Aru Shah and the City of Gold - Roshani Chokshi Page 0,116

But to gods, the word fair is just another word. So they tricked the asuras. The supreme god Vishnu, also known as the preserver, took on the form of Mohini, a beautiful enchantress. The asuras and devas lined up in two rows. While Mohini poured the amrita, the asuras were so mesmerized by her beauty that they didn’t realize that she was giving all the immortality nectar to the gods and not them. Rude! By the way, I have no idea what amrita tastes like. Probably birthday cake.

Apsara (AHP-sah-rah) Apsaras are beautiful heavenly dancers who entertain in the Court of the Heavens. They’re often the wives of heavenly musicians. In Hindu myths, apsaras are usually sent on errands by Lord Indra to break the meditation of sages who are getting a little too powerful. It’s pretty hard to keep meditating when a celestial nymph starts dancing in front of you. And if you scorn her affection (as Arjuna did in the Mahabharata), she might just curse you. Just sayin’.

Aranyani (UH-rahn-YAH-nee) The Hindu goddess of forests and animals, who is married to the god of horsemanship, Revanta.

Ashvin Twins (ASH-vin) The gods of sunrise and sunset, and healing. They are the sons of the sun god, Surya, and fathers of the Pandava twins, Nakula and Sahadeva. They’re considered the doctors of the gods and are often depicted with the faces of horses.

Astra (AH-struh) Supernatural weapons that are usually summoned into battle by a specific chant and are often paired to a specific deity. These days, I’m pretty sure it just means any weapon.

Asura (AH-soo-rah) A sometimes good, sometimes bad race of semidivine beings. They’re most popularly known from the story about the churning of the Ocean of Milk.

Bhishma (BEE-shmah) One of the great warriors of the Mahabharata, who famously took a vow not to wed or sire any children. As the son of the river goddess, Ganga, he was nearly invincible and unmatched in battle. He was the eighth child of Ganga and King Shantanu, his seven brothers having been drowned one by one. Seems dramatic? You have no idea. You see, Bhishma was the reincarnation of one of the eight Vasus, or elemental deities. One day, his brothers saw a really cool-looking cow and stole it. BIG MISTAKE. The sage who owned the cow cursed them to become mortals on earth. Naturally, they were horrified. (Ugh! Cell phone plans? Human politicians? SPARE ME!) One of the Vasus agreed to take the full weight of the punishment and live a whole life on earth as Bhishma. And so when the other seven Vasus were reborn as mortals, they were allowed to escape mortality by dying and being reincarnated. Bhishma was, I guess, saved from drowning but doomed to live? Every tragedy or victory depends on how you look at it.

Brahma (BRUH-mah) The creator god in Hinduism, and part of the triumvirate represented by Lord Vishnu, the preserver, and Lord Shiva, the destroyer.

Brahmastra (BRUH-mah-struh) The most powerful weapon, created by Lord Brahma, god of creation, and capable of destroying the world.

Chhaya (CHAI-yuh) The goddess of shadows and wife of Surya, Lord of the Sun. Chhaya has a rather interesting origin story. Surya’s first wife, Saranyu, could not stand her husband’s heat, so she fled and left her shadow in her place. That shadow was Chhaya, who then had three children of her own with Surya. When he eventually figured out this was his wife’s shadow, he reunited with Saranyu and they all lived together in what I’m sure was an extremely functional, not-awkward-at-all household.

Danda (DAHN-duh) A giant punishing rod that is often considered the symbol of the Dharma Raja, the god of the dead.

Devas (DEH-vahz) The Sanskrit term for the race of gods.

Dharma Raja (DAR-mah RAH-jah) The Lord of Death and Justice, also called Yama, and the father of the oldest Pandava brother, Yudhistira. His mount is a water buffalo.

Goloka (go-LOW-kuh) The realm of cows. Have I ever been able to find said planet? No. Does this upset me? Yes. I am envisioning lots of free ice cream.

Hanuman (HUH-noo-mahn) One of the main figures in the Indian epic the Ramayana, who was known for his devotion to the god king Rama and Rama’s wife, Sita. Hanuman is the son of Vayu, the god of the wind, and Anjana, an apsara. He had lots of mischievous exploits as a kid, including mistaking the sun for a mango and trying to eat it. There are still temples and shrines dedicated to Hanuman, and he’s often