The Sanskrit terms Dhūmraśikha and Dhūmraśikhā can be transliterated into English as Dhumrasikha or Dhumrashikha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Kavya (poetry)

Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

Dhūmraśikha (धूम्रशिख) is the name of a Rākṣasa, as mentioned in the fifth story of the Vetālapañcaviṃśati in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 79. Accordingly, “...  then Harisvāmin said eagerly to the possessor of knowledge: ‘Man of knowledge, now tell me quickly where my daughter [Somaprabhā] is gone’. When the possessor of knowledge heard that, he said: ‘The Rākṣasa Dhūmraśikha has carried her off to his own habitation in the Vindhya forest’”.

The story of Dhūmraśikha is mentioned in the Vetālapañcaviṃśati (twenty-five tales of a vetāla) which is embedded in the twelfth book of the Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’). The main book is a famous Sanskrit epic detailing the exploits of prince Naravāhanadatta in his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The Kathā-sarit-sāgara is is explained to be an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā which consisted of 100,000 verses and in turn forms part of an even larger work containing 700,000 verses.

context information

Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Kamakoti Mandali: The Yoginis of Narasimha Vyuha

Dhūmraśikhā (धूम्रशिखा) is the name of a Mātṛkā-Śakti created by Mahārudra in order to control the plague of demons created by Andhakāsura.—Accordingly, Andhaka-Asura tried to kidnap Umā (Devī Pārvatī), and was fiercely attacked by Mahārudra who shot arrows at him from his mahāpināka. when the arrows pierced the body of Andhakāsura, drops of blood fell to earth and from those drops, thousands of Andhakas arose. To control this plague of demons, Mahārudra created Mātṛkā-Śaktis [viz., Dhūmraśikhā] and ordered them to drink the blood of the demons and drain them dry.

Source: Kamakoti Mandali: Nrisimha matrika-mandala

Dhūmraśikhā (धूम्रशिखा) refers to one of the various Mātṛkā-Śaktis created by Rudra in order to destroy the clones that spawned from Andhaka’s body.—Accordingly, [...] Andhakāsura attempted to abduct Girājanandinī (Pārvatī) and thus ensued a fierce battle between Andhakāsura and the great Rudra, the Lord of Umā. Like raktabīja, every drop of blood that fell from the body of Andhaka created another Asura like him and in no time, the entire world was filled with Andhakas. To destroy the growing number of Andhakas, Rudra created innumerable Mātṛkā-Śaktis [viz., Dhūmraśikhā]. These Śaktis of immense power at once began to drink every drop of blood that flowed from the body of Andhaka, but they could still not effectively contain the emergence of more and more demons.

context information

Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.

Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)

Source: Wisdom Library: Brihat Samhita by Varahamihira

Dhūmraśikha (धूम्रशिख) refers to a “smoke-colored tail” and is used to describe the “Saṃvarta” type of Ketus (i.e., luminous bodies such as comets and meteors), according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 11), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “Samvarta Ketu is a comet which appears in the west in the evening with a tail of the colour of smoke and copper [i.e., dhūmraśikha—dhūmratāmraśikhaḥ], extending to a third of the sky and resembling the sharp end of a dagger; it is fearful to look at. Princes will suffer in wars for as many years as the number of hours for which it continues to be visible. Those persons will also suffer in the star of whose nativity the comet appears”.

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.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

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

Dhūmraśikha (धूम्रशिख):—[=dhūmra-śikha] [from dhūmra > dhū] m. Name of a Rakṣas, [Kathāsaritsāgara]

[Sanskrit to German]

Dhumrashikha 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.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Shikha, Dhumra.

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Search found 1 books and stories containing Dhumrashikha, Dhumra-shikha, Dhumra-sikha, Dhūmra-śikha, Dhūmra-śikhā, Dhūmraśikha, Dhumrasikha, Dhūmraśikhā; (plurals include: Dhumrashikhas, shikhas, sikhas, śikhas, śikhās, Dhūmraśikhas, Dhumrasikhas, Dhūmraśikhās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)

Chapter LXXIX < [Book XII - Śaśāṅkavatī]

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