Dasyu: 16 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
1. Purana
2. Jyotisha
In Buddhism
1. Mahayana
Languages
1. Sanskrit
2. Hindi
3. Kannada
4. Nepali
See also
Buy products

Introduction:

Dasyu means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, 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.

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Dasyu (दस्यु).—The ancient dwellers of North India. What we see in Ṛgveda is mostly a history of the Āryans from the period of their exodus from the plateau Kumbha till they reached the banks of the Yamunā. The plateau of Kuṃbha is Kabul. The Dasyus were the first people the Aryans had to confront with after passing the Indus. Ṛgveda bears testimony to the fact that the civilization of the Dasyus was far advanced than that of the Āryans. Śaṃbara, King of the Dasyus, was the ruler of hundred cities. All the cities were fortified with strong walls and fortresses, which are described as 'aśvamayī', 'āyasī', 'śatabhujī' etc. The greatest enemies of the Āryans were the 'Paṇis' of these cities. They were a particular class of people of these cities. In the 'Nirukta of Yāska' it is mentioned that paṇis were traders. Names of many of the Kings of the Dasyus occur in the Ṛgveda. Dhuni, Cumuri, Pipru, Varcas, Śaṃbara and such others are the most valiant and mighty among them. The most important of the several tribes of the Dasyus were the Śimyus, the Kīkaṭas, Śigrus and the Yakṣus. They are mentioned as the Anāsas in the Ṛgveda. (Anāsas—without nose). Perhaps their nose was flat; more over they are stated as having dark complexion. So it may be assumed that the Dasyus were Dravidians. They talked a primitive language, and they despised sacrificial religion. They did not worship Gods like Indra and others. They possibly worshipped the Phallus, Śiva, Devi and the like.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

Dasyu (दस्यु).—The Ābhiras and Mlecchas; unfit for śrāddha;¹ checked by Yayāti;² dharma of the;³ seized 16000 ladies of Kṛṣṇa due to a curse by the Lord;⁴ cudgels as chief weapons of;⁵ killing milch cows.⁶

1) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 14. 43; Viṣṇu-purāṇa V. 38. 13; 25. 27. 497.
2) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 68. 67.
3) Ib. III. 63. 194; Vāyu-purāṇa 49. 55; 78. 34; 88. 105.
4) Matsya-purāṇa 70. 7.
5) Viṣṇu-purāṇa V. 38. 51, 70, 82, 84.
6) Vāyu-purāṇa 93. 66.

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.

Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)

Source: Wisdom Library: Brihat Samhita by Varahamihira

Dasyu (दस्यु) refers to “robbers”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 5), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “If the sun and moon should begin to be eclipsed when only half risen, deceitful men will suffer as well as sacrificial rites. [...] If when in mid-heaven, the central provinces will suffer, but there will be happiness over the land and the price of food grains will fall. If when in the fifth section, herbivorous animals, ministers and household inmates will suffer as also the Vaiśyas. If they should be eclipsed when in the sixth section of the firmament, women and the Śūdras will suffer; if when setting, robbers [i.e., dasyu] and the border Mlecchas will perish. Those will be happy in whose section the eclipse terminates”.

context information

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.

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: archive.org: Bulletin of the French School of the Far East (volume 5)

Dasyu (दस्यु) (in Chinese: T'o-sieou) is the name of an ancient kingdom associated with Punarvasu or Punarvasunakṣatra, as mentioned in chapter 18 of the Candragarbha: the 55th section of the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra, a large compilation of Sūtras (texts) in Mahāyāna Buddhism partly available in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Chinese.—Chapter 18 deals with geographical astrology and, in conversation with Brahmarāja and others, Buddha explains how he entrusts the Nakṣatras [e.g., Punarvasu] with a group of kingdoms [e.g., Dasyu] for the sake of protection and prosperity.

context information

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.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Dasyu (दस्यु).—[das-yuc]

1) Name of a class of evil beings or demons, enemies of gods and men, and slain by Indra, (mostly Vedic in this sense).

