Harini, Hariṇī, Hariṇi: 14 definitions
Introduction
Introduction:
Harini means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi. 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
Rasashastra (chemistry and alchemy)
Source: Wisdom Library: Rasa-śāstraHariṇī (हरिणी):—One of the sixty-eight Rasauṣadhi, very powerful drugs known to be useful in alchemical processes related to mercury (rasa), according to Rasaprakāśa-sudhākara (chapter 9).

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.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaHariṇī (हरिणी).—A daughter of Hiraṇyakaśipu, also called Rohiṇī. She was married to Viśvapati, an Asura. Vana Parva, 211, 18).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexHariṇī (हरिणी).—Mother of Hari, in the Tāmasa epoch.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa VIII. 1. 30; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 3. 116.

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.
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
Source: Wisdom Library: Nāṭya-śāstraHariṇī (हरिणी) is another name for Vṛṣabhaceṣṭita, which refers to a type of syllabic metre (vṛtta), according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 16. In this metre, the first five, the eleventh, the thirteenth, the fourteenth, and the sixteenth syllables of a foot (pāda) are light (laghu), while the rest of the syllables are heavy (guru).
⏑⏑⏑¦⏑⏑⎼¦⎼⎼⎼¦⎼⏑⎼¦⏑⏑⎼¦⏑⎼¦¦⏑⏑⏑¦⏑⏑⎼¦⎼⎼⎼¦⎼⏑⎼¦⏑⏑⎼¦⏑⎼¦¦
⏑⏑⏑¦⏑⏑⎼¦⎼⎼⎼¦⎼⏑⎼¦⏑⏑⎼¦⏑⎼¦¦⏑⏑⏑¦⏑⏑⎼¦⎼⎼⎼¦⎼⏑⎼¦⏑⏑⎼¦⏑⎼¦¦
Hariṇī falls in the Atyaṣṭi class of chandas (rhythm-type), which implies that verses constructed with this metre have four pādas (‘foot’ or ‘quarter-verse’) containing seventeen syllables each.
Source: Shodhganga: Mankhaka a sanskrit literary genius (natya)Hariṇī (हरिणी) is the name of a Sanskrit metre (chandas) of the Vṛtta-type (akṣarachandas: metres regulated by akṣaras, syllabes).—The metre, Hariṇī contains seventeen syllables in each and every quarter and it possesses the gaṇas viz. na, sa, ma, ra, and sa. This metre is found to be employed in the Śrīkaṇṭhacarita.

Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (śāstra) of performing arts, (nāṭya, e.g., theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing dramatic plays (nataka) and poetic works (kavya).
Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar)
Source: Wikisource: A dictionary of Sanskrit grammarHariṇi (हरिणि).—Name of a kind of svarabhakti when r (र् (r)) followed by s (श् (ś)) and s (स् (s)) is read as र (ra) + इ (i) +श् (ś) and र (ra) + इ (i) +स् (s) respectively.
Vyakarana (व्याकरण, vyākaraṇa) refers to Sanskrit grammar and represents one of the six additional sciences (vedanga) to be studied along with the Vedas. Vyakarana concerns itself with the rules of Sanskrit grammar and linguistic analysis in order to establish the correct context of words and sentences.
Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres)
Source: Shodhganga: a concise history of Sanskrit Chanda literature1) Hariṇī (हरिणी) refers to one of the 27 metres mentioned in the Suvṛttatilaka ascribed to Kṣemendra (11th century). The Suvṛttatilaka is a monumental work of Sanskrit prosody considered as unique in its nature. In this work Kṣemendra neither introduces any new metre nor discusses all the metres used in his time. He discusses 27 popular metres (e.g., Hariṇī) which were used frequently by the poets.
2) Hariṇī (हरिणी) is the alternative name of a Sanskrit metre (chandas) mentioned by Hemacandra (1088-1173 C.E.) in his auto-commentary on the second chapter of the Chandonuśāsana. Hariṇī corresponds to Vṛṣabhalalita. Hemacandra gives these alternative names for the metres by other authorities (like Bharata), even though the number of gaṇas or letters do not differ.
3) Hariṇī (हरिणी) refers to one of the 135 metres (chandas) mentioned by Nañjuṇḍa (1794-1868 C.E.) in his Vṛttaratnāvalī. Nañjuṇḍa was a poet of both Kannada and Sanskrit literature flourished in the court of the famous Kṛṣṇarāja Woḍeyar of Mysore. He introduces the names of these metres (e.g., Hariṇī) in 20 verses.
4) Hariṇī (हरिणी) refers to one of the 130 varṇavṛttas (syllabo-quantitative verse) dealt with in the second chapter of the Vṛttamuktāvalī, ascribed to Durgādatta (19th century), author of eight Sanskrit work and patronised by Hindupati: an ancient king of the Bundela tribe (presently Bundelkhand of Uttar Pradesh). A Varṇavṛtta (e.g., hariṇī) refers to a type of classical Sanskrit metre depending on syllable count where the light-heavy patterns are fixed.
5) Hariṇī (हरिणी) refers to one of the 34 varṇavṛttas (syllabo-quantitative verse) dealt with in the Vṛttamaṇimañjūṣā, whose authorship could be traced (also see the “New Catalogus Catalogorum” XXXI. p. 7).
6) Hariṇī (हरिणी) refers to one of the seventy-two sama-varṇavṛtta (regular syllabo-quantitative verse) mentioned in the 334th chapter of the Agnipurāṇa. The Agnipurāṇa deals with various subjects viz. literature, poetics, grammar, architecture in its 383 chapters and deals with the entire science of prosody (e.g., the hariṇī metre) in 8 chapters (328-335) in 101 verses in total.

