victory at Asculum in 279 BC caused him to declare, "one more such victory and I am lost". (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.; Web.) a 1:386

Pyrrhus an alternative name for NEO- PTOLEMUS, the son of Achilles. (M.I.) D 5:487-88, 506

Pythagoras (c. 582 – c. 507 BC), Greek philosopher, mathematician, and founder of the Pythagorean brotherhood that, although religious in nature, formulated principles that influenced the philosophical thought of Plato and Aristotle and contributed to the development of mathematics and Western rational- ism. The Pythogoreans’ interest in numbers extended to practical mathematics, and they are credited with inspiring the first part of Euclidean geometry and the theorem that bears their name. (Enc. Br.) Der: Pythagorean(s) a 9: 547 10: 4 11:7 14: 51, 99, 147, 270 16: 79, 83, 309, 339, 362, 364 19: 750, 879 22: 185, 445 23: 955 II: 7 III: 14 XVI: 181

Pythian I. of Pythia, the medium and oracular prophetess of Apollo at Delphi. Seated on a tripod in an underground chamber in the temple, she would enter into a frenzied trance believed to indicate possession or inspiration by Apollo. Her utterances in this ecstatic state were interpreted by priests and conveyed as versified messages, often ambiguous, to those who came to consult the oracle’. 2. of Delphi. (M.I.)

D 1: 742 5: 26, 420 7: 1071 Pythoness Pythia. The name comes from Python, a dragon who guarded Delphiand was killed by Apollo when he established his oracle there. (M.I.) a 5:433, 503 Xffl: 37 XIV: 146

Q

Quebec a province in eastern Canada whose people are predominantly French-speaking. The city of Quebec is the capital of the province. (Col. Enc.) a 1: 704

Queen Mab one of the earlier poems of Shelley, published in 1813, in which he set forth more completely and violently than before or later his belief in man’s degrada- tion by priestcraft, monarchy, and com- merce, and in his final redemption. (Col. Enc.) a 3: 294 9: 127 X: 144

Queen’s Proclamation a proclamation issued in the name of Queen Victoria in 1858 an- nouncing the transfer of the administration of India from the East India Company to the Crown of England. It made her popular with the Indians, who believed that some of the liberal principles enunciated in it owed their incorporation in the document to the personal liberal views of the Queen. (D.I.H., p. 899) o 1:460

R

R In the Record of Yoga, R is used for (1) Rangaswamy, (2) Ramaswamy, or (3) Richard, depending on the context:

(1) K. V. Rangaswamy lyengar, the zamindar of Kodailam, who bore the cost of the book Yogic Sadhan, seems to have promised financial help again when he met Sri Aurobindo at Raghavan House in Rue St. Louis (where Sri Aurobindo stayed from April 1911 to April 1913). It is very likely, therefore, that the money received by Sri Aurobindo in November 1912 and January 1913 came from Rangaswamy. (Purani, pp. 144-45, 148) a XX: 147 XXI: 65 (2) V. Ramaswamy lyengar, later known as "Va-Ra" in the Tamil literary world, came from Tanjore to stay with Sri Aurobindo for some time; he returned to Tanjore in 1913.

He used to meet Sri Aurobindo daily in the evening. (Purani, pp. 145, 148, 153) D XXI: 2, 9, 19, 32, 34 XXII: 157

(3) "Richard" was abbreviated to "R" in the Records of 1914. See "Richard, Paul". R2 in the Record of Yoga, stands for "M. and Mme Richard".

Rabelais, Francois (c. 1483-1553), French writer who for his contemporaries was an eminent physician and humanist and for posterity is the author of a comic and satirical masterpiece, Gargantua and Pantagruel. (Enc. Br.) Der: Rabelaisian D 17: 87 XIII: 27

Rabindar(nath) SeeTagore, Rabindranath

Race ofRaghou See Raghuvamsha.

Rachel’ The reference is to a story narrated in the Bible. King Herod, in whose reign Jesus was born, had many children killed hoping to kill Jesus among them. The Bible says that this was the fulfilment of an old prophecy: "Rachel weeping for her children, / And would not be comforted, / Because they are not." (Mathew 2.18 – King James Version) a 1:150

Rachel2 a character – a maid-servant in Renee’s house – in Sri Aurobindo’s story "The Phantom Hour", a 7:1018, 1021-23

Racine, Jean Baptiste (1639-99), French dramatic poet, a master of tragedy in the so-called classical period. (Enc. Br.; Web.) n 3:276 9:67, 87, 378-79, 481, 521-22, 529 VI: 198 X: 158

Radha in Hindu religion, the chief of the Gopis or milkmaids, the favourite of Krishna while he lived among the cowherds in Vrindavana. She is a symbolic figure, a personification of absolute love for the Divine, total and integral in all parts of the being, representing the nature-soul in man seeking the Divine Soul (Krishna) through love. (Dow, ;A) n 1:61, 853 4:14, 29. 222 5: 40 8: 223, 227, 237, 244, 250, 259, 262, 296, 301-03 12: 509 14: 264, 317 16: 429 21: 741 22: 92, 126, 173 23: 796, 951, 961, 980 25: 73-74 29: 525 VIII: 138, 141 XVIII: 148

Radhakrishnan, S. Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), a scholar and statesman who started his career as a professor of philosophy and soon won an international reputation as a scholar and a philosopher interpreting the Hindu view of life to the West. With his appointment as Indian ambassador to

the U.S.S.R. in 1949 he began his public career, and soon rose to the highest rank: in 1962 he became the second President of the Republic of India. (Enc.Br.;D.I.H.) a 17:320 22:186-87

Ragh(o)u a king of the Solar race of India. He was son of Dilip and grandfather of RAMA’. Scholars disagree as to the gene- alogy of Raghu, but all admit him to be an ancestor of Rama. The descendants of Raghu are known as Raghus. (Dow.) a 3: 158 8: 10, 19-21, 155

Raghunandan’ a name of RAMA’ , meaning a descendant of Raghu. a 4:15

Raghunandan2 (fl. c. 16th cent.), a famous writer on Dharmashastra, popularly known as Smarta Bhattacharya. He was a contem- porary of Chaitanya. His works influenced the social life and religious rituals of the orthodox community of Bengal. (D. I. H.) a 2:259, 404 3:110, 123 14:21 VIII: 190

Raghuvamsha an epic poem in Sanskrit by Kalidasa, containing nineteen cantos and based on the history of kings of the IKSH- VAKU family in general. Sri Aurobindo rendered the first ten verses of the epic into English. He translated the title of the poem variously, as The Line of Raghu, House of Raghu, and Race ofRaghou. (Gaz.- II) Var: Raghu(vansa) n 3: 76, 159, 222, 227, 246, 251, 256, 258, 323 8:155 9:113 14: 301 27: 106 I: 25

Ragnar a character in Sri Aurobindo’s play Eric. D 6:473, 538-39, 541, 545

Rahu Rahu and Ketu are, in Hindu astron- omy, the ascending and descending nodes, also considered as planets. Mythologically, Rahu is a Daitya who is supposed to seize the sun and moon and swallow them, thus obscuring their rays and causing eclipses. It is said that to become immortal he dis- guised himself as a god and drank part of the Amrita produced by the churning of the Ocean. The Sun and Moon detected him and informed Vishnu who cut off his head. But as he had secured immortality, his body was placed in the stellar sphere, the upper parts represented by a dragon’s head being Rahu the ascending node, and the lower parts represented by a dragon’s tail being Ketu the descending node. (Dow.) a 8:175, 206 17: 259-62

Rai (Rayi), a popular name of Radha in Bihar, especially among Maithili-speaking people, a 8: 242, 244

Rai, Dhanpatsingh a person connected (c. 1909) with the Tarpur Sugar Factory. His widowed wife tried to run the factory with the help of a manager until the latter’s death. (A) n 4: 195

Rai, Venibhushan a person involved and convicted in the Khulna sedition case in 1907. (A) n 1:486-87

