Shilavati, Śīlavatī, Sīlavati, Silāvatī, Silavati, Śīlāvati, Sīlavatī: 7 definitions
Introduction:
Shilavati 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 terms Śīlavatī and Śīlāvati can be transliterated into English as Silavati or Shilavati, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaŚīlavatī (शीलवती).—A heroine reputed for her chastity and fidelity to her husband. Her husband, Ugraśravas was cruel and vicious. Yet Śīlavatī used to adore him. Once Ugraśravas fell a victim to the disease of leprosy. From that time, Śīlavatī used to go about begging in the houses of Brāhmaṇas to feed and support her husband. After some time by her constant nursing, his condition was slightly improved. After that she continued her begging from door to door, carrying him on her shoulders. Once they happened to arrive in front of a huge mansion. Water was flowing in front of the gate and so Śīlavatī returned from there with her husband without stepping into the water. When they reached home, Ugraśravas asked his wife why she returned without entering the mansion. She explained that it was the house of a prostitute and to touch the water coming out of that house was sin. On hearing it, Ugraśravas felt an irresistible desire to visit that brothel. He expressed his desire to her. Quite obediently Śīlavatī took up her husband on her shoulders and went to the prostitute’s house. (For more details see under Aṇī māṇḍavya, Anasūyā and Atri).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexŚīlāvati (शीलावति).—The wood cutter's wife earned this name on account of her charity.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa IV. 7. 35.
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: KathāsaritsāgaraŚīlavatī (शीलवती) is the name of a servant of Harṣagupta: a merchant from Tāmraliptī, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 36. Accordingly, “... and in his [Harṣagupta’s] train there came a servant of the name of Śīlavatī, who was devoted to her husband; when she saw what had taken place, she said to him: ‘I will touch this elephant [Śvetaraśmi] with my hand: and if I have not even thought in my mind of any other man than my husband, may it rise up’.”.
The story of Harṣagupta was narrated by Śīlavatī in order to demonstrate that “women of good family are guarded by their own virtue as their only chamberlain; but even God himself can scarcely guard the unchaste” in other words, “in no case can anyone guard a woman by force in this world, but the young woman of good family is ever protected by the pure restraint of her own chastity”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Śīlavatī, 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
Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper NamesA village of the Sakyans. Once, when the Buddha was there with a large number of monks, Mira tempted them in the guise of a jatanduva brahmin (S.i.117).
The village was the birthplace of Bandhura Thera (ThagA.i.208). A story is also told of the temptation by Mara of Samiddhi when he was with the Buddha. S.i.118, but in ThagA.i.117, the incident is located in Tapodarama.
-- or --
1. Silavati. The chief queen of Okkaka, king of Kusavati, and mother of Kusa. See the Kusa Jataka.
2. Silavati. The city in which Sikhi Buddha died, in the Dussarama (Assarama). BuA.204.
Theravāda is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka (philosophy and psychology).
India history and geography
Source: Ancient Buddhist Texts: Geography of Early BuddhismSīlavatī (सीलवती) is the name of ancient Śākya village in the vicinity of Kapilavatthu: an ancient locality situated in Majjhimadesa (Middle Country) of ancient India, as recorded in the Pāli Buddhist texts (detailing the geography of ancient India as it was known in to Early Buddhism).—Kapilavatthu the capital of the Śākya country, named after the Ṛṣi Kapila. The Lalitavistara calls [Kapilavatthu as] Kapilavastu and sometimes Kapilapura or Kapilāhvayapura. According to Yuan Chwang it was about 500 li south-east from the neighbourhood of Srāvastī. Besides Kapilavastu there were also other Śākya towns: Cātumā, Sāmagāma, Ulumpā, Devadaha, Sakkara, Sīlavatī and Khomadussa.
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: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English DictionaryŚīlavatī (शीलवती):—[=śīla-vatī] [from śīla-vat > śīla > śīl] f. Name of a woman, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
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 corpusŚīlavati (ಶೀಲವತಿ):—[noun] a chaste, virtuous woman.
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)
Partial matches: Shila, Cila, Vati.
Ends with: Takshashilavati.
Full-text (+7): Shilasampanne, Rajashekhara, Kesarama, Dussarama, Rudradhyaya, Jayampati, Rajadatta, Ugrashravas, Devavrata, Devadaha, Khomadussa, Ulumpa, Papabhanjana, Catuma, Sakkara, Alinda, Kusha, Samagama, Harshagupta, Sambahula.
Relevant text
Search found 12 books and stories containing Shilavati, Śīlavatī, Sīlavati, Silāvatī, Silavati, Śīlāvati, Sīlavatī, Shila-vati, Śīla-vatī, Sila-vati, Śīlavati, Śilavati; (plurals include: Shilavatis, Śīlavatīs, Sīlavatis, Silāvatīs, Silavatis, Śīlāvatis, Sīlavatīs, vatis, vatīs, Śīlavatis, Śilavatis). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter XXXVI < [Book VII - Ratnaprabhā]
Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh (early history) (by Prakash Narayan)
Professions (livelihood and work) < [Chapter 2 - Economic and Urban Processes]
Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal (by Shubha Majumder)
Archaeological sites in Bankura District < [Chapter 4 - Distribution of Sites Yielding Jaina Remains]
Archaeological sites in West Midnapur District < [Chapter 4 - Distribution of Sites Yielding Jaina Remains]
Modern Temples Containing Sculptural Specimens < [Chapter 5 - Jaina Architectural and Sculptural Remains]
The Markandeya Purana (by Frederick Eden Pargiter)
The Great Chronicle of Buddhas (by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw)
Buddha Chronicle 20: Sikhī Buddhavaṃsa < [Chapter 9 - The chronicle of twenty-four Buddhas]