Introduction

In Hinduism

Ayurveda (science of life)

Source: WorldCat: Rāj nighaṇṭu

1) Kaṭu (कटु) is another name for Kaṭvī, a medicinal plant possibly identified with Picrorhiza kurroa (kutki) from the Plantaginaceae or “plantain” family of flowering plants, according to verse 3.139-140 of the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu. The third chapter (guḍūcyādi-varga) of this book contains climbers and creepers (vīrudh). Vaidyaka Śabda Sindhu identifies Kaṭvī with Kaṭukī (Picrorhiza kurroa), which on account of its laxative role does not tally with the Kaṭvī of the Raj Nighantu. Together with the names Kaṭu and Kaṭvī, there are a total of eight Sanskrit synonyms identified for this plant.

2) Kaṭu (कटु) is also mentioned as a synonym for Apāmārga, a medicinal plant identified with Achyranthes aspera Linn. (“prickly chaff-flower”) from the Amaranthaceae or “amaranth” family of flowering plants, according to verse 4.88-91. The fourth chapter (śatāhvādi-varga) of this book enumerates eighty varieties of small plants (pṛthu-kṣupa). Together with the names Kaṭu and Apāmārga, there are a total of twenty-three Sanskrit synonyms identified for this plant.

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

Kaṭu (कटु) refers to “pungent substances” and is mentioned in a list of remedies for indigestion in the 17th century Bhojanakutūhala (dravyaguṇāguṇa-kathana), and is commonly found in literature dealing with the topics of dietetics and culinary art, also known as Pākaśāstra or Pākakalā.—A complete section in Bhojanakutūhala is devoted for the description of agents that cause indigestion [viz., puṣkarataila (oil extracted from puṣkara)]. These agents consumed on a large scale can cause indigestion for certain people. The remedies [viz., kaṭu (pungent substances)] for these types of indigestions are also explained therewith.

Source: gurumukhi.ru: Ayurveda glossary of terms

Kaṭu (कटु):—1. Pungent; One among six rasa. 2. Synonym of Katuki(Picrorrhiza kurroa) and Rajika(Brassica juncea).

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.

In Buddhism

General definition (in Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgraha

Kaṭu (कटु, “acidic”) refers to one of the “six kinds of tastes” (rasa) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 36). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., kaṭu). The work is attributed to Nagarjuna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

kaṭu (कटु).—a (S) Pungent, sharp, acrid. 2 Sharply bitter. 3 fig. Offensive, keen, cutting--speech. 4 fig. Fierce or fiery: also impetuous, vehement, ardent, smart.

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

kaṭu (कटु).—a Pungent, sharp, acrid. Sharply bitter.

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 dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Kaṭu (कटु).—a. [(ṭu or ṭvī] f.)

1) Pungent, acrid; (said of a rasa or flavour; the rasas are six; madhura, kaṭu, amla, tikta, kaṣāya, and lavaṇa); कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णतीक्ष्णरूक्षविदाहिनः । आहारा राजसस्येष्टा दुःखशोकाभयप्रदाः (kaṭvamlalavaṇātyuṣṇatīkṣṇarūkṣavidāhinaḥ | āhārā rājasasyeṣṭā duḥkhaśokābhayapradāḥ) || Bg.17.9.

2) Fragrant, exhaling strong odour; सप्तच्छदक्षीरकटुप्रवाहम् (saptacchadakṣīrakaṭupravāham) R.5.48.

3) Ill-smelling, having a bad smell.

4) (a) Bitter. This sense is found qiven to the words कटु (kaṭu) and कटुक (kaṭuka) in Prākrit and later sanskrit works; cf. अतिकटुः कारवेल्लादिः अतितीक्ष्णो मरिचादिः (atikaṭuḥ kāravellādiḥ atitīkṣṇo maricādiḥ); अमृततरङ्गिणी (amṛtataraṅgiṇī) on Bg.17.9,-नीलकण्ठ (nīlakaṇṭha) gives the same sense.

5) caustic (words); Y.3.142. (b) Disagreeable, unpleasant; श्रवणकटु नृपाणामेकवाक्यं विवव्रुः (śravaṇakaṭu nṛpāṇāmekavākyaṃ vivavruḥ) R.6.85.

6) Envious.

7) Hot, impetuous.

-ṭuḥ 1 Pungency, acerbity (one of the six flavours).

2) Name of several plants.

-ṭuḥ f. A medical plant (kaṭurohiṇī).

-ṭu n.

1) An improper action.

2) Blaming, reviling, scandal.

--- OR ---

Kātu (कातु).—A well.

Derivable forms: kātuḥ (कातुः).

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

Kaṭu (कटु).—mfn. (-ṭuḥ-ṭuḥ or -ṭvī-ṭu) 1. Pungent. 2. Envious. 3. Fierce, impetuous, hot. 4. Fragrant. 5. Bad scented, ill smelling. 6. Displeasing, disagreeable. m.