Raigurh a famous fortress in Maharashtra, built by Shivaji, where he was ceremoniously crowned as an independent king in 1674. (D.I.H.) D 5:281-83, 288, 291-92

Raikwa name of a realised Brahmin sage, mentioned in the Chhandogya Upanishad, who was approached by Janasruti for spiritual knowledge. The latter found him sitting under a cart, hence "Raikwa of the cart". (B.P.C.) a 14:280

Rai Srinath Pal Bahadur See Pal, (Rai Bahadur) Srinath

Raja(h)mundry a town of South India, on the Godavari near its delta, formerly in Madras Presidency, but now in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh state. (Enc. Br.) a 1:324, 456, 482

Rajanee a Bengali novel (1877) by Bankim Chandra Chatter ji. (Enc. Br.) a 27:353

Rajaram a man closely associated with Sri Aurobindo at Srinagar during his visit to Kashmir in 1903. (A) a iv: 193

Raja Rukmangad’s Ekadashi title of a painting by Ravi Varma, which Sri Aurobindo considered one of his few successes. (Rukmangada was a son of Salya, the king of Madra, mentioned in the Maha- bharata. Ekadasi is the name of a fast observed on the eleventh day after a new-moon or full-moon day.) (A; Pur. Enc.) a 3:427

Rajashahi See Rajshahi

Rajasthan a name often applied in the past to RAJPUTANA. The region is now officially called Rajasthan and is a state in the Republic of India. (Enc. Br.) D 1:632 2: 262 5: 283, 286 7: 745, 753, 757, 772, 781

Raj(a)suya a "royal sacrifice" performed in ancient India at the coronation of a king. It was religious in its nature but political in its operation, since it implied that the institutor of the sacrifice was a supreme lord requiring his tributary princes to be present as sub- ordinates at the rite. (Dow.) a 1: 146 3: 191-92, 194, 204 4: 94 14: 371-72 15: 288 27:80

Rajayoga an easy mode of meditation (fit for kings to practise), as distinguished from the more rigorous

one called Hathayoga. It does not start with Asana and Pranayama, but insists first on a moral purification

of the mentality. The processes of Rajayoga are mental and emotional. Rajayoga may be defined as the use of mental askesis for the opening up of the divine life on all its planes. (Apte; A; I & G) Der: Rajayogi;

Rajayogic; Rajayogin a 2: 29 3: 348, 405-08 4:24, 57, 60, 298 5:84 13:7, 63-64, 112, 114, 227, 230 16:7, 399.413-14 17:211 20: 3, 28, 30-32, 36, 44, 50, 305, 324, 498, 506, 513-14, 516-20 21: 546, 583-86, 668 22: 55, 78, 109 23:574, 952 24:1527, 1738 26:112-13, 139, 353 XIII: 21-22 XIV: 154 XV: 40 XVIII: 163

Rajayoga Raja-Yoga or Conquering the Internal Nature, a book by Swami Viveka- nanda. Originally written in English, it is one of his most well-known books. The first part comprises several lectures to classes delivered by the author in New York; the second part is a rather free translation of the aphorisms (Sutras) of Patanjali, with a commentary. D 4:293 23:731

Rajmachikar, Sirdar a person of Poona, who helped the Swadeshi movement by starting, with his brother, a factory in which the parts of umbrellas were either made or fitted together. (A) a 2: 138

Raj Mohan’s Wife Bankim Chandra’s only novel in English, his first prominent public literary effort. It came out serially in Indian Field and was published in book-form only after his death, in 1935. (A; B. R. -1) Var: Rammohan’s Wife ("Rammohan" is a mistake) a 3: 90 27: 351

Rajpoot member of a Hindu warrior caste claiming descent from Kshatriyas and set- tled mainly in central and northern India, especially in the former RAJPUTANA. The Rajputs played the most important part in the history of India from the middle of the 7th century to the end of the 12th century. They were divided into 36 clans. (Enc. Br.; D.I.H.) Var: Rajput Der: Rajpootny (feminine of "Rajpoot") a 1: 646-47, 767, 815 2:29 3:67, 214, 331, 483-84 4:92, 140, 143 5:284-89 7:739, 742-44, 747, 750-51, 757-58, 761-62, 764-67, 770, 777-78, 780-81, 783-84, 787, 790, 793-99, 801 14: 70, 187, 239-42, 250, 318.320, 368, 376-77 15: 354 26: 4, 14 111:11, 24 IX: 1, 2

Rajputana a former group of princely states chiefly comprising what is now the state of Rajasthan. It consisted of twenty-three states, one chief dom, one estate, and the British district of Ajmer-Merwara. (Enc. Br.)  2:249, 261 4:92 7:751, 791 14:349, 355, 378 26: 409

Rajshahi name of a town (administrative headquarters), district, and division in the former province of Bengal, now in Bangla- desh. (Enc.Br.) Var: Rajashahi  1:77, 282 Rajsingh. the Rana of Mewar who gave protection to Ajit Singh, the infant son of Jaswant Singh of Marwar, and to the latter’s widowed wife. He also protested against Aurangzeb’s imposition of "jizya" (a head or poll tax that Islamic rulers demanded from their non-Muslim subjects).

By waging war against Aurangzeb from 1679 to 1681, Raj- singh obliged him to make peace with the Rajputs and drop the demand for "jizya" in lieu of certain territories. (D.I.H.; Enc. Br.) a 4: 99

Rajsinha a historic novel by Bankim Chan- dra which has no rival in Bengali literature. It is a story of Rajput heroism and Muslim oppression. It was first published in 1881. Later, Bankim completely recast the novel, and in the fourth edition (1893) enlarged it to almost four times its original length. (A; Enc.Br.;B.R.-I)  27:353

Rajsuya 5′eeRaj(a)suya

Raju, J. B. a writer whose critical review of Radhakrishnan’s work on the philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore appeared in the second number of Shama’a. This issue was reviewed by Sri Aurobindo in Arya (A) n 17: 320-21

Rakhal Laha a Hindu name used by Sri Aurobindo to denote the sort of person engaged by the police as a witness to give prepared evidence in their support. Q 2: 54

Rakhi-Day in Hindu religion, the day of rakhi bandhan; it is full-moon day of the month ofSravana (July-Aug.), on which a rakhi or raksd (a thread, usually with some decoration) is tied around the wrist of a loved one to ward off danger or misfortune. (I & G) a 1: 186-87, 482 VI: 125

Rakshas(a) a (hostile) being of the middle vital plane; the violent kinetic ego. In the common acceptation of the term, the Rakshasas are beings who harass devout men and vex and afflict mankind in all sorts of ways. They even devour human beings. Generally they move about by night and are therefore called Nisacara. In the evolutionary scale of man, they are the fifth type from below of the ten forms of consciousness; the Rakshasa is mind concentrated on the thinking manas proper and taking up all the others into the manas itself. (I & G; Dow.; A) Der: Rakshasi; Rakshasic 62, 122 2:80 3:176 4:12, 29,

34, 86,91, 114, 319, 341, 351 5: 77-79 8: 21-24 9: 206 10: 44, 257, 369, 493 11: 29, 48, 174, 205, 289-90, 305, 313, 346, 417-20, 434, 462, 467, 478 12: 409, 532 13: 165, 174, 312-13, 349, 359, 375-76, 454-55, 470, 573 14: 103, 216, 223, 289, 292 15: 27, 596 16: 285 17: 73, 378-79, 382-84 18: 489, 603 19: 783, 1068 20: 222, 450 21: 713, 716 22: 381-82, 394-96, 415-16, 419 23: 578 24:1094, 1169, 1334, 1648, 1737-38 25: 27, 39, 61-62, 156 26:470 27:195, 430 29:777 II: 77 IV: 142-43, 146 – V: 9-12, 14 VI: 183-86, 188, 190,192 VII: 9 VIII: 137 XII: 194 XV: 26 XVI: 144-152 XIX: 24, 26, 54 XXI: 7

