-06_Glossary and Index Page 27 to 40.htm

state, and the name is considered synonymous with Utopia. According to certain esoteric traditions, the occult sciences achieved a high level of development in Atlantis. (Col. Enc.) 6:9 17:237 22:1-2

Atlas in Greek mythology, a Titan, son of lapetus and Clymene. After the downfall of the Titans he was condemned to stand at the western end of the earth, bearing the sky on his head and hands. Perseus is said to have changed him into Mt. Atlas because of his inhospitality. (Col. Enc.; M.I.) 5:412, 481, 486 6:174 8:410

Atreid, The See Atrides a 5:475, 480, 482, 484 8:410

Atreus in Greek legend, king of Mycenae. He was son of Pelops and suffered from the curse laid on his father. Atreus brought an even greater curse (see Thyestean) upon himself and his sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus. The working out of this curse provides the plots of many of the Greek tragedies that have come down to us. (Col. Enc.; M.I.) D 5:420, 436, 454 470, 473, 491 16:83 II: 26

Atri a Vedic Rishi, author of many hymns, especially those composed in praise of Agni, Indra, the Ashwins, and the Vishwadevas. The Atris are a family of Vedic sages. Mandala V of the Rig-veda is attributed to this family. "Atri" means literally the "eater" or the "traveller". (10:363) (Dow.;V.Index)4:295:787:100810:55, 135, 139, 146, 152, 183, 185, 204, 276, 280, 349, 354, 363, 474, 479-80, 48811:34, 199, 205, 211, 217, 228, 234-35, 336, 414, 433 14:276 17: 397 11:39 111:31 IV: 117 V:20 XIV: 133

Atridae plural of Atrides, i. e., descendants of Atreus, or the whole house of Atreus, which suffered heavily under the curses laid upon it (see Atreus) 3:265 X: 147

Atrides the Atreid, descendant of ATREUS, particularly Agamemnon, but also Menelaus (the younger Atrides, 5:481), and possibly also the house of Atreus (5:479, 480?). 5:468, 472-73, 479-81, 483-84 8:410

Atris1 See Atri

Atris2 a class of demons;" powers of division and limitation", in particular, "Devourers". (10:43-44) a 10:44 XXII: 183

Atry a character-who became King of Mathura with the help of the Scythians in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Prince of Mathura. 7:891, 893-97

Attic of Athens or of Attica; the Greek

dialect spoken by the Athenians. (C.O.D.) D 1:31, 178 ’17:295-96

Attica a region of ancient Greece, a triangular area at the eastern end of central Greece, around Athens. (Col. Enc.) 5:422

Attila (died 453), King of the Huns (c. 433-53), known in western Europe as the "Scourge of God". The fear Attila inspired in the Roman provincials has been preserved in many accounts of his savagery. (Col. Enc.) 16:203 V:89

Attis a poem by the Roman lyric poet Catullus about a youth who emasculates himself in order to become a priest of Cybele, and then regrets his act. Mythologically, Attis was the consort of the Great Mother of the Gods (classical Cybele). (Enc. W.B.) 27:93

Atui a character a spoilt boy in Sarat Chandra’s novel Nishkriti a 9:466

A.U. See Aitareya Upanishad

Auddalaki Aruni Indian sage, descendant of Uddalaka Aruni. (Aruni is the patronymic normally referring to Uddalaka, son of Aruna Aupavesi.) (V. Index) 12:239

Augustan Connected with the reign of Augustus Caesar, the Augustan Age, lasting from c. 43 BC to AD 18, was one of the most illustrious periods in Latin literary history. By analogy, "Augustan Age" is applied to a "classical" period in the literature of any nation, especially to the 18th century in England and, less frequently, to the 17th century in France. In a narrow sense the term "English Augustan Age" applies to the reign of Queen Anne (1702-14); in a broader sense it is sometimes given to the period of Pope (1688-1744). (Enc. Br.; H.L.) n 9:50, 87, 132 1:9, 14-16 11:13-14, 16

Augustine, St. (354-430), a great saint, bishop of Hippo, and one of the four Latin Fathers of the Christian Church. He was the dominant personality of the Western Church of his time, and is generally recognised as the greatest thinker of Christian antiquity. In Sri Aurobindo’s view, he was a man of God and a great saint, but not a great psychologist or a great thinker. (Enc. Br.; A) 22:321, 323-24 23:553, 609

Augustus (Caesar) (63 BC-AD 14), the first Caesar (Roman Emperor), a grandson of the sister of Julius Caesar. Named at first Gaius Octavius, he became, on adoption by the Julian gens (44 BC) , Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian); Augustus was a title

of honour granted by the senate in 27 BC. He was one of the great administrative geniuses of history. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the establishment of "Pax Romana" (Roman peace), a period of world peace, which may have made pos- sible the civilisation of the Roman Empire. (Col. Enc.) 3:454 9:546 15:296, 343, 436 22:451 25:78 VI: 186, 192

Aulis a place on the east coast of Boeotia having a landlocked harbour. Here the Greek fleet collected before sailing to Troy, and Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphiegenia to the gods to break a calm and allow the ships to depart. (M.I.) a 5:472

Aundh Commission the commission appointed by the Government of India in 1907 to investigate the charge brought against the ruler of the princely state of Aundh (near Poona in the Bombay Presidency) of murdering his Dewan (chief minister), a 1:247

Aurangzeb(e) (1618-1707), the sixth Moghul Emperor (1659-1707) of India, the last of the Great Moghuls. He was a zealous Mahomedan and adopted a policy of intolerance and persecution of the Hindus in order to establish a realm of Islam. (D. I. H.; Col. Enc.) 1:322, 411, 780, 834 3:484 4:147 14:379

Auro(bindo) See Sri Aurobindo

Aurobindo (Ackroyd) Ghose See Ghose, Aurobindo Ackroyd

Aurus (of Ellae) in Sri Aurobindo’s Ilion, a "henchman" ofPenthesilea, apparently one of her runners. (M.I.) 5:516

Aushinarie a character – wife of King Pururavas and daughter of the king of Kashi in Kalidasa’s play Vikramorvasi, translated by Sri Aurobindo. D 3:273-74, 282, 288 7:909, 945-48, 961-66 X: 155-56, 169, 174-75

Austerlitz the Battle of Austerlitz, also called the Battle of the Three Emperors (December 2, 1805). It was the first en- gagement of the War of the Third Coalition and ended in one of Napoleon’s most perfect victories. Defeat forced Austria to make peace with France (Treaty of Pressburg) and kept Prussia temporarily out of the anti-French alliance. (Enc. Br.) n XIII: 27, 44

Austin, Alfred (1835-1913), successor of Lord Alfred Tennyson as poet laureate (an appointment attributed to his flattery of Lord Salisbury), who could write simply in praise of the English and Italian countryside, and who could claim to represent popular feeling, but who lacked the gift of transferring it into true poetry. (Enc. Br.) V: 18

Australasian of Australasia, an indefinite term referring to insular areas in the Pacific Ocean. In a limited sense it applies to Australia and New Zealand and their dependencies. In its widest sense it includes the Malay Archipelago, the Philippines and some other islands. Some authorities have even placed Antarctica in the group. The word is falling out of use. (Enc. Br.) 15:410

Australia island continent of the southern hemisphere, between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. (Enc. Br.) Der:

Australian 1:143, 814-15 2:33-34 15:286, 311, 314, 410, 417, 517, 549 1:2

Austria land-locked federal republic in central Europe. Before World War I it was (with Hungary) an empire and one of the great powers of Europe. (Enc. Br.) Der:

Austrian 1:311, 335, 362, 411, 467, 501, 505, 507, 525, 579, 877 2:248 12:48615:285-86, 288-89, 293, 299, 313, 378, 411-12, 445, 447, 467, 496, 502, 504-05, 512-15, 519, 536 17: 386 26:31 27:347, 466 XX: 147 XXI: 4, 94

Austro-German of Austria and Germany. n 15:288 27:-466

Austro-Hungary the Hapsburg empire from the constitutional compromise of 1867 between Austria and Hungary until its fall in 1918. (Col. Enc.) D 15:410, 513, 550 27:466

