Kalakesa, Kāḷakesa, Kala-kesa: 2 definitions

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Kalakesa means something in Buddhism, Pali. 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.

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Pali-English dictionary

[«previous next»] — Kalakesa in Pali glossary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

kāḷakesa : (adj.) black-haired, i.e. young.

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

Kāḷa-kesa (adj.) with glossy or shiny hair, by itself (kāḷa-kesa) rare, e.g. at J. VI, 578; usually in cpd. susukāḷa-kesa “having an over-abundance of brilliant hair” said of Gotama. This was afterwards applied figuratively in the description of his parting from home, rising to a new life, as it were, possessed of the full strength and vigour of his manhood (as the rising Sun). Cp. the Shamash-Saga, which attributes to the Sun a wealth of shiny, glossy (=polished, dark) hair (=rays), and kāḷa in this connection is to be interpreted just as kaṇha (q. v.) in similar combinations (e.g. as Kṛṣṇa Hṛṣīkesa or Kesavā). On this feature of the Sun-god and various expressions of it see ample material in Palmer, The Samson Saga pp. 33—46.—The double application of su° does not offer any difficulty, sukāḷa is felt as a simplex in the same way as eu)plokamόs or duh° in combinations like sudubbala PvA. 149, sudullabha VvA. 20. Bdhgh. already interprets the cpd. in this way (DA. I, 284=suṭṭhu-k°, añjana-vaṇṇa k° va hutvā; cp. kaṇh-añjana J. V, 155). Cp. also siniddha-nīla-mudu-kuñcita-keso J. I, 89, and sukaṇhakaṇha J. V, 202. - susukāḷakesa of others than the Buddha: M. II, 66. Modern editors and lexicographers see in susu° the Sk. śiśu young of an animal, cub, overlooking the semantical difficulty involved by taking it as a separate word. This mistake has been applied to the compound at all the passages where it is found, and so we find the reading susu kāḷakeso at M. I, 82=A. II, 22 =J. II, 57; M. I, 163=A. I, 68=S. I, 9, 117; also in Childers’(relying on Burnouf), or even susū k° at S. IV, 111; the only passages showing the right reading susu-k° are D. I, 115, M. I, 463. Konow under susu J. P. T. S. 1909, 212 has both.

Pali book cover
context information

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.

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