Ashvamedha, Aśvamedha, Ashva-medha: 21 definitions
Introduction:
Ashvamedha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, 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 Aśvamedha can be transliterated into English as Asvamedha or Ashvamedha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
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In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
1) Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध).—A country of ancient India which was ruled by a King named Rocamān. Bhīmasena conquered him during the world-wide conquering campaign. (Śloka 8, Chapter 29, Sabhā Parva).
2) Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध).—A yāga. Kings used to conduct this in order to get absolved of all sins. Fixing a victory card on the head of a horse it is allowed to roam about freely. If anybody stops the horse and ties it, the King should go and defeat him in battle and bring back the horse. If you do a hundred such yāgas you can become Indra.*
2) *) Aśvamedha or horse sacrifice was performed by autocrats to establish their supreme sovereignty. For this the horse let out to roam about should go into all countries. Those who opposed the sovereignty of the King could stop the horse and tie it. Then the King had to defeat him before conducting the yāga. The vedas enjoin that the sacrificial horse should be followed by a hundred young men ready to fight those who opposed the King. Indra had conducted a hundred such yāgas.
3) Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध).—Son of King Sahasrānīka (Refer under Sahasrānīka).
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध) refers to the foremost of “sacrifices (kratu)”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.5.2 (“The Prayer of the gods).—Accordingly, as the Gods eulogized Śiva: “[...] Among sacrifices you are the horse-sacrifice (aśvamedha). Among the Yugas you are the Kṛta yuga; among the asterisms you are Puṣya; among the Tithis you are Amāvāsyā. Among the seasons you are the spring; among holy occasions you are the Saṃkrama; among grasses you are the Kuśa grass; among gross trees you are the Banyan tree. [...]”.
Notes: Aśvamedha (in Vedic times) was the sacrifice was performed by kings desirous of offspring but subsequently it was performed by them for the achievement of universal supremacy. A horse was turned loose to wander at will for a year, attended by a guardian; when the horse entered a foreign country, the ruler was bound either to submit or to fight. In this way the horse returned at the end of a year, the guardian obtaining or enforcing the submission of princes whom he brought in this train. After the successful return of the horse, the horse was sacrificed amidst great rejoicings. It is said that the horse was sometimes not immolated but kept bound during the ceremony.
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध).—Thrice performed by Yudhiṣṭhira.1 One hundred performed by Bali;2 of Ambarīṣa where Vasiṣṭha and Gautama were present.3 Thrice performed by Parīkṣit.4 Performed by Aṅga when gods did not respond to his call.5 A hundred were performed by Pṛthu. But in the last Indra stole away the horse.6 Performed by Indra.7 Performed by Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā. The sacrificial horse was sent out with a number of warriors to watch its course. All kings including the Pāṇḍavas attended the sacrifice. In the course of the sacrifice a Brāhmaṇa complained of the death of his children immediately after birth. At this Arjuna (s.v.) offered to give succour and recovered them with Kṛṣṇa's aid, from Nārāyaṇa's abode. Nārāyaṇa said that he took the children as a means to see Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna in their human form. The avabhṛta of the sacrifice was celebrated in the Yamunā.8 A remedy for brahmicide.9 Performed by Śūdra kings in Kali age;10 of other kings;11 of Ikṣvāku, of Dakṣa, of Suyajña, of Nala, of Śatānīka of Purūravas;12 equal to going to Gayā, bath in the Prayāga and Ganges, koṭihoma, grahabali, etc.13 100 of them performed by Somadatta;14 as efficacious as reading the viṣṇu purāṇa;15 performed by other sages.16
- 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa I. 8. 6; 10. 2. [1]; 12. 34.
- 2) Ib. VIII. 15. 34.
- 3) Ib. IX. 4. 22.
- 4) Ib. I. 16. 3.
- 5) Ib. IV. 13. 25.
- 6) Ib. IV. 16. 24; 19, 1.
- 7) Ib. VI. 13. 18-20; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 30. 10; Matsya-purāṇa 143. 6-26.
- 8) Bhāgavata-purāṇa X. 89. 22-64.
- 9) Ib. VI. 13. 6-9.
- 10) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 31. 67; Matsya-purāṇa 144. 43.
- 11) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 34. 24; III. 5. 7; 7. 268; 11. 13-16; 64. 17; 68. 26; 70. 24 and 27; 71. 119; 72. 28; IV. 12. 31.
