Bharya, Bhāryā, Bhārya: 20 definitions
Introduction:
Bharya means something in Buddhism, Pali, 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.
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In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Bhāryā (भार्या).—Wife. Bhīṣma points out the sanctified importance of Bhāryā (wife) as follows:—
Without her even the palace will prove itself to be just a forest. She will be a great support (to the husband) in the matter of dharma (duty) artha (wealth) and Kāma (enjoyment of material comforts). (These three precede the ultimate state of Mokṣa (salvation) and the wife will be a great support in fulfilling the conditions during the first three stages.) While on tour in foreign places she will remain faithful to him and instil confidence in him. Bhāryā is great wealth to man.
In his forlorn life on earth the wife is of great help to man. To him, who is suffering from diseases and is otherwise in distress there is no remedy (medicine) like a good wife. There is no relative like a wife. In the matter of practising dharma there is no other support to match the wife. If one has no good wife to take care of domestic affairs one will be driven to the forest; the home will be like a forest. (Śānti Parva, Chapter 144).
Bhāryā (भार्या) refers to “one’s wife”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.18 (“Gaṇeśa crowned as the chief of Gaṇas”).—Accordingly, as Brahmā narrated to Nārada: “[...] Whoever hears this narrative auspiciously with pure mind shall have everything auspicious and be the abode of auspiciousness. The childless will get a son, the indigent wealth; the seeker of a wife will get a wife (bhāryā) and the seeker of issues will get children. The sick will regain health; the miserable will have good fortune. The sonless, impoverished, banished wife will be reunited with her husband. [...]”
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.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Bhāryā (भार्या) is the name of a Ḍākinī who, together with the Vīra (hero) named Bhārya forms one of the 36 pairs situated in the Agnicakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the agnicakra refers to one of the three divisions of the saṃbhoga-puṭa (‘enjoyment layer’), situated in the Herukamaṇḍala. The 36 pairs of Ḍākinīs [viz., Bhāryā] and Vīras are red in color; they each have one face and four arms; they hold a skull bowl, a skull staff, a small drum, and a knife.
Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Bhāryā (भार्या) refers to “one’s wife”, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 31).—Accordingly, “[...] The place where suffering and happiness are experienced is the inner body; the place where one does not experience suffering and happiness is outer body. One’s own body (svakāya) and the organs (indriya), eye (cakṣus), etc., are inner body; one’s wife (bhāryā), son (putra), wealth (dhana), fields (kṣetra), house (gṛha) and other utilized objects are outer body. How is that? Since material dharmas (rūpadharma) are all [objects] of mindfulness of the body (kāya-smṛtyupasthāna). [...]”.
Bhāryā (भार्या) refers to “wives”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly: “Then the Bodhisattva Apāyajaha addressed himself to the Bodhisattva Gaganagañja: ‘Son of good family, please pacify three evil existences’. [...] Then, the rain of gifts, such as flowers, garlands, incenses, unguents, aromatic powers, religious robes, parasols, banners, pennons, five kinds of musical instruments, songs, male servants, female servants, wives (bhāryā), boys, girls, female attendants, horses, elephants, [...] poured down from the open space. [...]”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Bhāryā (भार्या) refers to the “wife”, according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “Here [in the cycle of rebirth] a king becomes an insect and an insect becomes the chief of the gods. An embodied soul might wander about, tricked by [their] karma without being able to help it. For corporeal [souls] the mother becomes the daughter, the sister, even the wife (bhāryā). The father, moreover, becomes the son and he obtains the paternal home”.
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
bhāryā (भार्या).—f (S) A wife, the wife of.
bhāryā (भार्या).—f A wife, the wife of.
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
Bhārya (भार्य).—a. [mṛ-ṇyat] To be supported or cherished.
-ryaḥ 1 A servant, a dependant (to be supported); स हैवालं भार्येम्यो भवति (sa haivālaṃ bhāryemyo bhavati) Bṛ. Up.1.3.18.
2) A mercenary, soldier; P.III.1.112 (com.).
