The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2

Svayamsevak
reference to any of the other pramanas,
the means by which human beings can
gain true and accurate knowledge. The
issue about whether these things existed,
and what they were if they did, was a
source of lively disagreement among
Indian thinkers.
Svayambhu
(“self-born”) Epithet of the god Brahma.
This name underscores his role as the
fashioner of the worlds—as the agent
responsible for arranging the cosmos,
he cannot himself be a created being.
According to Hindu mythology, at the
beginning of each cycle of creation
Brahma emerges from the calyx of a
lotus that sprouts from the god Vishnu’s
navel; at the time of cosmic dissolution
he again enters the lotus, and is reabsorbed
into Vishnu’s body. See Brahma.
Svayambhu
(“self-manifested”) Images
Name denoting any image of a Hindu
divinity believed to exist by virtue of
divine self-revelation, rather than by
being made or established by human
hands. These images are believed to be
intensely holy and powerful, and to have
a more pronounced sense of the deity’s
presence. They mark instances where
these deities have revealed themselves
out of grace, in order to become accessible
to their devotees (bhakta), and
they are places where the deities are
believed to be particularly present and
“awake,” and thus more receptive to
requests for favors.
Svayambhu images can be found for
each of the three major Hindu deities.
Images of the Goddess are often natural
rock formations, such as the image of
the goddess Kamakhya, which is a natural
cleft in the rock, or the stone images
of many of the Shiwalik goddesses; they
can take other forms as well, such as the
image of the goddess Jwalamukhi,
which is a burning vent of natural gas.
For the god Vishnu, the best-known
self-manifested form is the shalagram, a
black stone containing the spiralshaped
fossil shell of a prehistoric sea
creature, which is believed to be a symbol
of his discus (chakra). The god
Shiva’s pillar-shaped symbol known as
the linga appears in the widest variety of
self-manifested forms. Many of these
self-manifested lingas are found in natural
rock formations, such as at
Kedarnath; Amarnath, where the linga
appears as a pillar of ice; and the bana
linga, which is a naturally rounded
stone, usually small enough to be easily
portable. Further, in the Hindu religious
groups that stress the subtle body, both
Shiva and the Goddess are believed to
be present within one’s own body. In
some cases for all these deities, carved
images are claimed to be self-manifest
forms; in their usual motif the statue’s
location is revealed to a favored devotee
in a dream. A self-manifested image
is a powerful claim for any site and will
bolster its importance as a place of
divine access.
Svayamsevak
(“volunteer”) Rank-and-file member of
the Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The RSS is a conservative Hindu organization
the express purpose of which is
to provide the leadership cadre for a
revitalized Hindu India; for most of its
history it has characterized its mission
as cultural and character-building
rather than religious or political. The
svayamsevaks are the rank-and-file
members of the local RSS branches
(shakhas), and are thus “foot soldiers”
who make up the organization’s core
membership. The shakhas in any given
area are overseen by a full-time RSS
worker known as a pracharak (“director”),
who serves as a liaison between
the local units and the RSS leadership,
and oversees RSS activity in his area.
The svayamsevak is the lowest level
of RSS membership. Most members do
not advance beyond this rank, since to
do so requires complete commitment to
the RSS and its ideals; those who do,
however, are usually gifted leaders. The
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