- 12) Matsya-purāṇa 12. 10; 12. 15; 44, 23 and 64; 24. 10; Vāyu-purāṇa 105. 10. 32; 111. 17, 51; 112. 31-2.
- 13) Matsya-purāṇa 22. 6; 28. 6; 53. 15; 58. 54; 106. 29; 183. 71 and 80.
- 14) Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 1. 56.
- 15) Viṣṇu-purāṇa VI. 8. 28 & 34.
- 16) Vāyu-purāṇa 20. 16; 32. 52; 30. 291; 50. 221; 57. 52; 60. 23; 67. 50, 53-8; 71. 77; 75. 60, 75; 99. 456; 104. 84; Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 22. 39.
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.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध) refers to:—Horse sacrifice. (cf. Glossary page from Bhajana-Rahasya).
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’).
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध) refers to a “horse sacrifice”, according to the Pātravidhi—a manual of the Lakulīśa Pāśupata school of Śaivism dealing with purification of the initiate’s vessel (pātra) and other concerned issues.—Accordingly, “Whatsoever is the reward of having properly performed one thousand horse sacrifices (aśvamedha-sahasra), that reward a Yogin obtains by eating from the vessel [even] for a single day. Whoever drinks water contained in [the ascetic’s] vessel after enjoying food, that man of controlled senses obtains the same reward; thus speak Brāhmaṇas—the expounders of brahman, [i.e. the Vedas]. (66–67)”.
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)
The Ashvamedha ("horse sacrifice") was one of the most important royal rituals of Vedic religion. The Ashvamedha could only be conducted by a king (rājā). Its object was the acquisition of power and glory, the sovereignty over neighbouring provinces, and general prosperity of the kingdom. It is described in detail in the Yajurveda (TS 7.1-5, VSM 22–25 and the pertaining commentary in the Shatapatha Brahmana ŚBM 13.1–5). The Rigveda does have descriptions of horse sacrifice, notably in hymns RV 1.162-163 (which are themselves known as aśvamedha), but does not allude to the full ritual according to the Yajurveda.
As per Brahma Vaivarta Purana (185.180), the Ashvamedha is one of five rites forbidden in the Kali Yuga, the present age.
Aśvamedha is one of the most ancient, but major, sacrifices mentioned in the Vedic literature. It is mentioned in the Rigveda and described in the Satapatha Brāhmana and the Taitareya Brāhmana.
It derives its name from the fact that an ‘aśva’ or a horse is made the ‘medha’ or an animal for immolation. Only emperors and very powerful kings who desired sovereignty could afford to perform it. It belongs to the ‘Ahīna’ group of Soma sacrifices, i.e., Soma sacrifices in which Soma is pressed for more than one day. In this sacrifice Soma is pressed from two to twelve days.
In Vedic India, the greatest of sacrifices was the Ashvamedha (or Horse Sacrifice). Kings spent fortunes in the elaborate rituals, which sometimes required hundreds of officiating priests and lasted for several weeks at a time. The sacrifice of the horse was often associated with the sacrifice of the goat, as we discuss further below. Both these sacrifices were often associated with Tantric practices, and even today this ritual is often accompanied by the goat sacrifice. In fact the horse sacrifice was a fertility ritual, as it entailed the mating of the queen with the sacrificed horse and had, moreover, connections with the renovation of the cosmos this type of ritual usually represents.
Horse sacrifice. This is a very difficult ritual often performed by the rulers of ancient India. This ritual requires a year to complete. A fine horse is selected at the beginning of the year and then released and allowed to wander free. It is accompanied by soldiers. Everywhere the horse goes is said to be under the jurisdiction of the ruler. As a result, any territory that the horse wanders into that was not previously under his jurisdiction is either required to submit or fight. If the horse makes it through the year, it is returned to the city where it is sacrificed in a three day ceremony. the horse is then cut up, eaten and offered to the gods through the fire.
India history and geography
Aśvamedha.—(CII 3, 4), a sacrificial ceremony centering in a horse, generally performed by independent monarchs. Kings celebrating the sacrifice sometimes assumed suitable titles (cf. Aśvamedha-parākrama and Aśvamedha-Mahendra claimed respectively by Samudragupta and Kumāragupta I on their coins). Some kings performed two, four or more horse-sacri- fices. For a list of the performers of aśvamedha known form epigraphic and numismatic records, see Sundaram Pillai Com. Vol., pp. 93 ff. Note: aśvamedha is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.
