Karkataka, Karkaṭaka: 14 definitions
Introduction:
Karkataka 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
Ayurveda (science of life)
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक) is a Sanskrit word referring to the animal “crab”. The meat of this animal is part of the māṃsavarga (‘group of flesh’), which is used throughout Ayurvedic literature. The animal Karkaṭaka is part of the sub-group named Vāriśaya, refering to animals “living in waters”. It was classified by Caraka in his Carakasaṃhitā sūtrasthāna (chapter 27), a classical Ayurvedic work. Caraka defined such groups (vargas) based on the dietic properties of the substance.
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक)—Sanskrit word for an animal “crab”. This animal is from the group called Pādin (‘those which have feet’). Pādin itself is a sub-group of the group of animals known as Ānupa (those that frequent marshy places).
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.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
1a) Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक).—A commander of Bhaṇḍa.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa IV. 21. 78.
1b) Cancer; when the sun enters this it is Dakṣiṇāyana.*
- * Viṣṇu-purāṇa II. 8. 31.
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
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक) is the name of a Rāśi (zodiac sign) mentioned as attending the teachings in the 6th century Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa: one of the largest Kriyā Tantras devoted to Mañjuśrī (the Bodhisattva of wisdom) representing an encyclopedia of knowledge primarily concerned with ritualistic elements in Buddhism. The teachings in this text originate from Mañjuśrī and were taught to and by Buddha Śākyamuni in the presence of a large audience (including Karkaṭaka).
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
Sanskrit dictionary
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक).—1 A crab. कर्कटकसधर्माणो हि जनकभक्षाः राजपुत्राः (karkaṭakasadharmāṇo hi janakabhakṣāḥ rājaputrāḥ) Kau. A.1.17.
2) Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac.
3) Compass, circuit.
4) A kind of sugarcane.
5) A hook.
-kī A female crab.
-kam 1 A poisonous root.
2) A particular fracture of the bones.
Derivable forms: karkaṭakaḥ (कर्कटकः).
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक).—(m. or nt.; compare karkaṭa, actually °ṭakāṅ-ghri, a moulding, a kind of joinery resembling the crab's leg, Acharya, Dict. Hindu Arch. 115), (1) a kind of moulding on a toraṇa (°ṇā): Mahāvastu iii.178.16 tasya nirdhāvantasya [Page170-a+ 71] toraṇāye karkaṭakasmiṃ makuṭaṃ lagnaṃ, and 20 (uttamāṅgato makuṭaṃ toraṇāgrāto) karkaṭakena utkṣip- taṃ; (2) in Divyāvadāna 274.23 (and 281.2) °kena, defined Index as hook, but rather tongs, a meaning found in Sanskrit; (3) °ṭikā, f., heart of a flower: Mahāvyutpatti 6239 = Tibetan sñiṅ po, which also renders karṇikā 6238; also in indranīla-kark° 6244; of a lotus, Gaṇḍavyūha 434.14 mahāratnarājapadma-karkaṭikāyām; ifc. [bahuvrīhi] 434.13 (paṅktivairocana)maṇirāja-karkaṭikaṃ; (4) °ṭaka (= Pali Kakkaṭa), name of an upāsaka in Nādikā: MPS 9.12.
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक).—m.
(-kaḥ) A crab. E. kan added to the preceding.
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक).—[karkaṭa + ka], I. m. 1. A crab, [Pañcatantra] 1, 237. 2. The name of a plant, [Suśruta] 2, 527, 4. 3. The name of a Nāga, [Rāmāyaṇa] 5, 78, 9. Ii. f. kī, A female crab, [Draupadīpramātha] 5, 9. Iii. n. A poisonous bulbous plant, [Suśruta] 2, 252, 7.
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक).—[masculine] a crab; the sign Cancer.
1) Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक):—[from karka] m. a crab, [Suśruta; Pañcatantra] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] the sign Cancer, [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā]
3) [v.s. ...] a pair of tongs, [Daśakumāra-carita]
4) [v.s. ...] a pair of compasses (cf. karkaṭa)
5) [v.s. ...] a kind of plant, [Suśruta]
6) [v.s. ...] a particular position of the hands
7) [v.s. ...] Name of a Nāga, [Rāmāyaṇa]
8) [from karka] n. a kind of poisonous root, [Suśruta]
9) [v.s. ...] a particular fracture of the bones, [Suśruta i, 301, 5.]