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Bhāryā (भार्या).—[bhartuṃ yogyā]
1) A lawful wife; सा भार्या या गृहे दक्षा सा भार्या या प्रजावती । सा भार्या या पतिप्राणा सा भार्या या पतिव्रता (sā bhāryā yā gṛhe dakṣā sā bhāryā yā prajāvatī | sā bhāryā yā patiprāṇā sā bhāryā yā pativratā) || H.1.196.
2) The female of an animal.
Bhārya (भार्य) or Bhāryya.—m.
(-ryaḥ) A servant.
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Bhāryā (भार्या) or Bhāryyā.—f.
(-ryā) A wife, espoused according to the ritual of the Vedas. E. bhṛ to nourish, ṇyat aff.
Bhāryā (भार्या).—properly ptcple. fut. pass. of bhṛ, f. A wife, [Pañcatantra] 137, 9.
Bhārya (भार्य).—[adjective] to be supported or maintained. [masculine] servant, soldier; [feminine] bhāryā wife.
1) Bhārya (भार्य):—mfn. (√bhṛ) to be borne or supported or cherished or nourished or maintained, [Taittirīya-saṃhitā; Brāhmaṇa; Harivaṃśa]
2) m. one supported by or dependent on another, a servant, [ib.]
3) a mercenary, soldier, [Pāṇini 3-1, 112 [Scholiast or Commentator]]
4) Bhāryā (भार्या):—[from bhārya] a f. See below.
5) [from bhārya] b f. (f. of bhārya) a wife (or the female of an animal), [Brāhmaṇa]; etc.
Bhāryā (भार्या):—(ryyā) 1. f. A wife.
Bharya (भर्य):—[Harivaṃśa 8831] fehlerhaft für bhārya, wie die neuere Ausg. hat.
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Bhārya (भार्य):—(von 1. bhar)
1) adj. zu tragen; zu hegen, zu pflegen. zu ernähren: jeder der von einem Andern seinen Lebensunterhalt empfängt, Diener, familiaris: tasmātsaṃvatsa.aṃ bhā.yaḥ praiva jāyate [Taittirīyasaṃhitā 5, 5, 2, 5.] [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 2, 3, 2. 18.] bhartā bhāryaṃ nānubudhyate [4, 7. 4. 6, 7, 21. 10, 3, 5, 9.] tayorduhitaro bhāryāḥ (so die neuere Ausg.) [Harivaṃśa 8831.] anagnaṃbhāvukā ha hotuśca yajamānasya ca bhāryā bhavanti [Aitareyabrāhmaṇa 1, 29.] Vgl. nīvi . —
2) m. Söldling. Soldat: bhāryā nāma kṣatriyāḥ [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 3, 1, 112.] [Scholiast] —
3) f. ā Gattin [Vopadeva’s Grammatik 26. 20.] [Amarakoṣa 2, 6. 1. 6.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 513.] [Hārāvalī 145.] [Halāyudha 2, 339.] [Aitareyabrāhmaṇa 7, 1.] [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 14,6, 7, 1. 7, 3, 1.] [Kātyāyana’s Śrautasūtrāṇi 20, 8, 24. 25, 4, 35.] [Śāṅkhāyana’s Gṛhyasūtrāṇi 2, 16. 5, 9.] yasya bhāryā vā dāsī vā pradrāviṇī bhavati [Kauśika’s Sūtra zum Atuarvaveda 89. 141.] bhāryāyā bharaṇādbhartā [Mahābhārata 1, 4199.] udvaheta dvijo bhāryāṃ savarṇām [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 3, 4. 7. 77. 6, 3.] tisraḥ kṛtvā purā bhāryāḥ paścādvindeta vrāhmaṇīm . sā jyeṣṭhā [Mahābhārata 13, 2530.] tasmai pradāsyati . svakāṃ duhitaraṃ bhāryām [Rāmāyaṇa 1, 8, 25.] bhāryā putraśca dāsaśca traya evādhanāḥ smṛtāḥ [Spr. 2038. 1373. 4658. fgg. 5150.] [Śākuntala 90, 22.] [Geschichte des Vidūṣaka 333.] guru des Lehrers [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 2, 131. 9, 120.] bhāryāsauśruta so v. a. ein Sauśruta, der unter dem Pantoffel seines Weibes steht. [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 6, 2, 69,] [Scholiast] bhāryāpatī du. Mann und Frau gaṇa rājadantādi zu [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 2, 2, 31.] [Amarakoṣa 2, 6, 1, 38.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 519.] [Mārkāṇḍeyapurāṇa 72, 9.] sabhārya adj. [Spr. 2040.] [Raghuvaṃśa 1, 55.] das Weibchen eines Thieres: tadbhāryā (d. i. kūrmasya bhā) ca dulī smṛtā [Halāyudha 3, 34.]
