Iccha, Icchā: 24 definitions

Introduction
Image gallery
In Hinduism
Languages
1. Pali
2. Marathi
3. Sanskrit
4. Hindi
5. Prakrit
See also

Introduction:

Iccha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, Hindi. 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.

Alternative spellings of this word include Ichchha.

Images (photo gallery)

In Hinduism

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Śrīmad Devī Bhāgavatam

Icchā (इच्छा, “will”):—One of the names attributed to Devī, as chanted by the Vedas in their hymns, who were at the time incarnated in their personified forms. See the Devī-bhāgavata-purāṇa chapter 5.51-68, called “the narrative of Hayagrīva”.

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

1) Icchā (इच्छा) refers to “desire”, according to Tantric texts such as the Kubjikāmata-tantra, the earliest popular and most authoritative Tantra of the Kubjikā cult.—The form of the goddess is, as one would expect, particularly erotic in Kāmarūpa. There she is ‘made haughty by the enjoyment of passion’ (kāmabhoga-krṭa-āṭopā). Her aroused erotic nature is symbolized by her fluidity; she melts and flows. She is also arousing, causing ‘the three worlds’ to melt and flow by the force of her desire (icchā). Thus, in a mantra she is addressed as ‘she who causes sperm to flow’ (śukradrāviṇī).

2) Icchā (इच्छा) refers to one of the eight Yoginīs (yoginī-aṣṭaka) associated with Kāmākhya (corresponding to the eastern face of Bhairava), according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—[...] The eight Yoginīs (yoginyaṣṭaka): Viśālā, Pārthivā, Yakṣī, Dhūrjaṭī, Viṣabhakṣaṇī, Sarvasiddhipradā, Tuṣṭi, Icchā, Siddhipradāyakī.

3) Icchā (इच्छा) or Icchāśakti refers to the “energy of will” and represents one of the five-fold energy in Kula, according to the Kularatnapañcakāvatāra verse 1.16-23ab.—Accordingly, “Will (icchāśakti—icchā ... śaktiḥ pañcavidhā), knowledge, action and bliss—the fifth—is said to be Kuṇḍalī. That (reality), which has been explained in many ways, is the five-fold energy in Kula. O fair lady, know that (this) Kula teaching is internal and it pervades the entire universe along with the gods, demons and warlocks”.

context information

Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.

Vaisheshika (school of philosophy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Vaiśeṣika

Icchā (इच्छा, “desire”) is one of the seventeen guṇas (‘qualities’), according to the Vaiśeṣika-sūtras. These guṇas are considered as a category of padārtha (“metaphysical correlate”). These padārthas represent everything that exists which can be cognized and named. Together with their subdivisions, they attempt to explain the nature of the universe and the existence of living beings.

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Vaisheshika (वैशेषिक, vaiśeṣika) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. Vaisheshika deals with subjects such as logic, epistemology, philosophy and expounds concepts similar to Buddhism in nature

Nyaya (school of philosophy)

Source: Shodhganga: A study of Nyāya-vaiśeṣika categories

Icchā (इच्छा, “desire”) and Dveṣa (aversion) refers to two of the twenty-four guṇas (qualities) according to Praśastapāda and all the modern works on Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika.—Icchā (desire) and dveṣa (aversion) is also a pair of qualities (guṇa) like sukha and duḥkha. These two are also correlated qualities, but they are not contradictory to each. That means one is not the negation of the other; but both are positive qualities.

Praśastapāda says that icchā (desire) is wishing for something which is not yet obtained, either for the sake of one’s own self or for other. This quality is produced from conjunction of the self and manas, pleasurable feeling and recollection of the pleasurable feelings of the past. It is of different types–

desire for sexual pleasure is known as kāma,
that for food is known as abhilāsa;
desire for enjoyment of pleasurable objects again and again is known as rāga;
that for future deed is known as saṃkalpa;
desire to relieve the pain of others without any selfishness is known as kārunyaṃ;
desire to avoid pleasurable objects as these are false is known as vairāgya;
desire to deceive others is known as upadhā.

