Ikshu, Ikṣu, Iksu: 17 definitions

Introduction

Introduction
In Hinduism
Languages
1. Marathi
2. Sanskrit
See also

Introduction:

Ikshu means something in 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.

The Sanskrit term Ikṣu can be transliterated into English as Iksu or Ikshu, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Ayurveda (science of life)

Source: Wisdom Library: Āyurveda and botany

Ikṣu (इक्षु) is a Sanskrit word referring to Saccharum officinarum, a species of grass from the Poaceae (or, Gramineae) family of flowering plants. It is also known as Puṇḍraka. In English, it is known as the “sugarcane” or the “noble cane”. It is used throughout Ayurvedic literature such as the Caraka-saṃhitā. It is a tall perennial grass growing up to 6 meters in height. It has a solid juicy stem with leaves up to 150cm long that are inflorescence pink or white. It is extensively cultivated throughout India.

This plant (Ikṣu) is also mentioned as a medicine used for the treatment of all major fevers (jvara), as described in the Jvaracikitsā (or “the treatment of fever”) which forms the first chapter of the Sanskrit work called Mādhavacikitsā.

Source: archive.org: Nilamata Purana: a cultural and literary study (ayurveda)

Ikṣu (इक्षु, “sugar”).—Sanskrit writers refer to a number of varieties of sugar, namely, Ikṣurasa (sugarcane juice), Phāṇit (sugarcane juice boiled down to one fourth), Guḍa (treacle), Matsyaṇḍikā (sugarcane juice boiled down to a solid consistence but exuding a little fluid on drawing), Khaṇḍa (candied white sand like grain), Śarkarā (white sugar), Sitopala (sugarcandy), Gauḍī (fermented liquor obtained from treacle), Sīdhu (fermented liquor obtained from sugarcane juice) and other two varieties of the above.

Source: archive.org: Vagbhata’s Ashtanga Hridaya Samhita (first 5 chapters)

Ikṣu (इक्षु) refers to “sugarcane juice” according to the last verse 3.12 and 5.42-43 of the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā (Sūtrasthāna) by Vāgbhaṭa.— Accordingly (verse 5.42-43), “[...] Sugarcane juice [viz., ikṣu] (is) heavy, oily, nutritious, productive of phlegm and urine, viriligenic, cooling, destructive of hemorrhage, of sweet digestion and taste, (and) purgative. That at the top (is) slightly salt (and, if) pressed out with the teeth, sugar-like”.

Source: Shodhganga: Dietetics and culinary art in ancient and medieval India

Ikṣu (इक्षु) refers to the “sugarcane”, according to the Atharvaveda I.34.5, and is commonly found in literature dealing with the topics of dietetics and culinary art, also known as Pākaśāstra or Pākakalā.—Chewing of sugarcane (ikṣu) is referred to in Atharvaveda. Pāṇini mentions the plantations of sugar cane. Kauṭilya mentions of some products of sugarcane such as phāṇita (inspissated juice of sugarcane), guḍa (jaggery), khaṇḍa (raw sugar), matsyaṇḍikā (sugar candy) and śarkarā (sugar). [...] Suśrutasaṃhitā identified different varieties of sugarcane. Caraka and Suśruta are of the opinion that the juice of sugarcane extracted by a machine is not good.

Ikṣu or “sugercane juice” is described in the Bhojanakutūhala (dravyaguṇāguṇa-kathana).—The properties and varieties of sugarcane are discussed in the ikṣu-prakaraṇa. The properties of sugarcane which is crushed with teeth and crushed in a huge machine are also explained in detail. Different products made out of sugarcane juice and their properties are also discussed. It include the properties of guḍa (jaggery), sitaśarkarā (white sugar), sitakhaṇḍa (candied sugar), yāsaśarkara, phāṇita, matsyaṇḍī, madhuśarkara, guḍaśarkara, tavarāja-śarkara and siddhikhaṇḍa-śarkara (different varieties of jaggery).

In the Ikṣu or “sugarcane products” group of foodstuffs, the following substances are beneficial (hita) to the body: Sitā (sugar). The following substances are harmful (ahita) to the body: Phāṇita (a variety of jaggery).

Source: Shodhganga: Edition translation and critical study of yogasarasamgraha

Ikṣu (इक्षु) refers to the medicinal plant known as “Saccarum officinarum Linn.” and is dealt with in the 15th-century Yogasārasaṅgraha (Yogasara-saṅgraha) by Vāsudeva: an unpublished Keralite work representing an Ayurvedic compendium of medicinal recipes. The Yogasārasaṃgraha [mentioning ikṣu] deals with entire recipes in the route of administration, and thus deals with the knowledge of pharmacy (bhaiṣajya-kalpanā) which is a branch of pharmacology (dravyaguṇa).

context information

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.

Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Source: archive.org: The mirror of gesture (abhinaya-darpana)

One of the Hands of the Seven Oceans.—Ikṣu: the Alapadma hands moved upwards and downwards (vyāvṛttacāpaveṣṭitau). Note: Representing the up and down motion of waves.

context information

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).