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Bhārya (भार्य):—
1) sabhāryasvajanāpatya [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 10, 86, 43.]
Bharya (भर्य):—[Harivaṃśa 8331] fehlerhaft für bhārya.
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Bhārya (भार्य):——
1) Adj. — a) zu tragen. — b) zu hegen , zu pflegen , zu ernähren. —
2) m. — a) ein von einem Andern seinen Lebensunterhalt Erhaltender , Diener , familiaris. — b) Söldling , Soldat. —
3) f. ā Gattin. Auch von einem Thierweibchen.
Bhāryā (भार्या) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Bhajjā.
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
Bhāryā (भार्या):—(nf) wife, better half; ~[tva] wifehood.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Bhārya (ಭಾರ್ಯ):—
1) [noun] that which is to be borne, supported, cherished, nourished or maintained; a dependent.
2) [noun] a soldier; a mercenary.
3) [noun] a measure or capacity equal to one fourth of a koḷaga or sixteenth part of a drōṇa.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Bhāryā (भार्या):—n. 1. a married woman; 2. wife;
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 (+16): Bhariyabharim, Bhariyaca, Bharyabhagin, Bharyabhagini, Bharyacela, Bharyadhikarika, Bharyadrohin, Bharyajita, Bharyak, Bharyaka, Bharyakabhuruka, Bharyakabhurukka, Bharyakbhuruk, Bharyakbhurukk, Bharyakk, Bharyakka, Bharyambhurung, Bharyana, Bharyana-ra-bhuruna, Bharyanabhuruna.
Full-text (+203): Bharyatva, Bharyata, Bharyatika, Bharyavriksha, Kubharya, Bharyodha, Shudrabharya, Virabharya, Bharyapati, Udhabharya, Sambharya, Kulabharya, Durbharya, Bharyadrohin, Anekabharya, Bharyarthin, Bharyajita, Bharyapatitva, Jyeshthabharya, Bhratribharya.
Relevant text
Search found 97 books and stories containing Bharya, Bhāryā, Bhārya; (plurals include: Bharyas, Bhāryās, Bhāryas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi (by Ganganatha Jha)
Verse 3.4 < [Section II - Entrance into the Household]
Verse 9.58 < [Section IV - Duties of Women in Times of Distress (niyoga)]
Verse 7.77 < [Section VII - Domestic Duties]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 6.13.19 < [Chapter 13 - The Glories of Prabhāsa-tīrtha, the Sarasvatī River, etc.]
Verse 4.2.3 < [Chapter 2 - The Story of the Gopīs That Had Been Sages]
Verse 4.15.1 < [Chapter 15 - The Story of the Women of Barhiṣmatī-pura, the Apsarās, and the Women of Sutala and Nāgendra]
Guhyagarbha Tantra (with Commentary) (by Gyurme Dorje)
Text 16.5 (Commentary) < [Chapter 16 (Text and Commentary)]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 207 < [Hindi-Malayalam-English Volume 2]
Page 359 < [Hindi-Malayalam-English Volume 1]
Page 191 < [Hindi-Kashmiri-English Volume 2]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Atithi or Guest Reception (study) (by Sarika. P.)
Part 2 - The sacrement of Marriage < [Chapter 6 - Social Customs and Ethical Codes in Dharmaśāstras]
Part 1 - Introduction to Varṇāśrama-dharma (the wholeness of one’s life) < [Chapter 6 - Social Customs and Ethical Codes in Dharmaśāstras]
Part 1 - Who is an ‘atithi’? < [Chapter 9 - Atithi-saparyā in Dharmaśāstra Literature]