Abala, Abalā, Abālā: 25 definitions
Introduction:
Abala means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, Hindi, biology. 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.
Alternative spellings of this word include Abla.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Wisdom Library: The Matsya-purāṇaAbālā (अबाला) is the name of a mind-born ‘divine mother’ (mātṛ), created for the purpose of drinking the blood of the Andhaka demons, according to the Matsya-purāṇa 179.8. The Andhaka demons spawned out of every drop of blood spilled from the original Andhakāsura (Andhaka-demon). According to the Matsya-purāṇa 179.35, “Most terrible they (e.g., Abālā) all drank the blood of those Andhakas and become exceedingly satiated.”
The Matsyapurāṇa is categorised as a Mahāpurāṇa, and was originally composed of 20,000 metrical verses, dating from the 1st-millennium BCE. The narrator is Matsya, one of the ten major avatars of Viṣṇu.
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaAbala (अबल) is one of the fifteen devas who were the sons of Pāñcajanya. (Mahābhārata Vana Parva, Chapter 22, Verse 11).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index1) Abalā (अबला).—A sister of Dattātreya and Durvāsās; a Brahmavādinī.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 70. 76.
2) Abālā (अबाला).—A mindborn mother.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 179. 27.
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: KathāsaritsāgaraAbalā (अबला) is one of the two wifes of Kamalagarbha: a Brāhman from Pratiṣṭhāna, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 73. Accordingly, as Jyotirlekhā, and Dhūmalekhā said to Śrīdarśana: “... long ago there dwelt in Pratiṣṭhāna a Brāhman, of the name of Kamalagarbha, and he had two wives: the name of the one was Pathyā, and the name of the other Abalā. Now in course of time all three, the husband and the wives, were worn out with old age, and at last they entered the fire together, being attached to one another”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Abalā, 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’.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Source: Wisdom Library: Brihat Samhita by VarahamihiraAbala (अबल) refers to the “weakness” (of a rāśi—‘zodiac sign’), according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 2), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “And in horoscopy, the Jyotiṣaka must know such divisions of space as rāśi (a sign of Zodiac or a space of 30°), horā (15° or half a sign), drekkana (10° or one third of a sign), navāṃśaka (3° 20' or one-ninth of a sign), dvādaśāṃśaka (2° 30' or one twelfth of a sign), triṃśāṃśaka (one-thirtieth of a sign), and their strength or weakness [i.e., abala] considered horoscopically; he must know the horoscopic strength of the planets with respect to their Dik (direction), Sthāna (place), Kāla, (time) Ceṭā (motions, conjunctions and the like)”.
Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Source: SOAS University of London: Protective Rites in the Netra TantraAbala (अबल) refers to “weak”, according to the Netratantra of Kṣemarāja: a Śaiva text from the 9th century in which Śiva (Bhairava) teaches Pārvatī topics such as metaphysics, cosmology, and soteriology.—Accordingly, [verse 6.15cd-18]—“[...] Someone with a diminished body quickly becomes nourished through an oblation of chick-pea sized pellets of the resin of the guggula tree [that have been] oiled three times in strict religious observance. When a man is seen to be afflicted with 100 diseases [and] weak (abala—yadā vyādhiśatākīrṇo hyabalo), [he] is released [when the Mantrin] envelops his name [with the mṛtyuñjaya mantra] and recites [it]”.
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
Biology (plants and animals)
Source: Google Books: CRC World Dictionary (Regional names)Abala in Nigeria is the name of a plant defined with Staudtia gabonensis in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Staudtia niohue Pierre (among others).
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· Fl. Cameroun (1974)
· Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie (1904)
If you are looking for specific details regarding Abala, for example diet and recipes, extract dosage, chemical composition, side effects, health benefits, pregnancy safety, have a look at these references.
This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionaryabala : (adj.) weak; feeble. || abalā (f.), a woman.
Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English DictionaryAbala, (adj.) (a + bala) not strong, weak, feeble Sn.1120 (= dubbala, appabala, appathāma Nd2 73); Dh.29 (°assa a weak horse = dubbalassa DhA.I, 262; opp. sīghassa a quick horse). (Page 58)
Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryabalā (अबला).—f (S A weak one.) pop. abaḷā f A woman or female.
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abaḷa (अबळ).—a (abala S) Wanting strength, weak.
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abaḷa (अबळ).—f (Commonly abāḷa) Neglect, heedless keeping or treatment.
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abāḷa (अबाळ).—f (a & bāḷagaṇēṃ To cherish.) Also, by redup. abāḷa sabāḷa f Neglect, heedless keeping or treatment, want of care or attention. Ex. ghōḍā khāṇyāpiṇyācē abāḷīmuḷēṃ khaṅgalā. Also mhaṇēṃ jhāḍā- cī a0 jhālī bahuta || kērakacarā paḍalā ānta || banakarī āṇūna śikṣā karāvī || 2 Adverse circumstances; a pinched or straitened state; exigency. Ex. sāmprata mājhī khāṇyā jēvaṇyācī a0 āhē. 3 Absence of neatness, order, comfortableness &c.
