Hiranyaksha, Hiraṇyākṣa, Hiranya-aksha: 15 definitions

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Introduction:

Hiranyaksha means something in 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.

The Sanskrit term Hiraṇyākṣa can be transliterated into English as Hiranyaksa or Hiranyaksha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

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In Hinduism

Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Nāṭya-śāstra

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष) is the Sanskrit name of one of Bharata’s sons, mentioned in the Nāṭyaśāstra 1.26-33. After Brahmā created the Nāṭyaveda (nāṭyaśāstra), he ordered Bharata to teach the science to his (one hundred) sons. Bharata thus learned the Nāṭyaveda from Brahmā, and then made his sons study and learn its proper application. After their study, Bharata assigned his sons (eg., Hiraṇyākṣa) various roles suitable to them.

context information

Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—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), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

1) Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष).—A brother of Hiraṇyakaśipu. (See Hiraṇya).

2) Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष).—One of the sons of Viśvāmitra, who was a Brahmavādin. (Anuśāsana Parva. Chapter 4, Verse 57).

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष) refers to one of the two sons of Kaśyapa and Diti, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.14 (“The Birth of Tāraka and Vajrāṅga”).—Accordingly, as Brahmā narrated to Nārada: “[...] My son Marīci begot Kaśyapa who married thirteen daughters of Dakṣa. The eldest of them Diti bore two sons: Hiraṇyakaśipu the elder and Hiraṇyākṣa the younger. When these two began to harass the gods, Viṣṇu assumed the forms of Man-lion and Boar and killed them. Then the gods became fearless and happy”.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष).—A son of Kaśyapa and Ditī and an Ādīdaitya who died in fight with Viṣṇu; a brother of Hiraṇyakaśipu. Sought fight in heaven, entered the ocean and called upon Varuṇa to fight. Entered Rasātala in search of Hari and seeing Varāha—Hari remarked that it was a forest beast. A mad fight ensued when he put an end to him. It was sandhya with abhijit yoga, unfavourable to the enemy;¹ lust of, for more territory;² married Upadānavī;³ in the next birth he was Kumbhakarṇa, and in the succeeding one Dantavaktra. A person of much valour and heroism, defeated by Hari with difficulty;⁴ father of Śambara, Śakuni, Kālanābha, Mahānābha, Ulūka and Bhūtasantāpana;⁵ killed by Varāhaviṣṇu at the Sumana hill of the Śakadvīpa.⁶

1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa III. 17. 18-31; Chh. 18 and 19 (whole); III. 14. 2-3; VI. 18. 11; Matsya-purāṇa 6. 8; Viṣṇu-purāṇa I. 15. 140; Vāyu-purāṇa 67. 59, 67.
2) Bhāgavata-purāṇa XII. 3. 11.
3) Ib. VI. 6. 34.
4) Ib. VII. 1. 39-45; 19. 5-6.
5) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 19. 13; 20. 36; III. 5. 4-5, 12-32; 72. 77; Matsya-purāṇa 6. 14.
6) Ib. 47. 47; 122. 16; 153. 6; 250. 57.

1b) A son of Śūrabhūmī and Syāmaka.^*

* Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 24. 42.

1c) A son of Devajānī an yakṣa.^*

* Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 7. 130.

1d) A son of Maṇivara, killed by the boar.^*

* Vāyu-purāṇa 49. 11; 69. 161; 97. 78.

1e) An Asura of the V tala or Mahātala.^*

* Vāyu-purāṇa 50. 35.

1f) Of Kauśīka gotra.^*

* Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 66. 72; Vāyu-purāṇa 91. 100.

1g) A tīrtha sacred to Pitṛs.^*

* Matsya-purāṇa 22. 52.

Source: JatLand: List of Mahabharata people and places

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. XIII.4.56, XIII.4) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Hiraṇyākṣa) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.

