The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2038 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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Sacred cow
(in Hinduism):
see
GO
.
Sacred Heart
.
The physical heart of Jesus as a subject of Catholic devotion. The devotion has been officially defined only since the 18th cent., though it can be traced back to the mystics of the Middle Ages (e.g.
Bonaventura
) and ultimately to meditation on Jesus' wounds at his crucifixion. The feast is observed on the Friday of the week after
Corpus Christi
.
Sacred rivers, seven
.
Among Hindus, all water is sacred, and rivers especially so; but seven rivers are particularly revered:
Ga
g
(Ganges), Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvat
, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri.
Sacred thread
(rite in Hinduism through which a boy makes the transition to student life, i.e. brahmacarya):
Sacrifice

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