Rakshit one of the two witnesses to the search of Sri Aurobindo’s residence in Calcutta on 2 May 1908. Later he told Sri Aurobindo that the police had collared him for the purpose without giving him any idea of what was going on. (A)  4: 259

Raktabij a demon who fought with the goddess Candi; from the drops of his blood arose innumerable duplicates of himself (rakta = blood; bija = seed). (Dow.)  1: 335 2: 157

Ram (in Latin) Aries, known as Mesa in Hindu astronomy, a zodiacal constellation named in honour of the ram of the Golden Fleece. It is the first sign of the zodiac. (Col. Enc.) a 17:257-58, 260

Ram(a)’ The term is used as a short form for three names: Parashurama, Ramachandra, and Balarama, especially for the second of these. Ramachandra, for whom Ram(a) stands in the index references given below, was the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. He was the eldest son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. The main purpose of this incar- nation in the Treta Yuga was to kill the Rakshasa-king Ravana of Lanka. The story is told briefly in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata and in full in the Ramayana, where Rama is the hero. (Dow.; A) n 1: 613, 768, 778 3: 31, 94, 175-77, 190, 218-19, 305, 428 4: 153, 330 5: 319 8: 5-9, 11-13, 15-17, 20-21, 23 9: 437-38 12: 464-65, 478, 483 13: 157, 161-62 14: 48, 192-94, 290, 292, 318 17:107, 119, 142 18:587 20:317 22: 407, 412-20, 422-23 23: 798 24: 1335 25: 78, 275 27: 154 I: 20, 41 II: 59, 75 V: 6-7, 10-11, 69 VI: 78, 137, 156 VII: 5, 16 IX: 40

Ram(a)2 the same as BALARAMA 3:207 8:41-42, 45, 59 27:83 IV: 115 Rama3; Rama of the Axe the same as PARAS(H)URAMA  8: 39 13: 157

Rama4 name commonly used in conjunction with Shyama to denote any two persons associated with each other, V: 80

Ram(a)chandra See Majumdar, Ram(achandra)

Ram(a)das Ramdas Samartha (1608-81), a saint poet of Maharashtra who com- posed religio-ethical and political poems in Marathi. He was the Guru of SHIVAJI and exercised a great deal of influence in the shaping of his career and character and giving a religious basis to the kingdom that he founded. He was the author of Dasabodha and several other books, and established about 700 monasteries. (D.I.H.; Bhakta Ch.) For Swami Ramdas, see Ramdas  1:127 2:13, 261, 411 3:110, 484 4:92, 143 5:293 14:187, 256, 317-18, 321, 380 I: 4 III: 14 V: 4 IX: 29

Ramaiah name of a South Indian man or boy who was also referred to in the Record of Yoga as Chokra (boy). [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov. 1913-Oct. '27]

Ramaian See Ramayan(a)

Rama Jamadagnya (Rama Jamadagnya), Parashurama. son of Rishi Jamadagni. See also Paras(h)urama. a 11:424

Ramakrishna Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa (1836-86), a very great spiritual teacher of modern India, looked upon by many as an incarnation of God. Born in a poor priestly family of Bengal, with prac- tically no formal education, he became early in life the priest of the Kali temple at Dakshineshwar near Calcutta. He was the Guru of Vivekananda (Narendranath Dutta), Keshab Chandra Sen, and many other Ben- gali seekers. Sri Ramakrishna is perhaps the best known example in modern times of a man who demonstrated by personal example the essential unity of all religions. Although Sri Aurobindo never met Sri Ramakrishna during the latter’s lifetime (Ramakrishna left his body on Sri Aurobindo’s 14th birthday, 15 August 1886), Sri Aurobindo received three important communications from him afterwards (see A & R, XXI: 11-12). "It was Ramakrishna who personally came and turned me to this [Integral] yoga", wrote

Sri Aurobindo in 1912. (D.I.H.;Enc.Br.) Var: Sri Ramakrishna; S.R (abbreviation used at times in the Record of Yoga)  I:’65-66. 714. 799-801 2:405, 432 3:327, 338.344.375.462-63 4: 153.239.310-12 13: 29-30 14: 66, 187, 419 16: 24, 430 17: 68, 98, 146 20: 36, 48 22: 59, 71, 85. 87-88, 93-96, 150, 266, 407-08. 417-18. 422-23. 442, 456 23: 507. 572, 587, 591.619-22, 665, 788-90, 880, 927 24: 1251, 1286, 1361, 1388, 1561-62, 1637 25: 52-53 26: 58, 60, 106, 115, 118-19, 121, 125, 127, 134, 136, 181, 207, 258.465, 495 27:65, 366, 435 29: 797 II: 63-64 IV: 198 IX: 25 XIII: 29 XIV: 131, 163-64 XVII: 10, 58 XVIII: 152. 163 XIX: 57 XX: 141 XXI: 11

Ramakrishna Mission a religious society that carries out extensive educational and philanthropic work in India and is also the foremost exponent in Western countries of a modern version of Advaita (monist) Vedanta - a traditional school of Indian philosophy. The society was founded in Calcutta by Swami Vivekananda in 1897 with a twofold purpose: to spread the teaching of Sri Ramakrishna and to improve the social condition of the Indian people. The head- quarters of this large organization is at Belur Math near Calcutta. (Enc.Br.)  2:88 26:42, 59, 63 27:435.475

Ramalingam (1823-74), a poet-saint of South India who developed an eclectic mystical philosophy and wrote Tamil prose of epic grandeur. (Gaz. – II)  22: 94

Ramamurti a well-known physical culturist of India, called "the modern Bhimsen", whose feats of physical prowess and endurance made him a celebrity in the beginning of the twentieth century. Sri Aurobindo gave a lecture on Ramamurti at Poona on 12 January 1908. (Auro-I)  l: 836 IX: 42

Raman, Sir C. V. Dr. Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1888-1970), an eminent Indian physicist of international repute, recipient of the 1930 Nobel Prize for physics and many other awards and prizes including the Lenin Prize for peace in 1958. (Enc. Br.; D.I.H.)  22:470-71, 495

Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), a great yogi and philosopher, called "the sage of Aruna- chalam". His position on monism and Maya parallels that of Shankara. His Ashram is at Tiruvannamalai (South India), where he left his body in April 1950. His former name was Venkataramana Aiyar. (Enc. Br.)  22:484

Ramananda See Chatterjee, Ramananda

Ramanuja (c. 1017 – c. 1137), a celebrated theologian and philosopher and the most revered teacher of the Vaishnava Hindus of South India. He was the leading opponent of the Absolute Monism (Advaita) taught by Shankaracharya. He preached Visistadvaita or Qualified Monism. (D.I.H.; Enc. Br.)  1:714 3:110, 214 4:43, 143 12:33 13:431 14:21, 132, 187, 308 16:342 17:265, 372 22: 82, 93 26: 135 II: 67 IV: 163, 168 VIII: 185 IX: 29 XIV: 139 XVI: 184 XVIII: 152, 154

Ramasadaya(babu) See Mukhopadhyaya, Ramasadaya

Ramaswami name of a cook once employed in the Ashram.  9: 555

Ramatirtha Swami Ramtirtha (1873-1906), religious leader known for the highly personal and poetic manner in which he taught what he styled "Practical Vedanta", using common experiences to illustrate the divine nature of man. (Enc. Br.) 22:117

Ramayan(a)’ the oldest of the Sanskrit epic poems, written by the sage Valmiki. It celebrates the life and exploits of RAMA’. It is divided into seven kdndas or sections, and contains about 50, 000 lines. There are at places variations in the text of different versions. The epic is supposed to have been composed about five centuries before Christ; the last section, Uttara-kanda, is probably of a later date than the rest of the work. (Dow.) For the Ramayana in modern Indian languages, see "Kamban", "(Hindi) Rama- yana", and "(Bengali) Ramayana". Var: Ramaian Der: Ramayanistic  1: 768 3: 142, 149, 153, 158, 163, 175, 183-85, 217-19, 221-22, 226, 232, 331, 426 4: 252 8: 1 9:77, 245, 318, 523 13:454 14: 1, 48, 102, 186, 230, 256, 268, 281, 284-86, 289-91, 296, 303, 305, 317, 319, 321, 364, 372 17: 68-69 22: 414, 417, 419 25: 383 26: 246 27: 79, 154 29: 792, 815 I: 25 III: 8 IV: 161 XI: 15 XVI: 182