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Āśvamedha.—(EI 12), same as āśvamedhika. Note: āśvamedha is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.
Asvamedha refers to: “Horse-sacrifice”.—It is included in the glossary section of the study dealing with the Temples and Cult of Shri Rama in Tamil-Nadu, with reference to the traditional lore, embodied in, for example the Nalayirativvaiyappirapantam (i.e., Nalayira Divyaprabandham).
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
Marathi-English dictionary
aśvamēdha (अश्वमेध).—m The sacrifice of a horse-ceremony.
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
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध).—[aśvaḥ pradhānatayā medhyate hiṃsyate'tra, medh hiṃsane ghañ] a horse-sacrifice; यथाश्वमेधः क्रतुराट् सर्वपापापनोदनः (yathāśvamedhaḥ kraturāṭ sarvapāpāpanodanaḥ) Manusmṛti 11.26. [In Vedic times this sacrifice was performed by kings desirous of offspring; but subsequently it was performed only by kings and implied that he who instituted it, was a conqueror and king of kings. A horse was turned loose to wander at will for a year, attended by a guardian; when the horse entered a foreign country, the ruler was bound either to submit or to fight. In this way the horse returned at the end of a year, the guardian obtaining or enforcing the submission of princes whom he brought in his train. After the successful return of the horse, the rite called Asvamedha was performed amidst great rejoicings. It was believed that the performance of 1 such sacrifices would lead to the attainment of the seat or world of Indra, who is, therefore, always represented as trying to prevent the completion of the hundredth sacrifice. cf. Ṛgveda 1.162-163 hymns; Vāj.22 seq.] °kāṇḍam Name of the thirteenth book of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa.
Derivable forms: aśvamedhaḥ (अश्वमेधः).
Aśvamedha is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms aśva and medha (मेध).
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध).—m.
(-dhaḥ) The actual or emblematic sacrifice of a horse. E. aśva and medha sacrifice; this sacrifice is one of the highest order, and performed a hundred times, entitles the sacrificer to the dominion of Swarga or paradise: it appears to bave been originally typical; the horse, and other animals being simply bound during the performance of certain ceremonies; the actual sacrifice is an introduction of a later period. See As. R. Vol. viii. p. 442, Colebrooke on the Vedas.
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध) or Turagamedha or Turaṅgamamedha.—m. the sacrifice of a horse, [Hitopadeśa] iv. [distich] 129; [Rāmāyaṇa] 6, 104, 7; [Raghuvaṃśa, (ed. Stenzler.)] 13, 61.
Aśvamedha is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms aśva and medha (मेध).
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध).—[masculine] horse-sacrifice.
1) Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—śr. Oppert. Ii, 5310. 7304. 9552. 10283 (Āpast.).
2) Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध):—nāṭaka by Sumatijitāmitramalladeva, king of Bhātgāon in Nepāl. Rep. p. 18.
1) Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध):—[=aśva-medha] [from aśva] a m. the horse-sacrifice (a celebrated ceremony, the antiquity of which reaches back to the Vedic period; the hymns, [Ṛg-veda i, 162 and 163] [= [Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā xxii seqq.]], referring to it, are however of comparatively late origin; in later times its efficacy was so exaggerated, that a hundred such sacrifices entitled the sacrificer to displace Indra from the dominion of Svarga; kings who engaged in it spent enormous sums in gifts to the Brāhmans; it is said that the horse was sometimes not immolated, but kept bound during the ceremony), [Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā xviii, 22; Taittirīya-saṃhitā; Raghuvaṃśa] etc., (cf. arkāśvamedha)
2) [=aśva-medha] [from aśva] b (aśva-) m. Name of a descendant of Bharata, [Ṛg-veda v, 27, 4-6.]
3) Āśvamedha (आश्वमेध):—[from āśva] m. a descendant of Aśva-medha, [Ṛg-veda viii, 68, 15 and 16.]
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध):—[aśva-medha] (dhaḥ) 1. m. The sacrifice of a horse. A hundred such entitles to the sovereignty of heaven.