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ābaḷa (आबळ) [or आबाळ, ābāḷa].—f C (Properly abāḷa) Careless keeping or treatment; neglect.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishabalā (अबला).—f A woman or female.
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abaḷa (अबळ).—f Neglect, heedless keeping or training.
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abāḷa (अबाळ).—f Neglect, heedless keeping or training.
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abāḷa (अबाळ).—f Neglect, heedless keeping or treatment, want of care or attention. Adverse circumstances, pinched or straitened circumstances.
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ābaḷa (आबळ).—f Neglect, careless keeping.
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ābāḷa (आबाळ).—f Neglect, careless keeping.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryAbala (अबल).—a.
1) Weak, feeble, unprotected.
-laḥ Name of a plant Crataeva Roxburghii (varuṇavṛkṣa) (Mar. vāyavarṇā)
-lā 1 A woman (as belonging to the weaker sex); नूनं हि ते कविवरा विपरीतबोधा ये नित्यमाहुरबला इति कामिनीनाम् । याभिर्विलोलतरतारकदृष्टिपातैः शक्रादयोऽपि विजितास्त्वबलाः कथं ताः (nūnaṃ hi te kavivarā viparītabodhā ye nityamāhurabalā iti kāminīnām | yābhirvilolataratārakadṛṣṭipātaiḥ śakrādayo'pi vijitāstvabalāḥ kathaṃ tāḥ) || Bhartṛhari 1.1; compare also : -हृदये वहसि गिरीन्द्रौ त्रिभुवन- जयिनी कटाक्षेण । अबला त्वं यदि मन्ये के बलवन्तो न जानीमः (hṛdaye vahasi girīndrau tribhuvana- jayinī kaṭākṣeṇa | abalā tvaṃ yadi manye ke balavanto na jānīmaḥ) || Udb. °जनः (janaḥ) a. woman; इष्टप्रवासजनितान्यबलाजनस्य दुःखानि (iṣṭapravāsajanitānyabalājanasya duḥkhāni)...Ś. 4.3; R.9.46.
2) One of the ten earths according to the Buddhists.
-lam Weakness, want of strength; see बलाबलम् (balābalam) also.
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Abāla (अबाल).—a.
1) Not childish, youth; Nir. IX.1.
2) Not young, full (as the moon).
See also (synonyms): abāliśa.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryAbala (अबल).—name of a nāga king: Mahāvyutpatti 3254; Mahā-Māyūrī 246.22.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryAbala (अबल).—mfn.
(-laḥ-lā-laṃ) Weak, feeble, infirm. m.
(-laḥ) A plant (Tapia cratœva.) See baruṇa. f.
(-lā) A woman. E. a neg. and bala strong.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryAbala (अबल).—I. n. weakness, [Rāmāyaṇa] 1, 7, 12. Ii. adj., f. lā, weak, [Pañcatantra] i. [distich] 387. Iii. m. a proper name. Iv. f. lā, a woman, [Meghadūta, (ed. Gildemeister.)] 2. Balābala, i. e. bala-a-bala, n. strength and weakness, [Hitopadeśa] iii. [distich] 8.
Abala is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms a and bala (बल).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryAbala (अबल).—[adjective] weak, feeble; [feminine] ā woman, maid.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Abala (अबल):—[=a-bala] mf(ā)n. weak, feeble, [Ṛg-veda v, 30, 9, etc.]
2) [v.s. ...] m. a wife’s elder brother, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
3) [v.s. ...] m. the plant Tapia Crataeva
4) [v.s. ...] a king of Magadha, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa]
5) Abalā (अबला):—[=a-balā] [from a-bala] f. a woman, [Śākaṭāyana] etc.
6) [v.s. ...] Name of a woman, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
7) [v.s. ...] (= acalā) one of the ten Buddhist earths
8) Abala (अबल):—[=a-bala] n. want of strength, weakness.
9) Abāla (अबाल):—m. cocoa-nut, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Goldstücker Sanskrit-English DictionaryAbala (अबल):—I. [tatpurusha compound] n.
(-lam) Want of strength, weakness; e. g. in the Daśakumārach.: itaḥ kila janādbhagavatastrivargabalābalajñānam; also figur., comp. arghabalābala. E. a neg. and bala. Ii. [bahuvrihi compound] 1. m. f. n.
(-laḥ-lā-lam) 1) Weak, feeble, infirm; e. g. in the Bhāgavata Pur.: aho vayaṃ dhanyatamā yadatra tyaktāḥ pitṛbhyāṃ na vicintayāmaḥ . abhakṣyamāṇā abalā vṛkādibhiḥ sa rakṣitā rakṣati yo hi garbhe; or in the Hitop.: vipannāyāṃ nītau sakalamabalaṃ sīdati jagat.
2) Without a protector, unprotected; see the instance 3. 1. 2. m.
(-laḥ) 1) The name of a plant (Tapia cratœva).
2) Time (?).