Austro-Italian of Austria and Italy. a XXI: 71

Austro-Magyar of Austro-Hungary. See also Magyar(s). a15:286

Auto-de-fe Portuguese word meaning "act of faith", a public ceremony or festival during which the sentences upon those brought before the Spanish Inquisition (16th and 17th centuries) were read out and batches of the so-called "heretics", men and women, were burnt alive on huge pyres in the presence of the king and royal family and ambassadors and thousands of people. (Enc. Br.; G.W.H.) 12:485

Automedon in Greek legend, the son of Diores, and Achilles’ charioteer, driver of the immortal horses Balius and Xanthus. (M.I.) a 5:463-64, 467, 513, 517

A vachuri a gloss or short commentary in Sanskrit (on Kumdrasambha vam). 3:308, 311-12, 315, 317

Avalon, Arthur pseudonym of JOHN WOODROFFE. 17:267-69, 271"

Avanti name of a kingdom and its people in ancient India, corresponding roughly to modern western Malwa (in M.P.). In 600 BC the capital of this kingdom was Mahismati (probably modern Mandhata on the Narmada), but the capital was soon moved to Ujjayini (near modern Ujjain). At the time of the Buddha (563-483 Be), Avanti was one of the four powers of northern India. See also Ujjayini(e). (Enc. Br.; M.W.) Var:

Avanty; Avunthie Der: Avantian; Avunthian 3:193, 213 6:205, 207, 211, 215, 219, 221-22, 225, 229-30, 235-36, 238, 243-45, 247, 249, 252, 256, 300-01, 313, 315, 317, 319, 321-22, 324, 327-28 7:894 XVIII: 136

Avelion or Avalon: in Arthurian legend, a place in the "Isle of the Blessed" of the Celts, a mythical land where King Arthur was conveyed for the healing of his wounds after his final battle. (Ox. Comp.; Enc. Br.) a5:173

Avemus 1. a small circular lake in an extinct volcano west of Naples, Italy, and just west of ancient Cumae. By ancient Greek writers it was fabled to be the entrance to the in- fernal regions, and it was also thought that the Cimmerians of Homer dwelt on the banks of this lake. 2. in Roman mythology, Hades or hell. (Enc. Am.; Web.) VI: 199

Avesta or Zend-Avesta (Pahlavi: avesta = law, zend = commentary), the sacred book of Zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster. It consists of much-corrupted texts with many interpolations written in an old form of Iranian, possibly coeval with the inscriptions of Darius. The voluminous manuscripts of the original are said to have been destroyed when Alexander the Great conquered Persia. The present A vesta was assembled from the remnants and standard- ised under the Sasanian kings (3rd-7th cent. AD). It comprises five books. (Enc. Br.) 10: 470 17: 341 XVI: 166 (Zendavesta)

Avunthie; Avunthian See Avanti

Avvai a celebrated Tamil poetess. Scholars differ widely as to the time when she nourished. Like Andal, the other famous poetess in Tamil literature, she also came into promi- nence after the 6th century AD. (Gaz. II) D 14:321

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

Ayasya a Vedic sage, a descendant of

Arigiras, who appears to be mentioned only in two passages of the Rig-veda, and to whom several hymns of the Rig-veda are ascribed. (V. Index) 10:167-70, 173-74, 176, 183, 187-88, 194, 206 12:389-90 1:32 VIII: 148

Aylmer, Rose daughter of Lord Aylmer, on whom W. S. Landor wrote an elegy entitled Rose Aylmer. She was an early love of Landor’s, but on her mother’s second marriage she was sent out to her aunt at Calcutta, where she died at the age of twenty. (Ox. Comp.) 9:305

Ayodhya one of the seven ancient sacred cities of the Hindus; it was the capital of Ikshwaku, the founder of the Solar race, and afterwards ofDasaratha and Rama. According to traditional history it was the early capital of the kingdom of Kosala. The pres- ent town of Ayodhya, in Fyzabad district (Uttar Pradesh), on the Ghaghara, is considered by Hindus as the same as the mythical capital and is revered by them because of its association with Rama and his father Dasaratha. (Dow.; Enc. Br.) 6:264 8:3-4 IX: 40 XVI: 146

Ayoob in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Viziers ofBassora, a friend or companion of Nureddene. (A) 7:595, 627, 630, 643, 645

Ayus in Hindu mythology, the first-born son of Pururavas by Urvasi; a character in Kalidasa’s play Vikramorvasi, translated by SriAurobindo. (Dow.) a 3:271, 280-81, 284-86 5:217 7: 909, 994, 996-1001, 1004-05, 1007-08 27:152 X: 153, 167, 171-73

Azeem a character – steward of Alfazzal Ibn Sawy – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Viziers ofBassora. 7:561, 632-37, 641-42

Azerbaijan formerly a region in northwestern Iran; subdivided in 1938 to form the Third and Fourth "ostans" (provinces), later Azerbaijan-e Khaveri and Azerbaijan-e Bakhtari (East and West Azerbaijan), with capitals at Tabriz and Rezalyeh respectively. The two provinces are bounded on the north by Aras River, and on the west by Turkey and Iraq. (Enc. Br.) 15:647

Aziz a character – a merchant of Bassora – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Viziers of Bassora. n 7:561, 574, 577, 659, 662, 664

Azrael in the Koran, angel of death, who severs the soul from the body. The name and concept were borrowed from Judaism. (Col. Enc.) 5:276

Aztecs a Nahuati-speaking people who in the 15th and early 16th centuries ruled a large

empire in what is now central and southern Mexico. (Enc.Br.) 15:323

B

B; B. See Bijoy or Bluysen

Baal’ a god worshipped in many ancient Near Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites who apparently considered him a fertility deity and the most important god in their pantheon. Baal was also worshipped by various communities as a local god. The Old Testament speaks frequently of the Baal of a given place or refers to Baalim in the plural, suggesting the evidence of local deities, or "lords" of various locales. (Enc. Br.) 1:124 2:156 7:1085-87 17:257 V:l

Baal2 a proposed character – the Angel of Worldly Wisdom – mentioned in the Dramatis Personae of Sri Aurobindo’s play The Birth of Sin. 7:901

Babel The reference is to the mythological story of the construction of the Tower of Babel, which appears to be an attempt to explain the diversity of human languages. According to Genesis, the Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves by building a mighty city and tower "with its top in the heavens". God disrupted the work by so confusing the language of the workers that they could no longer understand one another. The tower was never completed and the people were dispersed over the face of the earth. (Enc. Br.) 27: 84, 89 29:642

Babylon an ancient city on the EUPHRATES; one of the most famous cities of antiquity; capital of southern Mesopotamia (Babylonia) from the early 2nd millennium to the early 1st millennium BC, and of the Nee-Babylonian (Chaldean) Empire in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, when it was at the height of its splendour. The brilliant colour and luxury of Babylon became legendary from the days of Nebuchadnezzar (d. 562 BC). Its Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The ruins of Babylon still exist near the town of al-Hillah, Iraq. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) a 4:252 5:419, 500, 505 6:20, 72, 82, 87, 198 Babylonia I. the region around the ancient city of BABYLON; 2. the name given to a number of kingdoms and empires of which Babylon was the capital. In 625 BC Nabopo-lassar established what is generally known as the Chaldean or New Babylonian Empire.Under his son", Nebuchadnezzar, the new empire reached its height. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) Der: Babylonian 6:3, 18, 60, 62, 79, 84-85, 87, 94, 100, 113, 184

Bacchae a Sth-century BC tragedy by the Greek poet Euripides, on the Pentheus story. (Enc.Br.) 9:521

Bacchus in Greek and Roman mythology, god of wine, identified with Dionysus. He was also a god of vegetation and fertility, and the protector of vines. (Col. Enc.) Der: Bacchic (adj.); Bacchant(e) (votary of Bacchus) 5:33 16:339 17:113 28:128, 272 29:625, 733, 754 11:5 XV: 20 XVI: 138

Bach, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750), the principal figure of the Baroque Age of European music; he was the most renowned member of a large family of north German musicians. (Enc. Br.) 9:381

Backergunge Bakarganj, 1. a district in Khulna division of Bengal, India (now in Bangladesh). The administrative head- quarters of the district is BARISAL and for this reason the district is sometimes referred to as Barisal (see 1: 357, 475; 2: 57, 91). 2. a town in the district. (A) Var: Backergunje; Bakergunj 1:77, 357, 609-10 2:57, 89-90, 421

