Gardabhi, Gardabhī, Gārdabhi, Gārdabhī: 14 definitions

Introduction:

Gardabhi means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, biology. 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)

[«previous next»] — Gardabhi in Purana glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: The Matsya-purāṇa

Gardabhī (गर्दभी) is the name of a mind-born ‘divine mother’ (mātṛ), created for the purpose of drinking the blood of the Andhaka demons, according to the Matsya-purāṇa 179.8. The Andhaka demons spawned out of every drop of blood spilled from the original Andhakāsura (Andhaka-demon). According to the Matsya-purāṇa 179.35, “Most terrible they (e.g., Gardabhī) all drank the blood of those Andhakas and become exceedingly satiated.”

The Matsyapurāṇa is categorised as a Mahāpurāṇa, and was originally composed of 20,000 metrical verses, dating from the 1st-millennium BCE. The narrator is Matsya, one of the ten major avatars of Viṣṇu.

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Gārdabhi (गार्दभि).—A son of Viśvāmitra who was a brahmavādī. (Chapter 4, Anuśāsana Parva, Mahābhārata).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1) Gardabhī (गर्दभी).—A mind-born mother.*

  • * Matsya-purāṇa 179. 18.

2) Gārdabhi (गार्दभि).—One of the Pañcārṣeyas and a Bhārgava.*

  • * Matsya-purāṇa 195. 34.
Source: JatLand: List of Mahabharata people and places

Gārdabhi (गार्दभि) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. XIII.4.58, XIII.4) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Gārdabhi) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.

Purana book cover
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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.

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Ayurveda (science of life)

Nighantu (Synonyms and Characteristics of Drugs and technical terms)

Source: WorldCat: Rāj nighaṇṭu

1) Gardabhī (गर्दभी) is another name for Aśvakṣurā, a medicinal plant identified with Clitoria ternatea (Asian pigeonwings, butterfly pea or bluebellvine) from the Fabaceae or “legume family” of flowering plants, according to verse 3.87-89 of the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu. The third chapter (guḍūcyādi-varga) of this book contains climbers and creepers (vīrudh). Together with the names Gardabhī and Aśvakṣurā, there are a total of fourteen Sanskrit synonyms identified for this plant.

2) Gardabhī (गर्दभी) is also mentioned as a synonym for Śvetakaṇṭakārī, a medicinal plant related to Kaṇṭakārī, according to verse 4.33-36. The fourth chapter (śatāhvādi-varga) of this book enumerates eighty varieties of small plants (pṛthu-kṣupa). Together with the names Gardabhī and Śvetakaṇṭakārī, there are a total of twenty-four Sanskrit synonyms identified for this plant.

Ayurveda book cover
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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.

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Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Kamakoti Mandali: The Yoginis of Narasimha Vyuha

Gārdabhī (गार्दभी) 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., Gārdabhī] and ordered them to drink the blood of the demons and drain them dry.

Source: Kamakoti Mandali: Nrisimha matrika-mandala

Gārdabhī (गार्दभी) 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., Gārdabhī]. 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.

Shaktism book cover
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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.

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General definition (in Hinduism)

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

Gardabhī (गर्दभी) or ‘female ass’ is mentioned in the Atharvaveda and the Bṭhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad. Gardabha or ‘the ass’, is mentioned in the Rigveda as inferior to the horse. In the Taittirīya-saṃhitā he again appears as inferior to the horse, but at the same time as the best bearer of burdens (bhāra-bhāritama) among animals.

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka Maṇḍala

Gardabhī (गर्दभी) is the name of a Ḍākinī who, together with the Vīra (hero) named Gardabha forms one of the 36 pairs situated in the Medinīcakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the medinīcakra refers to one of the three divisions of the dharma-puṭa (‘dharma layer’), situated in the Herukamaṇḍala. The 36 pairs of Ḍākinīs [viz., Gardabhī] and Vīras are yellow in color; the shapes of their faces are in accordance with their names; they have four arms; they hold a skull bowl, a skull staff, a small drum, and a knife.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
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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.

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Biology (plants and animals)

Source: Google Books: CRC World Dictionary (Regional names)

Gardabhi in India is the name of a plant defined with Clitoria ternatea in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Lathyrus spectabilis Forssk. (among others).

Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):

· Mémoires de la Société Linnéenne de Paris (1826)
· Species Plantarum (1753)
· Bot. Commelins (1983)
· Fl. Senegal (1954)
· Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis (DC.) (1825)
· Hort. Calcuttensis (1845)

If you are looking for specific details regarding Gardabhi, for example diet and recipes, pregnancy safety, extract dosage, side effects, chemical composition, health benefits, have a look at these references.

Biology book cover
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This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

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

1) Gardabhī (गर्दभी):—[from gardabha > gard] a f. a she-ass, [Atharva-veda x; Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa xiv; Kauśika-sūtra; Mahābhārata] etc.

2) [v.s. ...] a kind of beetle (generated in cow-dung), [Suśruta v]

3) [v.s. ...] Name of several plants (aparājitā, kaṭabhī, śvetakaṇṭakārī), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

4) [v.s. ...] = gardabhikā, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

5) Gardabhi (गर्दभि):—[from gard] for gārd (cf. haya-g.)

6) Gardabhī (गर्दभी):—[from gard] b f. of bha q.v.

7) Gārdabhi (गार्दभि):—[from gārdabha] m. Name of a man, [Pravara texts i, 2] ([varia lectio] gardabha), [Mahābhārata xiii, 258.]

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)

Gardabhī (गर्दभी) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Gaddabhī.

[Sanskrit to German]

Gardabhi 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.

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