Ramayana1 selections from the Ramayana in English verse, translated by Romesh Dutt. (A)  17: 370

Rambha a character – a nymph of Heaven and companion of Urvasie – in Kalidasa’s drama Vikramorvasie.  3: 282 5: 190 7: 909, 912, 919-21, 1007 X: 169

Ramachandra (Mazumdar) See Majumdar, Ram(achandra)

Ramdas Swami Ramdas (1884-1963), a Vaishnava Bhakta of South India, a devotee of Rama’. He established an ashram in

Kerala known as Anandashram. For Ramdas Samartha.^ee Ram(a)das.  23: 798 26: 132

Rameses or Ramses or Ramesses, name of several kings of ancient Egypt of the XIX and XX dynasties; the most notable of them was Rameses II, who ruled for 67 years (1292-1225 BC). (Col. Enc.)  26:234

Rameshwaram an island in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. It is said that here RAMA’ worshipped Shiva before beginning his assault on Lanka. Rameshwaram is con- sidered by many Hindus, both Vaishnava and Shaiva, as the most holy place in India after Varanasi (see Benares). The temple at Rameshwaram is famous also for its corridors. (Enc. Br.)  14: 213

Ramgopalpur a small town in the former province of Bengal (now in Bangladesh), about 85 miles from the district town of Mymensingh.  I: 302

Rammohan’s Wife See Raj Mohan’s Wife.

Ramnagar a town in Birbhum district of Bengal (now in West Bengal state). (A)  27: 484

Ramprasad Rama Prasad Sen (1718/23-75), celebrated Bengali poet-saint, a devotee of the Mother Kali. He also rendered the romantic story of Vidya and Sundar in colourful verse. (Bhakta Ch.; Gaz.-II)  14:129, 256, 319, 321 22:85-86 26:119

RanaCurran a character-Prince of Edur, of the Rathore clan – in the play Prince of Edur by Sri Aurobindo.  7: 739, 741-45, 752-53

Ranade, Mahadev Govind (1842-1901), a noted Indian historian, economist, public man, reformer and scholar. He was a judge of the Bombay High Court, and in the fore- front of many public movements in the Bombay Presidency. It was he who sent a warning to the editor of Indu Prakash against publishing Sri Aurobindo’s articles entitled "New Lamps for Old". (Enc. Br.; D.I.H.; A)  1:3, 652 3:81 4:211, 278 17: 332, 368-69 26: 13 XIV: 166-67

Ranade, R. D. Ramchandra Dattatreya Ranade (1886-1957), ofFerguson College, Poona, a great scholar and philosopher. Afterwards he was Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Vice-Chancellor of Allahabad University. He possessed "in a superlative degree the rare gift of easy and yet adequate exposition" (16:335). (Enc.Ind.;A)  16:335-38, 341, 344, 346, 354 17:291, 294-98

Rand W. C. Rand, I.C.S., Collector of Poona, who was shot by a Brahmin while he was returning from the Government House on the night of 22 June 1897. He died ten days later. While the spirit that prompted the assassination was nationalist and revolutionary, the proximate cause was the unpopularity of the plague measures which were being enforced in Poona at that time. He was very unpopular with the Maratha Brahmins, having already acquired a bad reputation for heartlessness as Assistant Collector in Satara district. (P.T.I.; R.O.H.)  I:IIi5

Rangana name of a mountain pass.  5: 279

Rangaswamy probably, K. V. Rangaswamy lyengar, a zamindar ofKodailam (South India) who was a representative of the land- lords in the Legislative Assembly at Delhi up to 1906. When his guru Nagai Japata was near his end he advised Rangaswamy to take the "Uttar Yogi" (Yogi from the North) as his spiritual guide. A little after Sri Aurobindo’s arrival in Pondicherry, Ranga- swamy identified him as this "Uttar Yogi", and came three times to Pondicherry to see him. See also" R". (Purani)  27:451

Rangoon capital of Burma, on the Rangoon River near its entrance into the Gulf of Martaban. (Col. Enc.)1:804 27:51

Rangpur name of a district and its head- quarters in Rajshahi division of the former province of Bengal (now in Bangladesh). (Enc. Br.) Var: Rangpore; Rungpur I:262, 357, 610, 744 2:70, 229 27:65 II: 2 VIII: 131

Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), Maharaja of Punjab, and the founder of the Sikh king- dom in Punjab in the teeth of opposition from the Afghans, the English, and many of his co-religionists. The kingdom extended from Peshawar to the Sutlej and from Kashmir to Sind. By defeating the traditional con- querors of India, the Pathans and Afghans, he came to be known as the Lion of Punjab. (D.I.H.; Enc. Br.) Var: Runjit Singh  I: 303 4:140, 147 14:378 27: 67

Rape of the Lock a mock-epic poem by Alexander Pope. A two-canto version appeared in 1712, and the revised version in five cantos in 1714. It is a delicate and ingenious satire based on an incident in contemporary high society. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.)  9:387, 425 1:11

Raphael1 Raffaello Santi (1483-1520), world-famous painter and architect, one of the masters of the Italian High Renaissance style. He was the youngest of the three great artists of the High Renaissance, the

others being Leonardo and Michelangelo. (Enc. Br.; Pears)  3:100, 424 14:66

Raphael2 a proposed character – the Angel of Sweetness – mentioned in the Dramatis Personae of Sri Aurobindo’s play The Birth of Sin.  7:901

Ras(h)behari; Rash Behari See Ghose, Rash Behari

Rashtra Mat a Marathi daily paper of Bombay, edited (c. 1904) by Haribhai Modak. The paper gained great popularity as the organ of the Extremist Party led by Tilak, and fell a victim to the Press Act of 1910. (Purani; S.F.F.; A)  2:215 4:240.

Rasul Maulvi Abdur Rasul (1872-1917), a Muslim leader of Bengal who whole- heartedly supported the Congress. He was one of those leaders under whose guidance the agitation against the Partition of Bengal spread like wild-fire all over Bengal and even far outside it. (A; A.H.I. ;D.N.B.)  I:169 4:178, 209

Rathi (Rati), in Hindu mythology, daughter of Daksha and wife of Kamadeva, the god of love. She is the Venus of the Hindus, the goddess of sexual love. (Dow.) Var: Ruthie 5:241 26:269 27:158

Rathitara (Rathitara), a teacher of ancient India, descendant of Nabhaga and son of Prsadasva. (B.P.C.) 12:324

Rathore one of the prominent clans of the Rajputs, 5:286-87 7:739

Rau, Hayavadana a writer whose article on the subject of Aliens in Ancient India appeared in the Indian Review (December 1906). Sri Aurobindo commented on this article in his "Passing Thoughts" in the Karmayogin. (A)  2: 398

Ravana in the Ramayana, grandson of Rishi Pulastya, and king of the Rakshasas in Lanka whence he expelled his half-brother Kuvera. Ravana is described as having ten heads and twenty arms, and a form like a thick cloud or a mountain. With his evil and cruel deeds he inspired terror even in the gods, so Vishnu incarnated as Rama to destroy him. Ravana kidnapped Sita, the consort of Rama, and by this unrighteous conduct brought ruin upon himself and his whole family. (Dow.)  1:778, 811-12 2: 121 3: 31, 94, 176, 178, 219, 427 5: 77-79, 84 9: 317 12: 464-65 13: 161 14: 192, 194 17: 107, 142, 383 18:587 20: 317 22: 415-16 24: 1334 27: 139 II: 75 V: 5-7.9-12, 89 VI: 141, 190 VII: 70

