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Possible definitions for ranatra
Calatrava
Oldest military and religious order in Spain. It was founded in 1158 by two Cistercian monks who proclaimed a holy crusade to defend the city of Calatrava against the Moors. The order had 200,000 members by 1493, when it was incorporated into the crown by Ferdinand II and Isabella I, who deemed that all private armies had outserved their usefulness.
mantra
In Hinduism and Buddhism, a sacred utterance (syllable, word, or verse) believed to possess mystical or spiritual power. Mantras may be spoken aloud or uttered in thought, and they may be either repeated or sounded only once. Most have no apparent verbal meaning, but they are thought to have profound significance and to serve as distillations of spiritual wisdom. Repetition of a mantra can induce a trancelike state and can lead the participant to a higher level of spiritual awareness. Widely used mantras include om in Hinduism and om mani padme hum in Tibetan Buddhism.
Tanagra
Ancient town, Boeotia, E central Greece. First occupied by an Athenian clan, it became the chief town of the E Boeotians, with lands extending to the Gulf of Euboea. It was the scene of the Athenian defeat by the Spartans in 457 BC during the first Peloponnesian War. Finely modeled terra-cotta statuettes, known as Tanagra figures, were made there c.340-150 BC and exported to Mediterranean countries.
tantra
In some Indian religions, a text that deals with esoteric aspects of religious teaching. There is considerable tantric literature and practice in Hinduism, Buddhism, and, to a lesser extent, Jainism. Because tantric practices typically represent teachings of relatively late development and incorporate elements of different traditions, they are often eschewed by orthodox practitioners. In Hinduism, tantras deal with popular aspects of the religion, such as spells, rituals, and symbols. Buddhist tantric literature, believed to date from the 7th cent. or earlier, has reference to numerous practices, some involving sexual activity, that have no basis in canonical literature.
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