Shuca, Sūcā, Suca, Śuca, Śucā, Sūca: 15 definitions
Introduction:
Shuca 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.
The Sanskrit terms Śuca and Śucā can be transliterated into English as Suca or Shuca, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Shucha.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationŚuca (शुच) refers to “grief”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.34 (“The Story of Anaraṇya”).—Accordingly, as Vasiṣṭha said to Himavat (Himācala): “[...] The sage repeated his request saying—‘O great king, give me your daughter. Otherwise in a trice I will reduce everything to ashes’. The queens, knowing not what shall be done, lamented. The chief queen, the mother of the girl, fell unconscious in the excess of her grief (śuca-ākula). The brothers of the girl were agitated with sorrow. O lord of mountains, everything and every one connected with the king was overwhelmed with grief. [...]”.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexŚuca (शुच).—A son of Nariṣyanta.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 12. 20.
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.
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
Source: Wisdom Library: Nāṭya-śāstraSūcā (सूचा) refers to one of the representations through which the body (śārīra) expresse itself, according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 24. It is also known by the name Sūcābhinaya. These bodily expressions, or representations (abhinaya), are to be executed in accordance with the psychological states (bhāva) and sentiments (rasa) available in the dramatic play (nāṭya). It forms a part of sāmānyābhinaya, or “harmonious representation”.
The sūcā representation is meant to be combined with dance. According to the Nāṭyaśāstra, “when the meaning of a sentence or the sentence itself is indicated first by sattva and gestures (aṅga, āṅgika), and then a verbal representation (vācika) is made, it is called Sūcā”.
Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing Dramatic plays (nataka), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions (kavya)Śuca (शुच) refers to “grief”, according to Kālidāsa’s Raghuvaṃśa verse 8.90-91.—Accordingly: “'[...] When we are taught that our own body and soul unite and then separate, tell me which wise person should be tormented by separation from the external objects of the senses? Best of the self-controlled! You ought not to become subject to grief (śuca) like common people. What would be the difference between a tree and a mountain if both shook in the wind?”.
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: De Gruyter: A Buddhist Ritual Manual on AgricultureŚuca (शुच) refers to a “clear (spot of earth)” (suitable for performing rituals), according to the 2nd-century Meghasūtra (“Cloud Sutra”) in those passages which contain ritual instructions.—Accordingly, “He who desires a mighty rain must perform this rite ‘the great-cloud-circle’ in an open space, overspread by a blue canopy, shaded by a blue banner, on a clear (śuca—śucau pṛthivīpradeśe) spot of earth; [being] a prophet of the Law, seated on a blue seat, fasting according to the aṣṭāṅga, with well-washed limbs, clad in pure raiment, anointed with fragrant odour, wearing the three white stripes, he must recite it for a day and night continuously facing the east; [...]”.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryŚucā (शुचा).—f. [śuc-kvip ṭāp vā]
1) Grief, sorrow, affliction, distress; विकलकरणः पाण्डुछायः शुचा परिदुर्बलः (vikalakaraṇaḥ pāṇḍuchāyaḥ śucā paridurbalaḥ) U. 3.22; कामं जीवति मे नाथ इति सा विजहौ शुचम् (kāmaṃ jīvati me nātha iti sā vijahau śucam) R.12.75;8. 72; Meghadūta 9; Ś.4.18.
2) (pl.) Tears; भूतलेऽनुपतन्त्यस्मिन् विना ते प्राणिनां शुचः (bhūtale'nupatantyasmin vinā te prāṇināṃ śucaḥ) Bhāgavata 1.17.8.
See also (synonyms): śuc.
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Sūca (सूच).—A pointed shoot or blade of Kuśa grass.
Derivable forms: sūcaḥ (सूचः).
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Sūcā (सूचा).—
1) Piercing.
2) Gesticulation.