Ravivarma, Raja (1848-1906), a popular Indian artist related to the royal family of Travancore, who won gold medals and diplomas at International Art Exhibitions. He helped foreigners get an idea of the religious and mythological lore of the land. But his paintings, though hailed at that time as the glory of a new dawn, are, according to Sri Aurobindo, an "incompetent imitation of the worst European styles" (17: 276), "universally condemned by critics of eminence Asiatic and European" (XIII: 47). Ravi Varma, says Sri Aurobindo, "represents in Art that dark period when, in subjection to foreign teaching and ideals, we did everything badly because we did everything slavishly" (3: 427). He was "a man without genius" and "had neither the power to develop original conceptions, nor the skill to reproduce finely that which he tried to learn from Europe" (3:427). (Bh.S.K.;D.N.B.;A) Var: Ravi Varma  3: 427-29 4: 154 14: 227, 421 17: 276 XIII: 47-48

Rawalpindi or Pindi, name of a city, district, and division in the province of Punjab (now in Pakistan). It was the capital of Pakistan from 1959 to 1969. (Enc. Br.)  1:324, 354, 359, 385, 390, 408, 423-24, 431-32, 442, 444, 482, 485, 508-09, 522, 560, 907 IV: 110

Ray, Ananda Chandra See Roy, Ananda Chandra

Ray, Beni Bhusan president of a meeting at Khulna (25 June 1909) where Sri Aurobindo gave a speech on the Gita. (A)  2: 425

Ray, Charu Chander (c. 1867- ? ), a professor and sub-director of Dupleix College, Chandernagore. In the searches at Manicktolla Garden and other places in Bengal in 1908, documents were found connecting Charuchandra to the conspiracy. He was arrested, extradited from French India, and made to stand trial in the Alipore Bomb Case. But before judgment could be passed on him, his friends in the French government provided him with an alibi and also applied pressure through diplomatic channels with the result that the case against him was withdrawn. The professor went back to his teaching at Chandernagore in January 1909, promising his friends that he would henceforth keep out of trouble. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why, a little more than a year later, when Sri Aurobindo escaped to Chandernagore and sought shelter with him, he refused to provide it. (P.T.I., p. 400 under Roy; A & R, XVII: 110) 4:291 27:471

Ray, Chunilal one of the Bengalis whom Sri Aurobindo met at Srinagar (Kashmir). He worked at the Foreign Office. (A)  IV: 195

Ray, Gopal Chandra also referred to simply as Gopal, an officer of the C.I.D. in Bengal, who was keeeping a close watch on Sri Aurobindo’s residence (6, College Square, Calcutta) and his mail in 1909-10. (A)  2:366

Ray, Dr. P. C. Sir Prafulla Chandra Ray (1861-1944), the first Palit Professor of Chemistry (1916-36) in Calcutta University. He inspired a generation of scholars and built up a modern chemical industry. In 1892 he founded the Bengal Chemical and Phar- maceutical Works. Simple, ascetic, and unassuming in personal life, he was rightly hailed by his countrymen as "Acharya". (D.N.B.)  1:480 3:432-33

Ray, Rammohan See Roy, (Raja) Rammohan

Ray, Upendra Kishore most probably Upendra Kishore Rai Chaudhary (1863- 1915), author of Pauranic, scientific, and other interesting story-books for children. In a way he was a pioneer in the production of children’s literature in Bengali. His contribu- tion to music and art was also great. He illustrated his own books and some others with his drawings and paintings. He is well known for his research in the various techniques of picture printing. Upendra Kishore was the grandfather of Satyajit Ray, the most distinguished Indian producer- director of films. (S.B.C.)  3:428

Raymond Antonin Raymond, the designer of GOLCONDE, a Czech architect who had worked in Japan and U.S.A., and had collaborated with the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Raymond who was a friend of Pavitra (P. B. Saint Hilaire), came to the Ashram with his family in 1937 to work on the project. (Mother’s Agenda, Vol. I, p. 409)  25:230

Rbhuksan See Ribhu

Reay, Lord Doral James Mackay (1839- 1921), llth Baron Reay, Governor of Bombay (1885-90). Originally Dutch, he became a naturalised British citizen in 1877. He was a Liberal statesman, and was made a peer in 1881. (A;Maj.-I)  2:131 27:4

Rebecca a character – daughter of the Jew, Isaac of York- in Scott’s novel Ivanhoe. She falls in love with Ivanhoe and nurses him. Ivanhoe saves her life by appearing as her champion after she has been convicted of sorcery and condemned to be burned at the stake. (Enc. Am.)  3:93

Rebha a character – Governor of Ujjayini, the capital of Avunthie – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Vasavadutta.  6:207, 313, 317-19, 325-27

Reddy, Sir Cattamanchi Ramalinga a great educationist, distinguished scholar, poet and critic in Telugu. He held top-level educa- tional responsibilities in Mysore, Madras and Andhra universities, and in Baroda. A National Prize instituted in his name was presented to Sri Aurobindo at the Con- vocation of the Andhra University held on 11 December 1948. (Enc. Ind.; A)  26:407

Red Indian a member of the native race of North America. (C.O.D.)  1:282 10:144 12:502 15:78 27:273, 287

Redmond, John (Edward) (1856-1918), an Irish Nationalist Party leader who devoted his life to negotiating Home Rule for Ireland. (Enc. Br.)  1:367-68

Rees John D. Rees (1854-1922), Private Secretary to successive Governors of Madras (1878-88); Additional Member of the Viceroy’s Council (1895-1900); in England, Liberal M.P. (1906-10) and Conservative M.P. (1912-22). Rees was a confirmed opponent of Sri Aurobindo. In his remarks in the House of Commons on 5 August 1909 he asserted that although deporting without trial was autocratic, the Government should deport Sri Aurobindo as he commanded great sway over the student population. In 1910 he twice spoke in the House in favour of the sedition proceedings that had been instituted against Sri Aurobindo. (A & R, XV: 82, 116)  1:373 XV: 62-63 Reformation, The the religious revolution that took place in the Western Christian Church in the 16th century. Its greatest leaders were Martin Luther and John Calvin. Having far-reaching political, economic, and social effects, the Reformation became the basis of Protestantism, one of the three major branches of Christianity. (Enc. Br.)  15:15, 92, 168, 354 16:322

Reformer See (Indian) Social Reformer

Reich* The German Empire of 1871-1918 was often called the Second Reich (empire) to indicate its descent from the medieval

empire; on the same reasoning Adolf Hitler referred to Nazi Germany as the Third Reich.’(Enc. Br.)  15:420

Reich2 manager (c. 1909) of the jute factory at Nakail in Bengal. (A)  4:247-48

(Reign of) Terror, The or "The Terror", that period of the first French Revolution from March (according to other views, June or September) 1793 to July 1794, when the ruling faction ruthlessly executed persons of both sexes and all ages and conditions whom they regarded as dangerous. It was terminated by the fall of Robespierre. (Ox. Comp.; Enc. Br.)  1:44, 604 15:326, 510 17:381

Reims or Rheims, cityofMarnedeparte- ment in northeastern France, in Champagne, east-northeast of Paris. (Enc. Br.)  27:466

Reliques Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, a collection of ballads, sonnets, historical songs, and metrical romances published in 1765 by Thomas Percy. In each of the later editions, new matter was added. This work did much to promote the revival of interest in the older English poetry. (Ox. Comp.)  11:18

Renaissance the revival of art and letters, under the influence of classical models, which began in Italy in the 14th century and covered a period of roughly two hundred years in European history. The Renaissance spread from Italy to France, Spain, Ger- many, and northern Europe. The term as used today refers not only to art in its widest sense but to a total change in man’s outlook on life which extended into philosophical, scientific, economic, and technical fields. (O.E.D.; Enc. Br.; Pears, p. J44) Var: Renascence 3:79, 225 5:342 9:60, 63, 95, 100, 537, 546 14:15, 80, 192, 201, 204, 395, 397-98 15:15, 69, 85, 91, 163, 168, 589 16:322 17:195, 318

