In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: Wisdom Library: Varāha-purāṇa

Andhakāra (अन्धकार).—One of the seven major mountains in Krauñcadvīpa, according to the Varāhapurāṇa chapter 88. All of these mountains are tall and filled with gems. It is also known by the name Acchodaka. Krauñcadvīpa is one of the seven islands (dvīpa), ruled over by Jyotiṣmān, one of the ten sons of Priyavrata, who is the son of Svāyambhuva Manu, who was created by Brahmā, who was in turn created by Nārāyaṇa, the unknowable all-pervasive primordial being.

The Varāhapurāṇa is categorised as a Mahāpurāṇa, and was originally composed of 24,000 metrical verses, possibly originating from before the 10th century. It is composed of two parts and Sūta is the main narrator.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Andhakāra (अन्धकार).—A son of Dyutimat after whom the kingdom Andhakāra came to be known.^*

• * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 14. 22, 25.

1b) The eighth battle of Devas and Asuras.^*

• * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 72. 75 & 82; Vāyu-purāṇa 97. 75.

2) Āndhakāra (आन्धकार).—(c)—a kingdom after the name of Andhakāra,¹ near Pīvara hill.²

• 1) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 14. 25.
• 2) Ib. II. 19. 72.

context information

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: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions (kavya)

Andhakāra (अन्धकार) refers to “(intense) darkness ”, according to Bāṇa’s Kādambarī (p. 225-226).—Accordingly, while describing the shire of the Goddess Caṇḍikā, “[Then follows the image of the Goddess Caṇḍikā, which matches the conception of Kālarātri in the passage from the Mahābhārata:] Her feet were never bereft of cloths [dyed with] red lac thrown upon the mound of her seat [on the altar] as if they were the lives of all creatures arrived there for shelter; she resembled an inhabitant of the Underworld because of the intense darkness (bahala-andhakāra) obstructed [only] by the flashes from axes, spears, etc., weapons deadly for beings, that seemed to hold nets of hair stuck from decapitations because of the reflections of black yak-tail whisks cast [upon their surfaces]; [...]”.

context information

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’.

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

Andhakāra (अन्धकार) refers to “darkness”, according to Mukunda’s Saṃvartārthaprakāśa.—Accordingly, [while describing the three currents of teachers]: “(1) Divyaugha: One should think of the essential nature of the teachers belonging to the Divine Current as the quality of sattva, as the worlds of the Sun and Fire etc. and as possessing the nature of deity. (2) Mānavaugha: One should contemplate the essential nature of the teachers belonging to the Current of Men as the quality of rajas, as the Moon and Water etc and as possessing a human nature. (3) Siddhaugha: One should recollect the essential nature of the teachers belonging to the Current of Siddhas as the quality of tamas, as darkness (andhakāra), Space and the Air etc and possessing a supernatural being’s nature”.

context information

Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.

In Buddhism

Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names

A village in Ceylon, one of the villages given by Aggabodhi IV. for the maintenance of the Padhana ghara built by the king for the Thera Dathasiva. Cv.xlvi.12.

context information

Theravāda is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka (philosophy and psychology).

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā

Andhakāra (अन्धकार) refers to “darkness”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “Then the Bodhisattva Gaganagañja, having praised the Lord with these verses, addressed himself to the Lord: ‘[...] If, Lord, the Tathāgata gives some advice (kathā) about the entrance into the analysis of the dharma (dharmaviniścaya) to me, I would ask a question. Why is that? The Lord, having obtained the knowledge of non-attachment (asaṅga), is skilled in knowing the excellent and not so excellent abilities in all living beings. The Lord, having obtained the light, is free from the all darkness (andhakāra). [...]’”.

context information

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.

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Andhakāra (अन्धकार) refers to “darkness”, according to the Guru Mandala Worship (maṇḍalārcana) ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.—Accordingly, “Homage be to you, homage be to you, homage be to you, homage, homage, With devotion I bow to you, Guru protector be pleased with me. By whose bright rays of light, the true self suddenly appears, With an abundance of jeweled radiance, defeating darkness (prahata-andhakāra), Rightly understanding with clear eyes, with intense playfulness, This adoration is offered to them, to the illuminating Guru”.

context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

General definition (in Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgraha

Andhakāra (अन्धकार, “dark”) refers to one of the “twenty form objects” (rūpa) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 34). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., andhakāra). The work is attributed to Nagarjuna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: Encyclopedia of Jainism: Tattvartha Sutra 5: The category of the non-living

Andhakāra (अन्धकार, “darkness”) according to the 2nd-century Tattvārthasūtra 5.24.—“Sound (śabda), union (bandha), fineness (saukṣmya), grossness (sthaulya), shape (saṃsthāna), division (bheda), darkness (tamas or andhakāra), image (chāya or chāyā), warm light (sunshine) (ātapa) and cool light (moonlight) (udyota) also (are forms of matter)”.

What is the meaning of darkness (tamas or andhakāra)? It is the opposite of light or absence of light.

Source: The University of Sydney: A study of the Twelve Reflections

Andhakāra (अन्धकार) refers to “darkness”, according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “The fire of passion becomes extinguished, desire flows away, darkness  [com.—andhakāra] disappears [and] the light of knowledge shines forth in the heart for men from the repetition of the reflections”.

Synonyms: Dhvānta.

context information

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

Pali-English dictionary

Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

andhakāra : (m.) darkness; bewilderment.

Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Andhakāra refers to: blindness (lit. & fig), darkness, dullness, bewilderment Vin.I, 16; D.II, 12; A.I, 56; II, 54; III, 233; J.III, 188; Th.1, 1034; Dh.146; Sn.763; Vv 21⁴ (= avijj° VvA.106); Pug.30; Dhs.617; DA.I, 228; VvA.51, 53, 116, 161; PvA.6; Sdhp.14, 280.

Note: andhakāra is a Pali compound consisting of the words andha and kāra.

context information

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 Dictionary

andhakāra (अंधकार).—m (S) pop. andhaḥkāra m Darkness. 2 fig. Mental darkness.

Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-English

andhakāra (अंधकार).—m Darkness. Fig. mental darkness.

context information

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 dictionary

Andhakāra (अन्धकार).—[andhaṃ karoti] darkness (lit. and fig.); लीनं दिवाभीतमिवान्धकारम् (līnaṃ divābhītamivāndhakāram) Ku. 1.12; काम°, मदन° (kāma°, madana°); अन्धकारतामुपयाति चक्षुः (andhakāratāmupayāti cakṣuḥ) K.36 grows dim; बाष्पजलधारान्धकारितमुखी (bāṣpajaladhārāndhakāritamukhī) K.161,286.

Derivable forms: andhakāraḥ (अन्धकारः).

Andhakāra is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms andha and kāra (कार).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Andhakāra (अन्धकार).—mn.

(-raḥ-raṃ) Darkness. E. andha blind, and kāra what makes.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Andhakāra (अन्धकार).—[andha + kāra], m. and n. Darkness, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 4, 51.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Andhakāra (अन्धकार).—[adjective] dark; [masculine] [neuter] darkness, [abstract] tā [feminine]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Andhakāra (अन्धकार):—[=andha-kāra] [from andha > andh] m. n. darkness.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Goldstücker Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Andhakāra (अन्धकार):—[tatpurusha compound] m. n.

(-raḥ-ram) Darkness; lit. and fig. E. andha and kāra (kṛ, kṛt aff. aṇ).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Andhakāra (अन्धकार):—[andha-kāra] (raḥ-raṃ) 1. m. n. Darkness.

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)

Andhakāra (अन्धकार) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Aṃdhayāra, Aṃdhayāraṇa, Aṃdhāra.

[Sanskrit to German]

Andhakara in German

context information

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

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Aṃdhakāra (ಅಂಧಕಾರ):—

1) [noun] want of light; darkness.

2) [noun] want of knowledge; ignorance.

context information

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: Kara, Andha.

Starts with: Amdhakarayuga, Andhakara Sutta, Andhakara Vagga, Andhakaraka, Andhakaram, Andhakaramaya, Andhakarana, Andhakarapitatva, Andhakaraprayashcitta, Andhakarasamcaya, Andhakarasancaya, Andhakarasprishtaprayashcitta, Andhakaratamisra, Andhakaratamisrita, Andhakarattha, Andhakaravada.

Ends with (+5): Anandhakara, Baddhabhimandhakara, Baddhandhakara, Bahalandhakara, Bhinnaandhakara, Devamdhakara, Dhumandhakara, Dhumrandhakara, Durgandhakara, Gadhamdhakara, Ghanandhakara, Ghorandhakara, Hridayamdhakara, Kalamdhakara, Katakandhakara, Katandhakara, Mahandhakara, Prahatandhakara, Pratyandhakara, Rattandhakara.

Full-text (+51): Andhara, Andhakaramaya, Andhakarita, Samandhakara, Pratyandhakara, Prakasha, Andhakarasamcaya, Amdhiyara, Amdhiyari, Carci, Andhakar, Ghasra, Tamisrita, Amdhayara, Amdhayarana, Andhakarasprishtaprayashcitta, Samandhakarikrita, Timisa, Tamas, Krauncadvipa.

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Search found 18 books and stories containing Andhakara, Andhakāra, Āndhakāra, Andha-kara, Andha-kāra, Amdhakara, Aṃdhakāra; (plurals include: Andhakaras, Andhakāras, Āndhakāras, karas, kāras, Amdhakaras, Aṃdhakāras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)

Verse 5.24.30 < [Chapter 24 - The Killing of the Kola Demon]

Verses 1.11.22-24 < [Chapter 11 - Description of Śrī Kṛṣṇacandra’s Birth]

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Tattvartha Sutra (with commentary) (by Vijay K. Jain)

Verse 5.24 - The modes of the matter (pudgala-paryāya) < [Chapter 5 - The Non-living Substances]

Verse 5.25 - The two divisions of the matter (pudgala) < [Chapter 5 - The Non-living Substances]

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Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)

Verse 2.1.90 < [Chapter 1 - Vairāgya (renunciation)]

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Mahabharata (English) (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)

Section XII < [Bhumi Parva]

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Chaitanya Bhagavata (by Bhumipati Dāsa)

Verse 3.9.37 < [Chapter 9 - The Glories of Advaita]

Verse 3.5.602 < [Chapter 5 - The Pastimes of Nityānanda]

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Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)

Appendix 2 - Lokāntarikā (intermediate spaces between two worlds) < [Chapter XLVII - Praises made by the Buddhas]

V. Value of the Buddha fields < [Part 4 - Assuring the continuity of the Buddha universes]

III. Mastering the fire element (tejas) < [Part 3 - Mastering the four great elements]

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Click here for all 18 books