3) Spying out, seeing, sight.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionarySūcā (सूचा).—(= Prakrit sūā, [Paia-sadda-mahaṇṇavo]; compare AMg. sūyā = asphuṭa śabdavacana, [Ardha-Māgadhī Dictionary]), indication: (śvā…) tvadbhāva- sūcāṃ bhaṣitaiḥ karoti Jātakamālā 144.23 (verse); samṛddhi-sūcaiva tu hemamālikā 184.17 (verse).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryŚucā (शुचा).—f.
(-cā) Sorrow, distress: see śuc .
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Sūca (सूच).—m.
(-caḥ) A pointed shoot or blade of the Kuśa grass. f. (-cī) A needle: see sūci. f.
(-cā) 1. Gesticulation. 2. Sight, seeing. 3. Piercing. E. siv to sew, caṭ Unadi aff., and ū substituted for the final; or sūc to make known, affs. ac and ṭāp .
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionarySūca (सूच).— (akin to sūci), I. m. The shoot of Kuśa grass. Ii. f. cā. 1. Piercing. 2. (cf. sūc), Gesticulation. 3. Light.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryŚuca (शुच).—[adjective] clear, pure; [feminine] śucā grief, sorrow.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Śuca (शुच):—[from śuc] mf(ā)n. = śuci, pure, [Ṛg-veda x, 26, 6]
2) Śucā (शुचा):—[from śuca > śuc] f. grief. sorrow, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
3) Sūca (सूच):—[from sūc] mf(ā)n. pointing out, indicating etc. (ifc.), [Jātakamālā]
4) [v.s. ...] m. a pointed shoot or blade of Kuśa grass (= darbhāṅkura), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) Sūcā (सूचा):—[from sūca > sūc] f. pointing out, indication, [Jātakamālā]
6) [v.s. ...] piercing, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
7) [v.s. ...] gesticulation, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
8) [v.s. ...] spying out, sight, seeing, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English DictionarySūca (सूच):—(caḥ) 1. m. The shoot of the Kusa grass. f. (ī) A needle. (ā) Gesticulation; sight; piercing.
Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)Sūca (सूच) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Sūa, Sṛā.
[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.
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusSūca (ಸೂಚ):—[noun] the pointed end of a grass-leaf.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Shucadhyai, Shucadratha, Shucahpita, Shucakula, Shucanti, Shucapaha, Shucay, Shucayat.
Full-text (+17): Suc, Shra, Jatapaya, Shucapaha, Anusocana, Anushocita, Sucanem, Kimadhikarana, Gurvi, Antshtha, Anumri, Gurvini, Sucabhinaya, Sucana, Sucita, Nivrittyankura, Narishyanta, Sharira, Samstambh, Ankura.
Relevant text
Search found 24 books and stories containing Shuca, Sūcā, Suca, Śuca, Śucā, Sūca; (plurals include: Shucas, Sūcās, Sucas, Śucas, Śucās, Sūcas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
Gati in Theory and Practice (by Dr. Sujatha Mohan)
Nṛtta as a division of Āṅgika-abhinaya < [Chapter 1 - Nāṭya]
Jivanandana of Anandaraya Makhin (Study) (by G. D. Jayalakshmi)
Analysis of Viṣūcī (Queen of Rajayakṣmā) < [Chapter 6 - Dramatic aspects of the Jīvanandana Nāṭaka]
Shrimad Bhagavad-gita (by Narayana Gosvami)
Verse 16.5 < [Chapter 16 - Daivāsura-sampada-yoga]
Verse 18.66 < [Chapter 18 - Mokṣa-yoga (the Yoga of Liberation)]
Verse 3.26 < [Chapter 3 - Karma-yoga (Yoga through the Path of Action)]
Historical Elements in the Matsya Purana (by Chaitali Kadia)
Sūrya & Candra dynasty < [Chapter 6 - Human history in the Matsya-Purāṇa]
Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)
Text 10.76 < [Chapter 10 - Ornaments of Meaning]
Text 7.43 < [Chapter 7 - Literary Faults]