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध):—1. (a + me) m. Rossopfer, nicht ein bloss allegorisches oder erst in später Zeit eingeführtes, sondern im höchsten Alter ganz gewöhnliches Opfer, dessen Kraft und Wirkung nur nachmals in’s Wunderbare gesteigert und für welches eben darum unerschwinglicher Aufwand und Vorbereitung gefordert wurde. Zu dem Opfer diente z. B. das Lied [Ṛgveda 1, 162.] [Vājasaneyisaṃhitā 22 - 25.] [Aśvalāyana’s Śrautasūtrāni 10, 6. fgg.] [Vājasaneyisaṃhitā 18, 22.] [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 6, 6, 1, 1. 10, 1, 5, 3. 6, 5, 7] [?(= Bṛhadāranyakopaniṣad 1, 2, 7). 11, 2, 5, 1. fgg. Kātyāyana’s Śrautasūtrāṇi 20, 8, 19. 20. 21, 1, 14.] yathāśvamedhaḥ kraturāṭsarvapāpāpanodanaḥ [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 11, 260.] aśvemedhena yaj [5, 53. 11, 74. Nalopākhyāna 5, 43. 12, 9.] [Rāmāyaṇa 1, 1, 91.] aśvamedhayājin [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 13, 1, 2, 3. 14, 6, 3, 2] [?(= Bṛhadāranyakopaniṣad 3, 3, 2).] rājasūyāśvamedhānāṃ kratūnām [Nalopākhyāna 12, 32.] [Indralokāgamana 1, 15.] Vgl. [Lassen’s Indische Alterthumskunde I, 542, Nalopākhyāna 3. 700. II, 982.] aśvamedhatrirātra m. [Maśaka’s Kalpasūtrāni 6, 6] in [Weber’s Verzeichniss 73.] aśvamedhakāṇḍa heisst das 13te Buch des [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa]
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Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध):—2. (wie eben) m. Nomen proprium ein Bhārata nach [Ṛgveda] [Anukramaṇikā] [Ṛgveda 5, 27, 4—6.] — Vgl. āśvamedha .
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Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध):—1. [Taittirīyasaṃhitā 5, 4, 12, 3.] [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 13, 3, 3, 6.]
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Āśvamedha (आश्वमेध):—m. patron. von aśvamedha [Ṛgveda 8, 57, 15.]
Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध):—1. m. Rossopfer. aśvamedhavat Adv. wie beim R. [Kātyāyana’s Śrautasūtra 21,1,14.] tva n. Nom.abstr. [Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 10,6,5,7.] yājin Adj. aśvamedhakāṇḍa n. Titel des 13ten Buches im [Śatapathabrāhmaṇa] aśvamedhatrirātra m.
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Aśvamedha (अश्वमेध):—2. m. Nomen proprium eines Mannes.
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Āśvamedha (आश्वमेध):—m. Patron. von Aśvamedha.
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
Aśvamēdha (ಅಶ್ವಮೇಧ):—
1) [noun] a royal sacrifice in which a king would let loose a consecrated horse, protected by an army, to move about at its free will as a challenge to other kings and it would be brought back after a year when the king would be consecrated as an emperor of the region in which the horse moved unchallenged; a horse-sacrifice.
2) [noun] (loosely) a horse race for betting.
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: Ashva, The, The, Medha, Te, Ashvamedha.
Starts with (+3): Ashvamedhabhashya, Ashvamedhacampu, Ashvamedhadatta, Ashvamedhahautra, Ashvamedhaja, Ashvamedhaka, Ashvamedhakanda, Ashvamedhandapille, Ashvamedhapaddhati, Ashvamedhaparva, Ashvamedhaparvanukramanika, Ashvamedhaparvasamgraha, Ashvamedhaprashna, Ashvamedhaprayoga, Ashvamedhasahasra, Ashvamedhasutra, Ashvamedhatva, Ashvamedhavant, Ashvamedhavat, Ashvamedhayaga.
Full-text (+276): Dashashvamedha, Ashvamedhadatta, Ashvamedhaja, Ashvamedhakanda, Ashvamedhika, Ashvamedhatva, Ashvamedhayajin, Ashvamedhavat, Jayayajna, Ashvamedhayaga, Jaruthya, Govinata, Patantaka, Ashvamedhaparva, Ashvamedhasutra, Annahoma, Ashvamedhaprayoga, Ashvamedhabhashya, Agnishtha, Ashvamedhapaddhati.
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Search found 180 books and stories containing Ashvamedha, Aśvamedha, Asvamedha, Aśvamēdha, Ashva-medha, Aśva-medha, Asva-medha, Āśvamedha, The ashvamedha; (plurals include: Ashvamedhas, Aśvamedhas, Asvamedhas, Aśvamēdhas, medhas, Āśvamedhas, The ashvamedhas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
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