naivedya: (Sanskrit) Food offered to the Deity at the temple or home altar.

naivedya: (Sanskrit) Food offered to the Deity at the temple or home altar. An important element in puja. See: prasada, puja. nakshatra: (Sanskrit) "Star cluster." Central to astrological determinations, the nakshatras are 27 star-clusters, constellations, which lie along the ecliptic, or path of the sun. An individual's nakshatra, or birth star, is the constellation the moon was aligned with at the time of birth. See: jyotisha.

Nalvar: (Tamil) "Four devout beings." Four renowned saints of the Saiva religion (7th to 9th century): Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikkavasagar--devotional mystics whose lives and teachings helped catalyze a resurgence of Saivism in Tamil Nadu. All but Manikkavasagar are among the Nayanars, 63 saints canonized by Sekkilar in his Periyapuranam (ca 1140).

These four are also known as the Samayacharyas, "teachers of the faith." Their devotional poems are embodied in the Tirumurai, along with the writings of other Nayanars. Numerous South Indian temples celebrate their historic pilgrimages from shrine to shrine where they beseeched the grace of Siva through heartfelt song. Nalvar is a term not to be confused with Alvar, naming certain Vaishnava saints of the same period. See: Alvar, Nayanar, Tirumurai.

namadiksha: (Sanskrit) "Name initiation." Also known as namakarana samskara. See: samskaras of childhood. Namah Sivaya: (Sanskrit) "Adoration (or homage) to Siva." The supreme mantra of Saivism, known as the Panchakshara or "five syllables." Na is the Lord's veiling grace; Ma is the world; Shi is Siva; Va is His revealing grace; Ya is the soul. The letters also represent the physical body: Na the legs, Ma the stomach, Shi the shoulders, Va the mouth and Ya the eyes.

Embodying the essence of Saiva Siddhanta, it is found in the center of the central Veda (the Yajur) of the original three Vedas (Rig, Yajur and Sama). Namastaraya namah shambhave cha mayobhave cha, namah shankaraya cha mayaskaraya cha, namah sivaya cha sivayataraya cha. "Homage to the source of health and to the source of delight. Homage to the maker of health and to the maker of delight. Homage to the Auspicious, and to the more Auspicious" (Krishna Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Samhita 4.5.8).

See: mantra, japa. namakarana: (Sanskrit) "Name giving." See: samskaras of childhood. namaskara: (Sanskrit) "Reverent salutations." Traditional Hindu verbal greeting and mudra where the palms are joined together and held before the heart or raised to the level of the forehead.