Somaprabha, Somaprabhā: 7 definitions
Introduction:
Somaprabha 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
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara1) Somaprabhā (सोमप्रभा) is the name of an apsaras (heavenly nymph) born to Dharmagupta and Candraprabhā in the city Pāṭaliputra, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 17. Their story was told by Vasantaka to Padmāvatī and queen Vāsavadattā. Accordingly, “that girl (Somaprabhā), the moment she was born, illuminated the chamber with her beauty, spoke distinctly, and got up and sat down... Then that girl, whose name was Somaprabhā, gradually grew up with human body, but celestial splendour of beauty”.
2) Somaprabhā (सोमप्रभा) is the daughter of the Asura Maya, as mentioned in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 28. Accordingly, “once on a time the daughter of the Asura Maya, named Somaprabhā, as she was journeying through the sky, saw her on the roof of a palace engaged in play. And Somaprabhā, while in the sky, beheld her lovely enough to bewilder with her beauty the mind even of a hermit...”.
3) Somaprabha (सोमप्रभ) is the name of a Gandharva who was transformed into an elephant named Śvetaraśmi, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 36. Accordingly, “we were two Gandharva brothers, living on the Malaya mountain; I was called Somaprabha, and the elder was Devaprabha. And my brother had but one wife, but she was very dear to him. Her name was Rājavatī”.
4) Somaprabha (सोमप्रभ) is the son of king Jyotiṣprabha and Harṣavatī from Ratnākara, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 58. Accordingly, as Pulastya said in his hermitage: “... there was born to him [king Jyotiṣprabha], by his queen named Harṣavatī, a son, whose birth was due to the favour of Śiva propitiated by severe asceticism. Because the queen saw in a dream the moon entering her mouth, the king gave his son the name of Somaprabha. And the prince gradually grew up with ambrosial qualities, furnishing a feast to the eyes of the subjects”.
5) Somaprabhā (सोमप्रभा) is one of the five daughters of Vidyādhara king Vajradaṃṣṭra, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 65. Accordingly, “... one day he [Rajatadaṃṣṭra] saw his eldest sister, by name Somaprabhā, playing upon a piñjara. In his childishness he kept begging for the piñjara, saying: ‘Give it me, I too want to play on it’”.
6) Somaprabhā (सोमप्रभा) is the daughter of Harisvāmin: a Brāhman from Ujjayinī, as mentioned in the fifth story of the Vetālapañcaviṃśati in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 79. Accordingly, “... in Ujjayinī there lived an excellent Brāhman, the dear dependent and minister of King Puṇyasena, and his name was Harisvāmin. That householder had by his wife, who was his equal in birth, an excellent son like himself, Devasvāmin by name. And he also had born to him a daughter, famed for her matchless beauty, rightly named Somaprabhā”.
7) Somaprabhā (सोमप्रभा) is the wife of Brahmadatta, an ancient king from Vārāṇasī (Benares), according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 114. Accordingly, as Kaśyapa said to Naravāhanadatta: “... he [king Brahmadatta] had a queen named Somaprabhā, who was dear and delightful to him as the moonlight to the cakora, and he was as eager to drink her in with his eyes”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Somaprabhā, 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 Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Source: archive.org: Trisastisalakapurusacaritra1) Somaprabha (सोमप्रभ) or Somayaśas is the name of an ancient king, according to chapter 1.3 [ādīśvara-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.—Accordingly, “[...] the Master set out to obtain alms and arrived at the city Gajapura, the ornament of a circle of cities. In this city King Śreyāṃsa, the heir of King Somaprabha who was the son of Bāhubali, saw in a dream: ‘Meru, entirely dark, was made extremely brilliant by my sprinkling it with pitchers of water’.”
2) Somaprabha (सोमप्रभ) is the name of an ancient ascetic, according to chapter 5.4 [śāntinātha-caritra].—Accordingly, as Megharatha related:—“[...] After Damitāri had wandered in the forest of existence, he became the son of the ascetic Somaprabha on the bank of the river Nikṛti at the foot of Mount Aṣṭāpada in Bharata in Jambūdvīpa. He practiced foolish penance and became a god, Surūpa. This god, intolerant of the praise bestowed on me by the Indra of Īśāna came and made this test of me. [...]”.
Source: academia.edu: Tessitori Collection ISomaprabha (सोमप्रभ) or Somaprabhācārya is the author of the Sindūraprakara (classified as gnomic literature), which is included in the collection of manuscripts at the ‘Vincenzo Joppi’ library, collected by Luigi Pio Tessitori during his visit to Rajasthan between 1914 and 1919.—Somaprabha-ācārya, the author, was a pupil of Vijayasiṃhasūri from the bṛhadgaccha, himself a pupil of Ajitadeva. Among his other works are another anthology called Śṛṅgāravairāgyataraṅgiṇī, the famous Prakrit story-book Kumārapālapratibodha, composed in VS 1241, a Sumatināthacaritra in Prakrit and a Śatārthakāvya. [...]
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: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionarySomaprabha (सोमप्रभ).—[adjective] radiant as the moon; [masculine] & [feminine] ā a man’s & woman’s name.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus CatalogorumSomaprabha (सोमप्रभ) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—a Jaina: Śṛṅgāravairāgyataraṅgiṇī.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Somaprabha (सोमप्रभ):—[=soma-prabha] [from soma] mf(ā)n. having the splendour of the moon, [Vāsavadattā]
2) [v.s. ...] m. Name of various men, [Kathāsaritsāgara; Catalogue(s)]
3) Somaprabhā (सोमप्रभा):—[=soma-prabhā] [from soma-prabha > soma] f. a Name [ib.; Vāsavadattā]
[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: Soma, Prabha.
Starts with: Somaprabhacarya.
Full-text (+49): Candraprabha, Svayamprabha, Mayasura, Nadakubara, Somayashas, Suktimuktavali, Nadakuvara, Kalingasena, Kilika, Guhacandra, Priyankara, Bhimavijayagani, Bana, Kancanabha, Muktivijayagani, Adikritmandala, Nikriti, Adityapitha, Bhimavijaya, Padmakuta.
Relevant text
Search found 4 books and stories containing Somaprabha, Somaprabhā, Soma-prabha, Soma-prabhā; (plurals include: Somaprabhas, Somaprabhās, prabhas, prabhās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter LIX < [Book X - Śaktiyaśas]
Chapter XXXI < [Book VI - Madanamañcukā]
Chapter XXIX < [Book VI - Madanamañcukā]
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Dasarupaka (critical study) (by Anuru Ranjan Mishra)
Part 14 - Conclusion < [Chapter 10 - Prakaraṇa (critical study)]
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)
Part 6: Continuation of Ṛṣabha’s life as a sādhu < [Chapter III]
Part 11: Fifth incarnation as Aparājita < [Chapter I - Previous incarnations of Ariṣṭanemi (Nemi)]
Part 7: Story of the dove and hawk < [Chapter IV - Tenth incarnation as Megharatha]