Dharmapala, Dharmapāla, Dharma-pala: 14 definitions
Introduction:
Dharmapala means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India. 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 EncyclopediaDharmapāla (धर्मपाल).—A minister of Daśaratha. There were eight ministers for Daśaratha: Sṛṣṭi, Jayanta, Vijaya, Siddhārtha, Rāṣṭravardhana, Aśoka, Dharmapāla and Sumantra. (Chapter 6, Agni Purāṇa).
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)
Source: WikiPedia: Tibetan BuddhismIn Vajrayana Buddhism, a dharmapala is a type of wrathful deity. In Tibet, principal Dharmapalas include:
- Mahakala (Tib. Nagpo Chenpo)
- Yama (Tib. Shinje)
- Yamantaka (Tib. Shinje Shed)
- Hayagriva (Tib. Tamdrin)
- Vaisravana (Tib. Kubera)
- Shri Devi (Tib. Palden Lhamo)
- Changpa
- Prana Atma (Tib. Begtse)
The name means “Dharma defender” in Sanskrit, and the dharmapalas are also known as the Defenders of the Law (Dharma), or the Protectors of the Law, in English.
In Vajrayana iconography and thangka depictions, dharmapalas are fearsome beings, often with many heads, many hands, or many feet. Dharmapalas often have blue, black or red skin, and a fierce expression with protruding fangs. Though dharmapalas have a terrifying appearance and countenance, they are all bodhisattvas or buddhas, meaning that they are embodiments of compassion that act in a wrathful way for the benefit of sentient beings.
Source: China Buddhism Encyclopedia: Tibetan BuddhismIn Vajrayana Buddhism, a dharmapāla (Wylie: chos skyong) is a type of wrathful deity. The name means "Dharma-defender" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapālas are also known as the Defenders of the Law (Dharma), or the Protectors of the Law, in English.
In Vajrayana iconography and Thangka depictions, dharmapālas are fearsome beings, often with many heads, many hands, or many feet. Dharmapālas often have blue, black or red skin, and a fierce expression with protruding fangs. Though dharmapālas have a terrifying appearance and countenance, they are all Bodhisattvas or Buddhas, meaning that they are embodiments of Compassion that act in a wrathful way for the benefit of Sentient beings.
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)
Source: archive.org: Bulletin of the French School of the Far East (volume 5)Dharmapāla (धर्मपाल) is the name of a Yakṣa appointed as one of the Divine protector deities of Cīnasthāna, according to chapter 17 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.—In the Candragarbhasūtra, the Bhagavat invites all classes of Gods and Deities to protect the Law [dharma?] and the faithful in their respective kingdoms of Jambudvīpa [e.g., the Yakṣa Dharmapāla in Cīnasthāna], resembling the time of the past Buddhas.
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.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Source: academia.edu: The Chronological History of Buddhism1) Dharmapala (670-580 BCE) was born in a family of bards in the South. He was the disciple of Dharmadasa. He became the head of Nalanda. He was the teacher of Dharmakirti.
2) King Dharmapala (110-160 CE) and Vikramashila Vihara.—Dharmapala conquered Kamarupa in the east to Jalandhara in the west. He became the ruler of entire Uttarapatha. Haribhadra was his preceptor of Buddhism. Dharmapala built Sri Vikramasila Vihara. Buddhist scholars like Kalyanagupta, Sundaravyuha, Sagaramegha, Prabhakara, Purnavardhana, Buddhajnana, Buddhaguhya and Buddhasanti were the contemporaries of Dharmapala. Padmakaraguhya, Dharmakaradatta and Simhamukha flourished in Kashmir at the same time.
India history and geography
Source: academia.edu: The Chronological History of Tibetan BuddhismDharmapala (7th century BCE).—Though Buddhism was introduced in Tibet during the time of Samantabhadra (16th century BCE) but Acharya Vetalakshema [Garab Dorje] (1321-1221 BCE) was the first teacher of Tibetan Buddhism. It appears that early Tibetan Buddhists followed Indian Buddhist scholars like Dharmapala.
