Abhyanga, Abhyaṅga, Abhyamga: 22 definitions
Introduction:
Abhyanga means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi. 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
Ayurveda (science of life)
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग) refers to “anointing” (the eyes of elephants) (with ghee), according to the 15th century Mātaṅgalīlā composed by Nīlakaṇṭha in 263 Sanskrit verses, dealing with elephantology in ancient India, focusing on the science of management and treatment of elephants.—[Cf. chapter 11, “On the keeping of elephants and their daily and seasonal regimen”]: “20. Elephants constantly have good eyesight if (their eyes) are anointed with ghee (ghṛta-abhyaṅga) all the time [abhīkṣṇaṃ sādhu paśyanti ghṛtābhyaṅgena nityaśaḥ]; diseases of the eye do not arise, and their sight remains strong”.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग) refers to “inunction”, and is mentioned in verse 2.7 and 4.20-22, 29-31 of the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā (Sūtrasthāna) by Vāgbhaṭa.—Accordingly, “[...] sesame-oil mixed with alkali and salt is recommended for inunction [viz., abhyaṅga]”.
Note (verse 2.7): Abhyaṅga (“inunction”) has been rendered by a hendiadys: bshu-byug, lit. “besmearing & anointing” (cf. 2.9 & 4.6). Expressing action-nouns this way is a favourite practice in Tibetan.
Abhyaṅga (oleation)
Abhyanga: Massage with medicated oils always provides a soothing effect and relieves pain, numbness, tingling sensation etc symptoms. Care should be taken not to give a vigorous massage so as to aggravate the conditions. Abhyanga should be done under supervision of a qualified and experienced Ayurvedic doctor. Ayurvedic doctor might recommend oils or combination of oils and ghee (
Abhyaṃga (अभ्यंग):—Manually manipulating technique in which oil is applied over various part of body to get desired effect. Its a part of daily regimen which is adopted for preservation and promotion of health. It includes massage over the head (shiro abhyamga), massage over feet (pāda abhyamga) & oiling of ears (Karna Purana).
Abhyanga (oil massage) plays an important role in Dinacharya (daily regimen): A set of Ayurvedic principles which aims to improve physical, mental and spiritual well-being of an individual.—A person should do oil massage daily. It has been considered as abhyanga-snehana. The body is compared with the tree. If the root of the tree is given water regularly, then it lives for a long time. Similarly our body needs abhyanga daily to live a healthy life. Massage enhances the overall blood circulation and transport the potency of drug to desired part. Massage triggers the acupressure point which induces the release of endorphins which shows analgesic effect.
Uses of Abhyanga: Headache, greying of hairs, get a sound sleep, insomnia, soothing effect on the nervous system which is governed by vata-dosha. But nowadays for massage people went to spa. As spa person doesn’t know the anatomical and physiological principles behind doing these. Also they doesn’t use Ayurvedic medicated oil for massaging. It results into un-usefulness of doing it and also cost is higher.

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Abhyaṅga (massage) is a clinical feature used in Ayurveda.
अभ्यङ्ग (Abhyaṅga) is the traditional Ayurveda massage. The purpose of अभ्यङ्ग (Abhyaṅga) is to apply herbal oil to the body and allow it to absorb into the body. The medicated oil is prepared and used according to the प्रकृति (Prakṛti) or विकृति (Vikṛti) of the person who is to receive अभ्यङ्ग (Abhyaṅga). There are variable techniques to apply the oil to the body and may be done as a one person or two person massage. The strokes applied vary and are occasionally designed to affect the वायु (Vāyu). Another procedure involved in अभ्यङ्ग (Abhyaṅga) is the administration of superficial friction massage, which helps with the absorption of the oil.
India history and geography
Abhyaṅga.—(IA 22), smearing the body with oil. Note: abhyaṅga is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.

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
Marathi-English dictionary
abhyaṅga (अभ्यंग).—m abhyañjana n (S) Rubbing the body with unctuous substances; inunction previous to ablution.
abhyaṅga (अभ्यंग).—m abhyañjana n Inunction previous to ablution, rubbing the body with unc- tuous substances.
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
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग).—
1) Smearing the body with unctuous or oily substances, smearing with oil; अभ्यङ्गने पथ्यमलंचकार (abhyaṅgane pathyamalaṃcakāra) Kumārasambhava 7.7; स्तन्यदानाभ्यङ्गपोषणादिभिः पुपोष (stanyadānābhyaṅgapoṣaṇādibhiḥ pupoṣa) Pañcatantra (Bombay) 5; Manusmṛti 2.178.
2) Smearing in general, inunction.
3) An unguent, salve, liniment.
4) cream of milk; (Nigh.).
Derivable forms: abhyaṅgaḥ (अभ्यङ्गः).
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग).—m.
(-ṅgaḥ) 1. Rubbing the body with unctuous substances; smearing the body with oil, inunction. 2. Unguent, liniment, oily application. 3. Applying collyrium to the eyes. 4. Sediment of oil, oil cake. E. abhi, and añja to anoint, ghañ aff.
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग).—i. e. abi-añj + a, m. Unction, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 2, 178.
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग).—[masculine] smearing, unction, unguent.
1) Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग):—[=abhy-aṅga] [from abhy-añj] m. rubbing with unctuous substances, inunction, [Manu-smṛti ii, 178, etc.]
2) [v.s. ...] unguent, [Suśruta etc.]
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग):—[tatpurusha compound] m.
(-ṅgaḥ) 1) Anointing, in general; e. g. Jaiminīyanyāyam.: jyotiṣṭome śrūyate dīkṣārthābhyaṅge…. tatra barhiṣi samūlacchedasyābhyaṅge navanītasya puroḍāśe yathocitapākasya ca vidheyatayā sarvamavaśiṣṭaṃ stāvakam. See also abhyañjana.
2) Rubbing the body with unctuous substances, smearing the body with oil, inunction; e. g. Suśr.: snānābhyaṅgadivāsvapnaśītavyāyāmayoṣitaḥ . na bhajeta svarotsṛṣṭo yāvanno balavānbhavet.—Raghunandana quotes in the Śuddhitattva (Ii. p. 132) the following definition (āyurvedoktapāribhāṣikaṃ) of the word: mūrdhni dattaṃ yadā tailaṃ bhavetsarvāṅgasaṃgatam . srotobhistarpayedbāhū abhyaṅgaḥ sa udāhṛtaḥ . tailamalpaṃ yadaṅgeṣu na ca syādvāhutarpaṇam . sā mārṣṭiḥ pṛthagabhyaṅgo mastakādau prakīrtitaḥ ‘when oil is applied to the head, goes over the whole body and delights with its flood the arms, this is called Abhyanga; but when little oil comes on the body and the arms are not much wetted, such partial inunction of the head &c. is called Mārṣṭi’. The medicinal effect of this practice is thus briefly described in the Rājanigh.: abhyaṅgo mārdavakaraḥ kaphavātavināśanaḥ . dhātūnāṃ puṣṭijananaḥ sutvamvarṇavalapradaḥ . pādābhyaṅgotha nidrākṛccakṣuṣaḥ pādarogahā . cakṣuṣi pratibaddhe dve śire pādagate nṛṇām . ataścakṣuḥprasādārthaṃ pādābhyaṅgaṃ samācaret (comp. also Wise, Hindu syst. of Med. p. 93). A religious student, an anchorete and a widow are forbidden to anoint themselves; Manu: (brahmacārī varjayet) abhyaṅgamañjanaṃ cākṣṇorupānacchatradhāraṇam); Prachetas (as quoted by Raghunand.): tāmbūlābhyañjanaṃ caiva kāṃsyapātre ca bhojanam . yatiśca brahmacārī ca vidhavā ca vivarjayet).
3) Unguent, liniment; e. g. Suśr.: sphoṭajanmarujāsrāvatvakpākaḥ svedanaṃ jvaraḥ . daraṇaṃ cāpi māṃsānāmabhyaṅge viṣasaṃyute. [
4) Applying collyrium to the eyes.
5) Sediment of oil, oilcake (Wilson)]. See the following. E. añj with abhi, kṛt aff. ghañ.
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग):—[abhya+ṅga] (ṅgaḥ) 1. m. Rubbing the body with an unctuous substance.
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग):—(von añj mit abhi) m.
1) das Salben, Bestreichen mit fettigen, öligen Stoffen: (varjayet) abhyaṅgamañjanaṃ cākṣṇoḥ [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 2, 178.] [Suśruta 1, 36, 15. 2, 5, 12. 94, 9. 137, 18.] [Kumārasaṃbhava 7, 7.] —
2) Salbe [Suśruta 2, 248, 2. 4. 10. 422, 20.] [Kathāsaritsāgara 4, 53.] mardana [Pañcatantra 238, 7.]
--- OR ---
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग):—
1) tailābhyaṅga [Spr. 4140.] vṛkṣaḥ prasīdati prāyaḥ pādābhyaṅgena na svayam das Salben der Füsse so v. a. das Begiessen der Wurzeln [DṚṢTĀNTAŚ. 77] in [Kāvya-Saṅgraha 224.]
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग):—m. —
1) Salbung , Bestreichung mit fetten Stoffen [Indische sprüche 7711.] —
2) Salbe.
Abhyaṅga (अभ्यङ्ग) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Abbhaṃga.
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
Abhyaṃga (ಅಭ್ಯಂಗ):—
1) [noun] massaging the body with oil, unguents, perfumes, etc. and bathing.
2) [noun] the oil, unguents so anointed.
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 (+0): Anga, Anka.
Starts with (+0): Abhyamgana, Abhyamganamgey, Abhyangasnana, Abhyangati, Abhyangavarga, Abhyangayati.
Full-text (+2): Tailabhyanga, Abhyangasnana, Nirabhyanga, Abbhamga, Ghritabhyanga, Abhyanjana, Dantabhyanga, Abhyangavarga, Abhyamgana, Katutaila, Appiyankam, Toto, Massage, Cokhani, Abhyangati, Abhyangayati, Abhyangeti, Ayus, Snana, Nepathya.
Relevant text
Search found 34 books and stories containing Abhyanga, Abhy-anga, Abhy-aṅga, Abhyamga, Abhyaṃga, Abhyaṅga; (plurals include: Abhyangas, angas, aṅgas, Abhyamgas, Abhyaṃgas, Abhyaṅgas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
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