Prahasta: 15 definitions
Introduction:
Prahasta means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit. 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.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaPrahasta (प्रहस्त).—A minister of Rāvaṇa. Genealogy. Descending in order from Viṣṇu—Brahmā—Heti—Vidyutkeśa—Sukeśa—Sumālī—Prahasta.
The demon Sukesa got of his wife Devavatī three sons named Mālyavān, Sumālī and Mālī. Of these Sumālī got of his wife Ketumatī ten sons named Prahasta, Akampana, Vikaṭa, Kālakāmukha, Dhūmrākṣa, Daṇḍa, Supārśva, Saṃhrāda, Prakvāta and Bhāsakarṇa and four daughters named Vekā, Puṣpotkaṭā, Kaikasi and Kumbhīnasī. Most of the sons were the ministers of Rāvaṇa. Other details.
(i) Prahasta was the chief minister of Rāvaṇa. (Uttara Rāmāyaṇa).
(ii) In the Rāma-Rāvaṇa battle Prahasta fought against Vibhīṣaṇa and was killed by the latter. (Śloka 4, Chapter 286, Vana Parva). (See full article at Story of Prahasta from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index1a) Prahasta (प्रहस्त).—A Rākṣasa who was killed in the Lankā war.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 10. 18.
1b) A son of Puṣpotkaṭa and Viśravas.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 8. 55; Vāyu-purāṇa 70. 49.
Prahasta (प्रहस्त) is one of the sons of Puṣpotkaṭā and Viśravas, according to one account of Vaṃśa (‘genealogical description’) of the 10th century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various Upapurāṇas depicting Śaivism.—Accordingly, [...] Viśravas was born to [Ilavilā and Pulastya]. Viśravas had four wives—Puṣpotkaṭā, Vākā, Kaikasī and Devavarṇinī. From Puṣpotkaṭā were born three sons—Mahodara, Prahasta, Mahāpārśva and a daughter named Kumbhanakhī.
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.
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraPrahasta (प्रहस्त) is the son of one of the ministers of king Candraprabha, appointed to his son, Sūryaprabha, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 44. Accordingly, as Vajraprabha said to Naravāhanadatta: “... and then, when he [Sūryaprabha] was sixteen years old, and captivated the subjects by his virtues, his father, Candraprabha, appointed him Crown Prince, and he gave him the sons of his own ministers, many in number, Bhāsa, Prabhāsa, Siddhārtha, Prahasta and others”.
In chapter 47, Prahasta is considered a leader of hosts of transcendent warriors (atiratha) in Sunītha and Sūryaprabha’s army. Accordingly, as the Asura Maya explained the arrangement of warriors in Sunītha’s army: “... And his ministers Prahasta and Mahārtha are leaders of hosts of transcendent warriors”.
The story of Prahasta was narrated by the Vidyādhara king Vajraprabha to prince Naravāhanadatta in order to relate how “Sūryaprabha, being a man, obtain of old time the sovereignty over the Vidyādharas”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Prahasta, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.
Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Source: WikiPedia: HinduismPrahasta (प्रहस्त): Means long-head, One of Ravana's generals.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Source: archive.org: Een Kritische Studie Van Svayambhūdeva’s PaümacariuPrahasta (प्रहस्त) participated in the war between Rāma and Rāvaṇa, on the side of the latter, as mentioned in Svayambhūdeva’s Paumacariu (Padmacarita, Paumacariya or Rāmāyaṇapurāṇa) chapter 57ff. Svayambhū or Svayambhūdeva (8th or 9th century) was a Jain householder who probably lived in Karnataka. His work recounts the popular Rāma story as known from the older work Rāmāyaṇa (written by Vālmīki). Various chapters [mentioning Prahasta] are dedicated to the humongous battle whose armies (known as akṣauhiṇīs) consisted of millions of soldiers, horses and elephants, etc.
Source: archive.org: TrisastisalakapurusacaritraPrahasta (प्रहस्त) is the name of a door-keeper, according to the Jain Ramayana and chapter 7.2 [Rāvaṇa’s expedition of conquest] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.
