Ashadha, Āṣāḍha, Aṣāḍha, Āśāḍha: 25 definitions

Introduction:

Ashadha means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, 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.

The Sanskrit terms Āṣāḍha and Aṣāḍha and Āśāḍha can be transliterated into English as Asadha or Ashadha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Images (photo gallery)

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

1) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—A Kṣatriya King. He was the incarnation of a Rākṣasa called Krodhavaśa. Kaśyapa was the son of Marīci, Brahmā’s son. Kaśyapa married Krodhavaśā, daughter of Dakṣa. The Rākṣasa group called Krodhavaśas were the children of Krodhavaśā. Many Kṣatriya kings trace their descent from this group of Rākṣasas. The names of such Kṣatriya Kings are given below: Madraka, Karṇaveṣṭha, Siddhārtha, Kīṭakariddha, Subāhu, Bālhika, Kratha, Vicitra, Suratha, Cīravāsas, Kauravya, Dantavaktra, Durjaya, Rukmi, Janamejaya, Āṣāḍha, Vāyuvega, Bhūritejas, Ekalavya, Sumitra, Gomukha, Vātadhāna, and Kṣemadhūrti. (Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapter 6, Verses 59-64).

2) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—Śiva. (Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 17, Verse 121).

3) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—Name of a month. By feasting in this month, one will have many sons and much wealth. (Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 106, Verse 26).

4) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—Name of a star. After observing a fast on the day of this star, if curd is given to a Brahmin of noble birth, one can take rebirth in a family having many cows. (Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 64, Verses 25-26).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—Sacred to Aṅgāraka, and for performing śrāddha.*

  • * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 21. 76; 24. 133; III. 18. 10; Vāyu-purāṇa 53. 108; 66. 51; 82. 10.
Source: JatLand: List of Mahabharata people and places

Āṣāḍha (आषाढ) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. I.61.58) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Āṣāḍha) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.

Purana book cover
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.

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Kavya (poetry)

[«previous next»] — Ashadha in Kavya glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

Āṣāḍha (आषाढ) is the name of a Vidyādhara king, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 44. Accordingly, as Dāmodara said to the company of Sūryaprabha: “victory to the Crown Prince Dāmodara, son of king Āṣāḍha! O mortal, dweller on the earth, Sūryaprabha, fall at his feet. And do homage, O Janamejaya; why have you given your daughter to an undeserver? Propitiate, both of you, this god at once, otherwise he will not be appeased”.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Āṣāḍha, 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 book cover
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’.

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Ayurveda (science of life)

Nighantu (Synonyms and Characteristics of Drugs and technical terms)

Source: Wisdom Library: Raj Nighantu

Āṣāḍha (आषाढ) is the second month of the “summer season” (nidagha) in the traditional Indian calendar, according to the second chapter (dharaṇyādi-varga) of the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu (an Ayurvedic encyclopedia). The physician (bhiṣaj) should pay attention to the seasonal (ṛtu) factor in the use of medicinal drugs. Accordingly, “the bulbous roots in winter season (viz., Āṣāḍha), other roots in cold season and flowers during spring season are supposed to contain better properties. The new leaves or shoots in summer and the drugs, which grow in mud, like Lotus etc., should be used in autumn season”.

Ayurveda book cover
context information

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.

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Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)

Source: Pure Bhakti: Arcana-dipika - 3rd Edition

Āṣāḍha (आषाढ), corresponding to “June-July”, refers to one of the months (māsa) in the Vedic calendar.—There are twelve months in a Vedic lunar calendar, and approximately every three years, there is a thirteenth month. Each month has a predominating deity and approximately corresponds with the solar christian months. [...] In accordance with the month of the year, one would utter the Vedic month, for example, āṣāḍha-māsi.

The presiding deity of Āṣāḍha is Vāmana.

Vaishnavism book cover
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Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).

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Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)

Source: Wisdom Library: Brihat Samhita by Varahamihira

1) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ) refers to the 20th and 21st constellations, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 4), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “If the moon should pass to the south of Jyeṣṭha (the 18th constellation) [i.e., aindra], Mūla (the 19th constellation) and the two Āṣāḍhas (20th and 21st constellations) she destroys seeds, creatures in water and forests; and there will also be fear from fire. [...]”.

2) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ) refers to the lunar month corresponding to June-July (when the full moon is in the constellation of Āṣāḍha), according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 5).—Accordingly, “If there should be both lunar and solar eclipses in one month, princes will suffer both from dissensions among their own army and from wars. [...] If the eclipses should fall in the lunar month of Āṣāḍha, wells, wet fields and rivers will become dry; dealers in roots and fruits, the people of Gāndhāra, of Kāśmīra, of Pulinda and of Cīna (China) will perish; and there will be abundance of rain”.

Jyotisha book cover
context information

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.

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In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Tibetan Buddhism

Āṣāḍhā (आषाढा) [both Āṣāḍhās] refers to two of the various Nakṣatras mentioned as attending the teachings in the 6th century Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa: one of the largest Kriyā Tantras devoted to Mañjuśrī (the Bodhisattva of wisdom) representing an encyclopedia of knowledge primarily concerned with ritualistic elements in Buddhism. The teachings in this text originate from Mañjuśrī and were taught to and by Buddha Śākyamuni in the presence of a large audience (including Āṣāḍhā).