Back to Methuselah drama by G. B. Shaw, consisting of five separate plays that expound his conception of creative evolution. The parable progresses from the Garden of Eden to AD 31. The drama was first performed in 1922. (Enc.Br.) [From "Record of Yoga" MSS Nov.l913-0ct. '27]

Bacon, Francis (1561-1626), English lawyer, courtier, statesman, philosopher, and master of the English tongue, who claimed all knowledge as his province and advocated new ways by which men might establish a legitimate command over nature. His Essays (1597) are his best-known writings. (Enc. Br.) a 1:704 9:30

Bacon, Roger (1220-92), Franciscan philosopher and educational reformer. He displayed prodigious energy and zeal in the pursuit of experimental science. (Enc. Br.) XVII: 11

Bactria ancient country lying between the Hindukush mountains and the Amu Darya (Oxus River) in what is now part of Afghanistan and of the Uzbek and Tadzhik Soviet Socialist Republics. It was especially important between c. 600 BC and c. AD 600, serving for much of that time as a meeting place not only for overland trade between East and West but also for the cross-currents of religious and artistic ideas. The capital was Bactra (probably modern Baikh, ancient Vahlika). (Enc. Br.) Der: Bactrian a 3:198 7:991 III: 22

 Badarayan(a) (fl. 4th cent. Be), Indian philosopher; author of the Vedanta Sutras or Brahma Sutras. (Enc. Br.) a VI: 136 VIII: 183 XIV: 120, 133

Bagbazar See Baghbazar

Bagdad Baghdad, foremost city of ancient Mesopotamia and the capital of modern Iraq and of Baghdad muhafazah (province). It is situated on both banks of the Tigris River at the point where the river is closest to the Euphrates. (Enc. Br.) 5:263-64, 271-72, 274-75 7: 561, 597, 634, 639, 655, 665, 671-72, 680, 687, 689, 691, 696-97, 702, 705-06, 711-12, 715, 721, 726, 730

Bagdi a caste of fishermen, palanquin- bearers, and field-labourers in central and western Bengal and Bihar. (Enc. Ind.) 4:268

Bagh region in Central India, near Gwalior. It has some fresco paintings of the Ajanta type and style in some of its cave-temples. (D.I.H.) a 14:240-41

Baghbazar a locality in north Calcutta, on the bank of the Ganga, where a Math of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission once stood. Var: Bagbazar D 2:295, 314 26:56-57, 60, 70 27:53

Bahadur Shah Bahadur Shah I, the seventh Moghul Emperor (1707-12), or Bahadur Shah II, the nineteenth and last Moghul Emperor (1837-58) of Delhi. (D.I.H.) D 111:10

Bahaism the religion founded by Mirza Husain Ali Bahaullah (1817-92), a Persian prophet. Its headship became hereditary after his death. Bahaism is looked upon as a heretical creed by orthodox Muslims. It flourishes in forty countries including India and Pakistan. (D.I.H.) 16:310

Bahuka in an episode of the Mahabharata, the name adopted by King Nala while in disguise as a trainer of horses and accomplished cook at the court of Rtuparna, the kingofAyodhya. (M.N.) 3:154

Baidyanath’ .SeeChatterji, Baidyanath

Baidyanath2 a name of DEOGHAR, Bihar. It is a famous place of Hindu pilgrimage, being the site of a temple dedicated to the deity known as Baidyanath. (Enc. Ind.) 27:420

Baikuntha(nath) See Sen, Baikunthanath

Baital Pachisi’ Betal-Panchvimsati by Isvara Chandra Vidyasagar, the first prose work of Bengali literature, published in 1847. It is based on the Hindi Baital Pachisi, or the Sanskrit Vaitala-Panca-vimsaka by Shiva Das Bhatt. It recounts the 25 tales related to King Vikramaditya by a Baital (Sanskrit:

vetala) haunting the dead body which the king was carrying from the burning ghat on a Sannyasi’s bidding. It also contains the 25 questions put by the Baital and the answers given by the king. (D.I.H.;N.B.A.) 3:95

Baji (Prabhou) See Deshpande, Baji (Prabhou)

Baji Prabhou one of Sri Aurobindo’s longer poems, conceived and written in Bengal during the time of his political activity (1906-10) and first published in Karmayogin (February 19 to March 5, 1910). It is based on the historical incident of the heroic self-sacrifice of Baji Prabhou Deshpande. (A;I&G) 26:12, 264

Bajirao Baji Rao I (died 1740), the second Peshwa or chief minister of the Maratha state of western India from 1720 to 1740, appointed to the office in succession to his father Balaji Vishwanath. He was a great statesman and an able general; he thought of establishing a Hindu empire in place of the Muslim Moghul empire. (Enc. Br.; D.I.H.) D 1:739 4:143, 147

Baka a Vedic Rishi, spoken of as son or brother of Dalbha. a 12:390

Baker, Sir Edward Sir Edward Norman Baker (1857-1913). Financial Secretary to the Government of India, 1902-05; Finance Member of the Council of India, 1905-08; Lt. Governor of Bengal, 1908-11. He was knighted in 1908. (Gilbert, p. 80) 2: 97-101, 112, 115, 137, 139, 141, 159, 189, 204, 306, 341-44, 357 4:180

Bakergunj See Backergunge

Bakhtyar someone in Pondicherry who appears to have been visiting the Ashram now and then, because Sri Aurobindo tried his yogic power on his body to heal his sores. (A) XXI: 14

Bakhtyari one of the great nomad tribes of Iran. Its chiefs are among the greatest tribal leaders in Iran and have long been influencial in Persian politics. In 1905-06 the Bakhtyari chiefs took a leading part in the Persian revolution that led to constitutional reform. (Enc. Br.) a 2:118

Bakunin, Mikhail Aleksandrovich (1814-76), the chief propagator of 19th-century anarchism, a prominent Russian revolutionary agitator, antagonist of Kari Marx, and a vigorous and prolific political writer. (Enc. Br.) 2:14 11:84

Bala: Balabhid SeeVala

Balabhai, Dr. one of the persons who accompanied Sri Aurobindo on a visit to Dal Lake during his Kashmir tour of 1905. (A) IV: 194

Balaki name of a hermit who is also called Gargya, being a son of Garga. He acquired much knowledge and so he became arrogant. Because of this some called him Drpta-balaki. (Pur. Enc.) VIII: 179, 181

Balance or Libra (Latin name), the seventh sign of the zodiac, known as Tula in Hindu astrology. It is represented by a woman (sometimes identified with Astraea, the Roman goddess of justice) holding a balance scale, or by the balance alone. (Enc. Br.) n 17: 257-58, 260

Balaram(a) at times called simply Rama. He was the son of Nanda and Yasodha, who also brought up Krishna as their son. Balarama was of fair complexion (Krishna was very dark). He was armed with a plough and shared many adventures with Krishna, killing a number of Asuras or Rakshasas. His wife’s name was Revati. In some Hindu scriptures Balarama is referred to as one of the ten Avataras (incarnations) of the god Vishnu. Symbolically (3: 452-53), Sri Aurobindo sees Balarama as the second Power of the Chaturvyuha, with force as His manifestation and strength and wrath as His attributes; the Treta Yuga is full of Bala- rama, the Kshatriya. He is identified with Rudra and his Shakti is Mahakali. (Dow.; A; A & R, XXII: 202) a 1:853 3:207, 452-53 4:50 7:769 8:30, 41-42, 45, 59 17:384 22:403-04 27:83 IV: 115 VI: 175 XIX: 54 XXII: 135

Balbharat a nationalist journal (English monthly) published from Madras; a contemporary of BandeMataram. (A) n 1:262

Balbus, Titus name used jocularly by Sri Aurobindo to denote any citizen of ancient Rome. a 22:451

Balfour, Arthur James (1848-1930), British statesman who maintained a position of power in the Conservative Party for 50 years. He was Prime Minister from 1902 to 1905 and Foreign Secretary from 1916 to 1919. (Enc.Br.) 2:195, 300, 393 4:189, 215 XIX: 25

Bali’ in Hindu mythology, a Titan king, ostentatiously large-hearted. Vishnu manifested as the Dwarf Avatar to restrain him. The dwarf craved from Bali the boon of three steps of ground, and, having obtained it, he stepped over heaven and earth in two strides. Then, out of respect for Bali’s kindness and his grandson Prahlada’s virtues, he stopped short, and left to him Patala, the infernal regions. (Dow.) a3:238 5:84 10:336 13:161 27:98-99, 326

Bali2 See Vali.

