Devavishesha, Devaviśeṣa, Deva-vishesha: 1 definition

Introduction:

Devavishesha means something in Jainism, Prakrit. 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 Devaviśeṣa can be transliterated into English as Devavisesa or Devavishesha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

[«previous next»] — Devavishesha in Jainism glossary
Source: The University of Sydney: A study of the Twelve Reflections

Devaviśeṣa (देवविशेष) refers to “special gods” (i.e., the Vyantaras), according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “Rudra, elephants of the quarters, gods, demons, aerial spirits, aquatic predators, the planets, the Vyantaras [com.devaviśeṣa—‘special gods’] , the guardians of the quarters of the sky, the enemies [of Vāsudeva], Hari, Bala, the chief of the snakes, the lord of the discus (i.e. Viṣṇu) and others who are powerful, the wind, the sun, etc. all themselves having come together are not able to protect an embodied soul even for an instant [when death is] initiated by the servants of Yama”.

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context information

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.

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