There are many more kinds of desire (icchā).

Annaṃbhaṭṭa gives very short definition of icchā and dveṣa. Icchā is longing and dveṣa is irritation. He has not elaborated these definitions. Viśvanātha appears to be a little more elaborate in these respects. In his view craving for painlessness and pleasure is desire (icchā) and it arises from the knowledge of them. Desire is twofold–that relating to the result and that relating to the means. Result is twofold, viz., pleasure and absence of pain. The cause of the desire for the result is the knowledge of the desire. The desire for the means is caused by the knowledge of its conduciveness to what is desirable. According to Viśvanātha, dveṣa, on the other hand, is caused by the notion of producing something repugnant.

context information

Nyaya (न्याय, nyaya) refers to a school of Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. The Nyaya philosophy is known for its theories on logic, methodology and epistemology, however, it is closely related with Vaisheshika in terms of metaphysics.

Ayurveda (science of life)

Toxicology (Study and Treatment of poison)

Source: Shodhganga: Kasyapa Samhita—Text on Visha Chikitsa

Icchā (इच्छा) or Ātapecchā refers to a “desire (for heat)” and is a symptom of a (venemous) bite caused by the Bhṛtaka rats, according to the Kāśyapa Saṃhitā: an ancient Sanskrit text from the Pāñcarātra tradition dealing with both Tantra and Viṣacikitsā—an important topic from Āyurveda which deals with the study of Toxicology (Viṣavidyā or Sarpavidyā).—[Cf. ātapecchā bahumūtraṃ yavāgūḥ pāṭalī ruhā]

Unclassified Ayurveda definitions

Source: gurumukhi.ru: Ayurveda glossary of terms

Icchā (इच्छा):—Refers to desired attributes requisition of what ever is not available with us is desire. Is a spiritual attribute. Desire is produced from pleasure. Derived from the enjoyment of garlands, women etc.

context information

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.

Shaiva philosophy

Source: Google Books: Somananda's Sivadrsti and His Tantric Interlocutors

Icchā (इच्छा) refers to the “(the power of) will”, according to Somānanda’s Śivadṛṣṭi verse 1.26-29.—Accordingly, “If you object by asking how there can be understanding in the absence of the intellect, the intellect being produced from matter and not connected to it, (we reply:) that is the intellect that exists in the aparā condition. By contrast, the subtle, all-pervasive (power of) cognition, which is pure understanding, is eternally Śiva’s natural state. It is not the same as that of the Naiyāyikas and others, because they only contend that material knowledge is a quality of the (individual) self, not of the supreme knower. Of course, the same argument clearly should apply to (the power of) will [i.e., icchā]”.

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Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)

Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions

Icchā (इच्छा) refers to “Śiva’s will”, according to the Guhyasūtra, the largest book of the Niśvāsa-corpus (a collection of early Śaiva Tantras comprising the Niśvāsamukha, Mūlasūtra, Uttarasūtra, Nayasūtra, and Guhyasūtra).—Accordingly, “I am Puruṣatattva and you are Prakṛti and also Niyati; … Maheśvara is Time; you are Māyā and Vidyā, while I am Īśvara-tattva. I, O goddess, am Sadāśiva [and] you are mistress of the 4 kalās. (137–138) Because I rule, I control, I am omniscient, because I am permanently at rest, without division and in equilibrium, I am Śiva. (139) You are my Will (icchā), not to be crossed, for you are the one from whom the power of the śaktis arises! The whole universe has sprung from you; You bestow Śiva-nature, O you of true compassion! (140)”.

context information

Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.

