Garishtha, Gariṣṭha: 15 definitions
Introduction:
Garishtha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, Marathi, Hindi. 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.
The Sanskrit term Gariṣṭha can be transliterated into English as Garistha or Garishtha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Grishth.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ).—A sage worshipping Indra in his assembly. (Sabhā Parva, Chapter 7, Verse 13).
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ) refers to a “weighty person” (endowed with great qualities), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.29 (“Śivā-Śiva dialogue”).—Accordingly, as Śiva said to Pārvatī: “[...] O daughter of the mountain, I will not go up to Himavat your father. I will not become a mendicant and beg of him for you. O daughter of the lord of mountains, even a weighty person (gariṣṭha) endowed with great qualities, even a noble soul, is considered base (lāghava) immediately after uttering the words—‘Please give me’. O benevolent lady, after knowing this what is it that you say is our duty? Gentle lady, do as you wish”.

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 Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ) refers to “excessively heavy (feet)”, according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “This world totters to the limit of the world of Brahmā with the fear of the beginning of a frown, and mountains immediately fall asunder by force of [the fact that] the earth is overcome by the weight of the heavy feet, of those heroes who are all led to death by the king of time [com.—by force of [the fact that] the earth is pervaded by the weight of the excessively heavy feet (padagariṣṭhabharavyāptapṛthvīvaśena)] in [the space of] some days. Nevertheless, desire is intense only in a living being who is bereft of sense”.
Synonyms: Guru, Hitopadeṣṭṛ.

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ).—a S Very or superlatively heavy. 2 Huge, immense, enormous, vast and weighty. 3 Noble, honorable, dignified. 4 Heavy on the stomach--an article of food.
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
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ).—a.
1) Heaviest.
2) Most important; (superl. of guru a. q. v.).
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ).—mfn.
(-ṣṭhaḥ-ṣṭhā-ṣṭhaṃ) 1. Heaviest, excessively heavy. 2. Very venerable. E. guru heavy, iṣṭhac superlative affix, deriv. irr.
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ).—superl., and garī- yaṃs garīyaṃs, comparat. of guru, q. cf.
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ).—v. guru.
1) Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ):—[from gariman] mfn. (superl. [from] guru, [Pāṇini 6-4, 157]) heaviest, excessively heavy, [Horace H. Wilson]
2) [v.s. ...] most venerable, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa vii, xii; Sāhitya-darpaṇa iii, 4 a/b]
3) [v.s. ...] thickened excessively, [Gīta-govinda i, 6]
4) [v.s. ...] worst, [Horace H. Wilson]
5) [v.s. ...] m. Name of a man, [Mahābhārata ii, 294]
6) [v.s. ...] of an Asura, [Harivaṃśa 14289] (cf. gaviṣṭha).
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ):—[(ṣṭhaḥ-ṣṭhā-ṣṭhaṃ) a.] Heaviest, very heavy, most venerable.
[Sanskrit to German]
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Gariṭṭha.
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.
Hindi dictionary
Gariṣṭha (गरिष्ठ) [Also spelled grishth]:—(a) heavy (esp. food), indigestible; hence ~[tā] (nf).
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Gariṣṭha (ಗರಿಷ್ಠ):—
1) [adjective] hard to lift or move because of great weight; weighty; heavy.
2) [adjective] of much significance, importance.
3) [adjective] worthy of respect or reverence; venerable; having dignity.
4) [adjective] greatest possible, permissible or reached; maximum.
--- OR ---
Gariṣṭha (ಗರಿಷ್ಠ):—
1) [noun] that which is heavy.
2) [noun] that which is significant, important.
3) [noun] a venerable, respectable man.
4) [noun] the largest of a specified set of real numbers.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Garishthabhara, Garishthabimdu, Garishthamithya, Garishthamithyatva.
Full-text: Garishthabimdu, Guru, Garishthamithya, Garishthamithyatva, Padagarishtha, Garishthabhara, Garittha, Grishth, Ishtha, Upadeshtri, Hitopadeshtri, Vimohitamanas, Vimohita, Laghava, Mithyatvagara, Garva.
Relevant text
Search found 24 books and stories containing Garishtha, Gariṣṭha, Garistha; (plurals include: Garishthas, Gariṣṭhas, Garisthas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 2.13.31 < [Chapter 13 - The Story of Śeṣa]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (by Rajendralala Mitra)
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī)
Verse 2.4.260 < [Part 4 - Transient Ecstatic Disturbances (vyābhicāri-bhāva)]
Verse 2.1.61 < [Part 1 - Ecstatic Excitants (vibhāva)]
Verse 2.4.268 < [Part 4 - Transient Ecstatic Disturbances (vyābhicāri-bhāva)]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 541 < [Hindi-Gujarati-English Volume 1]
Page 529 < [Hindi-Bengali-English Volume 1]
Page 585 < [Hindi-Bengali-English Volume 2]
Tattvartha Sutra (with commentary) (by Vijay K. Jain)
Verse 7.7 - The observances for the vow of chastity (brahmacarya) < [Chapter 7 - The Five Vows]
Verse 7.35 - The transgressions of Upabhoga-paribhoga-parimāṇa-vrata < [Chapter 7 - The Five Vows]