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक):—(kaḥ) 1. m. A crab.
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक):—(von karkaṭa)
1) m. a) Krebs, Krabbe [Amarakoṣa 1, 2, 3, 21.] [Suśruta 1,205, 21.] [Pañcatantra I, 237. 265, 2. 3.] karkaṭakāsthi Krebsschale [Suśruta 2, 233, 10.] — der Krebs im Thierkreise [ Kunde des Morgenlandes IV, 327.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 3] in [Weber’s Verzeichniss 239.] — b) Name einer Pflanze, vielleicht Momordica mixta Roxb., [Suśruta 2, 527, 4.] — Name eines Zuckerrohrs Citat zu [Amarakoṣa 2, 4, 5, 28] in der Ausg. von Pūna. — c) Haken in Form einer Krebsscheere(?): karkaṭakarajju ein Strickt mit einem solchen Haken [Daśakumāracarita 71, 2.] — d) Nomen proprium eines Nāga [Rāmāyaṇa 5, 78, 9.] Vgl. karkoṭaka . —
2) f. karkaṭakī ein weiblicher Krebs: tathaiva māṃ taiḥ parirakṣyamāṇāmādāsyase karkaṭakīva garbham [Duaupadīpramātha 5, 9.] Vgl. karkaṭī a. —
3) n. eine best. giftige Knolle [Suśruta 2, 252, 7.] — b) eine best. Form von Knochenbruch [Suśruta 1, 301, 5.]
--- OR ---
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक):—
1) e) Bez. einer best. Stellung der Hände [Oxforder Handschriften 202,a,18.]
Karkaṭaka (कर्कटक):——
1) m. — a) Krebs , Krabbe — b) der Krebs im Thierkreise. — c) Zange. — d) = karkaṭa
1) g) [Gaṇita 27fgg.] Comm. — e) eine best. Pflanze. — f) eine best. Stellung der Hände. — g) Nomen proprium eines Schlangendämons. —
2) f. ṭīkā — a) eine best. Pflanze. — b) *Kern. —
3) f. ī Krebsweibchen. —
4) n. — a) eine best. giftige Knolle. — b) eine best. Form von Knochenbruch.
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
Karkaṭaka (ಕರ್ಕಟಕ):—
1) [noun] = ಕರ್ಕ [karka]3 - 1 & 6; 3) a variety in sugar cane.
2) [noun] a curved metal piece; a hook.
--- OR ---
Karkāṭaka (ಕರ್ಕಾಟಕ):—
1) [noun] any of numerous decapod crustaceans of the section Brachyura, which have the first pair of legs modified into pincers and can move in any direction, including sideways and backwards; a crab.
2) [noun] the vine Momordica cochinchinensis (= Muricia cochinchinensis) of Cucurbitaceae family.
3) [noun] the fourth sign of the zodiac, entered by the sun about June 21; the Cancer.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+0): Karkataka singi, Karkatakacinki, Karkatakakaram, Karkatakam, Karkatakarajju, Karkatakasamkramtivritta, Karkatakashrimgi, Karkatakasthi, Karkatakavairi.
Full-text (+17): Krishnakarkataka, Karkatakasthi, Karkatakarajju, Karkatakashrimgi, Karkatakam, Karkatakasamkramtivritta, Shalakarkataka, Karkataka singi, Karkata, Karkavritta, Shalasharkataka, Karkatakavairi, Torana, Karkatakakaram, Karkkatakam, Karkatakacinki, Karkatika, Shalamarkataka, Katakacankiranti, Karkati.
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Search found 37 books and stories containing Karkataka, Karkaṭaka, Karkāṭaka; (plurals include: Karkatakas, Karkaṭakas, Karkāṭakas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Yavanajataka by Sphujidhvaja [Sanskrit/English] (by Michael D Neely)
Verse 1.32 < [Chapter 1 - The Innate Nature of the Zodiac Signs and Planets]
Verse 3.12 < [Chapter 3 - One’s Own Form of the Drekkāṇas]
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Hastalaksanadipika a critical edition and study (by E. K. Sudha)
5. study of Balaramabharata < [Chapter 3 - Later developments of dramatic techniques]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
The Suryavamsi Gajapatis of Orissa (by R. Subrahmanyam)