Balkan Confederacy also known as Balkan League (1912-13): alliance of Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro, which fought the First Balkan War against Turkey. Originally intended to limit increasing Austrian power in the Balkans, the League was formed at the instigation of Bulgaria and Serbia with the aid of Russian diplomacy. During 1912, however, the alliance became more anti-Turkish than anti-Austrian; hoping to expel the Turks from the Balkans, the allies declared war on the Ottoman Empire (October 1912). The League was victorious, but it disintegrated when its members quarrelled over the division of their territorial spoils. This dispute resulted in the Second Balkan War, against Bulgaria, in 1913. (Enc.Br.) n XXI:4, 32, 102

Balkan(s) The Balkan Peninsula is a large and very mountainous region in southeastern Europe. It comprises all of Albania, continental Greece, Bulgaria, European Turkey, most of Yugoslavia, and southeast Rumania. These six countries, successors to the Ottoman Empire, are called the Balkan States or the Balkans. (Col. Enc.) D 1:311 2:248 15:290.294, 328, 356, 367, 502, 505, 513.584, 625 27:466-67 XX: 147 XXI: 4, 32.102 XXII: 131, 174

Balkan War First Balkan War, which began with Montenegro’s declaration of war against the Turks on 8 October 1912 and the en- try of its three allies into the war ten days later. The Balkan states were victorious, and a treaty was signed in London on 30 May 1913. See also Balkan Confederacy. (Enc.Br.) a XXI: 32

Baikh a town in north Afghanistan, on a dried-up tributary of the Amu Darya. A place of historic importance, it is generally agreed to be the ancient Bactra, capital of BACTRIA. As capital of Khorasan under the Abbasids and Samanids, it was a noted centre of learning. (Col. Enc.; Enc. Br.) 5:276

Balkis a character – one of the two sister slave-girls of Ajebe – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Viziers of Bassora. In Arab tradition Balkis was the name of the Queen of Sheba (seeSheban). n 7:561, 574-76, 578, 623, 626-32, 634, 647-52, 655-57, 717-18, 720, 733

Ballad of the White Horse one of the best-known poems of G. K. Chesterton. (Enc. Br.) 9:318

Bally also spelt Bali, an industrial city in Howrah district of Bengal (now West Bengal State), just west of the Hooghly river. (Enc. Br.) 1:185

Balsora very probably a misprint or misreading of Sri Aurobindo’s manuscript for Bassora, which is a form (akin to the Bengali pronunciation) of the word Basra used by Sri Aurobindo in his dramatic romance The Viziers of Bassora. Basra is a city and port of Iraq, once famous as a centre of Arabic culture and commerce, 5:276

Baltic The Baltic Sea is an eastern arm of the Atlantic Ocean, separating the Scandinavian peninsula from the main body of the European landmass. It is the world’s largest body of brackish water. (Enc. Br.) 15:514

Balti.s a character – a Syrian woman – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Perseus the Deliverer. 6:3, 115-17, 124-25, 138, 144, 148

Balzac Honore de Balzac (1799-1850), French novelist, universally recognized as a genius of the novel. He converted what had been styled "romance" into a convincing record of human experience. (Enc. Br.) 9:330, 544 14:200

Bampfylde, Sir See Fuller, Sir Bampfylde

Bana Banabhatta (fl. first half of 7th cent.), court-poet of the Buddhist emperor Harsha (reigned 606-47), famed principally for his chronicle Harshacharita which he wrote c. AD 620. This work is more in the nature of a poem with a historical background than genuine history. Bana’s prose narrative Kddambari is a famous classic of Sanskrit literature. (D. I. H.; Gaz. II) 3:258 14:306

Bande Mataram or Hymn to the Mother, a patriotic song or hymn composed by Bankim Chandra

Chatterji in 1875 and later on incorporated in his novel Anandamath. It is a hymn to the Mother Goddess, but it is really a song addressed to Bengal. In 1905 during the anti-Partition agitation it suddenly sprang into popularity, and was subsequently rec- ognized as the National Song of India. The phrase "Bande Mataram", meaning "I bow to the Mother", is also used as a patriotic slogan. Sri Aurobindo’s translation of the song into English is entitled "Hymn to the Mother". (A) Var: Vande Mataram (the correct form in Sanskrit) 1-1 1:110-11, 238, 456, 481, 663, 666, 669, 701, 793, 894 2:1, 32, 136, 154-55, 360, 431 4:144, 192, 210, 228 8:309, 311-13, 341, 344 17:344, 347 26:15, 32, 241 27:66, 73, 353 29:788 1:1, 5-6 11:3 VI: 125 IX: 1, 2 X:186 XIV: 101

Bande Mataram a nationalist English daily newspaper of Calcutta. It was started in August 1906 under the editorship of Bepin Chandra Pal. Sri Aurobindo became joint editor, and by year-end assumed full control of policy. It ceased publication in October 1908. A weekly edition of the paper was also brought out from June 1907 to September 1908. (I&G) n 1:81, 83, 124, 129, 131, 187, 207, 219, 243, 256, 267, 320, 333, 337, 429, 465, 492, 495-96, 499-500, 505, 518-19, 523, 529, 542-45, 547, 549-54, 557, 574, 580, 600, 626, 652, 805, 907 2:52, 121, 353, 385 4:257, 265, 276, 323 8:61 17:288 26:15, 26-30, 32, 34, 40, 42-45, 56, 59-60, 69, 163, 374 27: pre., 2, 5, 9, 14, 19, 22, 24, 29, 34, 38, 43, 46, 48-50, 52, 56-58, 61-63, 141, 144, 349.461 1:1 IV: 110 V: 100 X:187 XVII: 68 XIX: 29

Bande Mataram1 an English monthly issued from Geneva (Switzerland) and edited by Madame Cama (at that time staying in Paris). The first number, self-described as "a monthly organ of Indian Independence", is dated 10th September 1909. In the beginning the paper appeared to decry the policy of the defunct Bande Mataram’ and denounce its originator and former editor; but later on this policy was reversed. (A; P.T.I.) 2:385 X:186

Bandopadhyaya, Basant Kumar (c. 1883- ? ), a prominent member of the Chandernagore group of revolutionaries, who managed to pass on, in an interview with undertrial prisoners in Alipore Jail, the revolvers that were used for killing Noren Gossain, the approver. (P.T.I.; D.N.B.) 4:171

Bandopadhyaya, Jitendralal An "Extremist" collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, he was one of four persons representing the Nationalist Party on the committee formed at the Hooghly Provincial Conference in 1909 to bring about unity in the Congress. However, known chiefly as a professor, he does not seem to have taken an active part in Begal politics before the Hooghly Conference. (A;

A &R, XIV: 213) 4:191

Banerjea See Banerjee or Banerji

Banerjee, Kali Charan (1847-1907), Nationalist Indian Christian known as Reverend Kalicharan after his conversion in 1863. Famous as a scholar and a speaker, he became one of the founder members of the Congress and a distinguished Congress leader of Bengal. (Enc. Ind.; S.B.C.) 27:36

Banerjee, Pancncowri presumably Panchkadi Banerjee (1866-1923), a journalist, a newspaper-columnist, and a stylist in Bengali prose. He also knew Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, and Persian very well, and was a competent writer in English as well. Panchkadi was connected with many journals and news- papers—Bangafoari, Telegraph (English), Basumati, Sandhya, Hitabadi etc. – as editor or otherwise. (D.N.B.) D VI: 125

Banerji, Aswini Aswini Kumar Banerji (1866-1945). Practising as a barrister at the Calcutta High Court, he took active part in politics, particularly as the leader of mill hands. He is considered as the founder of the Labour movement in Bengal. Bold and strong-willed, Aswini Kumar was always opposed to the loyalists, but he did not believe in Ahimsa or Non-cooperation. (S.B.C.) Var: Aswinicoomar 1:142 2:284 XVII: 64

