Pralambabahu, Pralambabāhu, Pralamba-bahu: 9 definitions
Introduction:
Pralambabahu means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraPralambabāhu (प्रलम्बबाहु) is the name of a Brāhman from Dākṣiṇātya (the Deccan), as mentioned in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 53. Accordingly, as Pralambabāhu said to Naravāhanadatta: “I have come to your feet, my sovereign, attracted by your renown, and I on foot will never leave your company for a step, as long as you travel on the earth with elephants, horses and chariots; but in the air I cannot go. I say this because it is rumoured that my lord will one day be Emperor of the Vidyādharas. A hundred gold pieces should be given to me every day as salary”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Pralambabāhu, 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’.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: LokottaravādaPralambabāhu (प्रलम्बबाहु) is the name of a Buddha under whom Śākyamuni (or Gautama, ‘the historical Buddha’) acquired merit along the first through nine bhūmis, according to the Mahāvastu. There are in total ten bhūmis representing the ten stages of the Bodhisattva’s path towards enlightenment.
Pralambabāhu is but one among the 500 Buddhas enumerated in the Mahāvastu during a conversation between Mahākātyāyana and Mahākāśyapa, both principle disciples of Gautama Buddha. The Mahāvastu is an important text of the Lokottaravāda school of buddhism, dating from the 2nd century BCE.
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita SastraPralambabāhu (प्रलम्बबाहु) refers to “(the mark consisting of having the) arms (that) come down (to the knees)”, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 19).—Accordingly, “Furthermore, some say that generosity is the cause and condition (hetupratyaya) for obtaining the thirty-two marks. Why is that? [...] As one does not become irritated and one does not treat the supplicant lightly, one obtains the mark consisting of having the arms come down to the knees (jānu-pralambabāhu). [...]”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgrahaPralambabāhu (प्रलम्बबाहु) or Pralambabāhutā refers to “arms that hang low” and represents the twelfth of the “thirty-two marks of a great man” (lakṣaṇa) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 83). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., pralamba-bāhu). The work is attributed to Nagarguna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryPralambabāhu (प्रलम्बबाहु).—a. One whose arms hang down; Mahābhārata (Bombay) 3.284.26.
Pralambabāhu is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms pralamba and bāhu (बाहु). See also (synonyms): pralambabhuja.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryPralambabāhu (प्रलम्बबाहु).—(1) name of a disciple of the Buddha: Mahāvastu i.75.7 (°huṃ, by em. for °hur, which would make the word an epithet of Kāśyapa 2, but compare lines 11, 15, 18, 76.1, which support the em.); (2) name of several former Buddhas: Mahāvastu i.137.12; Gaṇḍavyūha 174.21 (lived in the Vimalaprabha kalpa); 422.23.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Pralambabāhu (प्रलम्बबाहु):—[=pralamba-bāhu] [from pralamba > pra-lamb] mfn. one whose arms hang down, [Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa; Bhāgavata-purāṇa; Buddhist literature] (-tā f. one of the 32 signs of perfection, [Dharmasaṃgraha 83])
2) [v.s. ...] m. Name of a man, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
[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)
Partial matches: Bahu, Pralamba.
Starts with: Pralambabahuta.
Ends with: Sthitanavanatapralambabahu.
Full-text: Pralambabahuta, Pralambabhuja, Vikramatunga, Vasibhuta, Lakshana, Pralamba.
Relevant text
Search found 3 books and stories containing Pralambabahu, Pralamba-bahu, Pralamba-bāhu, Pralambabāhu; (plurals include: Pralambabahus, bahus, bāhus, Pralambabāhus). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
The Mahavastu (great story) (by J. J. Jones)
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Impact of Vedic Culture on Society (by Kaushik Acharya)
Study of the Contemporary Literary Sources < [Chapter 3]