Ashtavasu, Aṣṭavasu, Ashtan-vasu: 4 definitions
Introduction:
Ashtavasu means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, 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.
The Sanskrit term Aṣṭavasu can be transliterated into English as Astavasu or Ashtavasu, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaAṣṭavasu (अष्टवसु).—Origin. Gaṇadevatās are called Aṣṭavasus. They were born to Dharmadeva of his wife Vasu, daughter of Dakṣa. They are: Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Ahar, Anila, Anala, Pratyūṣa and Prabhāsa. (Ślokas 17 and 18, Chapter 66, Ādi Parva, Mahābhārata). There is a version in certain purāṇas that the Aṣṭavasus are the sons of Kaśyapa. (See full article at Story of Aṣṭavasu from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)
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.
Vedanta (school of philosophy)
Source: Shodhganga: Siva Gita A Critical StudyAṣṭavasu (अष्टवसु) refers to:—āpa (water), dhruva (pole star), soma (moon), dhava or dhara (earth), anila (wind), anala (fire), pratyūṣa (dawn) and prabhāsa (light).
Vedanta (वेदान्त, vedānta) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. There are a number of sub-schools of Vedanta, however all of them expound on the basic teaching of the ultimate reality (brahman) and liberation (moksha) of the individual soul (atman).
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryaṣṭavasu (अष्टवसु).—m pl S The eight vasu viz. dhara, dhruva, sōma, āp, anila, anala, pratyūṣa, prabhāsa. In bhāgavatapurāṇa the enumeration is drōṇa, prāṇa, dhruva, arka, agni, dōṣa, vasu, vibhāvasu.
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 dictionaryAṣṭavasu (अष्टवसु).—The eight वसु (vasu)s in the present मन्वन्तर (manvantara) are (a) धर, ध्रुव, सोम, आप, अनिल, अनल, प्रत्यूष, प्रभास (dhara, dhruva, soma, āpa, anila, anala, pratyūṣa, prabhāsa). (b) द्रोण, प्राण, ध्रुव, अर्क, अग्नि, दोष, वसु, विभावसु (droṇa, prāṇa, dhruva, arka, agni, doṣa, vasu, vibhāvasu).
Aṣṭavasu is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms aṣṭan and vasu (वसु).
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)
Full-text (+1): Dyau, Apa, Pratyusha, Dyu, Shrama, Jitavati, Aha, Vasudhara, Bhuvana, Mridnat, Yashoda, Jalabhaya, Pavanabhaya, Dahanabhaya, Santa, Vasu, Dahana, Jala, Shakha, Devala.
Relevant text
Search found 3 books and stories containing Ashtavasu, Ashtan-vasu, Aṣṭan-vasu, Astan-vasu, Aṣṭavasu, Astavasu; (plurals include: Ashtavasus, vasus, Aṣṭavasus, Astavasus). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Animal Kingdom (Tiryak) in Epics (by Saranya P.S)
Brihat Samhita (by N. Chidambaram Iyer)
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