Banerji, Hemchandra (1838-1903), a well-known Bengali poet, more at home in English literature than in Sanskrit. He translated a couple of Shakespeare’s dramas, imitated Dante, Dryden, Pope, and Shelley. His style went out of fashion, yet he is remembered for his epic poem Vritra Samhara (1875-77) and his shorter poems inspired by patriotism and zeal for social reform. He became famous overnight by composing Bharat Sangeet published in Bhudev Mukherji’s Education Gazette in 1872. (D.N.B.) a 3:80, 101 26:51 VI:143

Banerji, Jatin Jotindra Nath Banerji, afterwards known as Niralamb Swami, (c. 1877-1930), a young Bengali who came to Baroda in 1898/99 for military training. Sri Aurobindo, with the help of Khaserao and Madhavrao Jadhav, got him admitted to the Baroda Army. After two years he resigned, and Sri Aurobindo sent him to Bengal as his lieutenant. But Jatin and BARINDRA could not pull together, and Jatin had to retire from the organisation. (A; P.T.I.; Purani; D.N.B.) 26:23

Banerji, Jitendranath a Bengali writer possessing a good descriptive gift, whose article entitled "Shantiniketane Rabin- dranath" appeared in the journal Suprabhat in 1909. (A) 3:431

Banerji, Satyendranath a Kaviraj (Bengali physician or vaidya) who one day accom- panied Sri Aurobindo on a visit to the Dal Lake during his stay in Kashmir in 1903. "Kobirunjun" is probably his title. (A) IV: 194

Banerji, Shyamakanta a genius of physical strength who also possessed an extraordinary calm, courage, and self-confidence, which further enhanced his physical prowess. Wild and ferocious animals used to crouch at his feet, awed by the current of his dynamic vitality. Later he turned to the life of an ascetic, adopted the name Soham Swami, and dwelt in the Himalayas near Nainital. He composed and published Soham Gita. (C.W.N.;A) 2:174

Banerji, S. K. Sanat K. Banerji (1911-78), an I.C.S. officer, Consul General at Pondi- cherry in 1950 and later an inmate of the Ashram. He was an accomplished scholar of Indian history and world history. He wrote many articles in the Ashram journals. D 26:417

Banerji, Surendranath (1848-1925), a great Moderate leader and editor of the Bengalee, who presided twice over the annual session of the Congress, in 1895 at Poona and in 1902 at Ahmedabad. Later a definite breach occurred between him and the Congress, for "independence" was much beyond his vision. A proponent of autonomy within the British Commonwealth, he was knighted in 1921. (A;D.I.H.;Enc.Br.) a 1:26-28, 111, 136, 146-48, 150, 156, 159-60, 164, 167-68, 171, 174, 181, 184-85, 192-93, 229, 231, 244-45, 250-51, 253-55, 258, 273-74, 276, 282, 312, 321, 329, 349-50, 397, 496, 498, 502, 571, 583-84, 598, 616, 634, 637, 641, 698, 706, 755, 831, 858, 877-78, 892, 896-97, 899 2:33, 44, 46, 54, 121, 158-61, 170, 194, 206, 215, 231, 240, 242, 281, 290-91, 293, 295, 297-98, 305, 309, 329, 332, 335, 365 4:176-77, 179, 184, 187, 189-91, 197, 200, 206, 209-10, 221, 223, 225, 228, 231-32, 238, 243, 287-88, 294 17:368 26:35, 47 27:8, 31-32, 36, 54, 56-57, 62 11:3 XV: 62-63 XXI: 79 (S.N.B.)

Banerji, Upen(dranath) (1879-1950), a revolutionary of Chandernagore (Bengal),

and one of Sri Aurobindo’s associates (sub-editor) on the Bande Mataram staff. A master of Bengali prose, he was also one of the real editors and writers of Yugantar. He helped BARINDRA in recruiting and training suitable boys for the secret society and was in charge of their religious, moral and political education. In the Alipore Bomb Case he was sentenced to transportation for life; but was released after World War I. (A; P.T.I.; A.B.T.; D.N.B.) Var: Bannerji;

Bannerjee a 2:400 4:294, 296 26:42 27:pre., 349 VII: 10, 23

Bangabasi a Bengali journal, probably of Calcutta, which championed the cause of the suspension of grain-export in 1907. G. C. Bose of the Bangabasi College appears to have been connected with it. (A) a 1:224, 416

Bangabasi (School and) College founded c. 1885 by G. C. Bose and Bhupal Chandra Bose, with the former as principal; it was located on Scotts Lane near Sealdah railway station, Calcutta. (A; A & R) 1:415 26: 66 I: 70

Bangadars(h)an Bengali monthly founded in 1872, and published from Calcutta under the editorship of Bankim Chandra Chatto- padhyay; a literary journal and review, it serialized some of Bankim’s later novels. (Cal. Lib.;Enc.Br.) n 3:91 27:353-54

Banga Lakshmi (Cotton) Mill a national enterprise. Byomkesh Chakravarti, along with others of the Indian Association, floated a company in 1906 and established the mill to meet the demand for Swadeshi cloth. (A; D.N.B.-I, p. 248) 1:163 4:204

Baniachang a village or small town in Sylhet district of the former province of Assam. Now it is in Bangladesh. (S.B.C., p. 357) 4:291

Bankim (Chandra) See Chatterjr, Bankim Chandra

Bannerji (or Bannerjee), Upendranath See Banerji, Upendranath

Banquet The Banquet or The Symposium, the title of a dialogue by Plato in which Socrates, Aristophanes, Alcibiades, and others, at the house of the poet Agathon, discuss the nature of love. (Ox. Comp.) 9:546

Bapat Case This refers to the investigation of several serious charges against V. S. Bapat, the Assistant Settlement Commissioner in the Baroda Administration, by a commission which the authorities appointed in 1894 while  the Maharaja was in Europe. (Karandikar, p. 115) a JV: 197

Bappa a character – son of the late Gehelote Prince of Edur, in refuge among the Bheels – in Sri Aurobindo’s play Prince of Edur. 7: 739, 751, 756-59, 762, 764-67, 770-75, 777-79, 786-87, 790-91, 793, 795-96, 798-806, 810, 814

Baptista, Joseph (1864-1930), a well-known barrister of Bombay and one of the leaders ofTilak’s nationalist party. It was through him that, at the end of 1919, the Socialist Democratic Party of Bombay invited Sri Aurobindo to accept the editorship of a paper to be started at Bombay. Sri Aurobindo politely but firmly declined the invitation. (Purani, p. 167; Zach., p. 150) 26:429

Bara Bazar a large and mainly commercial locality of Calcutta, inhabited mostly by Marwaris. n 4:210

Barabbas (probably an Aramaic surname = son of the master), a robber and murderer held in jail at the time of Jesus’ arrest. When Pilate, who annually released a prisoner at Passover, offered to release Jesus, the people demanded his death and the delivery instead, of Barabbas. (Col. Enc.) a 17:117

Baranagar a northern suburb of Calcutta. 26:63

Barbary also known as Barbary States, ormer designation for the coastal region of North Africa, now comprising Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. The name originates from the Berbers, chief and oldest known inhabitants of the region, and was for centuries associated with the coastal pirates who preyed upon Mediterranean shipping. (Enc. Br.) 7: 563 V: 95

Barcelona capital of Barcelona province in northeastern Spain, a major Mediterranean port, and the second largest city of Spain. It was repeatedly bombed during the Spanish Civil War. (Enc. Br.; Col. Enc.) 4:212 5:120

Bard The Bard, a Pindaric ode by Thomas Gray, published in 1757, and based on a tradition current in Wales that Edward I, when he completed the conquest of that country, ordered that all the bards that fell into his hands be put to death. It is a lamentation by a Welsh bard, and a curse pronounced by him and the ghosts of his slaughtered companions on Edward’s race, whose misfortunes are foretold. (Ox. Comp.) II: 14-15

Bardoli a town and small sub-division of Surat district in Bombay Presidency (now in Gujarat state). Mahatma Gandhi at first confined his mass movement to this area when he was appointed (by the Congress at its Ahmedabad session of December 1921) the sole executive authority of the national movement. (A.H.I.; Maj.) 26:439

