Kesa, Kesha, Keśā, Keśa: 31 definitions

Introduction
Image gallery
In Hinduism
1. Chandas
2. Purana
3. Ayurveda
4. Shaktism
5. Shaivism
6. Kavya
7. Yoga
8. General definition
In Buddhism
Biology
Languages
1. Pali
2. Marathi
3. Sanskrit
4. Hindi
5. Prakrit
6. Kannada
7. Nepali
See also
Buy products

Introduction:

Kesa means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, Hindi, biology. 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 terms Keśā and Keśa can be transliterated into English as Kesa or Kesha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Alternative spellings of this word include Kesh.

Images (photo gallery)

In Hinduism

Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres)

Source: Shodhganga: a concise history of Sanskrit Chanda literature

Keśā (केशा) 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. Keśā corresponds to Dhū (according to Bharata). Hemacandra gives these alternative names for the metres by other authorities (like Bharata), even though the number of gaṇas or letters do not differ.

context information

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.

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

1) Keśa (केश) refers to the “hair” (of Śiva), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.49 (“The delusion of Brahmā”).—Accordingly, as the Gods eulogised Śiva: “[...] The seven oceans are your clothes. The quarters are your long arms. The firmament is your head, O all-pervasive. The sky is your navel. The wind is your nose. O lord, the fire, the sun and the moon are your eyes. The clouds are your hair (keśa). The planets and the stars are your ornaments. O lord of gods, how shall I eulogise you? O supreme lord, you are beyond description. O Śiva, you are incomprehensible to the mind. [...]”.

2) Keśa (केश) is the name of a Gaṇeśvara (attendant of Śiva), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.5.9 (“Śiva’s campaign”).—Accordingly, as Śiva with the Gods attacked Tripura: “[...] O great Brahmins, all the Gaṇeśvaras went to the three cities. Who can enumerate them fully? I shall mention a few. These were the important ones who were there—[e.g., Keśa] [...]. These and other innumerable lords of Gaṇas who cannot be characterised and classified surrounded Śiva and went ahead. [...] They were capable of burning the entire world including the mobile and immobile beings, within a trice by their very thought. Surrounding Śiva, the great lord, they went ahead. [...]”.

Source: JatLand: List of Mahabharata people and places

Keśa (केश) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. XIV.8.14, XIV.8) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Keśa) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.

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.

Ayurveda (science of life)

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

Keśa (केश) refers to the “long hair of the head”.—Roman, strictly speaking, denotes the short hair on the body (Tibetan: spu; a fine example is the following kha-spu, lit. “face-hair”, which stands for śmaśru, “beard”), whereas keśa signifies the long hair of the head (Tibetan: skra). This differentiation, though neglected in the original, has been re-established by the Tibetans.

Source: gurumukhi.ru: Ayurveda glossary of terms

Keśa (केश):—Hair

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.

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

Keśa (केश) refers to the “hair”, according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, “The plane of the One-footed (ekapāda i.e. the letter E) is where the Skyfarer is in the Skyfarer within the Cavity of the Hair [i.e., keśa-randhra-khaga]. Śrīdeva is above Meru (the triangle above the head) (merupaścima) in the essential nature of the Void (kha), which is the threefold measure (of energy) (mātra). (This is) where everything consists of Space (ākāśa) and is the Cavity (vivara), which is the nectar of Fire (vāḍava). There, above, in the Void is the supreme god. (He is) the moonbeam (candrāṃśu) that, well-fixed, oozes (nectar). The (energy of the) Full Moon (pūrṇamāsā) resides as the teacher's being (gurutva) on the plane of the Skyfarer”.

context information

Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.

Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)

Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions

Keśa (केश) refers to the “hair”, according to the Brahmayāmala-tantra.—(Cf. pañcāmṛtākarṣaṇa—“extraction of the five nectars”).—The extraction of the five nectars (pañcāmṛtākarṣaṇa), as well as other, Kāpālika-type cremation ground practices, also figure in the Brahmayāmala, as Hatley (2007, 143ff.) points out. [...] Now in chapter 46 of the Brahmayāmala, much like the Kāpālikas, the practitioner makes ritual use of human flesh, hair (keśa), bones (asthi), body fluids (picu), particularly blood (rakta), and intestines (antra); moreover, he offers and drinks alcohol (madirā).

context information

Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.

Kavya (poetry)

Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions (kavya)

Keśa (केश) refers to the “hair”, according to Bāṇa’s Kādambarī (p. 224-228).—Accordingly, “[Going ahead a little, he then sees that the Goddess Caṇḍikā] was enclosed by a door made from the ivory of wild elephants, as yellowish-white as fragments of ketakī filaments, and an iron architrave bearing an ornamental garland of black iron mirrors surrounded by a row of red yak tail whisks resembling a garland of Śabara heads horrific with tawny hair (kapila-keśa-bhīṣaṇā)”.

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’.

