Kanishtha, Kaniṣṭha, Kaṇiṣṭha: 20 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
In Buddhism
1. Tibetan Buddhism
Languages
1. Marathi
2. Sanskrit
3. Hindi
4. Kannada
See also

Introduction:

Kanishtha means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, 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.

The Sanskrit terms Kaniṣṭha and Kaṇiṣṭha can be transliterated into English as Kanistha or Kanishtha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Alternative spellings of this word include Kanishth.

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: Wisdom Library: Purāṇas

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ, “inferior”) refers to a classifications of maṇḍapa (halls attached to the temple), according to the Matsya-purāṇa (verses 270.1-30). The Matsyapurāṇa is one of the eighteen major purāṇas dating from the 1st-millennium BCE.

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ) refers to the “yougest” (i.e., sibling), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.2.—Accordingly, as Sanatkumāra said to the three daughters of Svadhā (i.e., Menā, Dhanyā, Kalāvatī) after cursing them:—“[...] O ye three daughters of forefathers (i.e., Kalāvatī), listen with pleasure to my words that will dispel your sorrow and bestow happiness on you. [...] The youngest (i.e., kaniṣṭha) Kalāvatī shall be the wife of the Vaiśya—Vṛṣabhāna. [...]”.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ).—One of the five deva-gaṇas of the 14th epoch of Bhautya Manu. These are the seven sāmas commencing with bṛhat.^*

* Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa IV. 1. 106 & 108; Vāyu-purāṇa 100. 111-2; Viṣṇu-purāṇa III. 2. 43.

context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)

Source: Pure Bhakti: Arcana-dipika - 3rd Edition

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ) refers to the “neophyte stage”, according to the Arcana-dīpikā (manual on deity worship).—Exalted devotees of Śrī Bhagavān have commented on [Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.237] as follows: To become eligible to genuinely enter the chanting of the holy name (nāma-bhajana), the living entity must first be elevated from the kaniṣṭha (neophyte) stage to the madhyama (intermediate) stage, by rendering service to the deity form of the Supreme Lord. The process of deity worship has been mentioned in both the Pañcarātra and the Bhāgavatam.

context information

Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).

Ganitashastra (Mathematics and Algebra)

Source: archive.org: Hindu Mathematics

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ) or Kaniṣṭhapada refers to the “lesser (root)”, according to the principles of Bījagaṇita (“algebra” or ‘science of calculation’), according to Gaṇita-śāstra, ancient Indian mathematics and astronomy.—According to Pṛthūdakasvāmī (860) in his commentary on the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta by Brahmagupta (628): “Here are stated for ordinary use the terms which are well known to people. The number whose square, multiplied by an optional multiplier and then increased or decreased by another optional number, becomes capable of yielding a square-root, is designated by the term the lesser root (kaniṣṭha-pada) or the first root (ādyamūla). [...]”.

Synonyms: Hrasva.

context information

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.

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ) refers to the “(lineage of the) youngest”, according to the Ṭīkā (commentary) on the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, “Now the Lineage of the Youngest (kaniṣṭha-ovallī) will be explained. As (it is said) ‘the past... etc’. ‘The past’ is said to be the knowledge which is cogitation and that is said to be (Unstruck) Sound. It has past thus. [...]”.

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.

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Tibetan Buddhism

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ) is the name of a Tathāgata (Buddha) mentioned as attending the teachings in the 6th century Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa: one of the largest Kriyā Tantras devoted to Mañjuśrī (the Bodhisattva of wisdom) representing an encyclopedia of knowledge primarily concerned with ritualistic elements in Buddhism. The teachings in this text originate from Mañjuśrī and were taught to and by Buddha Śākyamuni in the presence of a large audience (including Kaniṣṭha).

context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ).—a (S) Younger. 2 Inferior (in merit &c.) 3 The least, last, lowest, worst; the third of the three stages uttama, madhyama, kaniṣṭha. 4 Small or little.

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

kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ).—a Younger. Inferior. The least, merciful.

