Aryavarta, Āryāvarta, Arya-avarta: 16 definitions
Introduction:
Aryavarta means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Hindi. 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
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia1) Āryāvarta (आर्यावर्त).—Another name for Bhārata. There is also a place of that name. According to Smṛti the land lying between the Himālayas and the Vindhyas is called Āryāvarta. (Śloka 15, Chapter 325, Śānti Parva, Mahābhārata). (See full article at Story of Āryāvarta from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)
2) Āryāvarta (आर्यावर्त).—A king of the dynasty of Viśvakarmā. Genealogy. Descending in order from Viṣṇu are Brahmā, Dharma, Prabhāsa, Viśvakarmā, Priyavrata, Agnīdhra, Nābhi, Ṛṣabha and Āryāvarta.
2) Of these Ṛṣabha got of his wife Jayantī twenty sons: Bharata, Kuśāvarta, Ilāvarta, Brahmāvarta, Aryāvarta Malaya, Ketu, Bhadrasena, Indraspṛk, Vidarbha, Kīkaṭa, Kavi, Hari, Antarīkṣa, Prabuddha, Pippalāyana, Āvirhotra, Dramiḍa, Camasa and Karabhājana. Of these Bharata ruled over this land and gave it the name Bhārata. Brothers of Bharata ruled different parts of this land. Dramiḍa’s land became known later as Drāviḍa (Dakṣiṇabhārata).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त).—Twenty-five of Ikṣvāku's sons were rulers over this territory; given to Upadraṣṭa by Paraśurāma.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 6. 5; 16. 22.
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.
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Source: archive.org: Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions (dharma)Āryāvarta (आर्यावर्त).—In defining the boundaries of Āryāvarta, Vasiṣṭha and Baudhāyana in their Dharmasūtras lay stress on the word Ārya and explain it to mean śiṣṭa. Patañjali also in his Mahābhāṣya first explains the meaning of śiṣṭa in order to draw attention to the cultural basis of the name Āryāvarta. He remarks that correct conduct is found in Āryāvarta and then mentions its boundaries.
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Source: Wisdom Library: Brihat Samhita by VarahamihiraĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त) [=Āryāvartta] refers to an ancient kingdom or tribe of people, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 5), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “If Mars should be eclipsed by Rāhu [—the eclipsed or eclipsing lunar or solar disc as the case may be], the people of Āvanti, those living on the banks of the Kāverī and the Narmada and haughty princes will be afflicted with miseries. [...] If Jupiter should be so eclipsed, learned men, kings, ministers, elephants and horses will perish and persons living on the banks of the Indus and in the northern countries will suffer calamities. If Venus should be so eclipsed, the people of Dāśeraka, of Kaikaya, of Yaudheya and of Āryāvarta and the Śibīs will suffer; women and ministers will be afflicted with miseries”.
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.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara SamadhiĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त) is the name of a holy land, 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, “[...] On the Bharata continent, in northern Pāñcāla, at the feet of the Himalayas, In the land of Vāsuki, the seat of Upachandoha, in the holy land (puṇyabhūmi) Āryāvarta, In the home of Karkoṭaka king of serpents, In the great lake Nāgavāsa, Site of Śrī Svayambhū Caitya, inhabited by Śrī Guyeśvarī Prajñāpāramita, In the land of the Nepal mandala, in the form of the Śrī Saṃvara mandala, In the same land of Sudurjayā, [...]”.,
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.
India history and geography
Source: archive.org: Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptionsĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त) or Āryāvartta is the name of a locality mentioned in the Gupta inscription No. 1. The Gupta empire (r. 3rd-century CE), founded by Śrī Gupta, covered much of ancient India and embraced the Dharmic religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Literally Āryāvarta means “the abode of the Āryas, or excellent or noble people”.
In the Brāhmaṇa period the centre of Āryan culture and civilization shifted to the Gangetic Doab “Āryāvarta came to be treated as conterminous with the region between the Gaṅgā and Yamunā. In the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka special honour is assigned to those who dwell between the Gaṅgā and the Yamunā. In the Śutra period Āryāvarta extended from the hills of Central Rajasthan to the hills of Central Bihar. At the time of Patañjali, Āryāvarta was bounded on the north by the Himalayas, on the south by Pāriyātraka, on the west by Ādarśāvalī and on the east by Kālakavana (Rajmahal hills) ‘Black Forest’ or rather Kanakhala, near Hardwar.