Source: Shodhganga: The saurapurana - a critical study

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष) and Hiraṇyakaśipu refers to the two sons of Diti: one of the thirteen of Dakṣa’s sixty daughters given to Kaśyapa in marriage, according to one account of Vaṃśa (‘genealogical description’) of the 10th century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various Upapurāṇas depicting Śaivism.—Accordingly, Kaśyapa’s thirteen wives are [viz., Diti]. Diti gives birth to two demons Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa. Hiraṇyakaśipu has four sons—Prahlāda, Anuhlāda, Saṃhlāda and Hlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed by Narasiṃha. Hiraṇyākṣa ascended the throne and he got a son named Antaka. Viṣṇu having the form of a boar killed Hiraṇyākṣa.

context information

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: Kathāsaritsāgara

1) Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष) is the name of a Vidyādhara who fought on Śrutaśarman’s side, but was slain by Abhimanyu, who fought on Sūryaprabha’s side, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 48. Accordingly: “... then a fight took place between those Vidyādhara princes on the one side and Prabhāsa and his comrades on the other, in which there was a great slaughter of soldiers. And in the single combats between the two hosts many warriors were slain on both sides, men, Asuras and Vidyādharas... Then the Vidyādhara hero Hiraṇyākṣa was killed by Abhimanyu, but Abhimanyu and Haribhaṭa were slain by Sunetra”.

The story of Hiraṇyākṣa was narrated by the Vidyādhara king Vajraprabha to prince Naravāhanadatta in order to relate how “Sūryaprabha, being a man, obtain of old time the sovereignty over the Vidyādharas”.

2) Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष) is the name of an ancient king from Hiraṇyapura (in Kaśmīra), according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 65. Accordingly, “... and there was born to that king [Kanakākṣa], owing to his having propitiated Śiva, a son named Hiraṇyākṣa, by his wife Ratnaprabhā. The prince was one day playing at ball, and he purposely managed to strike with the ball a female ascetic who came that way”.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Hiraṇyākṣa, 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.

context information

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’.

Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)

Source: Pure Bhakti: Brhad Bhagavatamrtam

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष) refers to:—The son of Kaśyapa who fought with and was killed by the boar incarnation of the Lord, Śrī Varāha. (cf. Glossary page from Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta).

context information

Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: WikiPedia: Hinduism

In Hinduism, Hiranyaksha ('golden-eyed') was an Asura and the son of Diti and Kashyap.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष).—Name of a celebrated demon, twin brother of Hiraṇyakaśipu; अंशे हिरण्याक्षरिपोः स जाते हिरण्यनाभे तनवे नयज्ञः (aṃśe hiraṇyākṣaripoḥ sa jāte hiraṇyanābhe tanave nayajñaḥ) R.18.25. [On the strength of a boon from Brahman, he became insolent and oppressive, seized upon the earth, and carried it with him into the depths of the ocean. Viṣṇu therefore became incarnate as a boar, killed the demon and lifted up the earth.]

Derivable forms: hiraṇyākṣaḥ (हिरण्याक्षः).

Hiraṇyākṣa is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms hiraṇya and akṣa (अक्ष).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष).—m.

(-kṣaḥ) The name of a demon, killed by Vishnu. E. hiraṇya, and akṣa for akṣi the eye.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष).—[adjective] golden-eyed; [masculine] [Name] of a Daitya.

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

1) Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष):—[from hiraṇya > hiraṇa] mfn. golden-eyed, [Ṛg-veda; Taittirīya-āraṇyaka]

2) [v.s. ...] m. Name of a noted Daitya (twin brother of Hiraṇya-kaśipu, and killed by Viṣṇu, in his third or Varṣa Avatāra), [Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa; Purāṇa] ([Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams 327])

3) [v.s. ...] Name of Savitṛ, [Ṛg-veda]

4) [v.s. ...] of a Ṛṣi and various other men, [Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa] etc.

5) [v.s. ...] of a place, [Catalogue(s)]

6) [v.s. ...] [plural] Name of a family, [Harivaṃśa]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Hiraṇyākṣa (हिरण्याक्ष):—[hiraṇyā+kṣa] (kṣaḥ) 1. m. Demon killed by Vishnu.

[Sanskrit to German]

Hiranyaksha 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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Search found 58 books and stories containing Hiranyaksha, Hiraṇya-akṣa, Hiranya-aksa, Hiranya-aksha, Hiraṇyākṣa, Hiranyaksa; (plurals include: Hiranyakshas, akṣas, aksas, akshas, Hiraṇyākṣas, Hiranyaksas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

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