(-ṭuḥ) 1. Pungency or a pungent taste. 2. A flower, (Michelia champaca.) 3. Champhor. 4. A sort of gourd, (Trichosanthes.) n. (-ṭu) 1. An improper action, an act which ought not to have been done. 2. Blaming, reviling, scandal. f.

(-ṭuḥ) 1. The name of a medicinal plant; also kaṭukā and kaṭukī. 2. A plant which bears a fragrant seed: see priyaṅgu. 3. Mustard. E. kaṭ to go, &c. and u Unadi aff.

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

Kaṭu (कटु).— (for kartu, i. e. kṛt + u), adj., f. ṭu or ṭvī, Sharp, pungent; of taste, [Pañcatantra] 61, 11; of smell, Mahābhārata 14, 1408; of the wind, [Rāmāyaṇa] 3, 22, 11; of words, [Pañcatantra] i. [distich] 191.

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

Kaṭu (कटु).—[adjective] pungent, biting, sharp, bitter; [abstract] tā [feminine], tva [neuter]

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

1) Kaṭu (कटु):—[from kaṭ] mf(vī and us)n. ([Uṇādi-sūtra i, 9]; cf. √2. kṛt) pungent, acrid, sharp (one of the six kinds of flavour, rasa q.v.), [Mahābhārata; Suśruta; Bhagavad-gītā] etc.

2) [v.s. ...] pungent, stimulating (as smell), strong-scented, ill-smelling, [Mahābhārata xiv; Raghuvaṃśa v, 48; Rāmāyaṇa] etc.

3) [v.s. ...] bitter, caustic (as words) displeasing, disagreeable (as sounds)

4) [v.s. ...] fierce, impetuous, hot, envious, [Raghuvaṃśa vi, 85; Pañcatantra] etc.

5) [v.s. ...] m. (us) pungency, acerbity (as of a flavour), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.];

6) [v.s. ...] cf. [Lithuanian] kartus, ‘bitter’

7) [v.s. ...] Trichosanthes Dioeca, [Suśruta]

8) [v.s. ...] Michelia Campaka, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

9) [v.s. ...] Name of several other plants, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

10) [v.s. ...] a kind of camphor, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

11) [v.s. ...] f(us and vī). Name of several plants

12) [v.s. ...] n. (u) an improper action, an act which ought not to have been done

13) [v.s. ...] blaming, reviling, scandal, [Horace H. Wilson]

14) Kātu (कातु):—m. = kūpa, [Naighaṇṭuka, commented on by Yāska iii, 23] (cf. kāṭa.)

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

Kaṭu (कटु):—[(ṭuḥ-ṭuḥ-ṭu) a.] Pungent; fierce; envious; disagreeable. m. Pungency; a flower; camphor; a plant. n. An improper act.

[Sanskrit to German] (Deutsch Wörterbuch)

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Böhtlingk and Roth Grosses Petersburger Wörterbuch

Kaṭu (कटु):—[Die Uṇādi-Affixe 1, 8.]

1) adj. scharf, beissend, eine der sechs Arten des Geschmacks [Amarakoṣa 1, 1, 4, 18.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 1389.] [Anekārthasaṃgraha 2, 83.] [Medinīkoṣa ṭ. 4.] [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 3, 142.] [Mahābhārata 1, 716. 14, 1411.] [Bhagavadgītā 17, 9.] [Suśruta 1, 154, 6. 7. 173, 11. 2, 359, 7. 370, 1. 545. fgg.] [Pañcatantra 61, 11. 254, 11.] [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 3, 26, 42.] vom Geruch [Mahābhārata 14, 1408.] saptacchadakṣīrakaṭupravāhamasahyamāghrāya madam [Raghuvaṃśa 5, 48.] vom Winde: kaṭuśītānila [Rāmāyaṇa 3, 22, 11.] von Reden: śravaṇakaṭu (vākya) [Raghuvaṃśa 6, 85.] cāṭavaḥ kaṭavaḥ [Pañcatantra I, 191.] = tīkṣṇa [Amarakoṣa 3, 4, 9, 38.] = khara [Medinīkoṣa] = matsara [Amarakoṣa] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] = apriya [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 3, 3, 94.] = durgandha [SVĀMIN] zu [Amarakoṣa im Śabdakalpadruma] = sugandhi [Medinīkoṣa] Hierher ist wohl auch noch zu ziehen n. ( [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 3, 5, 7]) = akārya [Amarakoṣa] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] = rūṣaṇa [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] und [VIŚVA im Śabdakalpadruma] —

2) m. a) scharfer Geschmack, Schärfe [Amarakoṣa 1, 1, 4, 18. 3, 4, 9, 38.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 1389.] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] — b) Name verschiedener Pflanzen: α) Michelia Champaca (campaka) [Śabdacandrikā im Śabdakalpadruma] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] (surabhi). — β) Trichosanthes dioeca Roxb. (paṭola) [Rājanirghaṇṭa im Śabdakalpadruma] [Suśruta 1, 370, 10.] — γ) = kaṭvī [Rājanirghaṇṭa] — c) Kampher (cīnakarpūra) ebend. —