Source: archive.org: The Indian Buddhist Iconography

Āṣāḍha (आषाढ) (presided over by Ṣaṇmukha) is the fifth of twelve months, as commonly depicted in Buddhist Iconography, and mentioned in the 11th-century Niṣpannayogāvalī of Mahāpaṇḍita Abhayākara.—Accordingly, there are altogether twelve months [viz., Āṣāḍha] having twelve deities as given in the kālacakra-maṇḍala.—“here they are all accompanied with their Śaktis, mostly four-armed and have their distinctive vehicles”.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
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.

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India history and geography

Source: academia.edu: Tessitori Collection I (history)

Āsāḍha (आसाढ) refers to one of the twelve months mentioned in the Bārāmāso (dealing with poetry and riddles), which is included in the collection of manuscripts at the ‘Vincenzo Joppi’ library, collected by Luigi Pio Tessitori during his visit to Rajasthan between 1914 and 1919.—The months are described in the following sequence: [e.g., Āsāḍha] [...]. The tone is that of an evocation of the sounds and things seen during each of the twelve months akin to love poetry (sājana, mere sājana) and profane twelve months songs. But as the poem unfolds the religious tone increases, with reference to ‘the good teacher’ and presence of Jain terms so that this work is also close to Aupadeśik Bāramāso [...]

India history book cover
context information

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.

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Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—m (S) The name of the fourth month reckoning from caitra, viz. June-July.

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āṣāḍhā (आषाढा) [or ढी, ḍhī].—a Relating to the month āṣāḍha.

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

āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—m The name of the 4th month from caitra.

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.

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Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Aṣāḍha (अषाढ).—a. Ved.

1) Not to be overcome, invincible; अषाळ्हाय सहमानाय वेधसे (aṣāḷhāya sahamānāya vedhase) Ṛgveda 2.21.2.

2) Born under the constellation Āṣāḍha [P.IV.3.34]. अथाजिनाषाढधरः प्रमाथी (athājināṣāḍhadharaḥ pramāthī).

-ḍhaḥ 1 The month Āṣāḍha commencing with the Sun's entrance into Gemeni (usually written āṣāḍha).

2) A staff made of the wood of Palāśa, carried by a religious student or ascetic.

3) Name of the Malaya mountain.

-ḍhā 1 Name of a constellation, the twentieth (pūrvāṣāḍhā) and twenty-first (uttarāṣāḍhā) lunar mansions; Av.19.7.4.

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Āśāḍha (आशाढ).—See अ (a) (ā) षाढ (ṣāḍha).

Derivable forms: āśāḍhaḥ (आशाढः).

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Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—[āṣāḍhī pūrṇimā asminmāse aṇ]

1) Name of a Hindu month (corresponding to part of June and July); आषा- ढस्य प्रथमदिवसे (āṣā- ḍhasya prathamadivase) Meghadūta 2; शेते विष्णुः सदाषाढे कार्तिके प्रतिबोध्यते (śete viṣṇuḥ sadāṣāḍhe kārtike pratibodhyate) V.P.

2) A staff of the Palāśa wood carried by an ascetic; अथाजिनाषाढधरः प्रगल्भवाक् (athājināṣāḍhadharaḥ pragalbhavāk) Kumārasambhava 5.3.

3) The Malaya mountain.

-ḍhā The 2th and the 21st lunar mansions usually called पूर्वाषाढा (pūrvāṣāḍhā) and उत्तराषाढा (uttarāṣāḍhā).

-ḍhī The day of full moon in the month of Āṣāḍha; तस्य नित्यं सदाऽऽ षाढयां माध्यां च बहवो द्विजाः (tasya nityaṃ sadā'' ṣāḍhayāṃ mādhyāṃ ca bahavo dvijāḥ) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 12.171.17.

Derivable forms: āṣāḍhaḥ (आषाढः).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary

Aṣadha (अषध).—read asaḍha? (see s.v. śaḍha), not tricky: in Mahāvastu ii.63.15 (verse) read probably asaḍh’ (mss. cited as asadh’) ṛjjubhūto.

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Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—name of a householder: Avadāna-śataka i.338.6.

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

Aṣāḍha (अषाढ).—mfn.

(-ḍhaḥ-ḍhā-ḍhaṃ) Produced or occurring in the month A'shad'ha. m.

(-ḍhaḥ) 1. The month A'shad'ha, commencing with the sun’s entrance into Gemini, (June-July.) 2. A student’s staff. f.

(-ḍhā) A name common to the twentieth and twenty-first lunar mansion: see pūrvāṣāḍhā and uttarāṣāḍhā. E. See āṣāḍha, the initial being made short.

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Āśāḍha (आशाढ).—m.

(-ḍhaḥ) 1. The month Asad'ha, (June-july.) 2. A staff of Palasa wood carried by ascetics. f.