Accordingly, “Realizing that Vaiśravaṇa was free from desire, (Rāvaṇa) asked his forgiveness, bowed to him, and took his car Puṣpaka together with Laṅkā. He got into Puṣpaka, a flower on the creeper of the Lakṣmī of victory, and went to the peak of Mt. Sammeta to praise the statues of the Arhats. At Rāvaṇa’s descent from the mountain after he had honored the statues, a forest-elephant trumpeted at the noise of the army. Then a door-keeper, named Prahasta, said to Daśānana, ‘He is a jewel of an elephant, Your Majesty. He deserves to be the vehicle of a god’. [...]”.
Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryPrahasta (प्रहस्त).—
1) The open hand with the fingers extended.
2) Name of a general of Rāvaṇa.
Derivable forms: prahastaḥ (प्रहस्तः).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryPrahasta (प्रहस्त).—m.
(-staḥ) 1. The oped hand with the fingers extended. 2. Name of one of the generals of Ravana. E. pra exchanging, hasta the hand.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryPrahasta (प्रहस्त).—1. [masculine] the outstretched hand.
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Prahasta (प्रहस्त).—2. [adjective] long handed; [masculine] [Name] of a Rakṣas etc.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Prahasta (प्रहस्त):—[=pra-hasta] mfn. long-handed, [Inscriptions]
2) [v.s. ...] m. (n., [Pāṇini 6-2, 183 [Scholiast or Commentator]]) the open hand with the fingers extended, [Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra [Scholiast or Commentator]]
3) [v.s. ...] Name of a Rākṣasa, [Mahābhārata; Rāmāyaṇa]
4) [v.s. ...] of a companion of Sūrya-prabha (son of Candra-prabha, king of Śākala; he had been an Asura before), [Kathāsaritsāgara]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English DictionaryPrahasta (प्रहस्त):—[pra-hasta] (staḥ) 1. m. The open hand with the fingers extended.
Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)Prahasta (प्रहस्त) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Pahattha.
[Sanskrit to German]
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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Prahastaka, Prahastavada.
Ends with: Kshiprahasta.
Full-text (+43): Pahattha, Prahastavada, Pushpotkata, Pratihastaka, Pratihastin, Pirakastam, Peta, Nila, Prahastaka, Kalakamukha, Jambumali, Ayatta, Trishira, Bhrasakarna, Vyakhya, Ketumati, Mahodara, Kumbhanakhi, Mahaparshva, Unmatta.
Relevant text
Search found 16 books and stories containing Prahasta, Pra-hasta; (plurals include: Prahastas, hastas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Ramayana of Valmiki (by Hari Prasad Shastri)
Chapter 58 - The Death of Prahasta < [Book 6 - Yuddha-kanda]
Chapter 57 - Prahasta goes out to fight < [Book 6 - Yuddha-kanda]
Chapter 14 - Bibishana blames the Attitude of Ravana’s Courtiers < [Book 6 - Yuddha-kanda]
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter XLIV < [Book VIII - Sūryaprabha]
Chapter XLVIII < [Book VIII - Sūryaprabha]
Chapter XLV < [Book VIII - Sūryaprabha]
Mahabharata (English) (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)
Section CCLXXXIV < [Draupadi-harana Parva]
Section CCLXXXIII < [Draupadi-harana Parva]
Section CCLXXXVI < [Draupadi-harana Parva]
The Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 123 - Greatness of Rāvaṇeśvara (Rāvaṇa-īśvara) < [Section 1 - Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya]
Chapter 44 - The Installation of the Liṅga of Rāmanātha < [Section 1 - Setu-māhātmya]
Chapter 58 - Greatness of Ajāpāleśvarī (Ajāpāla-īśvarī) < [Section 1 - Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya]
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)
Part 1: Expedition to Laṅkā < [Chapter VII - The killing of Rāvaṇa]
Part 3: War between the Rākṣasas and Vānaras < [Chapter VII - The killing of Rāvaṇa]
Part 5: Further exploits of Rāvaṇa < [Chapter II - Rāvaṇa’s expedition of Conquest]