Renan, Ernest (1823-92), French historian and critic, a scholar of religion, and a great philologist. He was one of the greatest European scholars and thinkers of his day. His best-known work was the Life of Jesus (1863). (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.)  3:263 10:551-52 17:298 27:180-81 X: 146 XVII: 42

Renascence See Renaissance

Renee (Beauregard) a character – a Frenchwoman of the South – in Sri Aurobindo’s story "The Phantom Hour". She is also called Idalie and Renee Idalie Marviranne. 1-1 7:1017-18, 1020-21, 1023-24

Renoneants Indian residents of the French settlements in India who became full French citizens after "renouncing their personal status under the Indian Law". (Remini., p. 72)  27:445

Republic The Republic, the most celebrated of Plato’s dialogues, where justice is discussed by Socrates and others, especially in the context of an ideal state. (Enc. Br.)  3:pre. 15:90 17:245 18:299 XIV:163

Retaliation an unfinished poem by Gold- smith, published in 1774, consisting of a string of humorous and critical epitaphs on David Garrick, Reynolds, Burke, and other friends, in reply to their similar efforts directed against himself. (Ox. Comp.)  : 19

The Return of Moro Giafferi title of a piece of prose fiction mentioned in the Record of Yoga. It was either never written or has been lost. [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov. 1913-Oct. '27]

Reuter Reuters Ltd., news agency, founded by Paul Julius Reuter in England in 1851, later owned and operated as a trust by news- papers in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. (Enc. Br.) 1:205, 447, 565, 574-75 2:233, 286 4:233, 238

Revaty in Hindu mythology, the beautiful daughter of King Raiwata and wife of Balarama. (Dow.) n 7:769

Review The reference is to the English monthly journal Arya, which was a philo- sophical review, 27:455-57, 460-63, 468-70

Review of Reviews a representative British literary magazine founded by W. T. Stead, and published from 1890 to 1936. (H.L.)  2:356

The Revolt of Islam a poem, an immature work, by P. B. Shelley. Its overweighted Spenserian stanzas never attained popularity. The poem was, however, a great favourite with Sri Aurobindo even when he was quite young. It was originally published in December 1817 under the title Laon and Cythna in the form of a history of an ideal revolution in which the mistakes of the French Revolution were avoided. Later withdrawn, it was re-released as The Revolt of Islam in 1818. (A; Col. Enc.; Purani)  9:127

Rg abbreviation of the name of a person, perhaps, RANGASWAMY. 1-1 XXII: 177

Rhadamanthus in Greek legend, a king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. He was rewarded for the exemplary justice he

showed during his life by being made, after his death, one of the three judges of the dead in the lower worlds. (Web.) 5:418

Rhesus in Greek legend, a Thracian ally of Priam in the Trojan War. When Sri Aurobindo’s Ilion opens, he has already been slain. (M.I.)  5:426, 474

Rhine a river, a major waterway of the European continent. It rises in the Alps and, flowing north and west for 820 miles, empties into the North Sea. (Enc. Br.) 15:467 27:347

Rhodes an island off southwest Asia Minor, in the Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese which belong to Greece. Its chief city, on the northeastern coast, is also named Rhodes (Col. Enc.) Der: Rhodian  3:235 6:12

Riach the editor of the Statesman, who was removed in or before 1906. (A)  1:185

Ribhu (rbhu), or rbhuksan, the eldest of the RIBHUS; "the skilful Knower or the Shaper in knowledge". (A)  10:326 11:83

Ribhus in the Rig-veda, human powers who by the work of sacrifice and their brilliant ascension to the high dwelling-place of the Sun have attained to immortality and, be- coming divinities, help mankind to repeat their achievement. They are the three sons of Sudhanvan, a descendant of Angiras, named Ribhu or Ribhukshan, Vibhu or Vibhva, and Vaja. The Ribhus are the artisans of Immortality, the divine craftsmen who shape by the mind Indra’s horses, the Ashwins’ chariot, the weapons of the Gods - all the means of the journey and the battle. (A, 11: 32; Dow; I & G)  4: 22 10: 20, 56, 62, 86, 179, 197, 316, 318, 324, 326-30, 438 11: 32, 34, 466 XXII: 197

Richard’ a character – Duke of Gloucester, afterwards King Richard III – in Shakes- peare’s play Richard III. (Shakes.)  3:186

Richard2 a name mentioned only once in Longfellow’s narrative poem The Courtship of Miles Standish. (P.W.L., p. 286)  5:377

Richard3 See Richard (Lancaster)

Richard II a character (the hero) in Shakespeare’s tragedy King Richard the Second. Historically, Richard II (1367-1400) was king of England from 1377 to 1399. (Shakes.; Col. Enc.)  3:269 X:151

Richard II The Tragedie of Richard the Second, historical play by Shakespeare (first performed 1595/96) on the life and death of the king, but also giving prominence to his adversary Bolingbroke, later King Henry IV. (Enc. Br.)  3:263 X: 146

Richard III chronicle play by Shakespeare (first performed 1592/93), the background of which is the conflict between the rival houses of York and Lancaster known as the Wars of the Roses. The play is dominated by the royal hunchback, Richard, brother of the Yorkist king Edward IV. (Enc. Br.)  3:185

Richard, Madame wife of Paul Richard. See (The) Mother.

Richard, Paul (1874-1967), husband of Mirra Alfassa (later known as the Mother) whom she married in 1910. He had been a fellow seeker, well read in the philosophical and religious literature of the West and the East. In April 1910 he came to Pondicherry to help Paul Bluysen in his attempt to be elected to the French Chamber. Here he met Sri Aurobindo. In March 1914 Richard, accompanied by Mme. Richard, came again, himself seeking election to the Chamber. They remained in Pondicherry until February 1915. During this period Richard was director and one of the editors ofArya. After spending the years of World War I in France and Japan, the Richards returned to Pondicherry in April 1920. In December of the same year Richard left, and spent the rest of his life in various parts of India, France, and America, where he died. He is the author of more than a dozen books. Sri Aurobindo, in his Record of Yoga of 1914, refers to him mostly as "R". (A; Mother-1; Agenda-11)  17:397 27:442-43, 445-50, 452-53, 456, 469, 495 XIX: 43

Richard Abelard a character – Walter’s son and Stephen’s father – in Sri Aurobindo’s story "The Door at Abelard". Richard Lancaster was also called Richard Abelard after his marriage with Isabel Q 7:1026

Richard Feverel The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, a novel (1859) by George Meredith. It was at first banned as prurient by libraries. (Enc. Br.)  9:544

Richard (Lancaster) a character – husband of Isabel – in Sri Aurobindo’s short story "The Door at Abelard". He was made to adopt the family name (Abelard) of his wife. Var: Richard Abelard; Richard Lancaster Abelard  7:1025-29, 1031-46

Richards, the Paul Richard and his wife Mirra Alfassa, later known as the Mother. a’27:495

Richardson, Samuel (1689-1761), early English novelist who explored the dramatic possibilities of the novel by his use of the letter form (the epistolary technique). (Enc. Br.)  9:44, 62, 480 26:256-57

Richelieu Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal et Due de Richelieu (1585-1642), chief minister to King Louis XIII of France. He is among the prime exemplars in European history of the use of power for both ecclesi- astical and secular ends. He was the ac- knowledged architect of France’s hegemony in the 17th century and the secularization of politics during the Thirty Years’ War. (Enc. Br.)  X:113

Richmond a character – Henry, Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry VII – in Shakespeare’s play Richard III. (Shakes.)  3:186

Riddle of the Universe title of the English translation (first published in 1929) done by Joseph McCabe, of a German book (1899) written by Prof. Ernst Haeckel.  12:30

The Riddle of this World extracts from Sri Aurobindo’s letters, first published in book form in 1933. (I & G)  22:32, 99, 175 23:1052 26:108, 134, 371