(-ḍhā) The name of two of the lunar mansions: see pūrvāṣāḍhā and uttarāṣāḍhā.

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Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—m.

(-ḍhaḥ) 1. The name of a month, (June-July.) 2. A staff of the wood of the Palasa, carried by an ascetic in the month Ashad'ha. 3. The Malaya mountain. E. āṣāḍhā the constellation, and aṇ affix. f. (-ḍhī) The day of full moon in the month Ashad'ha. f.

(-ḍhā) The twenty-first and twenty-second lunar mansion; it is most commonly compounded with pūrva and uttaraḥ see pūrvāṣāḍhā and uttarāṣāḍhā. E. a neg. saha to bear, aṇ and ṭāp affs.

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

Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—i. e. a-sāḍha, old ptcple. of the pf. pass. of sah, + a, m. 1. The name of a month (June-July), [Rājataraṅgiṇī] 5, 126. 2. A staff carried by an ascetic in that month. 3. A proper name, Mahābhārata 1, 2699.

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

Aṣāḍha (अषाढ).—[adjective] unconquerable; [masculine] a man’s name.

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Aṣāḍha (अषाढ).—[or aṣāḷha] [adjective] unconquerable; [masculine] a man’s name.

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Āṣāḍha (आषाढ).—[masculine] a cert. mouth.

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

1) Aṣāḍha (अषाढ):—[=a-ṣāḍha] mfn. (or in [Ṛg-veda] a-ṣālha) not to be overcome, invincible, [Ṛg-veda; Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā]

2) [v.s. ...] born under the Nakṣatra Aṣāḍhā, [Pāṇini 4-3, 34]

3) [v.s. ...] m. the month (generally called) Āṣāḍha, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

4) [v.s. ...] a staff made of Palāśa wood (carried by the student during the performance of certain vows), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

5) [v.s. ...] Name of a teacher, [Kāṭhaka; Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa i] (cf. āṣāḍhi)

6) Aṣāḍhā (अषाढा):—[=a-ṣāḍhā] [from a-ṣāḍha] f. Name of a brick (used for the sacrificial altar), [Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa]

7) [v.s. ...] sg. or [plural] Name of two lunar mansions (distinguished as pinvā and uttara, ‘the former’ and ‘the latter’, and reckoned either as the eighteenth and nineteenth [Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa] or as the twentieth and twenty-first [Viṣṇu-purāṇa] etc.), [Atharva-veda xix, 7, 4, etc.]

8) Āśāḍha (आशाढ):—= āṣāḍha q.v., [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

9) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ):—m. ([from] a-ṣāḍhā), Name of a month (corresponding to part of June and July) in which the full moon is near the constellation Aṣāḍhā, [Suśruta; Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā; Meghadūta; Kathāsaritsāgara] etc.

10) a staff of the wood of the Palāśa (carried by an ascetic during certain religious observances in the month Āṣāḍha), [Pāṇini 5-1, 110; Kumāra-sambhava] etc.

11) Name of a prince, [Mahābhārata]

12) the Malaya mountain, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

13) a festival (of Indra), [Āpastamba-dharma-sūtra i, 11, 20]

14) Name of Śiva (cf. su-ṣ°), [Mahābhārata]

15) Āṣāḍhā (आषाढा):—[from āṣāḍha] f. (for a-ṣāḍhā q.v.) the twenty-first and twenty-second lunar mansions (commonly compounded with pūrva and uttara), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

16) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ):—mfn. belonging to the month Āṣāḍha, [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā]

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

1) Aṣāḍha (अषाढ):—(ḍhaḥ) 1. m. The month Ashāḍha (June—July); student’s stuff. f. (ḍhā) 20th and 21st lunar mansions

2) Āśāḍha (आशाढ):—(ḍhaḥ) 1. m. The month Āshāḍha, (June-July.) (ḍhā) f. 21st and 22nd lunar mansions.

3) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ):—(ḍhaḥ) 1. m. Same as āśāḍha.

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

Āṣāḍha (आषाढ) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Āsāḍha, Āsāḍhā.

[Sanskrit to German]

Ashadha 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.

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Hindi dictionary

[«previous next»] — Ashadha in Hindi glossary
Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

1) Asāḍha (असाढ):—(nm) the fourth month of the Hindu calendar; ~[ḍhī] pertaining to [asāḍha].

2) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ):—(nm) the fourth month of the Hindu calendar; ~[ḍhī] pertaining to the month of ~[ḍha]; the full moon day in the month of ~[ḍha].

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Prakrit-English dictionary

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

1) Asaḍha (असढ) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Aśaṭha.

2) Āsāḍha (आसाढ) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Āṣāḍha.

3) Āsāḍhā (आसाढा) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Āṣāḍhā.

context information

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.

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Nepali dictionary

Source: unoes: Nepali-English Dictionary

1) Asāḍha (असाढ):—n. Asadh/Asar; third month of the Nepali year (June-July);

2) Āṣāḍha (आषाढ):—n. 1. name of a month according to Bikram Sambat (June-July); 2. a staff of the Palasa wood carried by an ascetic;

context information

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.

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