Thus it seems that Āryāvarta bore a sacerdotal sense and denoted a particularly limited area where Āryan institutions were the basis of social order.
Source: What is India: Inscriptions of the Early Gupta KingsĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त).—The Allahabad pillar inscription sets forth a list of the rulers of Āryāvarta whom, we are told, Samudragupta forcibly uprooted. They are
- Rudradeva,
- Matila,
- Nāgadatta,
- Candravarman,
- Gaṇapatināga,
- Nāgasena,
- Acyutanandin,
- Balavarman.
We have also noted above that three of these Āryāvarta kings, namely, Gaṇapatināga, Nāgasena and Acyutanandin, have been mentioned in the verse portion of the praśasti as co-operating with a Kota prince to form a confederacy against Samudragupta.
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
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त).—[āryāṃ āvartante atra] 'abode of the noble or excellent (Āryas)'; particularly Name of the tract extending from the eastern to the western ocean, and bounded on the north and south by the Himālaya and Vindhya respectively; cf. Ms..2.22; आ समुद्रात्तु वै पूर्वादा समुद्राच्च पश्चिमात् । तयोरेवान्तरं गिर्योः (ā samudrāttu vai pūrvādā samudrācca paścimāt | tayorevāntaraṃ giryoḥ) (himavadvindhyayoḥ) आर्यावर्तं विदुर्बुधाः (āryāvartaṃ vidurbudhāḥ) ||; also 1.34.
Derivable forms: āryāvartaḥ (आर्यावर्तः).
Āryāvarta is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms ārya and āvarta (आवर्त).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त).—m. the holy land, extending from the eastern to the western sea, and bounded on the north and south by the Himālaya and Vindhya mountains, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 2, 22.
Āryāvarta is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms ārya and āvarta (आवर्त).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त).—[masculine] the country of the Aryans (between the Himālaya and Vindhya mountains); [plural] its inhabitants.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Āryāvarta (आर्यावर्त):—[from ārya] m. ‘abode of the noble or excellent ones’
2) [v.s. ...] the sacred land of the Āryans (Name of Northern and Central India, extending from the eastern to the western sea and bounded on the north and south by the Himālaya and Vindhya mountains), [Manu-smṛti; Rājataraṅgiṇī etc.]
3) [v.s. ...] the inhabitants of that country.
[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 dictionaryĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त):—(nm) the land of Aryans (extending from the eastern to western sea and bounded on north and south by the Himalayas and Vindhya mountain ranges respectively).
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusĀryāvarta (ಆರ್ಯಾವರ್ತ):—[noun] the tract of the land in northern India surrounded by the Himalayas on the north, Vindya mountain in the south.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Source: unoes: Nepali-English DictionaryĀryāvarta (आर्यावर्त):—n. land of the Aryans; north and central India;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Arya, Avarta.
Ends with: Abhiparyavarta, Paryavarta.
Full-text (+38): Acaravedi, Punyabhu, Punyabhumi, Nagadatta, Aryasthana, Balavarman, Ganapatinaga, Karmmabhumi, Drishadvati, Nagasena, Antarbhumi, Kushavarta, Punyakshetra, Aryavartta, Vindhya, Ariyar, Cakravartikshetra, Jina, Camasa, Pratyanta.
Relevant text
Search found 26 books and stories containing Aryavarta, Āryāvarta, Arya-avarta, Ārya-āvarta; (plurals include: Aryavartas, Āryāvartas, avartas, āvartas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Vasistha Dharmasutra (by Georg Bühler)
Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi (by Ganganatha Jha)
Verse 2.22 < [Section VI - Qualified Countries]
Verse 10.34 < [Section II - Mixed Castes]
Verse 10.45 < [Section III - Status of the Mixed Castes]
A Historical Study of Kaushambi (by Nirja Sharma)
Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study) (by Debabrata Barai)
Part 8.3 - Rājaśekhara’s concepts of Bhāratavarṣa (undivided india) < [Chapter 5 - Analyasis and Interpretations of the Kāvyamīmāṃsā]
Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study) (by A. Yamuna Devi)
Miscellaneous (1): Geographical Data < [Chapter 3 - Social Aspects]
Impact of Vedic Culture on Society (by Kaushik Acharya)
Introduction < [Chapter 1]
Geographical extent and History of Northern India < [Chapter 1]
4. Religious Aspect of Dāna < [Chapter 2]
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