Barghoves See Bhargavas

Barhadratha ofBRiHADRATH(A)’ 3:191

Barhaspathas a sacred clan of pre-historic antiquity; descendants of Rishi Brhaspati. a 27:158

Barhishad Pitris in Hindu religion, a class of ancestors to whom oblations are offered; the Fathers "seated on the sacrificial grass". (I & G) n 10:180

Ban SeeGhose, Barindra Kumar Band Babu someone, probably of Chandernagore, from whom Sri Aurobindo wanted Motilal to take a loan for him in 1912. (A) a 27:426

Barin(dra) See Ghose, Barindra Kumar

Barisal a town and administrative head- quarters of Bakarganj (see Backergunge) district in Khulna division of Bengal, India (now Bangladesh). The district itself is some- times called Barisal (see 1: 357, 4752:57, 91).(Enc.Br.) 1:111, 134.136, 142, 147, 161, 169, 181, 190, 213, 239, 261-62, 345, 357, 370, 373, 375, 385, 475, 482, 497, 635, 744, 747 2: 57- 58, 62, 88-91, 151, 343 4:229 26:27, 34, 46 27:13.36 11:1-3 XIX: 21

Barmecide the patronymic of a family of princes who ruled at Baghdad, just before Haroun-al-Rashid. It is said in Arabian Nights (in the story of the Barber’s Sixth Brother) that one of these princes put a succession of imaginary dishes before a beggar pretending that they contained a sumptuous repast. The beggar, entering into the spirit of the jest, pretended to be intoxicated by the imaginary wine offered him, and fell upon his entertainer. Hence "Barmecide" is used of one who offers illusory benefits. (Ox. Comp.) 2:292 5:277

Barmeky son of Barmak; in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Viziers of Bassora the term refers to Jaafar, who is at one place (7: 729) called JAAFAR BIN BARMAK. 7:687

Barneville a member of the I.C.S. and subdivisional officer ofJamalpur (Bengal), who was transferred from there in 1907. (A) D 1:440-41

Barnum, Phineas Taylor (1810-91), celebrated American showman who employed innovative forms of presentation and publicity to popularise such amusements as the public museum, the musical concert, and the three-ring circus. (Enc. Br.) 26:377

Baroda formerly a princely state within British India ruled by the Gaekwar family; also its capital city. Baroda is now a part of Gujarat state in the Republic of India; the city, the official spelling of which has recently been changed to Vadodara, is the administrative headquarters of Vadodara district in Gujarat. (Enc. Br.) 2: 7 4:pre., 192, 296 9:561 26:9-15, 19, 23, 25, 27, 29-30, 42, 49-51, 58, 61, 64-66, 69, 81, 268. 353, 357, 373, 506 27:77, 112-17, 125, 197, 420, 423 1:7, 20, 24, 37, 68-72.74-76 11:85, 89 111:84, 86-87 IV: 194, 196, 198 V: 100 XIV: 164-65 XV: 64, 69-70 XVI: 194 XVII: 66-67, 70 XXI:11, 13

Baroda, Gaekwar (or Maharaja) of See Sayajirao

Baroda, Maharani of wife of Sayajirao III, Gaekwar of Baroda from 1875 to 1939. (D.N.B.) 27:413, 415 IV: 193

Baroda College the Gaekwar’s college at Baroda, where Sri Aurobindo served in various capacities – lecturer in French, professor of English, vice-principal, and acting principal – from 1897 to 1906. The college is now incorporated in the Maharaja Sayajirao University; the old college build- ings house the university’s Faculty of Arts. (A)I 3:130 26:10, 31 1:9 XVII: 66

Baroda College Miscellany magazine of the students of Baroda College, with which Sri Aurobindo was associated, 3:130

Barrackpore a town in 24-Parganas district of Presidency division, Bengal (now West Bengal state), just east of the Hooghly River, about 15 miles north of Calcutta. It includes North and South Barrackpore and the central cantonment area. (Enc. Br.) 1:899 2:365

Barrack Room Ballads a collection of poems (1892) by Rudyard Kipling. (Col. Enc.) 9:474, 482

Bartaman Rananiti "The Modern Science of War", a book in Bengali, published by Abinash Chandra Bhattacharya in 1907. It is a remarkable book dealing with the military knowledge of several European nations. (Maj-II;A.B.T.) 1:563

Bartholomew, St. (fl. 1st cent. AD), one of the Twelve Apostles, identified with Nathanael. Nathanael is a given name, Bartholomew a patronymic. Tradition makes North India his

missionary field and Armenia the place where he was flayed to death. (CoI.Enc.) a 1:44

Bartika a Bengali quarterly magazine published from Calcutta by Sri Aurobindo Pathmandir. It was founded in 1957 and is still coming out. (Cal. Lib.) 26:62

Baruipur a sub-division of 24-Parganas district in Presidency division, Bengal (now West Bengal state). D 1:855, 858 3:84, 91

Basanta See Bhattacharjee, Basanta

Basanti Basanti Chakravarty, Sri Aurobindo’s cousin, daughter of Krishna Kumar Mitra. She was the first person to receive a letter written by Sri Aurobindo in Bengali. (Purani, p. 47) 5:29

Bases of Yoga a book (1936) containing extracts from Sri Aurobindo’s letters to disciples arranged under various headings. (I & G) 22:99 25:100 26:108, 371

Basil a character – nephew of Count Beltran – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Maid in the Mill. 7:821, 825, 837, 839-49, 851-55, 857, 862-65, 870-77

Basque the French form (also used in English) of the name of a people who live in both Spain and France in areas bordering the Bay of Biscay and encompassing the western foothills of the Pyrenees. The language of these people, which is unrelated to any other known language, is also called Basque. Quite a large number of Basques now live in emi- grant communities outside Europe, mostly in South America and the U.S.A. (Enc. Br.) 1:38 15:290, 310

Bassora Basra, a city and port of Iraq. In the 8th and 9th centuries AD it was a centre of Arabic literature, poetry, science, com- merce, and finance. (Enc. Br.) 7:561, 563, 565, 567, 575, 580, 586-87, 592, 597-98, 601, 606, 619, 622, 626-27, 630, 632, 643, 656, 664-67, 673, 678, 703-04, 706, 710-12, 719, 723-24, 726-27, 729, 731-32, 734

Basu See Bose

Basumati Bengali weekly journal started in 1896 by Upendranath Mukherji. Later, in 1914, he also founded the Dainik Basumati, a Bengali daily newspaper. (S.B.C., p. 62) a 1:805 .

Basuto the tribe which inhabited a high plateau (Basutoland) in the large mountain region of the

Drakensberg range in the east of South Africa. They were scattered by the raids of the Zulu and Matabele. To resist the advance of the Boers, the Basuto accepted (1838) the protection of Great Britain. (CoI.Enc.) 15:78 XIV: 117

Batis in Greek legend, an Iranian whom Achilles dragged at his chariot wheels. (A) 3:269 12:37 X: 151

Battala probably Batala, a town in Gurdas- pur district, Punjab, well known for its Christian educational institutions and small-scale industries. (Enc. Ind.) 3:426

Baudelaire, Charles Pierre (1821-67), French poet considered above all others of his time the poet of modern civilisation. His aesthetic theories were a source of the Symbolist movement and mark a turning point in the history of poetry. (Enc. Br.) 9:445-46, 510, 542 23:527 26:128, 277

Bauls an order of mendicants of Bengal, known for their unconventional behaviour and for the freedom and spontaneity of their mystical verse. They comprise both Hindus (primarily Vaishyas) and Muslims (generally Sufis). (Enc.Br.) 14:188, 321

Bavaria English conventional form of "Bayern", the largest (in area) of the states of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany); it is located in the southeastern part of the country. Munich is its capital. Formerly, Bavaria was a monarchy. (Enc. Br.) 3:264 X: 147

Baxter, Richard (1615-91), a Presbyterian preacher, son of a Shropshire freeholder. He was known for his Diary. His autobiography was first published in 1696. 9:309

Bayara name of a locality in the city of Dhaka (now in Bangladesh). (A) 4:247

Bayard Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (c. 1474-1524), French military hero, called "Ie chevalier sans peur et sans reproche" (the knight without fear or blame). (Col. Enc.) 1:220-21

Bay of Bengal northern arm of the Indian Ocean, south of West Bengal and Bangla- desh, with Burma on the east and the Indian peninsula on the west. a 10:97