Rig-veda the first of the four Vedas. Two others, the Yajur and Sama, are merely different arrangements of its hymns for special purposes. The hymns of the Rig-veda are addressed to the deities, at times, to the same deity under different names. To each hymn is prefixed the name of the Rishi to whom it was revealed. The "Samhita" or text of the Rig-veda contains 1017 hymns (or 1028 if the "Balakhilam", VIII – 49 to 59, is included) divided into 10 mandalas or books. In the Record of Yoga, Sri Aurobindo has, at some places, used the abbreviation R.V. or RV. (Dow.) Var: Rig; the Rik(s) Der: Rig Vedic  4: pre., 23, 26, 30, 43-46 9:218 10: 1, 5, 8, 29, 34, 38, 44, 54-56, 63, 74, 77, 113, 122, 126, 128, 138.142, 154, 160, 168, 171, 175, 178, 190-91, 210, 212-13, 215, 223, 233, 237, 281, 287, 294, 298, 303, 314, 3i6, 324, 331, 333, 335. 339, 348-49, 354, 420-21, 546, 554-55 11: 1, 3, 6, 8-9, 14-15, 18-19, 34, 94, 439, 460, 462, 466, 471-72, 476, 478, 480 12: 3, 98, 129, 202. 217-18, 270, 276, 286, 296, 300, 309-10, 321. 329, 368, 385-86, 408, 448, 477-78, 530 13: 192-93, 314, 454 14: 261-62, 275, 277 15: 3, 545 16:263.343, 349 17:278.291, 369, 397 18:1, 13, 15, 59, 99, 112, 117, 142, 188,

198, 217, 235, 240, 252, 262, 271, 285, 365. 482-83, 489, 501, 511, 550, 553, 581, 596 19: 657, 702, 726, 765, 779, 792, 824, 848, 889, 919, 964, 1015 20: 384 21:556 22:9, 69, 103, 235 24:1624 26:126 27: 335, 440 29: 805, 815 I: 18, 32 II: 35 111:51 IV: 145-46, 148 V:35, 68 VI: 150, 169 VII: 39, 42 VIII: 153 IX: 1, 2, 9, 11 X: 178 XIV: 122, 127, 130-31, 159 XV: 4-5, 7, 43-44, 48, 55 XVI: 132-33, 139, 143, 146, 151, 154, 163, 172-73 XVII: 14, 16-17, 24, 28, 31-34, 59, 63 XVIII: 169 XIX: 50 XX: 133-35, 139 XXI: 63

The Riks a "brilliant and astonishing" work on the Veda by T. Paramasiva Aiyar. (A)  10: 27

Riksha name of a patron mentioned in one verse of the Rig-veda (8.68.15). His son has been mentioned elsewhere as Arksa. (V. Index)  11:363, 365

Rimbaud, (Jean-Nicolas-) Arthur (1854-91), French poet and adventurer whose small poetic output, written between his 15th and 20th years, ranks among the highest in French poetry. Its influence on the Symbolist movement is incalculable. (Enc. Br.)  9:445-46

Ripon, Lord Lord George Frederick Samuel Robinson (1827-1909), 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl of Ripon, English statesman who in more than fifty years of public service occu- pied important cabinet posts and served as Viceroy and Governor General of India from 1880 to 1884. (Enc.Br.) Der: Riponism  1:317, 511, 600 2:371 4:190 27:4

Rip Van Winkle the main character in the story of that name by Washington Irving, published in the Sketch Book (1819-20). The story is based on a legend once current in the Catskill mountains about a man who slept for twenty years. (Col. Enc.) l:l31

Rishabha in the Mahabharata, a Rakshasa in the form of a bull, who was slain by Brihadratha. (M.N.)  8:52

Rishabha Vaishwamitra a Vedic sage mentioned in the Aitareya Brahmana as a sonofVisvamitra. (V. Index)  11:133

The Rishi one of the longer poems of Sri Aurobindo, in which King Manu of old seeks knowledge from the Rishi of the North Pole, and an Upanishadic conversation follows between Manu and the Rishi. The Rishi, says Sri Aurobindo, "is poetry as well as spiritual philosophy. "(26:277) (Auro-I)  26:256, 276-77

Risley, Sir Herbert Sir Herbert Hope Risley (1851-1911), an official of the Government of India.’He joined the I.C.S. in 1873. As Census Commissioner, he compiled the census reports of 1901. As Home Secretary (1902-09), he suggested in December 1903 the partition of Bengal, and later, explained its political advantage thus: "Bengal united is a power. Bengal divided will pull several different ways. This is perfectly true and is one of the great merits of the scheme." In 1909 he was appointed Home Minister. He is the author of the well-known books The People of India and Tribes and Castes of Bengal, but gained greater notoriety for his education circular. See next entry. (R.O.H.; Auro-I; H.F.M.I.)  1:78, 327, 400 2:398-400 10:24 XVII: 43

Risley Circular a circular issued in 1907 by Sir Herbert Risley of the Government of India to the local governments in the hope of striking at the very root of the Swadeshi movement. Ostensibly, the object was to protect higher education in India from any connection with politics. (A)  1:357, 359-60, 377-78, 380-81, 399, 405-07, 416, 495, 902 2:229 4:181

Roberts a character – perhaps the maid- servant of the house – in Sri Aurobindo’s story "The Door at Abelard".  7:1034-35, 1038

Robespierre Maximilien-Francois-Marie- Isidore de Robespierre (1758-94), Jacobin leader and one of the leading figures of the French Revolution. After he had been tried and guillotined, there grew up legends concerning him and his ideas. Generally he came to be considered an ambitious demagogue and dictator, though others praised him as an idealistic champion of social revolution. (Enc, Br.; Col. Enc.)  1:604 17:378, 380-82

Robinson, John a common English name used by Sri Aurobindo to denote any person.  16:90, 92

Rockefeller, John D(avison) (1839-1937), U.S. industrialist and philanthropist, founder of the Standard Oil Company, which domi- nated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. As to his philanthropy, his and his son’s benefactions totalled more than $3, 000, 000, 000. His philanthropic enterprises are carried on by the Rockefeller Foundation. (Enc. Br.; Pears) Var: Rockfeller (a misspelling) 12:501 15:609 XVII: 26

Rodin, Auguste (1840-1917), French sculptor who was by the early 20th century revered as the world’s greatest sculptor, a new Michel- angelo. The Mother met him in Paris. (Ene. Br.)  9:548 14:66, 229

Rodogune a character – Parthian princess, daughter of King Phraates of Parthia, captive attendant of Cleopatra – in Sri Aurobindo’s play of the same name, Rodogune.  6:333, 336-38, 342, 353-56, 359-62, 368, 371-87, 389, 392, 396.400, 406, 408-11, 413-14, 418-20, 423-25, 428, 430-31, 435, 438-40, 442-45, 447-49, 451-52, 456-58.463-65

Rodogune a play by Sri Aurobindo. A version written in Baroda around 1905-06 was seized by the police in 1908 and never returned to Sri Aurobindo. Later, in Pondicherry, he began the play again. Obviously, therefore, Sri Aurobindo refers to this later version in the entries of his "Record of Yoga" dated July 20th and November 14th, 1912. It was first published in 1958 in Sri Aurobindo Mandir Annual, and also in book-form. (SABCL, Vol. 6, p. 561)  XX: 134, 144

Rohinie’ in Hindu astronomy, one of the twenty-seven Naksatras; the fourth of the lunar asterisms. Mythologically, daughter of Daksa and the favourite wife of the Moon (Mrigalanchhan). (Dow.)  3:290 7:954, 961, 965 X:177

Rohin(n)ie2 in the Mahabharata, one of the wives of Vasudeva and mother of Bala- rama. (M.N.) 1-1 3:207 8:43, 59 IV: 115