Source: Shodhganga: a concise history of Sanskrit Chanda literature (history)Dharmapāla (धर्मपाल) of Laramā is the name of one of the teachers of Dhīreśvarācārya (1851-1919 C.E.): a poet of modern Assam who composed Vṛttamañjarī. Dhīreśvarācārya learnt the systems of grammar at the age of 12 from Rāmadevopādhyā of Nagarakuchi. Then he migrated to Laramā village at the age of 17 to learn from Dharmapāla. Then he became the disciple of Vāsudevopādhyāya of Guvākuchi and Mm. Śrīsiddhanātha Vidyāvāgīśa of Coochbehar.
The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryDharmapāla (धर्मपाल).—'protector of the law', said metaphorically of (daṇḍa) 'punishment or chastisement', or 'sword'.
Derivable forms: dharmapālaḥ (धर्मपालः).
Dharmapāla is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms dharma and pāla (पाल).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryDharmapāla (धर्मपाल).—(1) (= Pali Dhammapāla 2 of Malalasekara (Dictionary of Pali Proper Names)), name of the son of the purohita Brahmāyu (previous incar- nation of Rāhula): Mahāvastu ii.77.12 ff.; (2) (= Pali Dhamma- pāla 8 of Malalasekara (Dictionary of Pali Proper Names)), name of a teacher: Mahāvyutpatti 3482; (3) name of a prince (previous incarnation of the Buddha): Avadāna-śataka i.178.9 ff.; his story is clearly a modified form of that of the prince- hero in the Pali Culla-Dhammapāla Jātaka, No. 358, where he has the name Dhammapāla (4 of Malalasekara (Dictionary of Pali Proper Names)); (4) name of a gandharva: Suvarṇabhāsottamasūtra 162.2; (5) name of a yakṣa: Mahā-Māyūrī 84.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryDharmapāla (धर्मपाल).—m. 1. the guardian of law. 2. a proper name.
Dharmapāla is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms dharma and pāla (पाल).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus CatalogorumDharmapāla (धर्मपाल) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—poet. [Sūktikarṇāmṛta by Śrīdharadāsa]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Dharmapāla (धर्मपाल):—[=dharma-pāla] [from dharma > dhara] m. ‘l° guardian’ [figuratively] = punishment or sword, [Mahābhārata xii, 4429; 6204]
2) [v.s. ...] Name of a minister of king Daśa-ratha, [Rāmāyaṇa]
3) [v.s. ...] of a great scholar, [Buddhist literature]
4) [v.s. ...] of a prince, [Inscriptions]
5) [v.s. ...] of a poet, [Catalogue(s)]
[Sanskrit to German]
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: Dharma, Pala.
Starts with: Dharmapalaka, Dharmapalasyajatakam.
Ends with: Anagarika Dharmapala.
Full-text (+26): Vanapala, Dharmadasa, Shantarakshita, Devasharma, Haribhadra, Dharmakirti, Jayadeva, Dharmottara, Kamalashila, Bankipore, Amballa, Meerut, Rawalpindi, Mardan, Cawnpore, Aligarh, Lahore, Peshawar, Abbotabad, Gaya.
Relevant text
Search found 35 books and stories containing Dharmapala, Dharmapāla, Dharma-pala, Dharma-pāla; (plurals include: Dharmapalas, Dharmapālas, palas, pālas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
The gods of northern Buddhism (by Alice Getty)
Chaitanya Bhagavata (by Bhumipati Dāsa)
Verse 2.9.202 < [Chapter 9 - The Lord’s Twenty-One Hour Ecstasy and Descriptions of Śrīdhara and Other Devotees’ Characteristics]
Anāgārika Dharmapāla (by Bhikkhu Sangharakshita)
The Mahavastu (great story) (by J. J. Jones)
Chapter IX - The Story of Dharmapāla < [Volume II]
Tibet (Myth, Religion and History) (by Tsewang Gyalpo Arya)
A Short history of Lanka (by Humphry William Codrington)