Ganitashastra (Mathematics and Algebra)

Source: archive.org: Hindu Mathematics

Icchā (इच्छा) refers to the “requisition” in Trairāśika (“rule of three”), which represents one of the twenty operations (logistics) of pāṭīgaṇita (“science of calculation which requires the use of writing material—the board”), according to Pṛthudakasvāmī’s commentary on the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta by Brahmagupta, a Sanskrit treatise on ancient Indian mathematics (gaṇita-śāstra) and astronomy from the 7th century.—The Hindu name for the Rule of Three terms is trairāśika (“three terms”, hence “the rule of three terms”).—According to Āryabhaṭa I in the Āryabhaṭīya: “In the Rule of Three, the phala (‘fruit’), being multiplied by the icchā (‘requisition’) is divided by the pramāṇa (‘argument’). The quotient is the fruit corresponding to the icchā. The denominators of one being multiplied with the other give the multiplier (i.e., numerator) and the divisor (i.e., denominator)”.

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Ganitashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, gaṇitaśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science of mathematics, algebra, number theory, arithmetic, etc. Closely allied with astronomy, both were commonly taught and studied in universities, even since the 1st millennium BCE. Ganita-shastra also includes ritualistic math-books such as the Shulba-sutras.

Languages of India and abroad

Pali-English dictionary

Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

iccha : (adj.) (in cpds.), wishing; longing; desirous of. || icchā (f.), desire; wish; longing.

Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Iccha, (-°) (adj.) (the adj. form of icchā) wishing, longing, having desires, only in pāp° having evil desires S.I, 50; II, 156; an° without desires S.I, 61, 204; Sn.707; app° id. Sn.628, 707. (Page 117)

— or —

Icchā, (f.) (fr. icchati, iṣ²) wish, longing, desire D.II, 243; III, 75; S.I, 40 (°dhūpāyito loko), 44 (naraṃ parikassati); A.II, 143; IV, 293 sq.; 325 sq.; V, 40, 42 sq.; Sn.773, 872; Dh.74, 264 (°lobha-samāpanna); Nd¹ 29, 30; Pug.19; Dhs.1059, 1136; Vbh.101, 357, 361, 370; Nett 18, 23, 24; Asl. 363; DhsA.250 (read icchā for issā? See Dhs.trsl. 100); SnA 108; PvA.65, 155; Sdhp.242, 320.

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Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

icchā (इच्छा).—f (S) A wish or desire. 2 That term of the Rule of three which involves the question. The three terms are ādyaṅka, madyāmmaka, antyāṅka; icchāphala is the answer. icchējōgatā According to desire or wish; agreeable, suitable &c.

Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-English

icchā (इच्छा).—f A desire, wish. icchāvān a Hav- ing desire.

context information

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Icchā (इच्छा).—See under इष् (iṣ).

[Sanskrit to German]

Iccha in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Icchā (इच्छा) [Also spelled ichchha]:—(nf) desire, wish; will, animus; -[patra] a will; -[mṛtyu] death at will; —[dabānā] to suppress a wish.

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Prakrit-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary

1) Icchā (इच्छा) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Icchā.

2) Icchā (इच्छा) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Icchā.

3) Icchā (इच्छा) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Ditsā.

context information

Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.

Relevant text

Search found 83 books and stories containing Iccha, Icchā; (plurals include: Icchas, Icchās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Verse 3.9.30 < [Chapter 9 - The Birth of Śrī Girirāja]

Verse 5.10.7 < [Chapter 10 - The Stories of the Washerman, Weaver, and Florist]

Verse 5.15.39 < [Chapter 15 - Seeing Sri Radha]

+ 11 more chapters / show preview

Rig Veda 6.53.6 < [Sukta 53]

Rig Veda 6.47.10 < [Sukta 47]

Rig Veda 10.85.22 < [Sukta 85]

+ 3 more chapters / show preview

Verse 7.37 - The transgressions of Sallekhanā < [Chapter 7 - The Five Vows]

Verse 1.32 - Wrong knowledge is whimsical < [Chapter 1 - Right Faith and Knowledge]

show preview

Shakti: Grace of God < [Chapter 4 - Concept of God]