Guhasena: 6 definitions
Introduction:
Guhasena means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara1) Guhasena (गुहसेन) is the son of Dhanadatta: a rich merchant from the city Tāmraliptā, whose story is told in “the story of Devasmitā” of the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 13. This story was told by Vasantaka to Vāsavadattā in order to divert her thoughts as she was anxiously awaiting her marriage with Udayana.
2) Guhasena (गुहसेन) is the father of Guhacandra: a young merchant from the city Pāṭaliputra, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 17. Upon beholding the sight of Somaprabhā (name of an apsaras born to Dharmagupta and Candraprabhā), he instantly fell in love with her.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Guhasena, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.
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’.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaGuhasena (गुहसेन).—See under Devasmitā.
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
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: eScholarship: Mahāyāna and the GiftGuhasena (गुहसेन).—In a 6th century copperplate grant from Valabhī, Gujarāt, the Maitraka king Guhasena is called a paramopāsaka. (Interestingly, Guhasena is called a paramamāheśvara in a grant preceding this one, suggesting that he was a Śaivite convert to Buddhism.) The grant bequeaths revenue, probably from a local village, to the community of noble monks (or noble community of monks = āryyabhikṣusaṅgha) from the eighteen Nikāyas that comes from many places.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Guhasena (गुहसेन):—[=guha-sena] [from guha > guh] m. Name of a prince
2) [v.s. ...] of a merchant, [Kathāsaritsāgara xiii, xvii.]
[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: Guha, Sena, Cena.
Full-text: Devasmita, Murtidhara, Guhacandra, Dharmagupta, Dhanadatta, Bahis.
Relevant text
Search found 4 books and stories containing Guhasena, Guha-sena; (plurals include: Guhasenas, senas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter XIII < [Book II - Kathāmukha]
Notes on the story of Devasmitā < [Notes]
Chapter XVII < [Book III - Lāvānaka]
Buddhist records of the Western world (Xuanzang) (by Samuel Beal)
Chapter 8 - Country of Fa-li-pi (Valabhi) < [Book XI - Twenty-three Countries]
Matangalila and Hastyayurveda (study) (by Chandrima Das)
Metaphors regarding Elephants < [Chapter 2]