Vedanta \va-'dan-t3\ One of the six orthodox systems (darshans) of Indian philosophy and the one that forms the basis of most modem schools of Hinduism. Its three fundamental texts are the Upanishads, the Bhaga- vadgita, and the Brahma Sutras, which are very brief interpretations of the doctrine of the Upanishads. Several schools of Vedanta have developed, differentiated by their conception of the relationship between the self (atman) and the absolute (Brahman). They share beliefs in samsara and the authority of the Vedas as well as the conviction that Brahman is both the material and instrumental cause of the world and that the atman is the agent of its own acts and therefore the recipient of the consequences of action (see karma).
Vedic religion \'va-dik\ or Vedism Ancient religion of India that was contemporary with the composition of the Vedas and was the precursor of Hinduism. The religion of the Indo-European-speaking peoples who entered India c. 1500 bce from the region of present-day Iran, it was a polytheistic system in which Indra was the highest-ranked god. It involved the worship of numerous male divinities connected with the sky and natu¬ ral phenomena. Ceremonies centred on ritual sacrifice of animals and on the use of soma to achieve trancelike states. These ceremonies, simple in the beginning, grew to be so complex that only trained Brahmans could carry them out correctly. Out of Vedism developed the philosophical con¬ cepts of atman and Brahman. The spread (8th-5th century bce) of the related concepts of reincarnation, karma, and release from the cycle of rebirth through meditation rather than sacrifice marked the end of the Vedic period and the rise of Hinduism. The Hindu initiation ceremony, upanayana, is a direct survivor of Vedic tradition.
Veeck \'vek. Bill in full William Louis Veeck (b. Feb. 9, 1914, Hinsdale, Ill., U.S.—d. Jan. 2, 1986, Chicago, Ill.) U.S. baseball-club executive and owner. The son of a sportswriter who was also president of the Chicago Cubs (1919-33), Veeck became co-owner of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers (1941—45) and later the major league Cleve¬ land Indians (1946-48), St. Louis Browns (1949-53), and Chicago White Sox (1959-68; 1976—81). Believing that baseball was a form of enter¬ tainment and should not be treated as a business, he introduced many innovations in promotion, was almost always able to improve a team’s attendance, and usually bettered its performance.
Vega Vva-goV, Lope de in full Lope Felix de Vega Carpio (b.
Nov. 25, 1562, Madrid, Spain—d. Aug. 27, 1635, Madrid) Spanish play¬ wright, the outstanding dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age. After serv¬ ing with the Spanish Armada, he lived in Madrid, serving as secretary to a series of nobles, including the duke of Sessa (from 1605). Called the “Phoenix of Spain,” the phenomenally prolific Vega wrote as many as 1,800 plays, of which 431 survive, and established the comedia (tragi¬ comic social drama), which typified the new Golden Age drama. He wrote two major types of drama, both Spanish in setting: the historical play based on a national legend (e.g., Peribahez and The King, the Greatest Alcalde) and the “cloak-and-sword” drama of contemporary manners and intrigue, which turned on some “point of honour” (e.g.. The Gardener's Dog). He established the comic character, or gracioso, as a commentator on the follies of his social superiors. All Citizens Are Soldiers is his best- known work outside Spain. He also wrote 21 volumes of nondramatic works in verse and prose, including The New Art of Writing Plays (1609).
vegetable In the broadest sense, all plant life and plant products (veg¬ etable matter); in common, narrow usage, the fresh edible portion of her¬ baceous plants (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or fruit), either eaten fresh or prepared in some way. Almost all current vegetables were cultivated in ancient Old or New World civilizations, though some have been greatly modified. Vegetables are good sources of minerals (especially calcium and iron), vitamins (especially A and C), and dietary fiber. All the amino acids needed to synthesize protein are available in vegetables. Fresh vegetables quickly age and spoil, but their storage life can be extended by such pres¬ ervation methods as dehydration, canning, freezing, fermenting, and pick- ling.
vegetable oyster See salsify
vegetarianism Theory or practice of eating only plants. The vegetar¬ ian diet includes grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts; it excludes meat, poultry, and fish, but some vegetarians eat dairy products (lactovegetar- ians), egg products (ovovegetarians), or both (ovolactovegetarians). Those who eat no animal products (including honey) are called vegans. Moti¬ vations vary and include ethics (both unwillingness to kill animals and abhorrence of modern methods of raising animals for meat), self-denial or religious taboo, ecology (including concern about the wastefulness and environmental costs of beef farming), and health. Vegetarians point to the many health benefits of their diet, including low rates of heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and obesity. While obtaining sufficient protein is seldom a problem in affluent societies, vegetarians must be careful to consume enough iron and, especially for vegans, calcium and vitamins D and B 12 . The most influential early proponent of vegetarianism was Pythagoras, in the 6th century bc. Many Hindu sects and most Buddhists are vegetarian, and much of the world eats hardly any meat because it is unavailable. The Enlightenment led to a humane concern for animals; in the 19th century Britain became a major centre of vegetarianism, and vegetarian movements soon arose in Germany, the U.S., and other coun¬ tries.
Veii Vve-yi, 'va-ye\ Ancient Etruscan town. It was located about 10 mi (16 km) northwest of Rome, near modem Veio. An important city of the Etruscan confederation and the foremost 6th-century producer of Etrus¬ can terra-cotta sculptures, it had hegemony over Rome in the 7th-6th centuries bc. A subsequent series of wars ended in its destruction by Rome in 396 bc after a 10-year siege. Under Augustus it was made a municip- ium, and up to the 3rd century ad it continued as a religious centre.
vein Vessel that carries blood to the heart. Except for the pulmonary veins, veins bear deoxygenated blood from capillaries, which converge into threadlike venules and then veins, finally emptying into the venae cavae (see cardiovascular system; vena cava). Blood moves through veins by contraction of the surrounding muscles. Backflow is prevented by valves in most veins’ inner layer (tunica intima), which lacks the elastic mem¬ brane lining of arteries. The thin middle layer (tunica media) is mostly collagen fibres, and the thick outer layer (tunica adventitia) is mostly connective tissue. See also circulation; varicose vein.
Velasco \ba-'las-ko\ (Alvarado), Juan (b. June 16, 1910, Piura, Peru—d. Dec. 24, 1977, Lima) President of Peru (1968-75). Commander in chief of the army, he came to power by overthrowing Pres. Fernando Belaunde Terry. His government was unusual among military regimes for its reformist and populist character. He nationalized transportation, com¬ munications, and electric power and converted millions of acres of pri¬ vate farms into workers’ cooperatives. He defied the U.S. in nationalizing U.S.-owned oil fields and capturing and fining U.S. boats fishing within Peru’s 200-mi (322-km) coastal limit. He was deposed in 1975 because of discontent with his restrictions on political participation.
Velasco Ibarra \ba-Tas-ko-e-'bar-ra\, Jose (Maria) (b. March 19, 1893, Quito, Ecua.—d. March 30, 1979, Quito) Five-time president of Ecuador. Born into a wealthy family, he was first elected to the presi¬ dency in 1933. In response to Congress’s lack of support for his land reform program, he assumed dictatorial powers, imprisoning opposition leaders and censoring the press. Deposed by the army and forced into exile, he returned to the presidency in 1944, but his repressive policies alienated his liberal followers and again he was forced into exile. He returned and was elected three more times before his death in 1979, only once (1952-56) being permitted to serve out a full term.