Anavatapta: 6 definitions
Introduction:
Anavatapta 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.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Anavatapta (अनवतप्त):—At the northern boundaries (of Jambudvīpa), in the Snowy Mountains (Himavat), there is lake called Anavatapta; in the lake there is a lotus golden in color and made of the seven jewels, as large as a chariot wheel. [Its master], Anavatapata, king of the nāgas (nāgarāja), is a great bodhisattva of the seventh bhūmi.
At the four corners of the lake there are four [mouths] from which the water flows out:
- at the east, the Elephant’s Mouth (Siang t’eou = hastimukha);
- at the south, the Ox’s Mouth (Nieou t’eou = vṛṣabhamukha);
- at the west, the Horse’s Mouth (Ma t’eou = aśvamukha);
- at the north, the Lion’s Mouth (Che tseu t’eou = siṃhamukha).
According to the Si yu ki, l.c., Anavatapta is located at the center of Jambudvīpa, south of the Perfumed Mountain (Gandhamādana) and north of the great Snowy Mountain (Himavat).
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
Anavatapta (अनवतप्त).—(= Pali Anotatta, in meaning 1), (1) name of a lake: Lalitavistara 332.12; Divyāvadāna 150.23; 152.23; 153.4; 344.13; 399.14; Śikṣāsamuccaya 247.12; Daśabhūmikasūtra 95.17; Karmavibhaṅga (and Karmavibhaṅgopadeśa) 62.1; °ta-kāyikā devatāḥ, the deities inhabiting Lake A, Divyāvadāna 153.7 ff.; (2) name of a nāga-king: Mahāvyutpatti 3239; Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 4.12; Lalitavistara 204.10; 219.9 (here anāva°, m.c.); Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra 85.4; 91.19; 158.14; 162.8; Kāraṇḍavvūha 2.14; 68.5; Gaṇḍavyūha 196.13; Mahā-Māyūrī 221.20; 247.9.
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Anāvatapta (अनावतप्त).—m.c. for Anava° (2), q.v.: Lalitavistara 219.9.
1) Anavatapta (अनवतप्त):—[=an-avatapta] m. Name of a serpent king, [Buddhist literature]
2) [v.s. ...] of a lake (= Rāvaṇa-hrada), [ib.]
Anavatapta (अनवतप्त):—[tatpurusha compound] m.
(-ptaḥ) (In Buddhist mythology and legends.)
1) The name of a serpent-king.
2) The name of a renowned lake where the disciples of Śākyamuni held several of their meetings; probably the same as Rāvaṇahrada. E. a neg. and avatapta.
[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: Avatapta, An.
Starts with: Anavataptanagaraja, Anavataptanagarajaparipriccha, Anavataptaparipriccha.
Full-text (+37): A na po da duo, Da shui, Wure, Si he, Anavataptanagaraja, Anotaptagatra, A nou, Wu re chi, A nou da, Heng he, Bo mi luo, Wu re tian, Hastimukha, Anotatta, Fu chu, Simhamukha, Vrishabhamukha, Ba long wang, Heng shui, Heng jia.
Relevant text
Search found 21 books and stories containing Anavatapta, Anāvatapta, An-avatapta; (plurals include: Anavataptas, Anāvataptas, avataptas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Buddhist records of the Western world (Xuanzang) (by Samuel Beal)
Introduction < [Book I - Thirty-Four Countries]
Chapter 1 - Country of Shi-lo-fu-shi-ti (Shravasti) < [Book VI - Four Countries]
Chapter 4 - Country of Kiu-shi-na-kie-lo (Kushinagara) < [Book VI - Four Countries]
The Idea of the Anavatapta Lake in India and Its Adoption in East Asia < [Volume 11, Issue 3 (2020)]
Bathing Practices as a Religious and Medical Encounter < [Volume 16, Issue 1 (2025)]
The Travelogues of Buddhist Monks and the Knowledge of the Western Regions... < [Volume 15, Issue 8 (2024)]
Taisho: Chinese Buddhist Canon
Scroll 1a - Chapter 1: Jambudvipa < [Part 23 - Creation and Destruction of the World]
Scroll 1a - Chapter 1: Jambudvipa < [Part 24 - Beginning of the World]
Scroll 1a - Chapter 1: Jambudvipa < [Part 25 - Sutra on the Causes and Beginning of the World]
Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)
I. Recollection of the Buddha (2): The miracles of his birth < [Part 2 - The Eight Recollections according to the Abhidharma]
Appendix 2 - The great rivers in Jambudvīpa < [Chapter XI - The Ten Comparisons]
Act 1.7: Explanation of the parable ‘as numerous as the sands of the Ganges’ < [Chapter XIV - Emission of rays]
Kailash: Journal of Himalayan Studies
Part 2.2 - bKa'-brgyud-pa Responses < [Tantric Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites in Tibet]
Part 2.1 - Sa-skya-pa Criticisms < [Tantric Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites in Tibet]
Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies
Xuanzang à Paris: The European Reception of the Japanese Buddhist World Map < [Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies 4.1 (2021)]
The Monk Mūlaphalguna and the Nuns: Biography as Criticism < [Hualin International Journal of Buddhist Studies 5.1 (2022)]