4. Special terms used
in Rg Veda
(Codes inside parenthesis are in EUC-JIS
format)
hese are the terms in the Japanese
language used in Rg Veda that are difficult to translate, or that
no appropriate English equivalence can be found. Since these terms
will come up in this FAQ quite often, I will try to explain them as close
to their original meanings as possible. The following list is organized
in alphabetical order:
Bushinshou (Éð¿À¾ )
The closest translation would be "warrior god" or "god of
warfare". Literally, "bu" can mean "military", "shin" is
"god", and "shou" can be something like "general" or
"warrior". A Bushinshou must have good fighting skills, so
that he or she can prevent the invasion of the Mazoku.
Daten (ÂÄÅ·)
Also "the mark of Daten". Emerges as a vertical eye called,
Ten-gan (heaven-eye), placed in the middle of one's forehead. "Da"
means falling, while "ten" means "sky" or "heaven". This mark
of Daten on a person shows that he or she (who has a standing of a
god or a significant individual in "heaven") must have committed
something even more sinful than the demons, and have fallen from
his/her original high standing. Similar to Lucifer in the
biblical aspect.
Forest of Maya
(¸¸ÎϤο¹)
The forest which sealed Ashura for 300 years in the north, near the
Yasha Village. Maya is the representation of illusion, which is one
of the powers of Ashura-Ou.
Hiten (ÈóÅ·)
Anti-god or anti-heaven, the literal translation of Ashura, our main
character. Sometimes also translated as "un-emperor". See also
"Tentei" below.
Hoshimi (À±¸«)
A person who can see/observe the pattern of stars and tell the future
according to the patterns. "Hoshi" means "stars", and "mi" means
"see/observe".
Kekkai (·ë³¦)
Spiritual boundaries that can separate an area into another dimension.
Mazoku (Ëâ²)
The demons or the demon tribes that live beyond the boundaries of Tenkai.
Usually distinguished by their purple eyes.
Miko (¿À½÷)
The closest meaning will be a shrine maiden or priestess. Her
duty in the clan has to do with religious or spiritual issues. A
miko is able to communicate with her god. Her special relationship
with her god enables her to wield special powers bestowed upon by the god.
"Mi" can be translated as "god" in the case of the first kanji, while "ko"
can be a girl/woman.
More info on the duties and qualities of being a Miko, but not necessary
those of our Mikos in Rg Veda:
-
They summon the dead person's soul from the beyond, a.k.a. shinikuchi,
i.e. dead man's mouth. When they summon a living person's soul from far
away, it is called ikikuchi, mouth of a living person.
-
They prophesy success or failure for the clients , the popular term is
kamikuchi, mouth of the god.
-
They expel disease and other evils and practise religious purification.
-
They ask their god the name of the medicine to be used against a particular
illness.
-
They give info concerning lost objects.
-
The candidate is taught for 3-7 yrs by a older miko, after which she is
married to her tutelary god.
(Shamanism by Eliade, Mircea Published
Princeton University Press 1974 second printing)
Shitennou (»ÍÅ·²¦)
The Four Deva Kings, also the four generals (shogun) of the four cardinal
points (north, east, south, west). Shitennou can be directly translated
as "Four Heavenly Kings". They work for the Emperor.
Six Stars (Ï»À±)
Refer to a particular group of Six people who, when gathered together
can bring about the subversion or "break" of the heaven.
Tenkai (Å·³¦)
The heavenly world that is ruled by Tentei. "Ten" means "heaven",
and "kai" means boundary. A place where the gods, people belonging
to god clans, and normal human beings live.
Tentei (Å·Äë)
The Emperor. Literally, it can be translated as "king of heaven"
or the heavenly emperor.
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