Beachcroft, Sir Charles Porten (1871-1927), member of the Indian Civil Service. Beach- croft was a contemporary of Sri Aurobindo’s at Cambridge, attending Clare College while Sri Aurobindo attended King’s College. Both passed the "Open Competitive Examination for the Civil Service of India" held in 1890. Beachcroft joined the I.C.S. in 1892 and was posted in Bengal. He reached the grade of magistrate and district collector in 1904. Transferred to the judicial side, he became

a district and sessions judge in 1905. It was in this capacity that he again met Sri Aurobindo, who was the chief accused in the Alipore Bomb Trial (1908-09). Beachcroft found several of the accused guilty, but acquitted Sri Aurobindo. Subsequently, he was appointed to the Calcutta High Court Bench as officiating judge in 1912, temporary additional judge in 1914, and finally a per- manent member in 1915. He retired in 1921, and was knighted the next year. (W. W. W.; A & R, XII: 228-29) 2:79, 288 4:285 26: 52 XVII: 73 Beaconsfield, Lord Benjamin Disraeli (1804-81), 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, British statesman and novelist, twice prime minister (1868; 1874-80), and one of the most extra- ordinary figures to reach the pinnacle of British politics. (Enc. Br.) a 3:393, 396

Beadon Square a square in central Calcutta (185, RameshDuttaSt.). (Guide) a 1:408, 539, 555, 855 2:25, 94, 114 VI: 125

Beant Singh, Sirdar a defence pleader in the Rawalpindi trial (1907), who was subjected to all kinds of intimidation. (A) 1:445 Beatrice Beatrice Portinari (1260-90) was a Florentine lady to whom Dante dedicated most of his poetry and almost all his life, from his first sight of her at the age of nine. She is believed to be the Beatrice of Dante’s Divina commedia (The Divine Comedy) and Vita nuova (The New Life). (Col. Enc.; Enc.Br.) 26:303

Beatrice Joanna Beatrice-Joanna, a character – daughter to Vermandero – in the play The Changeling written by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. 3:276 X: 157

Beattie, James (1735-1803), poet and essayist, whose once-popular poem The Minstrel was one of the earliest works of the Romantic movement. (Enc.Br.)

Beau Brummel George Bryan Brummell (1778-1840), a wealthy Englishman who became known as a leader of fashion at the beginning of the 19th century. Called "Beau" Brummell, he was especially notable for the exquisite finery of his clothes. (Col. Enc.; Web.) 14:66

Beautiful White Devil See Vittoria Corombona. 3:306

Bedlam the first asylum for the insane in England. Bedlam was mentioned as a hos- pital in 1330. In 1547 it was handed over to the City of London as a hospital for the insane. It is now officially known as the Bethlehem Royal Hospital, but popularly still called Bedlam. The word Bedlam came to be used generically for all insane asylums and is used colloquially for an uproar. (Enc.Br.) 26:315 IV: 145

Beecham, Sir Thomas (1879-1961), inter- nationally acclaimed English conductor (of orchestra) who

championed the music of Frederick Delius and used his personal fortune for the improvement of orchestral  and operatic performances in England. (Enc.Br.) a 9:482

Beecham’s Pills a patent medicament, popu- lar early in the 20th century, 26: 209

Beelzebub corrupted form of Beelzebul (the Lord of Flies), one of the various names assumed by Satan who became known as the "prince of devils" in post-biblical Judaism and Christianity. (Enc. Br., under "Devil") 1:584 3:48

Bees name given by the Greeks to a constellation near Gemini. (A) a XVII: 47

Beethoven Ludwig van (1770-1827), German musician and composer who ranks as one of the greatest figures in the history of Western music. He was the first major composer of program music and a prototype of the late 19th-century Romantic composers. (Enc. Br.) 9:381, 555, 561 12:42 15:35

Begbie, Harold (1871-1929), English jour- nalist and author. Most of his books are novels with a strong didactic tendency. (Enc. Am.) 14:46-47, 77

Behar; Beharee; Behari See Bihar Bejoy See Bijoy

Belfast capital of northern Ireland, on the river Lagan at its entrance to Belfast Lough (lake). (Enc.Br.) 9:462

Belgium a kingdom (constitutional monarchy) of northwestern Europe with Brussels as its capital. (Enc. Br.) Der:

Belgian 4:212 9:47, 96 15:301, 308, 328, 367, 417, 505 16:200 27:466, 469

Belial a character – the Angel of Reason – in Sri Aurobindo’s play The Birth of Sin. In the Old Testament, Belial is a name used generally as an epithet for an evil or subver- sive person. Later it became synonymous with Satan. (Enc.Br.) 7:901, 904-05

Bell, Beatson Sir Nicholson Dodd Beatson Bell (1867-1936). He entered the I.C.S. in 1896, and served in Bengal and Assam; Chief Commissioner in Assam (1918-21) 1:360

Bellerophon in Greek legend, a hero, orig- inally named Hipponiis, who rode the immortal winged horse PEGASUS and

accomplished warlike feats including the destruction of the Chimaera and the killing of the giant Bellerus. Bellerophon was an ancestor of Sarpedon and a native of Ephyre (identified with Corinth). After completing numerous labours given to him by lobates, the king of Lycia, he was married to the king’s daughter. Thus "Bellerophon’s city", in Ilion, refers to Lycia, where Sarpedon was buried. (Col.Enc.;A;M.I.) 5:426 10:88

Bellerus in Greek legend, a giant off Corn- wall coast in England, who was slain by the hero Bellerophon. a 10:88

Belloc, H. (Joseph-Pierre) Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), French-born poet, historian, and essayist who was among the most ver- satile English writers of the first quarter of the 20th century. (Enc. Br.) n 26:338-40

Bellona in Roman religion, goddess of war. She was associated with Mars. In Sri Aurobindo’s Ilion, it is an epithet of Pen- thesilea. (Col. Enc.; M.I.) 5:514

Belphegor This name of a star brought in by Sri Aurobindo with powerful effect has practically no place in popular astronomy and figured rarely in past literary usage. In Syrian theology, Belphegor was a deity who symbolised the Sun. The Israelites also paid homage to him sometimes. (A-poet) 1-1 5:131 29:537

Belshazzar (died c. 539 Be), coregentof Babylon at whose feast the handwriting he wall. The prophet Daniel, interpreting this, foretold the destruction of the city (539 BC) (Enc.Br.) 1:19

Belton English soldier who commanded the army of Mulai Hamid, the Sultan of Morocco; he resigned his post in protest against the Sultan’s primitive method of treating political prisoners. (A) 1-1 2:216

Beltran Count Beltran, a character – a nobleman – in Sri Aurobindo’ play The Maid in the Mill. 7:821, 825-27, 833-36, 843, 868, 874

Belur Math the headquarters of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission established by Swami Vivekananda in December 1898. It is on the bank of the river Hooghly near Calcutta. Belur is the name of the village in or

near which the Math wasbuilt. (D.N.B.) 26:63

Belvedere a mansion in South Calcutta, formerly the viceregal residence. Presently it houses the Government of India National Library. (Belvedere is an Italian word meaning "beautiful view", an architectural structure built in an elevated position to command a fine view.) (Enc.Br.) 1:490 2:241 4:222

Benares spelling before 1937 of Banaras (Varanasi), a city on the Ganges in eastern U.P. between its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi. Its original name Varanasi, which derives from the names of these streams, has now been restored to the city. Banaras has long been recognised as a seat of Indian culture and religious life. It was the venue of the 1905 session of the Congress. See also Kashi(e). 1:134, 370, 673, 893 2:305 3:181 8:355 12:55 13:282 16: 86 26: 35, 411 (used for Benares Hindu University) 27: 33 I: 20, 22, 70

