Amarakosa
  • Ajaneya

    One of the excellent species of the ancient horse-race. In Amarakoṣa (Amarakosha) it is said that Ājāneya (Ajaneya) is one kind of high-quality horses, with remarkably distinctive features. No other horses , than of this type, can become so loyal to the rider. This horse can take the rider comfortably across a long distance– ājāneyaḥ […]

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  • Aryavarta

    The Northern region of Bhāratavarṣa (Bharatavarsha;India) is called Āryāvarta (Aryavarta). It is said in Manusaṁhitā that the  part of the land from the Himālaya(Himalaya) in the north to the Vindhya mountain in the south and between the two seas in the east and west ( the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea)  is Āryāvarta. […]

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  • Eduka

    The eminent lexicon-editor Amarasiṁha (Amarasimha), in the Puravarga (Puravarga) of his Amarakoṣa (Amarakosha), has mentioned eḍūka (eduka), among several types of houses or abodes in a locality– bhittiḥ strī kuḍyameḍūkaṁ sadantaryastakīkasam. The term ‘kīkasa‘ means ‘last remains of the corpse’ or ‘asthi‘ (bone-dust). It is to be understood that the house in which the remains […]

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  • Itihasa – 1

    In Sanskrit, Itihāsa(Itihasa) does not mean ‘History’ as we generally understand it now. The term ‘itiha‘ is an avyaya in Sanskrit, and means the course of tradition coming down through legacy. The location or position or ‘seat’ of such tradition is called itihāsa (itiha + āsa). In Brahmavarga of Amarakoṣa (Amarakosha), the term aitihya derives […]

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  • Rishti

    In the Ṛgveda (Rigveda), Ṛiṣti (Rishti) was mentioned as the name of a sharp weapon- Vāśīmantaḥ ṛṣtimanto maṇīṣiṇaḥ. This concept becomes more clear in the line- He throws the lightening like Ṛiṣti (Rishti)- Ārukmairāyudhā nara ṛṣvā, ṛṣtīrasṛkṣata. In this mantra, Sāyanāchārya gives the meaning of the word Ṛiṣti (Rishti) as ‘āyudha’- ṛṣtīrāyudha (rishtirayudha) as an […]

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  • Urdhvagatma

    Ūrdhvagātmā(Urdhvagatma) is one of the Aṣṭottara Sahasranāma (Ashtottara Sahasranama; Thousand and eight names) of God Śiva (Siva). Nīlakaṇṭha (Nilakantha), the commentator of Mahābhārata (Mahabharata), has explained the meaning of this name as follows — ūrdhvagātmā upādhitrayāduparigata ātmā svarūpaṁ yasya. The term upādhitraya(upadhitraya; three entitlements) may have two connotations. The three guṇas (guna; attribute)– Sattva (Sattwa), […]

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