Chandas (छन्दस्) refers to Sanskrit prosody and represents one of the six Vedangas (auxiliary disciplines belonging to the study of the Vedas). The science of prosody (chandas-shastra) focusses on the study of the poetic meters such as the commonly known twenty-six metres mentioned by Pingalas.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: BDK Tripiṭaka: The Susiddhikara-sūtraHariṇī (हरिणी) refers to one of the various types of cakes mentioned in Chapter 12 (“offering food”) of the Susiddhikara-sūtra. Accordingly, “Offer [viz., hariṇī cakes], [...]. Cakes such as the above are either made with granular sugar or made by mixing in ghee or sesamum oil. As before, take them in accordance with the family in question and use them as offerings; if you offer them up as prescribed, you will quickly gain success. [...]”.
When you wish to offer food [viz., hariṇī cakes], first cleanse the ground, sprinkle scented water all around, spread out on the ground leaves that have been washed clean, such as lotus leaves, palāśa (dhak) leaves, and leaves from lactescent trees, or new cotton cloth, and then set down the oblatory dishes. [...] First smear and sprinkle the ground and then spread the leaves; wash your hands clean, rinse out your mouth several times, swallow some water, and then you should set down the food [viz., hariṇī]. [...]

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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryhariṇī (हरिणी).—f (S) A doe. 2 An individual of one of the four classes of womankind. See citriṇī 3 A form of metre.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishhariṇī (हरिणी).—f A doe.
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 dictionaryHariṇī (हरिणी).—
1) A female deer, doe; चकितहरिणीप्रेक्षणा (cakitahariṇīprekṣaṇā) Me.84; R.9.55;14.69.
2) One of the four classes of women (also called citriṇī q. v.).
3) Yellow jasmine.
4) A good golden image.
5) Name of a metre.
6) The green colour.
7) Turmeric.
8) Madder.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryHariṇī (हरिणी).—v. hariṇa & harita.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Hariṇī (हरिणी):—[from hariṇa > hari] a f. See below.
2) [from hari] b f. a female deer, doe, [Taittirīya-saṃhitā] etc. etc.
3) [v.s. ...] Rubia Munjista, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
4) [v.s. ...] yellow jasmine, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) [v.s. ...] one of the four kinds of beautiful women (corresponding to the kind of man termed mṛga), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
6) [v.s. ...] a golden image, [Rājataraṅgiṇī]
7) [v.s. ...] a kind of metre (four times -,), [Piṅgala Scholiast, i.e. halāyudha]
8) [v.s. ...] a kind of Svara-bhakti (q.v.), [Taittirīya-prātiśākhya [Scholiast or Commentator]]
9) [v.s. ...] Name of an Apsaras, [Raghuvaṃśa]
10) [v.s. ...] of a Yakṣiṇī, [Buddhist literature]
11) [v.s. ...] of the mother of Hari (Viṣṇu), [Bhāgavata-purāṇa] [plural] Name of the verses, [Atharva-veda xviii, 2, 11-18; Kauśika-sūtra]
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)
Starts with: Harinidrish, Harinika, Harinikula, Harinila, Harininayana, Harinipada, Harinirupaya, Harinivritta.
Ends with (+57): Adhyaharini, Aharyaharini, Akarshanadharini, Apaharini, Arthacharini, Bharini, Bhutadharini, Bijaharini, Bijapaharini, Bijopaharini, Brahmacharini, Camaradharini, Chihnadharini, Cihnadharini, Cundadharini, Dandadharini, Dehasamcharini, Dharini, Dharmacharini, Dhyanadharini.
Full-text: Harinidrish, Harinivritta, Harininayana, Harinirupaya, Harani, Harita, Harina, Mugdhaharini, Vrishabhalalita, Tulatula, Gauradi, Karavini, Vrishabhaceshtita, Rasaushadhi, Durmada, Vishnu, Kaca, Hari.
Relevant text
Search found 12 books and stories containing Harini, Hariṇī, Hariṇi; (plurals include: Harinis, Hariṇīs, Hariṇis). 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)
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)
Part 3: Origin of the Harivaṃśa < [Chapter VII - Śrī Munisuvratanāthacaritra]
Part 5: Bharata’s previous births < [Chapter VIII - The abandonment of Sītā]
The backdrop of the Srikanthacarita and the Mankhakosa (by Dhrubajit Sarma)
Part 4a - Chandas (1): Vṛtta type of metre (akṣarachandas) < [Chapter III - Literary Assessment Of The Śrīkaṇṭhacarita]
The Brahmanda Purana (by G.V. Tagare)
Chapter 4 - Pronunciation of a curse on Jayas < [Section 3 - Upodghāta-pāda]
Chapter 3 - The race of Dharma: three attributes of the self-born God < [Section 3 - Upodghāta-pāda]
The Natyashastra (by Bharata-muni)