Ashvakranta, Aśvakrānta, Aśvakrāntā: 11 definitions
Introduction:
Ashvakranta means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India. 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 Aśvakrānta and Aśvakrāntā can be transliterated into English as Asvakranta or Ashvakranta, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Aśvakrānta (अश्वक्रान्त).—Music, with Aśvini as deity.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 86. 64.
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.
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
1) Aśvakrānta (अश्वक्रान्त) refers to a type of posture (sthāna) for women (strī); defined in the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 12. Accordingly, “The sthāna will be maintained by a dancer till any movement begins. For during a dance the sthāna is at an end when the cārī (‘dance-steps’) has begun. This is the rule of the sthāna for women and for men as well.”
2) Aśvakrānta (अश्वक्रान्त) refers to a mūrchanā (modulation) based on the ṣaḍja-grāma, according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 24. The fourteen mūrchanās mentioned in this work refer to the regulated rise or fall of sounds through the grāma (musical scale), which represents a scale consisting of a number of tones (svara).
Aśvakrānta (अश्वक्रान्त).—A type of sthāna (posture) for women.—Instructions: The Sthāna in which one foot is raised and the other is resting on its fore-part and [ready for] the Sūcī or the Āviddhā Cārī is called Aśvakrānta.
(Uses): This Sthāna is to be assumed in taking hold of the branch of a tree, plucking a cluster [of flowers] or in taking rest by inferior persons or women for any purpose.
Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing Dramatic plays (nataka), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).
Shilpashastra (iconography)
1) Aśvakrāntā (अश्वक्रान्ता) refers to a type of mūrchanā (melodic mode), and its illustration as a Goddess (according to 15th-century Indian art) is as follows.—The colour of her body is golden. She holds a kartāl in both hands. The colour of her bodice is light-green; the scarf is rosy with a design of crimson-colour, its front border being of saffron colour with a design of black coour. She wears a trouser of red-coloured design and golden borders. Her right leg is on the ground and left leg held up with a bent knee.
2) Aśvakrāntā (अश्वक्रान्ता) refers to one of the forty-seven tānas (tone) used in Indian music.—The illustration of Aśvakrāntā (as a deity) according to 15th-century Indian art is as follows.—The colour of his body is yellow. His face is similar to the face of a Krauñca (bird). A viṇa is held with both hands.
The illustrations (of, for example Aśvakrāntā) are found scattered throughout ancient Jain manuscripts from Gujarat. The descriptions of these illustrations of this citrāvalī are based on the ślokas of Vācanācārya Gaṇi Sudhākalaśa’s Saṅgītopaniṣatsāroddhāra (14th century) and Śārṅgadeva’s Saṅgītaratnākara (13th century).
Shilpashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, śilpaśāstra) represents the ancient Indian science (shastra) of creative arts (shilpa) such as sculpture, iconography and painting. Closely related to Vastushastra (architecture), they often share the same literature.
Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres)
Aśvākrāntā (अश्वाक्रान्ता) is the name of a catuṣpadi metre (as popularly employed by the Apabhraṃśa bards), as discussed in books such as the Chandonuśāsana, Kavidarpaṇa, Vṛttajātisamuccaya and Svayambhūchandas.—Aśvākrāntā has 22 mātrās in each of its four lines, divided into the groups of [SII], [SII], [SII], [SII], [SII] and [S] mātrās.
Chandas (छन्दस्) refers to Sanskrit prosody and represents one of the six Vedangas (auxiliary disciplines belonging to the study of the Vedas). The science of prosody (chandas-shastra) focusses on the study of the poetic meters such as the commonly known twenty-six metres mentioned by Pingalas.
Gitashastra (science of music)
Aśvakrāntā (अश्वक्रान्ता) refers to one of the Seven mūrcchanās belonging to ṣaḍjagrāma, according to the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, an ancient Sanskrit text which (being encyclopedic in nature) deals with a variety of cultural topics such as arts, architecture, music, grammar and astronomy.—The Mūrcchanās represent the “ascending (ārohaṇa) and the descending (avarohaṇa) movement of the seven svaras (i.e., the scale) in successive order”, according to the Saṃgītaratnākara. In the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa twenty-one types of mūrcchanās [e.g., aśvakrāntā] are accepted and those are said to be related to seven svaras and are dependent on each of three grāmas.
Gitashastra (गीतशास्त्र, gītaśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science of Music (gita or samgita), which is traditionally divided in Vocal music, Instrumental music and Dance (under the jurisdiction of music). The different elements and technical terms are explained in a wide range of (often Sanskrit) literature.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Aśvakrānta (अश्वक्रान्त) refers to one of the topics discussed in the Mahāmokṣa-Tantra, a Sanskrit manuscript collected in volume 12 of the catalogue “Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (second series)” by Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri.—The Mahāmokṣatantra manuscript, consisting of 3,024 ślokas (metrical verses), is deposit: Dhaka, Vikramapura Majhapada, Babu Rasavihari Raya. It deals with the salvation, cosmogony (i.e., the order of cosmic regions) and contains a bibliography of Tantric literature.— The catalogue includes the term—Aśvakrānta in its ‘subject-matter list’ or Viṣaya (which lists topics, chapters and technical terms). The complete entry reads—aśvakrānta rathakrānta viṣṇukrāntavivaraṇakathanañca.
