MAHALA, traditionally pronounced mahalla, appears in Sikh Scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, as a special term to credit the authorship of the compositions of the Gurus recorded in it. Mahala here refers to the person of the Guru specified by a numeral following it which signifies his position in the

ASAVARI See ASA ASCETICISM, derived from the Greek word askesis, connotes the `training` or `exercise` of the body and the mind. Asceticism or ascetic practices belong to the domain of religious culture, and fasts, pilgrimages, ablutions, purificatory rituals, vigils, abstinence from certain foods and drinks, primitive and strange dress, nudity,

KAPUR DEV, BHAI, a prominent masand of the time of Guru Arjan, once expressed his desire to see a model Sikh. The Guru, says Bhai Mani Singh, Sikhdn di Bhagai Mala, asked him to go and see Bhai Samman, who lived at Shahbazpur. When Kapur Dev reached Samman`s house, he

\'Wonderful is the fire which works wonders.\' (Var Asa M. l, p. 464) \'Agni is called Baisantar Devta\' (Var Asa M. l, p. 473). Its other names are Pavak and Tejas. It is an evolute from Air (Paun Devata) and labours hard like him under the Fear of the

KAPUR SINGH, BHAI (d. 1924), one of the martyrs of Jaito, was born around the turn of the century, the son of Bhat Variam Singh Brar and Mat Nand Kaur, a peasant couple of village Land in the present Faridkot district of the Punjab. He took pdhul of the Khalsa

AHALYA On seeing Ahalya, the wife of sage Gautama, Indra, the king of gods was fascinated. He repented in his mind, when he got a thousand marks of vulva on his body.(Prabhati M. l, pp 1343-44) The god Indra wailed and wept, when he received a thousand marks of

KHAGATANA Khagatana (the body of a bird), Meentana (the body of a fish), Mrtgatana (the body of a deer) and Brabatana (the body of a boar), were all emancipated in the company of the saint (Guru). (Malar M. 5, p. 1269) The personage in the body of a bird

CHANDURA (CHANURA) Kansa, Kesi and Chandur were not equalled by anyone. They did not comprehend the Lord, therefore they were dishonoured. (Gauri M. l, p. 225) The Beloved Lord creates a child-like Krishna and through him kills Chandura, Kansa and Kesi. (Sorath M. 4, p. 606) He was a

LAKKHI SHAH OR LAKKHI RAI (d. 1680), son of Godhu Ram, a Yadobansi Rajput of the Barhtia clan, belonged to village of Khairpur in the present Muzaffargarh district of Pakistan. Also described as a banjara or roving trader, he was an affluent man with a permanent residence in Delhi.

DASAMDVAR (Skt. dasamadvara), lit. meaning \'tenth gate\', is a concept in Sikhism which signifies the door to enlightenment and spiritual vision. Dasamdvarm the Hathayogic system is also known as brahmrandhra, moksadvara, mahapatha and madhya marga, the terms frequently used in the esoteric literature of medieval India. It is term

GANGA, MATA (d. 1621), consort of Guru Arjan (1563-1606), Nanak V, was the daughter of Bhai Krishan Chand of the village of Mau, 10 km west of Phillaur in the Punjab. The nuptial ceremonies took place at her village on 19 June 1589. She was the mother of Guru

MAN or mana, from Skt. manas (mind or psyche), is one of the major operational con cepts in Indian thought involved in the process of apprehending facts and reacting to situations and stimuli, as also the cause of bandh (bondage/attachment). `Mind` is the nearest English rendering of `man`, though