Introduction

In Hinduism

Rasashastra (chemistry and alchemy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Rasa-śāstra

Dūrvā (दूर्वा):—One of the sixty-seven Mahauṣadhi, as per Rasaśāstra texts (rasa literature). These drugs are useful for processing mercury (rasa), such as the alchemical processes known as sūta-bandhana and māraṇa.

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Rasashastra (रसशास्त्र, rasaśāstra) is an important branch of Ayurveda, specialising in chemical interactions with herbs, metals and minerals. Some texts combine yogic and tantric practices with various alchemical operations. The ultimate goal of Rasashastra is not only to preserve and prolong life, but also to bestow wealth upon humankind.

Ayurveda (science of life)

Source: Wisdom Library: Āyurveda and botany

Dūrvā (दूर्वा) is another name (synonym) for Śaṭī, which is a Sanskrit name for the plant Hedychium spicatum (spiked ginger lily). This synonym was identified by Narahari in his 13th-century Rājanighaṇṭu (verses 6.226-227), which is an Ayurvedic medicinal thesaurus.

Source: Shodhganga: Edition translation and critical study of yogasarasamgraha

Dūrvā (दूर्वा) refers to the medicinal plant known as “Cynodon dactylon (Linn.) Pers.” and is dealt with in the 15th-century Yogasārasaṅgraha (Yogasara-saṅgraha) by Vāsudeva: an unpublished Keralite work representing an Ayurvedic compendium of medicinal recipes. The Yogasārasaṃgraha [mentioning dūrvā] deals with entire recipes in the route of administration, and thus deals with the knowledge of pharmacy (bhaiṣajya-kalpanā) which is a branch of pharmacology (dravyaguṇa).

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Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Dūrvā (दूर्वा) is used in the worship of Śiva, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.1.14:—“[...] a person desirous of long life (āyus-kāma) shall worship him with Dūrvā grass. A person desirous of sons shall worship him with Dhattūra flowers”.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Dūrva (दूर्व).—A plant sacred to Hari;¹ from this Dūrvañjanam, being an auspicious thing to be looked at in the morning.²

• 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa V. 3. 6.
• 2) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 28. 10.

1b) A son of Nṛpañjaya: his son Timi.^*

• * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 22. 42.

Source: Shodhganga: The saurapurana - a critical study

Durvā (दुर्वा) wood is used for brushing the teeth in the month Āśvina for the Anaṅgatrayodaśī-Vrata, according to the 10th century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various Upapurāṇas depicting Śaivism.—Accordingly, the Anaṅgatrayodaśī-vrata is observed in honour of Śiva for acquiring virtue, great fortune, wealth and for destruction of sins [...] This vrata is to be performed for a year from Mārgaśīra.—In the month of Āśvina, the tooth-brush is that of durvā-wood. The food taken is svamodaka. The deity to be worshipped is Tridaśādhipati. The flowers used in worship are śatapatraka. The naivedya offerings is guṇaka. The result accrued equals gift of crores of gold.

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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.

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: archive.org: Vedic index of Names and Subjects

Dūrvā (दूर्वा) a species of grass (Panicum dactylon), is mentioned frequently from the Rigveda1 onwards. It grew in damp ground. A simile occurring in the Rigveda seems to indicate that the ears lay horizontal with the stem. Cf. Pākadūrvā.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

durvā (दुर्वा).—Properly dūrvā, dūrvāvrata, dūrvāṣṭamī.

--- OR ---

dūrvā (दूर्वा).—f pl (S) Bent grass, commonly Doob, Agrostis linearis.

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Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Dūrvā (दूर्वा).—Bent grass, panic grass (considered as a sacred article of worship and offered to deities &c.).

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

Dūrvā (दूर्वा).—f.

(-rvā) Bent grass, commonly Durba, (Panicum dactylon.) E. dūrva to hurt or be hurt, affix ac or ghañ; fem. affix ṭāp what hurts sin, or is injured by cattle. dūrvati rogān aniṣṭaṃ vā .

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

Dūrvā (दूर्वा).—f. A kind of milletgrass, Panicum dactylon, Mahābhārata 3, 9984.

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

Dūrva (दूर्व).—[masculine] [Name] of a king; [feminine] dūrvā a kind of grass.

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

1) Dūrva (दूर्व):—m. Name of a prince who was son of Nṛpaṃ-jaya and father of Timi, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa ix, 22, 41.]

2) Dūrvā (दूर्वा):—f. (√durt?) bent grass, panic grass, Dūrb grass, Panicum Dactylon, [Ṛg-veda; Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā; Brāhmaṇa; Mahābhārata etc.] (cf. ali-, gaṇḍa-, granthi-, mālā-).

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.

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