Dharmaganja, Dharmagañja: 5 definitions
Introduction:
Dharmaganja means something in Buddhism, Pali, 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.
In Hinduism
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Dharmagañja (धर्मगञ्ज).—Nālandā had an imposing library called ‘Dharmagañja’ which consisted of three multi-storey buildings, ‘Ratnasāgara’, ‘Ratnarañjaka’ and ‘Ratnodadhi’, the last being nine-storey high; it contained lakhs of manuscripts. The university was set on fire in 1193 by Bakhtiyar Khilji. By then, it had had great teachers such as Nāgārjuna, Sthiramati, Śīlabhadra and Śāntarakṣita whose fame travelled as far as Tibet and China.
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Dharmagañja (धर्मगञ्ज) refers to the “treasury of the dharma”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly: “[...] The Bodhisattva Dharmarāja and the whole congregation, having joined the palms of their hands, paid homage to open space, and sat down. Then, by the magical presence of the Bodhisattva Gaganagañja, these verses resonated in open space: ‘[...] (159) Since the stream of immeasurable merits purifies this treasury, in the imperishability of all dharmas, you should see the true state of all dharmas. (160) If you understand that all dharmas have arisen from causes, their treasury will be inexhaustible, and the treasury of the dharma (dharmagañja) will be inconceivable. [...]’”.
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
1) Dharmagañja (धर्मगञ्ज):—[=dharma-gañja] [from dharma > dhara] m. the treasury of law, [Kāraṇḍa-vyūha]
2) [v.s. ...] Name of a library consisting of sacred books, [Buddhist literature]
Dharmagañja (धर्मगञ्ज):—(dharma + gañja) m. die Schatzkammer des Gesetzes, Bez. einer Bibliothek [WASSILJEW 204.]
Dharmagañja (धर्मगञ्ज):—m. —
1) die Schatzkammer des Gesetzes [Kāraṇḍavyūha 35,7.] —
2) eine aus heiligen Büchern bestehende Bibliothek (buddh.).
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: Ganja, Dharma, Dharma, Dharma.
Full-text: Ganja, Gaganaganja.
Relevant text
Search found 4 books and stories containing Dharmaganja, Dharma-ganja, Dharma-gañja, Dharmagañja; (plurals include: Dharmaganjas, ganjas, gañjas, Dharmagañjas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
History of Indian Medicine (and Ayurveda) (by Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurvedic Society)
Chapter 11 - Institutions and Universities < [Part 2-3 - Medical Institutions in Ancient India]
Nalanda and other Buddhist Universities in < [July – September, 1994]
Blue Annals (deb-ther sngon-po) (by George N. Roerich)
Chapter 5 - Severing the Samsara Stream (Great Seal system) < [Book 14 - Great Compassion Cycle]
Formal Education System in Ancient India (by Sushmita Nath)
The Nālandā Vihāra university < [Chapter 3 - Centres of Learning in Vedic and Buddhist Period]