^262:* Pandit Sasadhar Tarkachuramoni was a Sanskrit scholar of great renown and an eloquent preacher of the philosophy and religion of Vedanta. By his powerful speeches he succeeded in checking the materialistic tendency of the Hindu students of Bengal. He also gave rational explanations of the rituals and ceremonies described in the Hindu Scriptures.

^263:* Gayatri is the most sacred and the most universally used of all Vedic prayers among the Hindus. It is a Sanskrit Mantram or formula which means: "Let us meditate on that glorious self-effulgent light of the Divine Sun; may He enlighten our Buddhi or understanding." This is still the daily prayer of all the Hindus of the upper three castes.

^279:* Sankaracharya was the greatest exponent of the Vedanta philosophy in India. He lived about the beginning of the eighth century of the Christian era. His Commentaries on the Upanishads, the Vedanta sutras, and on the Bhagavad Gita have shown the profound depth of his philosophical reasoning, He became a Sannyasin when he was eight years old. He wrote his famous Commentaries in Sanskrit at the age of twelve and finished his literary work when he was sixteen years old. Then for sixteen years he preached monistic Vedanta, and established monastic orders and monasteries in the four corners of India. He finished his glorious and eventful career when he reached the age of thirty-two. He is regarded in India as the Incarnation of Shiva and the embodiment of Divine Wisdom.

^284:* Hrishikesha is a sacred place of pilgrimage on the banks of the holy river Ganges at the foot of the Himalayas.

^288:* Sita, the faithful and devoted wife of Lord Rama Chandra, who is regarded as an Incarnation of God. She was stolen by Ravana, King of Ceylon, who brought her to his capital, Lanka. Hence the war described in the epic Ramayana, which ended with the destruction of Ravana and many of his people.