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

Kaṇiṣṭha (कणिष्ठ).—a. The smallest, the most minute.

--- OR ---

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ).—a. (Superl. of alpa or yuvan)

1) The smallest, least.

2) The youngest; पुत्र एषामुतैषां ज्येष्ठ उत वा कनिष्ठः (putra eṣāmutaiṣāṃ jyeṣṭha uta vā kaniṣṭhaḥ) Ṛgveda 1.8.28.

3) Lower.

4) Having the feet downwards.

-ṣṭhaḥ Name of Śiva.

-ṣṭhā 1 The little finger.

2) A kind of heroine.

3) The wife of a younger brother.

4) A younger wife, one married later (than another); पुत्रः कनिष्ठो ज्येष्ठायां कनिष्ठायां च पूर्वजः (putraḥ kaniṣṭho jyeṣṭhāyāṃ kaniṣṭhāyāṃ ca pūrvajaḥ) Manusmṛti 9.122.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ).—mfn.

(-ṣṭhaḥ-ṣṭhā-ṣṭhaṃ) 1. Small, little. 2. Younger, younger born. 3. Young. f.

(-ṣṭhā) The little finger. E. kan to shine, &c. and iṣṭhac affix, or kaṇa small, the ṇa being changed, or kana substituted for yuvan and alpa.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ).—superl. of alpa and yuvan, f. ṣṭhā. 1. Smallest, very small, [Rāmāyaṇa] 3, 51, 7. 2. Youngest, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 9, 113. 3. with and without aṅguli, f. The little finger, [Yājñavalkya, (ed. Stenzler.)] 1, 19.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ).—([superlative]) the smallest, least, lowest, youngest, younger; [feminine] ā the youngest wife, (±anguli) the little finger.

--- OR ---

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ).—([superlative]) the smallest, least, lowest, youngest, younger; [feminine] ā the youngest wife, (±anguli) the little finger.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ):—[from kana] a kaniṣṭha and kaniṣṭha mfn. the youngest, younger born (opposed to jyeṣṭha and vṛddha), [Ṛg-veda iv, 33, 5; Atharva-veda x, 8, 28; Aitareya-brāhmaṇa; Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra] etc.

2) [v.s. ...] the smallest, lowest, least (opposed to bhūyiṣṭha), [Taittirīya-saṃhitā; Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa] etc.

3) [v.s. ...] m. a younger brother, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

4) [v.s. ...] ([scilicet] ghaṭa) the descending bucket of a well, [Kuvalayānanda]

5) [v.s. ...] Name of a class of deities of the fourteenth Manvantara, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa]

6) Kaniṣṭhā (कनिष्ठा):—[from kaniṣṭha > kana] f. (with or without aṅguli) the little finger, [Yājñavalkya i, 19; Rāmāyaṇa; Suśruta]

7) [v.s. ...] a younger wife, one married later (than another), [Manu-smṛti ix, 122]

8) [v.s. ...] an inferior wife, [Vātsyāyana] (cf. kaṇa and kanyā.)

9) Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ):—b etc. See p. 248, col. 3.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ):—[(ṣṭhaḥ-ṣṭhā-ṣṭhaṃ) a.] Small, young, younger. f. (ṣṭhā) The little finger.

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

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Kaṇiṭṭha.

[Sanskrit to German]

Kanishtha 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

Kaniṣṭha (कनिष्ठ) [Also spelled kanishth]:—(a) the youngest, junior most; hence ~[tā] (nf).

context information

...

Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Kaniṣṭha (ಕನಿಷ್ಠ):—[adjective] smallest possible, permissible or reached; that is minimum; ಕನಿಷ್ಠ ಪಕ್ಷ [kanishtha paksha] kaniṣṭha pakṣa at the very lowest figure or amount; at least.

--- OR ---

Kaniṣṭha (ಕನಿಷ್ಠ):—

1) [noun] a man of low grade, status or quality.

2) [noun] a younger brother.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

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