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Aśvakrāntā (अश्वक्रान्ता) refers to one of the three Krāntā divisions.—Some of the Tantrik works like the Mahā-siddhasāra Tantra have divided Bhārata-varṣa (greater India) into three krāntās or units, viz., viṣṇukrāntā, rathakrāntā and aśvakrāntā. The land to the east of the Vindhya hills, extending upto Jāva is viṣṇukrāntā. The country north of the Vindhyas including Mahācīnā, is rathakrāntā. The rest of the country westward is aśvakrāntā. The three [krāntā] words are also used as adjectives to the earth in the Mṛttikāsūkta of the Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad (1.37). [...]
India history and geography
Aśvakrānta (अश्वक्रान्त) refers to one of the three categories of Tantras mentioned in association with the Saundaryalaharī and Vāmakeśvara-tantra and a (further unknown) book in the possession of Kamlesh Punyark [=Śrī Kamaleśa Puṇyārka or श्री कमलेश पुण्यार्क].—This book contains a detailed discussion of the basics of Tantra and opens with a list of three times sixty-four Tantras.
The Aśvakrānta section contains the following Tantras:
- Bhūtaśuddhitantra;
- Guptadīkṣātantra;
- Bṛhatsāratantra;
- Tattvasāratantra;
- Varṇasāratantra;
- Kriyāsāratantra;
- Guptatantra;
- Guptasāratantra;
- Vṛhattoḍalatantra;
- Bṛhatnirmāṇatantra;
- Vṛhatkaṅkālinītantra;
- Siddhātantra;
- Kālatantra;
- Śivatantra;
- Sārātsāratantra;
- Gaurītantra;
- Yogatantra;
- Dharmakatantra;
- Tattvacintāmaṇitantra;
- Vindutattvatantra;
- Mahāyoginītantra;
- Vṛhadyoginītantra;
- Śivārcanatantra;
- Śambaratantra;
- Śūlinītantra;
- Mahāmālinītantra;
- Vṛhadmālinītantra;
- Mokṣatantra;
- Mahāmokṣatantra;
- Vṛhanmokṣatantra;
- Gopitantra;
- Bhūtalipitantra;
- Kāminītantra;
- Mohinītantra;
- Mohanatantra;
- Samīraṇatantra;
- Kāmakeśaratantra;
- Mahāvīratantra;
- Cūḍāmaṇitantra;
- Gurvacanatantra;
- Gopyatantra;
- Tīkṣṇatantra;
- Maṅgalātantra;
- Kāmaratnatantra;
- Gopalīlāmṛtatantra;
- Brahmāṇḍatantra;
- Cīnatantra;
- Vṛhaccīnatantra;
- Mahānirūttaratantra;
- Bhūteśvarītantra;
- Gāyatrītantra;
- Viśuddheśvaratantra;
- Yogārṇavatantra;
- Bherūṇḍātantra;
- Mantracintāmaṇitantra;
- Yantracūḍāmaṇitantra;
- Vidyullatātantra;
- Bhuvaneśvarītantra;
- Līlāvatītantra;
- Kurañjatantra;
- Jayarādhāmādhavatantra;
- Ujjāsakatantra;
- Dhūmāvatītantra;
- Śivatantra;
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
Aśvakrānta (अश्वक्रान्त):—[=aśva-krānta] [from aśva] mfn. trodden by h°orses, [Taittirīya-āraṇyaka]
Aśvakrāntā (अश्वक्रान्ता):—f. eine best. Mūrkhanā [Saṃgitasārasaṃgraha 31.]
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: Ashva, Kranta.
Starts with: Ashvakrantamurchana, Ashvakrantatana.
Full-text (+112): Rathakranta, Ashvakrantatana, Ashvakrantamurchana, Murchana, Vishnukranta, Kranta, Shiva, Shivatantra, Yoga, Gopya, Mohanatantra, Dharmaka, Guptatantra, Dharmakatantra, Vindutattvatantra, Gopitantra, Gopyatantra, Guptadiksha, Vrihattodala, Brihatnirmana.
Relevant text
Search found 15 books and stories containing Ashvakranta, Ashva-kranta, Aśva-krānta, Asva-kranta, Aśva-krāntā, Aśvakrānta, Aśvakrāntā, Asvakranta; (plurals include: Ashvakrantas, krantas, krāntas, krāntās, Aśvakrāntas, Aśvakrāntās, Asvakrantas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Isanasivagurudeva Paddhati (study) (by J. P. Prajith)
15. Classification of Tantra (introduction) < [Chapter 1 - History and scope of Tantric Literature]
Appendix 2 - Names of important Tantras (Visnukranta, Rathakranta and Asvakranta)
Gati in Theory and Practice (by Dr. Sujatha Mohan)
Gati pertaining to conditions and situations < [Chapter 3 - Application of gati in Dṛśya-kāvyas]
Relevant Sthānas and Nyāyas related to perform the Gati < [Chapter 2 - Concept and technique of Gati]
Gati pertaining to Characters < [Chapter 3 - Application of gati in Dṛśya-kāvyas]
Devi Tantra, Mantra, Yantra (study) (by Srider Basudevan Iyer)
Classification of Tantra according to school’s of thought < [Chapter 1 - Introduction]
Arts in the Puranas (study) (by Meena Devadatta Jeste)
5. Music in the Vayu Purana < [Chapter 1 - Music in the Puranas]
11. Postures (Sthana, Asana and Sayana) < [Chapter 2 - Dance in the Puranas]
2. History of Music from the Vedic period < [Chapter 1 - Music in the Puranas]
Some Important Shiksha Vedangas (study) (by Mala Laha)
Introduction to the Nāradī Śikṣā < [Chapter 3 - Nāradī Śikṣā]
Varahi Tantra (English Study) (by Roberta Pamio)