Anantashayanakshetramahatmya, Anantaśayanakṣetramāhātmya, Anantashayanakshetra-mahatmya: 1 definition

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Anantashayanakshetramahatmya means something in the history of ancient India. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

The Sanskrit term Anantaśayanakṣetramāhātmya can be transliterated into English as Anantasayanaksetramahatmya or Anantashayanakshetramahatmya, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

India history and geography

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Source: Heidelberg: Glory of the Tiruvanantapuram Padmanabhasvami Temple

Anantaśayanakṣetramāhātmya (अनन्तशयनक्षेत्रमाहात्म्य) is the name of a text talking about the Thiruvananthapuram temple.—Several works other than the Purāṇas speak about the glory of the Tiruvanantapuram temple: a Māhātyma named Anantaśayanakṣetramāhātmya, probably composed before the fourteenth century. There are eleven chapters in this māhātmya written in anuṣṭubh metre, and the text professes to be a part of the Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa. The text is in the form of a dialogue between Sūta and the sages and, similarly to other māhātmyas, begins with a prologue. The sages perform a thousand sacrifices and when the morning offerings are over, Śaunaka and other sages gathered there request Sūta to narrate the myth and to explain the origin and importance of Viṣṇu in Anantaśayana-kṣetra (the Tiruvanantapuram temple).

In the first chapter of the Anantaśayanakṣetramāhātmya, after venerating Viṣṇu, Sūta explains the importance of the Tiruvanantapuram temple. The second chapter of the māhātmya describes sage Agastya’s arrival on the banks of the Tāmraparṇī river to help the Devas to restore the balance of the earth. The third chapter of the māhātmya gives additional information about the origin of the temple, while the fourth chapter praises the glory of Padmanābha, the lord of the Tiruvanantapuram temple, incorporating words from different Vedic hymns such as the Puruṣasūkta, the Uttaranārāyaṇa, etc. In the fifth chapter, the penance of Agastya on the banks of the Tāmraparṇī river and Agastya’s vision of Viṣṇu as Padmanābha are described. The sixth chapter of the māhātyma is also in the form of a stuti to Padmanābha. In the seventh chapter, Padmanābha blesses the sage Agastya and asks him to remain on the Malayācala. In the eighth chapter, we see Divākaramuni requesting Viṣṇu to transform his Anantapadmanābha incarnation into a form in which he can be conveniently worshipped. The ninth chapter of the māhātmya is devoted to describing the glory of Narasiṃha. The tenth chapter tells the story of the demon Keśi and his fight with Viṣṇu, while the eleventh describes seventy-two tīrthas around the Padmanābhasvāmi Temple and concludes with a stuti on Padmanābha.

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The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

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