Pancashat, Pañcāśat: 12 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
1. Shaktism
In Buddhism
1. Tibetan Buddhism
India history
Languages
1. Sanskrit
See also

Introduction:

Pancashat means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, 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 Pañcāśat can be transliterated into English as Pancasat or Pancashat, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Alternative spellings of this word include Panchashat.

In Hinduism

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

1) Pañcāśat (पञ्चाशत्) refers to the “fifty (rays of the energies of the letters)”, according to the second recension of the Yogakhaṇḍa of the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, “In the meantime, once the goddess had crossed over the most excellent Yoga and once the fifth night had passed, she emerged from the middle of the Liṅga. [...] The mass of radiance from (her) garland is associated with the letters (of the Mālinī alphabet) beginning with Na and ending with Pha and, endowed with the fifty rays (of the energies of the letters) [i.e., pañcāśat-kiraṇa], she is marked with a garland of flames, has light brown, dishevelled hair, and loves snakes. [...]”.

2) Pañcāśat (पञ्चाशत्) refers to the “fifty (worlds)”, according to the Śāmbhavakramasūtra verse 4.271cd-276ab.— Accordingly, “Śāmbhava is common to all things (and to all the Kaula traditions sarvasāmānya). [...] Endowed with the sixteen Śāmbhava and adorned with sixteen energies, the Śāmbhava lord resides there. He is the final dawning (of reality) from the west. The Śāmbhava plane is above the fifty worlds (pañcāśat-bhuvana). The Western (tradition) is the Śāmbhava abode, that is the east, the west and the middle one. Everything is the sequence in the form of mantras and is free of (both) duality and non-duality”.

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: MDPI Books: The Ocean of Heroes

Pañcāśat (पञ्चाशत्) refers to “fifty (heads)”.—In the Niṣpannayogāvalī, Saṃvara with four faces and twelve arms wears a garland of fifty (pañcāśat) wet human hairless heads [pañcāśatsārdranaraśiraḥśreṇīkah].

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.

India history and geography

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Indian Epigraphical Glossary

Pañcāśat.—see pannasa, pannāsa, etc. Note: pañcāśat is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.

context information

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.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Pañcāśat (पञ्चाशत्).—f. Fifty.

[Sanskrit to German]

Pancashat 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.

Relevant text

Search found 11 books and stories containing Pancashat, Pañcāśat, Pancasat; (plurals include: Pancashats, Pañcāśats, Pancasats). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Section VII < [Jambukhanda Nirmana Parva]

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Verse 3.9.37 < [Chapter 9 - The Birth of Śrī Girirāja]

Verses 5.21.47-49 < [Chapter 21 - The Story of Śrī Nārada]

Verse 6.10.15 < [Chapter 10 - In the Description of the Gomatī River, the Glories of Cakra-tīrtha]

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Author and his Date

Bibliography

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Verse 139 [Vargapañcaka forms seed for pañcāśat varṇas] < [Chapter 3 - Third Vimarśa]

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Rig Veda 4.16.13 < [Sukta 16]