3) f. kaṭu Name verschiedener Pflanzen: a) = kaṭurohiṇī [Amarakoṣa 2, 4, 3, 4.] [Medinīkoṣa] = kaṭukā [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] = rājikā Sinapis ramosa Roxb. [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] und [VIŚVA im Śabdakalpadruma] = priyaṅgu [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] und [VIŚVA.] —

4) f. kaṭvī Name einer Pflanze (latā), = kaṭu, kaṭukā, kaṭukavallī, kāṣṭhavallikā, paśumohanikā, sukāṣṭhā, suvallī [Rājanirghaṇṭa im Śabdakalpadruma] [Suśruta 1, 163, 2. 2, 281, 4.]

--- OR ---

Kātu (कातु):—m. so v. a. kūpa [das 3, 23.] — Vgl. kāṭa .

--- OR ---

Kaṭu (कटु):—

1) giraḥ śvānaḥ [Spr. 1772.] raṭantaḥ karaṭāḥ (Krähen) kaṭu [KĀŚĪKH. 68, 53] bei [AUFRECHT, Halāyudha] [Ind.] u. karaṭa . [Z. 10] dūṣaṇa fehlerhaft für ūṣaṇa .

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Sanskrit-Wörterbuch in kürzerer Fassung

Kaṭu (कटु):——

1) Adj. Scharf , beissend (Geschmack , Geruch , Laute , Reden , Wind). kaṭu und taram ([Indische sprüche 7669]) Adv. —

2) m. — a) *Scharfer Geschmack , Schärfe. — b) Trichosanthes dioeca. — c) *Michelia Champaca. — d) * = kaṭvī. — e) *eine Art Kampher. —

3) *f. kaṭu Bez. verschiedener Pflanzen. —

4) f. kaṭvī eine best. Pflanze.

--- OR ---

Kātu (कातु):—m. = kūpa.

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.

Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Kaṭu (कटु):—(a) bitter, vitriolic; unpleasant; ~[tā] bitterness; unpleasantness.

context information

...

See also (Relevant definitions)

Starts with (+119): Katuakatta, Katubadari, Katubana, Katubhadra, Katubhanga, Katubhashin, Katubhashita, Katubija, Katucaturjataka, Katucchada, Katuchada, Katuchaturjataka, Katuchchhada, Katuchhada, Katudala, Katudari, Katugranthi, Katuja, Katuka, Katukabadari.

Ends with: Galakatu, Galekatu, Kandakatu, Karkatu, Karnakatu, Kedarakatu, Pacikatu, Shrutikatu, Talaiccankatu, Trikatu.

Full-text (+147): Katuphala, Katurohini, Katubhadra, Katutumbi, Katubhanga, Katusneha, Katuta, Trikatu, Katurava, Katuvija, Katuvarttaki, Katucchada, Katukita, Katukvana, Katupaka, Katugranthi, Katunishplava, Katupatra, Katutraya, Katutva.

Relevant text

Search found 20 books and stories containing Katu, Kaṭu, Kātu; (plurals include: Katus, Kaṭus, Kātus). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

A History of Indian Philosophy Volume 2 (by Surendranath Dasgupta)

Part 11 - The Theory of Rasas and their Chemistry < [Chapter XIII - Speculations in the Medical Schools]

Part 6 - Foetal Development < [Chapter XIII - Speculations in the Medical Schools]

show preview

The Religion and Philosophy of Tevaram (Thevaram) (by M. A. Dorai Rangaswamy)

Chapter 4.3 - (e) Arurar’s references to Dance < [Volume 2 - Nampi Arurar and Mythology]

Chapter 4.6 - (l) Shiva’s ornamentation < [Volume 2 - Nampi Arurar and Mythology]

Chapter 1 - The Light of Light < [Volume 4.2.3 - Philosophy of God]

+ 6 more chapters / show preview

Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 3: Metals, Gems and other substances (by Bhudeb Mookerjee)

Part 4 - Extraction of oil from seeds of Katu-tumbi < [Chapter XXXII - Extraction of oil from seeds]

Part 17 - Purification of Katuki and various other seeds < [Chapter XXXI - Upavisha (semi-poisons)]

Part 2 - Purification of tin < [Chapter VI - Metals (6): Vanga (tin)]

show preview

Shrimad Bhagavad-gita (by Narayana Gosvami)

Verse 17.9 < [Chapter 17 - Śraddhā-traya-vibhāga-yoga]

show preview

Kavyamimamsa of Rajasekhara (Study) (by Debabrata Barai)

Part 9 - Rājaśekhara’s association with Gujarāta (Gujarat) < [Chapter 1 - Introduction]

show preview

Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī)

Verse 2.1.268 < [Part 1 - Ecstatic Excitants (vibhāva)]

show preview

 

Click here for all 20 books