Benares (Hindu) College See Central Hindu College Bengal region in the northeastern part of the Indian sub-continent, generally corresponding to the area inhabited by the speakers of the Bengali language and now divided between the Indian state of West Bengal and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Bengal proper, Bihar, and Orissa formed a single province of British India between 1765 and 1905. By 1900 it had grown, as the British claimed, too large to handle under a single administration. Accordingly in 1905 it was divided by Lord Curzon despite strong Indian nationalist opposition. Fifteen districts of eastern Bengal were separated and united with Assam to form a new province called "East Bengal & Assam". The capital of this new province was Dacca; its people were mainly Muslims. In 1911 because of con- tinuing protests east and west Bengal were reunited. Assam again became a chief commissionership, and Bihar and Orissa were separated to form a new province. By "five Bengals" (8: 247) Sri Aurobindo means the five divisions of Gauda (earlier Bengal) made by Vallalasena, Gaudesh (the king of Gauda), who ruled from 1159 to 1179, and whose father Vijayasena had brought west and north Bengal under his control. The divisions were: Bagdi, Rarha, Varendra, Banga, and Mithila. (Enc. Br.; D.I.H.) 1:76-78, 86-87, 89, 94, 104, 111-12, 114, 120, 124, 133-37, 140.145-48, 150-51, 153, 156, 159-60, 169, 70, 177, 181, 82, 186, 188, 190, 192-93, 196, 201, 203, 214, 220, 222, 24, 226, 27, 229, 231-32, 238-40, 243, 248, 250-53, 255, 257-58, 261-63, 270, 279,

286-87, 292-94, 303, 311, 316-19, 321-22, 324, 327, 330, 332-34, 338, 343, 345-47, 353, 357-59, 361-62, 366, 369-70, 372, 375, 385, 389-90, 397-99, 402-04, 406-10, 428-30, 432, 438, 453, 456, 459, 462, 472, 475, 477, 482, 484, 491-95, 497, 500, 502-03, 510-11, 522-23, 529-30, 547, 555-57, 563-64, 571, 578-79, 582-87, 591, 593. 599, 616-17, 620, 633, 635, 639, 646, 651-56, 658-59, 661, 663-65, 674, 684-85, 687, 689, 691. 698, 701-02, 715-16, 719, 725-26, 728-29, 734, 741-42, 744-45, 747-48, 752-54, 782-83, 793, 796, 804, 807-09. 815-16, 818, 825, 829, 848, 852-53, 855.857-58, 861, 865, 870, 877-78, 882, 888, 891-92, 907 2:23, 37, 39, 45, 51, 76-77, 86-87, 90-92, 95-98, 100, 103, 112-13, 115, 121, 127, 132-33, 138-39, 141, 144, 149, 155-56, 158, 174-79, 183, 186-87, 189.191, 196-97, 199-200, 204-06, 215, 224, 232, 240, 243-44, 246, 255, 264, 279-80, 290. 294-98. 305-07.309-11, 314-16, 319, 321-23, 329-30, 332, 334-36, 342-43, 345, 347, 350, 360, 367, 370, 375, 377-78, 385, 402, 404, 423-24 3:75, 78-81, 83, 92, 95, 97-102, 191, 193, 214, 327-28, 330, 430, 432, 459 4: pre., 1-3, 60, 139, 143, 147, 154, 158, 175.177-79, 181-86, 189, 191-93, 196-200, 202-04, 207-08, 220, 222-23, 225-26, 228-32, 235, 238.243, 247, 283, 292, 320, 328, 330, 333-34 5:202, 317 8:40, 77, 247, 311, 319, 331 10:35 12:486, 14:9, 198, 237, 264, 317-20, 331, 394, 419, 421-23 15:32, 495 17:212, 251, 277, 301, 334, 345, 347, 354, 358, 371 22:266 24:1523, 1696, 1770 25:369 26:2, 5-6, 11-17, 23-27, 29, 32, 35, 45-46, 48-49, 51, 66, 69, 168, 365, 409-10, 429, 435 27: pre., 6-10, 12-15, 17, 34, 36-37, 39, 41-42, 47, 53-55, 62-65, 67-68, 73, 119-20, 156, 351, 353, 355, 421, 423, 451, 455-57, 467-68, 473-75, 478, 483-87, 489, 491, 493, 497 1:6, 8, 22, 70, 74-76 11:3, 85 111:7, 18, 86 IV: 110 V:l, 17 VI: 125 VII: 1-2, 4, 7-9, 11, 13-14, 16, 19-23 VIII: 121, 125-26, 130- 33, 135 IX: 1, 2 XIV: 101, 103, 106 XVII: 25, 67, 69 XVIII: 190-91 XIX: 26 XXI: 32 XXII: 138, 161

Bengalee English daily newspaper founded in Calcutta in 1862 as a weekly. The founder- editor was Girish Chandra Ghose. During the eventful first decade of this century the principal editor was Surendranath Banerjee, who became also its proprietor and converted it from an insignificant weekly into a successful daily newspaper. The paper wielded a great deal of influence on public opinion up to the first quarter of the century. Dr. Krishna Dhan Ghose, Sri Aurobindo’s father, used to mail copies of this paper to him when he was in England. (Cal. Lib; Purani)1:146-48, 150, 163, 166-67, 171, 17375, 177, 181, 187, 207, 229, 252, 274-76, 287,

312, 319-22, 343, 345, 362, 415, 503-04, 533, 593, 615-16, 621-22, 626, 634-37, 641, 648, 858, 878-79, 896-900 2:’pre., 42-43, 45, 47-48, 67, 70-71, 73, 76, 103-04, 160, 249, 265, 295-97, 314-16, 330, 399 4:183, 196-97, 199, 209-10, 216, 226, 231, 243 26:3 27:25, 27, 39

Bengali’ eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken by more than 80 million persons in Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Two Bengali dialects are significant: Sadhu-bhasa, the literary language, and Calit-bhasa, the colloquial language. Bengali was the first of the Indian languages to de- velop Western secular literary forms, such as fiction, drama, and odes. (Enc. Br.) Var: Bengalee  1:76, 150, 156, 219, 243, 331, 551, 563, 708, 732 2:39, 208, 265, 317, 377, 384, 417, 421 3: 36, 75-76, 78-79, 92, 94-99, 102, 198-99, 270, 292, 303, 426, 430, 469 4: pre., 43, 196, 327 5:27 8:213, 305, 311 9:152, 301, 306-08, 395-97, 401, 405-06, 408, 431-34, 436, 459, 463, 467-68, 543, 545, 10:555, 559 12:55 14:71, 186, 318, 385, 389, 421, 423 17:277, 345, 369, 371 26:5, 10-12, 15, 25, 33-34, 42, 56, 61-62, 206, 233-34, 252-53, 283-84, 287, 290, 306, 325, 327 27:15, 17, 20, 27, 117, 352-54, 421.430, 437, 440, 443, 448, 461, 479, 481-83, 488, 493 1:18, 76 11:87 III: 86 IV: 136, 149, 152-53 VI: 125, 139-41, 143 VII: 1, 6, 11, 18 VIII: 141 X: 142, 152 XIV: 99 XVI: 193 XVII: 66.69 XVIII: 190-91

Bengali2 people of the former province of Bengal (now West Bengal state of India, and Bangladesh), speakers of the Bengali language. They are not a homogeneous ethnic group. The higher-caste Bengalis are akin to the inhabitants of the more western parts of the Ganga valley, while strong traces of Mongoloid and Veddoid elements are found among the lower castes. (Enc. Br.) Var: Bengalee(s) a 1:19, 77, 135, 149-51, 155, 167, 169-70, 189, 220-21, 227, 243, 279, 301, 319, 330, 332, 350, 408-09, 439, 454, 542, 556, 578-79, 634, 646, 654-55, 702, 733, 736, 828, 831, 852, 855-562:39-40.150, 156, 174, 208, 211, 241, 243, 305, 335, 358-62 3:73, 75, 78-79, 81, 84, 95-96, 98-102, 214, 270, 303, 327-28, 421, 426, 432 4:30, 140, 144, 176, 183-85, 196, 202, 204, 207-08, 210, 231, 247, 268, 271, 273-74, 292, 303, 323, 329, 333 8:318, 331, 341 9:401, 405.432, 438 14:71, 320, 422 17:368 22:413 26:14, 23, 46 27: 20, 62-65, 69, 351-52, 354, 452, 475, 488, 493 1:4-5 11:1-2 IV: 194-95 VI: 141 VII: 3, 8, 14, 20-21 VIII: 123, 125, 131-33 IX: 25 XIV: 165 XV: 62-63 XVIII: 190-91 XIX: 24 (Bengali) Ramayana also known as Krittibas’