Le Roi s’amuse a play (1832) by Victor Hugo. (Col. Enc.)  3:263 X: 145

Rolland, Remain (1866-1944), French novelist, playwright, essayist, biographer, musicologist and one of the great mystics of contemporary French literature. His novel Jean-Christophe established his reputation in the literary world. He was the recipient of the 1915 Nobel Prize for literature. (Col. Enc.)  9:557 23:616 26:165, 468

Rolleston, Baron Chief Justice of Ireland who heard the Baker’s Case and gave his judgment. (A)  2:181

Remains, Dr. Jules pseudonym ofLouis- Henri-Jean Farigoule (1885-1972), French novelist, dramatist, and poet. He was a founder of the literary movement known as Unanimisme, and author of two internation- ally known works, Knock (a comedy) and the novel cycle Les hommes de bonne volonte. Jules Remains was in the Mother’s opinion almost a rival to Anatole France as regards

perfection of French prose. (Enc. Br.; M.I., Jan.’79)  22:201

Roman Catholic Church the Christian church headed by the Pope (Bishop of Rome). It is characterized by its uniform, highly developed doctrinal and organizational structure that traces its history to the Apostles of Jesus Christ in the 1st century AD. (Web.; Enc. Br.)  9:77 12:54-55 26:339-40

Romanic descended from, inheriting civilization etc. of the Romans; Romance-speaking (Romance is a group of Italic languages of the Indo-European family, also called Romanic). (C.O.D.) [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov.l913-0c(. '27]

Romanoff Romanov, the ruling dynasty of Russia from 1613 until the February Revolution of 1917. The last Romanov was Nicholas II. (Enc. Br.)  2:254 15:356

Rome a historic city, capital of Italy and see of the Pope, whose residence, Vatican City, is a sovereign state within the city of Rome. Rome is also the capital of Latium (a region of central Italy), and of Rome province. It is one of the richest cities in the world in history and art and one of its great cultural, religious, and intellectual centres. (Col. Enc.) Der: Roman  I: 24, 34-36, 55, 148, 215, 236, 287, 379, 412, 455, 505-07, 576, 659, 715, 737, 757, 769, 774-76, 787, 791, 829, 843, 862, 903 2:34, 36, 123, 164, 261, 311, 369, 399 3: 9-11, 70, 110, 225, 227, 295, 320, 359, 447, 480-82 4: 98-99, 143, 148, 238 5: 398, 497, 499-500, 505-06 6:427, 431, 543 7:665, 735, 1014, 1077 9: 32-33, 42, 44, 61-62, 65, 77, 81, 87, 132, 227, 267, 316, 320, 394, 414, 524, 546 10: 24, 555 11: 2-3 12: 54-55, 484, 497-98, 503 13:198 14:25, 45, 63, 80, 82, 103, 121, 148, 176, 187, 328-29, 350, 366-67, 375-77, 402 15: 15, 82, 89-92, 148, 164, 178, 192, 264-65, 268, 281, 284, 287, 289-90, 295-99, 303.318, 320-21, 323, 337-41, 343-44, 346-50, 353-54, 388, 419, 430, 438, 444, 460, 473, 484-85, 496, 501, 523, 535, 537-38, 553, 564 16:219, 309, 322-23 17:163, 195, 278, 294, 296, 303, 317, 377, 387 19: 1051 22: 185, 410, 416, 451, 454, 490 23: 767, 834 26: 156, 204, 238, 262, 361, 446-47 27: 202-04, 248, 280 29: 785, 800 I: 3, 8, 72 II: 7, 15, 28 IV: 159 VI: 155, 198-99 VIII: 173, 176 IX: 28, 33 X: 145 XV: 5, 41 XVI: 134, 141, 164-65, 172, 181

Romeo the hero of Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. The play deals with youthful lovers whose families are implacable enemies. The lovers are married secretly in the cell of Friar Laurence. Romeo is

banished. In desperation Juliet, who is about to be married against her will, takes a sleeping potion given her by the friar to bring on a semblance of death. Romeo, hearing of her death before the friar’s explanation reaches him, returns and drinks poison at Juliet’s tomb. When she wakes up a few moments later to find him dead, she stabs herself. (R. Enc.)  3:21 VII: 49

Romesh (Chandra) See Dutt, Romesh (Chandra)

Roncedas a character – a courtier – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Maid in the Mill.  7:821, 825, 836

Roodhra name of an unknown (or imaginary) place in India, among the hills. (A) : 897-98

Rookminnie See Rukminie

Roomunwath (Rumanvat), a character – Captain of Cowsambie’s armies – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Vasavadutta.  6:207, 215-16, 220, 225-26, 236, 243-44, 247, 321-24, 327

Roosevelt, Franklin D(elano) (1882-1945), 32nd President (1933-45) of the United States of America, the only president who was re-elected three times. He died in office. He was an Allied leader during World War II, and through his foreign and domestic policies he expanded the role of the federal government. (Enc. Br.)  15: 419 25: 106

Rooseveltian of Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President (1901-09) of the U.S.A., and writer, explorer, and soldier, who expanded the powers of the presidency and of the federal government on the side of the public interest in conflicts between big business and organised labour. (Enc. Br.)  15: 503 XIII: 47

Rosalind a character (the heroine) – daughter of the banished Duke – in Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It. (Shakes.)  12: 470 27: 207 I: 40

Rosamund Rosamond Clifford (c. 1140- c. 1176), a mistress of Henry II of England, who was known as "Fair Rosamond". A considerable body of legendary material concerning Rosamond was written by the mediaeval chroniclers but it cannot be verified. The best-known stories tell how Queen Eleanor murdered Rosamond by poison, stabbing, or beheading. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.)  3:88

TheRosciad a poem (1761) by Charles Churchill. (Ox. Comp.)  : 19

Rosebery Archibald Philip Primrose (1847-1929), 5th Earl of Rosebery, English statesman, prime minister from 3 March 1894 to 21 June 1895. Faced with a divided cabi- net and a hostile House of Lords, his minis- try achieved nothing of consequence. He retired from politics in 1905 and thereafter ceased to play any major role in public life. (Enc.Br.) I: 438

Rose of God a poem in a new metre by Sri Aurobindo, composed on 31 December 1934. (A) l-l 5: 588 26: 229 29: 728

Rosicmcian (member) of a secret worldwide brotherhood claiming to possess esoteric wisdom handed down from ancient times. Their name derives from the order’s symbol, a combination of a rose and a cross. The teachings of Rosicrucianism combine elements of occultism with a variety of religious beliefs and practices. (Enc. Br.)  XIII: 26, 32-33

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (1828-82), English poet and painter. He displayed rare mastery as a poet and founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, an artistic movement devoted to "truth to nature" and to romanticizing the Middle Ages. (Enc. Br.)  9: 133, 139, 142

Roth Rudolf von Roth (1821-95), German Orientalist and one of the two eminent San- skritists who, with the assistance of many distinguished scholars, compiled the great seven-volumed Sanskrit-German Thesaurus. (Col.Enc.;M.W., p.v)  17:339 XVII: 27′, 41, 46 XVIII: 154

Roubey name of an unknown person. [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov. 1913-Oct. '27]

Rouen a city in northern France, and ancient capital of Normandy, situated on the Seine near its mouth at the English Channel. In 1430, St. Joan of Arc was imprisoned at Rouen in a tower that still stands and now bears her name. Tried and condemned for heresy, she was burnt at the stake by the English in the city on the Place du Vieux- Marchein May 1431. (Col. Enc.; Enc. Br.) D 3: 267 III: 24 X: 149

Roum I.Rome 2. the kingdom or region (later known as Asia Minor), with Constan- tinople as its capital.  7:616, 620, 707, 721, 725

R(o)umania Romania or Rumania, a kingdom, and after World War II a socialist republic, of southeastern Europe, in the Balkan Peninsula. Rumania remained neutral in the first of the Balkan Wars but entered the second war, against Bulgaria, in 1913, and gained South Dobruja. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) Der: Rumanian

15:295.375 XXI: 71,87,100 ‘