3) A hole (?). [The two last meanings which are very suspicious, occur in the fourth chapter of an E. I. H. Ms. (2544) of the Anekārthamañjarī; this chapter itself, however, is omitted in three other E. I. H. Mss. of the same work and, to judge from its character, seems added by a latter writer; these two meanings would suggest the assumption of an error in the copyist, for they remind us of velā and vila, but the word occurs in the beginning of the Śloka and is written with the initial a.] 3. f.
(-lā) 1) A woman; e. g. in the Bhaṭṭik.: naśyanti dadarśa vṛndāni kapīndraḥ . hārīṇyabalānāṃ hārīṇyabalānām, where the first abalānām means ‘of the women’, and the second ‘unprotected’ or ‘weak’ (comm. abalānāṃ strīṇāṃ . abalānāmavidyamānarakṣakāṇām or atikṛśānām).
2) (In Astronomy.) The sign of the zodiac, Virgo.
3) One of the ten Buddhist earths (?); comp. acalā. [An E. I. H. Ms. (1512) of Ajayapāla's Nānārthasaṅgraha has the following extraordinary explanation of abalā, ‘abalākhyā śyālākastrī pūgaraktamukhāmbhasoḥ’.] E. a priv. and bala.
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Abāla (अबाल):—[tatpurusha compound] m.
(-laḥ) See avāla.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Abala (अबल):—[a-bala] (laḥ) 1. m. A plant (Tapia cratæva).
2) Abalā (अबला):—[a-balā] (lā) 1. f. A woman.
Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)Abala (अबल) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Abala, Abalā.
[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.
Hindi dictionary
Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionaryAbalā (अबला) [Also spelled abla]:—(nf) a member of the weaker sex—a woman.
...
Prakrit-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary1) Abala (अबल) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Abala.
2) Abalā (अबला) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Abalā.
Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusAbala (ಅಬಲ):—[adjective] lacking in strength of body or muscle; not physically strong; weak.
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Abala (ಅಬಲ):—
1) [noun] want of physical strength; the state or quality of being weak; weakness.
2) [noun] a person low in physical strength or vitality.
3) [noun] a helpless man.
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Abaḷa (ಅಬಳ):—[adjective] = ಅಬಲ [abala]1.
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Abaḷa (ಅಬಳ):—[noun] = ಅಬಲ [abala]2.
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Abāla (ಅಬಾಲ):—
1) [adjective] not young; having lived or been in existence for a long time; aged.
2) [adjective] not tender; physically grown; developed.
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Ābala (ಆಬಲ):—[noun] = ಆಬಲು [abalu].
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 (+4): Abalaba, Abalabala, Abaladhanvan, Abalaga, Abalagni, Abalagopala, Abalaka, Abalakose, Abalam, Abalambana, Abalambita, Abalamkartar, Abalanem, Abalaparakrama, Abalasa, Abalasattva, Abalata, Abalatva, Abalava, Abalavant.
Ends with (+317): Aabala, Abalabala, Abhyasabala, Accabala, Adabala, Adityabala, Agrabala, Aina-sabala, Ajitabala, Ajnabala, Akabala, Akshatabala, Alabala, Alaghubhujabala, Alamghyabala, Alpabala, Amambalabala, Amghabala, Amitabala, Amoghabala.
Full-text (+30): Abaladhanvan, Abalam, Abalabala, Abalya, Balabala, Abla, Abaliyas, Abalanem, Abalata, Abalisha, Abalendu, Apalai, Abalavat, Arghabalabala, Banakari, Bapamaya, Abalishtha, Abalagni, Vrij, Abaliman.
Relevant text
Search found 22 books and stories containing Abala, A-bala, A-balā, Abalā, Abālā, Abaḷa, Abāḷa, Abāla, Ābaḷa, Ābala, Ābāḷa, Ābāla; (plurals include: Abalas, balas, balās, Abalās, Abālās, Abaḷas, Abāḷas, Abālas, Ābaḷas, Ābalas, Ābāḷas, Ābālas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)
Text 9.47 < [Chapter 9 - Ornaments of Sound]
Text 10.212 < [Chapter 10 - Ornaments of Meaning]
Text 9.4 [Anuprāsa] < [Chapter 9 - Ornaments of Sound]
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
Rig Veda 5.30.9 < [Sukta 30]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verses 3.7.20-21 < [Chapter 7 - The Holy Places of Śrī Girirāja]
Verse 6.8.22 < [Chapter 8 - The Marriages of All the Queens]
Verse 4.19.19 < [Chapter 19 - A Thousand Names of Srī Yamunā]
Bhajana-Rahasya (by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Mahasaya)
Text 5 < [Chapter 7 - Saptama-yāma-sādhana (Pradoṣa-kālīya-bhajana–vipralambha-prema)]
The Vishnu Purana (by Horace Hayman Wilson)
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)
Verse 1.1.7 < [Chapter 1 - Bhauma (the earthly plane)]
Verse 1.7.157-158 < [Chapter 7 - Pūrṇa (pinnacle of excellent devotees)]
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