Vishvantara, Viśvantara, Viśvāntara: 4 definitions
Introduction:
Vishvantara 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 Viśvantara and Viśvāntara can be transliterated into English as Visvantara or Vishvantara, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraViśvāntara (विश्वान्तर) is the name of a Cakravartin (emperor) according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 113. Accordingly, as Kaśyapa said to Naravāhanadatta: “... and the sovereign named Viśvāntara, who was emperor here, he too, when his son, Indīvarākṣa, had been slain by Vasantatilaka, the King of Cedi, for seducing his wife, being wanting in self-control, died on account of the distracting sorrow which he felt for the death of his wicked son”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Viśvāntara, 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: Maha Prajnaparamita SastraViśvantara (विश्वन्तर) is the name of a prince (kumāra) according to a note from the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XX).—“Viśvantara, or Vessantara, was a young prince who had a passion for generosity. He had a white elephant endowed with the magical power of bringing the rains. A neighboring king whose land was afflicted with aridity, asked for the animal. Viśvantara gave it to him; his countrymen were furious and demanded his punishment. The generous prince had to leave in exile, accompanied by his wife Madrī who wanted to share his exile and their two children, Jālin and Kṛṣṇājinā”.
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: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Viśvāntara (विश्वान्तर):—[from viśva] m. Name of a king, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
2) [v.s. ...] of a son of Su-ṣadman, [Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary]
[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)
Full-text: Jalin, Madri, Vanka, Shyaparna, Krishnajina, Indivaraksha, Vasantatilaka, Jujaka, Payodharapata, Kanculika, Sudinna.
Relevant text
Search found 5 books and stories containing Vishvantara, Viśvantara, Viśvāntara, Visvantara; (plurals include: Vishvantaras, Viśvantaras, Viśvāntaras, Visvantaras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Tibetan tales (derived from Indian sources) (by W. R. S. Ralston)
Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)
The Viśvantara-jātaka < [I. Puṇyakriyāvastu consisting of generosity]
Part 6 - Viśvantara-Jātaka (or Vessantara-jātaka) < [Chapter XX - The Virtue of Generosity and Generosity of the Dharma]
Introduction to third volume < [Introductions]
Satapatha-brahmana (by Julius Eggeling)
Kāṇḍa X, adhyāya 4, brāhmaṇa 1 < [Tenth Kāṇḍa]
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter CXIII < [Book XVI - Suratamañjarī]
Warfare and Military System in Vedic Literature (by Rinki Deka)
The Office of the Royal Priest and His Duties < [Chapter 3 - The Religious observances and other Beliefs related to the Warfare]