Footnotes

Chapter 1

¹The Injury Chartbook (World Health Organization, 2002.)

Chapter 2

¹Each Purana is about one god, for example, the Shaiva Purana is about Shiva and Vaishnava Purana about Vishnu. The Supreme power and the origin of the world would be credited to whichever deity is extolled in the Purana in question.

Chapter 15

¹In India it is normal for people to cover their heads with their upper garments or shawls when they sit for meditation. This is to keep the vibrations that arise through meditation within themselves.

Chapter 16

¹The Samkhya system of philosophy postulates two realities—Purusha and Prakriti—whereas Vedanta postulates only one reality—the Brahman. Prakriti is only a derivative from the undifferentiated unity of the Brahman and has no existence of its own.

Chapter 17

¹The seven rishis, or sages, are the mind-born sons of Brahma and they are the custodians of the spiritual heritage of the Sanatana Dharma. All Brahmins down to the present day claim to have been born from their lineage. They have created an unbroken line lasting for thousands of years. To this day, a Brahmin will claim that he belongs to the Atri gotra or the Bhrigu gotra, etc. Gotra means “lineage.” Atri and Bhrigu are two of the sages. Different names are given to the seven sages in different manvantaras. But in all lists you find Atri, Angiras, Vasishta, Bhrigu, and Kashyapa. Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Marichi, and Agastya are added in certain lists.

²When she uses this idiom, Mena asks Parvati why she prefers to marry a strange person like Shiva when she could have married any of the other handsome gods.

Chapter 27

¹The story is different in the Shiva Purana, which seeks to portray Shiva as superior to all other gods and goddesses. The Shiva Purana avoids any mention of Shiva being afraid.