Gunavati, Guṇavatī, Guṇāvatī, Gunavatī: 9 definitions
Introduction:
Gunavati means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit. 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)
Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia1) Guṇavatī (गुणवती).—Mother of Mandodarī (See under Mandodarī).
2) Guṇavatī (गुणवती).—Daughter born to Sunābha, younger brother of Vajranābha. She had an elder sister named Candramatī. Prabhāvatī, daughter of Vajranābha, was married to Pradyumna, son of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One day when Prabhāvatī and Pradyumna were engaged in amorous conversation Guṇavatī and Candramatī came to them and they expressed a desire to get husbands for themselves from among the Yādavas. Prabhāvatī advised Candramatī to marry Gada, brother of Kṛṣṇa and Guṇavatī to marry Sāṃba, son of Kṛṣṇa. (Chapter 94. Harivaṃśa).
3) Guṇāvatī (गुणावती).—A river. Once Paraśurāma slew some Kṣatriyas on the northern banks of this river. (Śloka 8, Chapter 70, Droṇa Parva).
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationGuṇavatī (गुणवती) is another name for Śakti (prime cause, created from the body of Īśvara), according to Śivapurāṇa 2.1.6, while explaining the time of great dissolution (mahāpralaya):—“[...] this Śakti is called by various names. Pradhāna, Prakṛti, Māyā, Guṇavatī, Parā. The mother of Buddhi Tattva (The cosmic Intelligence), Vikṛtivarjitā (without modification). That Śakti is Ambikā, Prakṛti and the goddess of all. She is the prime cause and the mother of the three deities. [...]”.
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.
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraGuṇavatī (गुणवती) is the daughter of king Guṇasāgara from Kaṭāha-dvīpa, as mentioned in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 123. Accordingly, “... [Guṇasāgara] had born to him by his principal queen a daughter named Guṇavatī, who by her beauty produced astonishment even in the Creator who made her. And holy seers announced that she should have for a husband the lord of the seven dvīpas. Whereupon her father, the king, deliberated with his counsellors, and came to this conclusion: ‘King Vikramāditya is a suitable husband for my daughter [Guṇavatī]; so I will send her to marry him’”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Guṇavatī, 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’.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
Source: archive.org: The Elephant Lore of the HindusGuṇavatī (गुणवती) is the daughter of Bhārgava and represents an incarnation of Rucirā, according to the 15th century Mātaṅgalīlā composed by Nīlakaṇṭha in 263 Sanskrit verses, dealing with elephantology in ancient India, focusing on the science of management and treatment of elephants.—[Cf. chapter 1, “on the origin of elephants”]: [As sage Pālakāpya said to king Romapāda]: “15. (A nymph) Rucirā (‘Lovely’) was fashioned by the Creator as he fashioned Speech, by collecting the beauties belonging to sprites, men, demons, and gods. But once she was cursed by Fate (Brahmā) because of her evil pride. Hence she was born as a daughter of the (tribe of) Vasus, from Bhārgava, and was named Guṇavatī. Her great curiosity led her once to the hermitage of Mataṅga. [...]”.
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.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Source: archive.org: Trisastisalakapurusacaritra1) Guṇavatī (गुणवती) is the wife of Vajrasena and mother of Śrīmatī (incarnation of Svayamprabhā), according to chapter 1.1 [ādīśvara-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.
Accordingly, “[...] in a short time Svayamprabhā, afflicted by grief, devoted to works of dharma, also fell like Lalitāṅga. In this same province in the city Puṇḍarīkiṇī, she became the daughter of the Cakrin Vajrasena and his wife Guṇavatī. She was endowed with beauty surpassing all the world, and was named Śrīmatī by her parents. Cared for by nurses like a creeper by women-gardeners, she grew up gradually, her body delicate and her hands like shining blossoms. As a jewel adorns a gold ring, youth adorned her making the sky blossom, as it were, with her glossy beauty”.
2) Guṇavatī (गुणवती) is the wife of king Vilāsa from Pṛthvī, according to chapter 4.4 [anantanātha-caritra].—Accordingly:—“In course of time Caṇḍaśāsana died and wandered in many birth-nuclei present in the whirlpool of the ocean of existence. He became the son, named Madhu, of King Vilāsa by his wife Guṇavatī in the city Pṛthvī in this Bharata. With a life-period of thirty lacs of years, the color of a tāpiccha-blossom, fifty bows tall, he looked like a living mountain. [...]”.
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
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus CatalogorumGuṇavatī (गुणवती) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—Prabodhacandrodayaṭīkā, by Rudradeva. L. 2368.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Guṇavatī (गुणवती):—[=guṇa-vatī] [from guṇa-vat > guṇa] f. Name of a combination of three Ślokas forming all one phrase, [Kāvyādarśa i, 13 [Scholiast or Commentator]]
2) [v.s. ...] of a daughter (of Sunābha and wife of Sāmba, [Harivaṃśa 8762; 8779; 8840]; of the prince Guṇa-sāgara, [Kathāsaritsāgara cxxiii])
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.
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusGuṇavati (ಗುಣವತಿ):—[noun] = ಗುಣವಂತೆ [gunavamte]; 2) a spindle a) a pin in a spinning wheel used for twisting and winding the thread; b) a small bar with tapered ends used for the same purpose in hand-spinning; c) a pin bearing the bobbin of a spinning machine.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Source: unoes: Nepali-English DictionaryGunavatī (गुनवती):—adj. urbane;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Full-text (+35): Gunavat, Kunavati, Sagunavati, Candravati, Indumati, Balata, Bhargava, Gunavant, Vikritivarjita, Sakaleshvari, Nidra, Sunabha, Yoganidra, Sadharmya, Nidrasadharmya, Nirvikshepa, Nirvikshepatva, Divyokti, Rucira, Yakshi.
Relevant text
Search found 27 books and stories containing Gunavati, Guṇavatī, Guṇāvatī, Guna-vati, Guṇa-vatī, Guṇavati, Gunavatī; (plurals include: Gunavatis, Guṇavatīs, Guṇāvatīs, vatis, vatīs, Guṇavatis, Gunavatīs). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Manasollasa (study of Arts and Sciences) (by Mahadev Narayanrao Joshi)
2.5. Element of Kingdom (Rashtra or Janapada) < [Chapter 2 - Treatment of Political Theory and State Administration]
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)
Part 2: Former births of Rāvaṇa, Sītā, Lakṣmaṇa, Sugrīva, Bhāmaṇḍala, Lavaṇa and Aṅkuśa < [Chapter X - Rāma’s mokṣa (emancipation)]
Part 9: Birth of Caṇḍaśāsana as the Prativāsudeva Madhu < [Chapter IV - Anantanāthacaritra]
Part 14: Sixth incarnation as Vajrajaṅgha < [Chapter I]
Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (by Rajendralala Mitra)
Padma Purana (by N.A. Deshpande)
Chapter 89 - An Account of Satyabhāmā’s Former Birth < [Section 6 - Uttara-Khaṇḍa (Concluding Section)]
Chapter 88 - Dialogue Between Satyabhāmā and Kṛṣṇa < [Section 6 - Uttara-Khaṇḍa (Concluding Section)]
Chapter 200 - The Episode of a Bhilla and a Lion < [Section 6 - Uttara-Khaṇḍa (Concluding Section)]