2) An outcast, a Hindu who has become an outcast by neglect of the essential rites; cf. Manusmṛti 5.131;1.45; दस्यूनां दीयतामेष साध्वद्य पुरुषा- धमः (dasyūnāṃ dīyatāmeṣa sādhvadya puruṣā- dhamaḥ) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 12.173.2.

3) A thief, robber, bandit; नीत्वोत्पथं विषयदस्युषु निक्षिपन्ति (nītvotpathaṃ viṣayadasyuṣu nikṣipanti) Bhāgavata 7.15.46; पात्रीकृतो दस्यु- रिवासि येन (pātrīkṛto dasyu- rivāsi yena) Ś.5.2; R.9.53; Manusmṛti 7 143.

4) A villain, miscreant; दस्योरस्य कृपाणपातविषयादाच्छिन्दतः प्रेयसीम् (dasyorasya kṛpāṇapātaviṣayādācchindataḥ preyasīm) Māl. 5.28.

5) A desperado, violator, oppressor.

Derivable forms: dasyuḥ (दस्युः).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Dasyu (दस्यु).—m.

(-syuḥ) An enemy. 2. A thief. 3. An oppressor, a violator, a committer of injustice, &c. 4. A barbarian, an outcaste, or a Hindu who has become so by neglect of the essential rites. E. das to lose or be lost, Unadi affix yuc .

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Dasyu (दस्यु).—m. 1. A ruffian, a thief, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 7, 143. 2. The name of one of the mixed classes, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 5, 131.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Dasyu (दस्यु).—[masculine] foe, enemy (either a superhuman enemy, an evil demon, or an enemy of the gods, an unbeliever or barbarian, [opposed] ārya).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Dasyu (दस्यु):—m. (√das) enemy of the gods (e.g. śambara, śuṣṇa, cumuri, dhuni; all conquered by Indra, Agni, etc.), impious man (called a-śraddha, a-yajña, a-yajyu, a-pṛnat, a-vrata, anya-vrata, a-karman), barbarian (called a-nās, or an-ās ‘ugly-faced’, adhara, ‘inferior’, a-mānuṣa, ‘inhuman’), robber (called dhanin), [Ṛg-veda; Atharva-veda] etc.

2) any outcast or Hindū who has become so by neglect of the essential rites, [Manu-smṛti]

3) not accepted as a witness, [viii, 66]

4) cf. traso- (dasyave vṛka m. ‘wolf to the Dasyu’, Name of a man, [Ṛg-veda viii, 51; 55 f]; dasyave sahas n. violence to the D° (N. of Turvīti), [i, 36, 18])

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Dasyu (दस्यु):—(syuḥ) 2. m. An enemy; a thief; an oppressor; a barbarian.

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)

Dasyu (दस्यु) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Dasuya, Dassu.

[Sanskrit to German]

Dasyu in German

context information

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

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Dasyu (दस्यु):—(nm) a robber, dacoit, bandit; -[vṛtti] robbery, banditry, dacoity.

context information

...

Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Dasyu (ದಸ್ಯು):—

1) [noun] (myth.) a class of evil beings who were thought of as enemies of gods; collectively daemons.

2) [noun] a person who is not an Aryan; a non-Aryan person.

3) [noun] a thief.

4) [noun] a person as related to another whom he or she wishes to injure; a foe; an enemy.

5) [noun] a wicked person.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

Nepali dictionary

Source: unoes: Nepali-English Dictionary

Dasyu (दस्यु):—n. 1. a thief; robber; bandit; 2. devil; demon; monster; 3. a wicked person; a villain;

context information

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.

Relevant text

Search found 47 books and stories containing Dasyu, Dasyus; (plurals include: Dasyus, Dasyuses). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Rig Veda 7.19.4 < [Sukta 19]

Rig Veda 2.15.9 < [Sukta 15]

Rig Veda 1.33.4 < [Sukta 33]

+ 73 more chapters / show preview

Story of Āryas

Story of Saramā

Story of Trasadasyu

+ 3 more chapters / show preview

Verse 3.14.564 < [Book 3 - Pada-kāṇḍa (14): Vṛtti-samuddeśa (On Ccomplex Formation)]

show preview

War Music (Military Music) < [Chapter 3 - The Religious observances and other Beliefs related to the Warfare]

Chapter 5 - Conclusion