Balavinashtaka, Bālavinaṣṭaka: 3 definitions
Introduction:
Balavinashtaka means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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 Bālavinaṣṭaka can be transliterated into English as Balavinastaka or Balavinashtaka, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraBālavinaṣṭaka (बालविनष्टक) literally translates to “young deformed” and refers to Vinaṣṭaka: a child, whose story is told by Yaugandharāyaṇa, according to Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 14. After king Udayana got married to Vāsavadattā, he ordered Yaugandharāyaṇa and Rumaṇvat to “confer appropriate distinctions on the kings who had come to visit him”. Finding it a difficult task, Yaugandharāyaṇa related the “story of the clever deformed child”, which centers around Vinaṣṭaka, later to be called Bālavinaṣṭaka.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Bālavinaṣṭaka, 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 (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’.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaBālavinaṣṭaka (बालविनष्टक).—The hero of a story, given in Kathāsaritsāgara, Kathāmukhalambaka, Taraṅga six, to show that it is not good to make others angry. The story is as follows:—
Long ago there was a Brahmin named Rudra Śarmā. He had two wives. Both gave birth to a son each. The elder wife died and her son also was brought up by the younger wife. Being jealous she fed the child with food too hard for the child and it became lean with stomach swollen and the bones projecting. It looked an uncouth figure. Seeing him like this Rudra Śarmā called him Bālavinaṣṭaka (one who is lost when he is a boy). He gradually grew up. When he was only five years old he showed extraordinary intelligence. One day he decided to teach his foster-mother a lesson. On that day he was sitting alone on the lap of his father. He said to his father, "Father, I have two fathers". Thenceforward the father began to doubt his wife, that she was having a lover. He grew jealous. He would not talk to her. The fostermother thought Bālavinaṣṭaka was the cause for this change in her husband’s behaviour. One day she called the boy to her mildly and asked him for the reason for the change in the behaviour of his father towards her. He said that he would bring about a change in the behaviour of his father if he would be cared for properly. She agreed. Then he took a mirror and held it before his father and when the reflection of his father fell in the mirror he said, "Father, I have two fathers". Immediately the doubt of his father was removed. It is not right to make even a boy angry.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English DictionaryBālavinaṣṭaka (बालविनष्टक):—[=bāla-vinaṣṭaka] [from bāla] m. Name of a man, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
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: Bala, Vinashtaka.
Full-text: Rudrasharman, Vinashtaka.
Relevant text
Search found 1 books and stories containing Balavinashtaka, Bālavinaṣṭaka, Balavinastaka, Bala-vinashtaka, Bāla-vinaṣṭaka, Bala-vinastaka; (plurals include: Balavinashtakas, Bālavinaṣṭakas, Balavinastakas, vinashtakas, vinaṣṭakas, vinastakas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter XIV < [Book II - Kathāmukha]
Foreword to volume 7 < [Forewords]
Foreword to volume 1 < [Forewords]