The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (270 page)

Asmodeus
or Ashmedai
.

An evil spirit. He first appears in Tobit and subsequently in the
Testament of Solomon
. In folklore he often appears as the butt of jokes and is frequently seen as a kindly spirit and the friend of human beings.

 
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(3rd cent. BCE).
Indian ruler of the Mauryan dynasty who converted to Buddhism and did much to promote the faith, while at the same time allowing freedom of worship to all creeds. He proclaimed his ethical principles throughout his empire by means of
Edicts
inscribed upon rocks, pillars, and walls of caves. From the Edicts it may be seen that the content of A
oka's
Dharma
is essentially that of a lay Buddhist: it consists of ‘Few sins and many good deeds, of kindness, liberality, truthfulness and purity’ (Pillar Edict 2). But no reference is made to the technical aspects of Buddhist doctrine as expounded in the
Four Noble Truths
.

 
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(Skt. ‘non-touching). In Hinduism, keeping apart from the worldly and carnal influences of the world.

 
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rama
,
ram
.

1
A centre (usually Hindu) for religious study and meditation.
2
The four stages of life for a Hindu following the
Vedic
way:
brahmacarya
(receiving instruction),
g
hastha
(householder),
v
naprastha
(forest dweller),
sa
ny
sa
(renouncer).