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Nilamata Purana: a cultural and literary study

Ikṣu (इक्षु) refers to “sugar”, forming part of a common diet in ancient Kashmir (Kaśmīra) as mentioned in the Nīlamatapurāṇa.—Of the varieties of Ikṣu Nīlamata mentions only Guḍa and Śarkarā. Grains covered with treacle and ice mixed with white sugar are referred to (verses 494, 708). Most of the references to the articles of diet occur in the Nīlamata in connection with the offerings made to the gods but it is not difficult to infer from them the food and drink of the common people because “what a man eats his gods eat”.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Ikṣu (इक्षु).—A tree peculiar to Harivarṣa.^*

* Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 17. 7.

1b) (kratu)—A river of Śākadvīpa, from the side of the Himalayas.^*

* Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 19. 96; Matsya-purāṇa 122. 32; Vāyu-purāṇa 49. 93; Viṣṇu-purāṇa II. 4. 65.

1c) One of the seven oceans; see ikṣurasodā.^*

* Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa IV. 31. 18; Matsya-purāṇa 2. 34.

1d) A R. from the side of the Himālayas, in the Bhāratavarṣa.^*

* Matsya-purāṇa 114. 22; Vāyu-purāṇa 45. 96.

1e) A R. joining the Narmadā; very holy. A bath here makes one lord of a Devagaṇa.^*

* Matsya-purāṇa 191. 49-50.

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: archive.org: Naisadhacarita of Sriharsa

Ikṣu (इक्षु) refers to “sugarcane”, and is mentioned in the Naiṣadha-carita 20.21. Nārāyaṇa mentions ikṣu as a variant [of indu] and explains it as some kind of bamboo. Cāṇḍūpaṇḍita takes ikṣu in its usual sense of “sugarcane”, but the reference to pearls makes it practically certain that the word here means “bamboo” as stated by Nārāyaṇa. There are frequent references to pearls being found in certain bamboos. Cf. Naiṣadha-carita 22.105. Cf. also Yogavāśiṣṭha (Sthitiprakaraṇa) 35.11 and 53.23.

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’.

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Hinduism

Sanskrit for 'sugar-cane'.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

ikṣu (इक्षु).—m (S) Sugarcane, Arundo saccharifera.

Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-English

ikṣu (इक्षु) [-daṇḍa, -दंड].—m Sugar-cane. ikṣurasa mSugar- cane juice.

ई

context information

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-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Ikṣu (इक्षु).—[iṣyate'sau mādhuryāt, iṣ-ksu Uṇ.3.157]

1) Sugarcane; परि त्वा परितत्नुनेक्षुणागामविद्विषे (pari tvā paritatnunekṣuṇāgāmavidviṣe) Av.1.34.5.

2) Name of another tree कोफिला (kophilā).

3) Wish, desire.

Derivable forms: ikṣuḥ (इक्षुः).

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

Ikṣu (इक्षु).—m.

(-kṣuḥ) The sugar-cane. E. iṣ to desire, and ksu affix or īkṣ to see, asun affix and ī made short.

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

Ikṣu (इक्षु).— (akin to iṣ), m. Sugar cane, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 9, 39.

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

Ikṣu (इक्षु).—[masculine] sugar-cane; matī† [feminine] [Name] of a river.

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

1) Ikṣu (इक्षु):—m. (√2. iṣ, [Uṇādi-sūtra iii, 157]), the sugar-cane, [Atharva-veda i, 34, 5; Kauśika-sūtra; Āśvalāyana-gṛhya-sūtra; Manu-smṛti] etc.

2) (twelve species of it are enumerated, [Suśruta])

3) the stem of the sugar-cane, [Manu-smṛti]

4) eyelash, [Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā; Taittirīya-saṃhitā] etc.

5) Name of a king, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa]

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family. 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.

Relevant text

Search found 25 books and stories containing Ikshu, Ikṣu, Iksu; (plurals include: Ikshus, Ikṣus, Iksus). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Chapter 22 - Hands denoting the Seven Oceans

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Chapter LIX - Symptoms and Treatment of the defects of Urine (Mutra-dosha) < [Canto III - Kaya-chikitsa-tantra (internal medicine)]

Chapter X - Treatment of Pittaja Ophthalmia < [Canto I - Shalakya-tantra (ears, eyes, nose, mouth and throat)]

Chapter XLVI - Symptoms and Treatment of Fainting fits (Murccha) < [Canto III - Kaya-chikitsa-tantra (internal medicine)]

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Chapter LIV - Progeny of Priya Vrata and incidental description of the Seven Islands of the Earth < [Agastya Samhita]

Chapter LVI - Enumeration of the names of princes of the continent of Plaksha, etc. < [Agastya Samhita]

Chapter CLIX - The Nidanam of diseases of the Urinary organs (Pramehas) < [Dhanvantari Samhita]

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Chapter 12 - On the narration of Plakṣa, Śālmala and Kuśa Dvīpas < [Book 8]

Chapter 4 - On the narration of the family of Priyavrata < [Book 8]