Asthira: 18 definitions
Introduction:
Asthira means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, Marathi, 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.
Alternative spellings of this word include Asthir.
In Hinduism
Shilpashastra (iconography)
Asthira (अस्थिर) is a Sanskrit name referring to one of the eight manifestations of Bhīṣaṇa, who is a form of Bhairava. According to the Rudrayāmala, there are eight main forms of Bhairava who control the eight directions of this universe. Each form (e.g., Bhīṣaṇa) has a further eight sub-manifestations (e.g., Asthira), thus resulting in a total of 64 Bhairavas.
When depicting Asthira according to traditional iconographic rules (śilpaśāstra), one should depcit him (and other forms of Bhīṣaṇa) having a yellow color and should carry in his hands the kuṇḍa, the kheṭaka, the parigha (a kind of club) and bhiṇḍipāla. The word Śilpaśāstra refers to an ancient Hindu science of arts and crafts, dealing with subjects such as painting, sculpture and iconography.
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.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Asthira (अस्थिर) refers to “weakness”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 15) (“On the nakṣatras—‘asterisms’”), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “Those who are born on the lunar day of Svātī will delight in keeping birds, deer, horses; will be grain merchants; dealers in beans; of weak friendship (asthira-sauhṛda); weak, of abstemious habits and skilled tradesmen. Those who are born on the lunar day of Viśākhā will grow trees yielding red flowers and red fruits; be dealers in gingelly seeds, beans, cotton, black gram and chick peas and worshippers of Indra and Agni. [...]”.
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.
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Asthira (अस्थिर) refers to the “unsteady (mind)”, according to the 310Bhagavadgītā verse 6.25cd-26.—Accordingly: “Having fixed the mind on the self, [the Yogin] should think of nothing whatsoever. Wherever the fickle and unsteady (asthira) mind moves, there, having restrained it, he should direct it [back] to the self”.
Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Asthira (अस्थिर, “weakness”) refers to one of the various kinds of Nāma, or “physique-making (karmas)”, which represents one of the eight types of Prakṛti-bandha (species bondage): one of the four kinds of bondage (bandha) according to the 2nd-century Tattvārthasūtra chapter 8. What is meant by weakness (asthira) body-making karma? The rise of which causes weakness (such as major and minor limbs not knit together in a frame) is called weakness body-making karma.
The opposite-pair of asthira (weakness) is sthira (firmness).
Asthira (अस्थिर) refers to “immovable (bodies)”, according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “Embodied souls, living in immovable and movable bodies [com.—in immovable and movable bodies (sthirāsthiradeheṣu)], are born [and] die constrained by the chains of their own actions. In this world sometimes corporeal [souls] filled with a mass of virtue appear in heaven because of the development of life and name karmas connected with the celestial state of existence”.
Synonyms: Itara.
Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
asthira (अस्थिर).—a (S) Unsettled, unfixed, unsteady.
asthira (अस्थिर).—a Unstable, unsettled.
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
Asthira (अस्थिर).—a.
1) Not stable or firm, unsteady, fickle. मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् (manaścañcalamasthiram) Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 6.26
2) Uncertain, unascertained, doubtful; जानीयादस्थिरां वाचम् (jānīyādasthirāṃ vācam) Manusmṛti 8.71.
3) Unworthy of confidence; Rām.2.
Asthira (अस्थिर).—mfn.
(-raḥ-rā-raṃ) 1. Trembling, shaken, unsteady. 2. Uncertain, unascertained. 3. Unworthy of confidence. E. a neg. and sthira firm.
Asthira (अस्थिर).—[adjective] not firm, unsteady, inconstant, dubious, uncertain. Abstr. tva† [neuter]
1) Asthira (अस्थिर):—[=a-sthira] mfn. unsteady, trembling, shaking, [Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] not permanent, transient, [Rāmāyaṇa]
3) [v.s. ...] uncertain, unascertained, doubtful, [Manu-smṛti viii, 71; Mahābhārata ii, 1965]
4) [v.s. ...] not steady (in character), changeable, not deserving confidence, [Rāmāyaṇa ii, 21, 19; Pañcatantra]
Asthira (अस्थिर):—[a-sthira] (raḥ-rā-raṃ) a. Trembling; uncertain; not to be trusted.
Asthira (अस्थिर):—Adj. —
1) nicht fest , unstät , beweglich [Mahābhārata 14,23,23.] —
2) von keinem Bestand. —
3) nicht standhaft , wankelmüthig , unzuverlässig. —
4) zweifelhaft , nicht glaubwürdig.
Asthira (अस्थिर) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Athira.
Asthira (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 不堅 [bù jiān]: “insubstantial”.
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
Asthira (अस्थिर) [Also spelled asthir]:—(a) unstable, unsteady; variable; vacillating; fickle, wavering; ~[tā] inconstancy; unstability; unsteadiness; vacillation; also [asthairya] (nm).
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Asthira (ಅಸ್ಥಿರ):—
1) [adjective] infirm a) (in standing or being established) not firm; unstable; wavering; insecure; b) not firm in mind or purpose; not resolute; vacillating.
2) [adjective] lasting only for a time; transitory; temporary, not eternal.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Asthira (अस्थिर):—adj. 1. unsteady; unstable; 2. uncertain; undecided; restless; fickle; wavering;
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)
Starts with: Asthiracarita, Asthiracarite, Asthiradeha, Asthirajju, Asthirapraya, Asthirasauhrida, Asthirata, Asthirate, Asthiratva, Astiracantanam, Astiracastiram, Astiram, Astiramantiram, Astiraparikshai, Astiratevar.
Full-text (+18): Asthiratva, Astiram, Asthir, Astiraparikshai, Astiracantanam, Pacupatattiram, Astiracastiram, Athira, Apantavastiram, Piraimukastiram, Asthirata, Unsteady, Teyvappatai, Kai-vitupatai, Astiratevar, Asthirasauhrida, Attiracattiram, Asthairya, Asthiribhu, Astiramantiram.
Relevant text
Search found 23 books and stories containing Asthira, A-sthira; (plurals include: Asthiras, sthiras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 145 < [Hindi-Bengali-English Volume 1]
Page 156 < [Hindi-Assamese-English Volume 1]
Page 145 < [Hindi-Assamese-English Volume 1]
Bhagavad-gita (with Vaishnava commentaries) (by Narayana Gosvami)
Verse 6.26 < [Chapter 6 - Dhyāna-yoga (Yoga through the Path of Meditation)]
Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)
Text 7.143 < [Chapter 7 - Literary Faults]
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine
Conceptual analysis of Physiology of vision in Ayurveda < [Volume 5 (issue 3), Jul-Sep 2014]
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Ayurvedic understanding of adhd < [2022: Volume 11, December issue 16]
Efficacy of Jalaukavacharana in Herpes Zoster: An Observational Study < [2018: Volume 7, July special issue 14]
Study of jatharagni and sahajabala in relation to sharira and manobala. < [2022: Volume 11, March issue 3]
Tattvartha Sutra (with commentary) (by Vijay K. Jain)
Verse 8.11 - The subdivisions of physique-making or name-karma (nāma) < [Chapter 8 - Bondage of Karmas]
Verse 8.26 - The types of karmas that constitute demerit (pāpa) < [Chapter 8 - Bondage of Karmas]
Verse 10.2 - The annihilation of all karmas is liberation (mokṣa) < [Chapter 10 - Liberation]