Cirayus, aka: Cirāyus, Cira-ayus; 3 Definition(s)

Introduction

Cirayus 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.

Alternative spellings of this word include Chirayus.

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Cirāyus (चिरायुस्).—An ancient King of the country Cirāyu. Nāgārjuna was a minister of this King. Nāgārjuna knew the secret of 'Rasāyanasiddhi'. Once Nāgārjuna prepared a medicine for himself and the King which if taken would keep them eternally young. They took medicine accordingly.

After some days a child of the minister died. Griefstricken Nāgārjuna decided to prepare Amṛta which would eradicate death from this world. He had prepared it but there remained one more medicine to be added to this. The auspicious moment to add the same was to come only after five days and Nāgārjuna waited. The devas were frightened. If Amṛta was made available on earth men would become Devas. Devas could not bear this and so they sent the Aśvinīkumāras to the earth to persuade Nāgārjuna to desist from his work of preparing Amṛta. Further they informed him that his dead child was living happily in heaven. He agreed to stop his work. (See full article at Story of Cirāyus from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)

context information

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.

Katha (narrative stories)

Cirāyus (चिरायुस्) is the name of a city and similarly-named king, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 41. Accordingly, “in the city of Cirāyus there was in old time a king, named Cirāyus, who was indeed long-lived, and the home of all good fortune. He had a compassionate, generous and gifted minister, named Nāgārjuna, who was sprung from a portion of a Bodhisattva, who knew the use of all drugs, and by making an elixir he rendered himself and that king free from old age, and long-lived”.

The story of Cirāyus was narrated by Marubhūti in order to demonstrate that “this world of living beings was appointed by the Creator unstable, and full of grief hard to ward off, and even with hundreds of efforts it is impossible for anyone to do anything here which the Creator does not wish him to do”.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Cirāyus, 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.

context information

Katha (कथा, kathā) refers to narrative Sanskrit literature often inspired from epic legendry (itihasa) and poetry (mahākāvya). Some Kathas reflect socio-political instructions for the King while others remind the reader of important historical event and exploits of the Gods, Heroes and Sages.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit-English dictionary

Cirāyus (चिरायुस्).—a. long-lived. (-m.) a god.

Cirāyus is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms cira and āyus (आयुस्).

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