Yoga (school of philosophy)

Source: ORA: Amanaska (king of all yogas): A Critical Edition and Annotated Translation by Jason Birch

Keśa (केश) refers to the “hair”, according to the Amanaska Yoga treatise dealing with meditation, absorption, yogic powers and liberation.—Accordingly, as Īśvara says to Vāmadeva: “[...] Putting on ochre garments, carrying a skull, plucking out clumps of hair (keśa), maintaining non-vedic religious observances, ashes, ascetic clothing and matted locks, behaving as if mad, [the ascetic practice of] nakedness, [studying] the Vedas, Tantras and so on and the meeting [of learned people] for [reciting] poetry in the assembly: All [this] is exertion for the sake of filling one's stomach and is not the cause of the highest good. [...]”.

context information

Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Hinduism

Kesha is a sanskrit term which means “long hair”.

In Buddhism

Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names

See Kesi.

context information

Theravāda is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka (philosophy and psychology).

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Kesa (केस) or Keśa refers to the “hair of the head” and is mentioned in a list of thirty-substances of the human body according to the Visuddhimagga, as mentioned in an appendix of the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter 32-34. The Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra mentions thirty-six substances [viz., kesa or keśa]; the Sanskrit sources of both the Lesser and the Greater Vehicles, physical substances are 26 in number while the Pāli suttas list thirty-once substances.

context information

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Keśa (केश) or “head hair” is associated with Caṇḍākṣī and Mahākaṅkāla, according to the Cakrasaṃvara-maṇḍala or Saṃvaramaṇḍala of Abhayākaragupta’s Niṣpannayogāvalī, p. 45 and n. 145; (Cf. Cakrasaṃvaratantra, Gray, David B., 2007).—The Cakrasaṃvara mandala has a total of sixty-two deities. [...] Three concentric circles going outward, the body, speech and mind wheels (kāya-vāka-citta), in the order: mind (blue), speech (red), and body (white), with eight Ḍākinīs each in non-dual union with their Ḍākas, "male consorts".

Associated elements of Caṇḍākṣī and Mahākaṅkāla:

Circle: kāyacakra (mind-wheel) (blue);
Ḍākinī (female consort): Caṇḍākṣī;
Ḍāka (male consort): Mahākaṅkāla;
Bīja: jāṃ;
Body-part: forehead;
Pīṭha: Jālandhara (Jālaṃdhara);
Bodily constituent: keśa-romanī (head/body hair);
Bodhipakṣa (wings of enlightenment): vīrya-ṛddhipāda (power of effort).

context information

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.

Biology (plants and animals)

Source: Wisdom Library: Local Names of Plants and Drugs

Kesa [ಕೆಸ] in the Kannada language is the name of a plant identified with Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott from the Araceae (Arum) family having the following synonyms: Alocasia illustris, Alocasia dussii. For the possible medicinal usage of kesa, you can check this page for potential sources and references, although be aware that any some or none of the side-effects may not be mentioned here, wether they be harmful or beneficial to health.

context information

This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.

Languages of India and abroad

Pali-English dictionary

Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

kesa : (m.) hair of the head.

Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Kesa, (Vedic keśa; cp. kesara hair, mane=Lat. caesaries, hair of the head, Ags. heord=E. hair) the hair of the head S. I, 115 (haṭa-haṭa-k°, with dishevelled hair); A. I, 138 (palita-kesa with grey hair; also at J. I, 59); Sn. 456 (nivutta°), 608; Th. 1, 169; J. I, 59, 138; III, 393; Miln. 26; KhA 42; Vism. 353 (in detail). The wearing of long hair was forbidden to the Bhikkhus: Vin. II, 107 sq.; 133 (cp. kesa-massu);— dark (glossy) hair is a distinction of beauty: susukāḷa-keso (of Gotama) D. I, 115; cp. kaṇha and kalyāṇa; PvA. 26.—The hair of Petas is long and dishevelled PvA. 56; Sdhp. 103; it is the only cover of their nakedness: kesehi paṭicchanna “covered only with my hair” Pv. I, 10².—kesesu gahetvā to take by the hair (in Niraya) D. I, 234;— kesaṃ oropeti to have one’s hair cut Vin. II, 133.

context information

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

kēśa (केश).—m (S) A hair: and pl the hair. Pr. hātāsa (or maṇagaṭāsa) kāya kēśa ālē? What am I superannuated and knocked up? kēśāñcyā ambāḍyā hōṇēṃ Used of the hair turning gray. suṭalēlē kēśa pāṭhīlā śaraṇa (Hairs falling loose seek refuge upon the back.) Used of or by some helpless wretch who has no alternative, but must remain as he is.

--- OR ---

kēsa (केस) [or केंस, kēṃsa].—m (kēśa S) A hair: also pl The hair. kēsāsa dhakkā na lāgūṃ dēṇēṃ Not to hurt a hair of the head.

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

kēśa (केश) [-sa, -स].—m A hair; the hair.kēsāñcyā ambāḍyā hōṇē Used of the hair turning grey.

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

Keśa (केश).—[kliśyate kliśnāti vā kliś-an lo lopaśca Uṇ 5.33]

1) Hair in general; विकीर्णकेशासु परेतभूमिषु (vikīrṇakeśāsu paretabhūmiṣu) Kumārasambhava 5.68.

2) Especially, the hair of the head; केशेषु गृहीत्वा (keśeṣu gṛhītvā) or केश- ग्राहं युध्यन्ते (keśa- grāhaṃ yudhyante) Sk.; मुक्तकेशा (muktakeśā) Manusmṛti 7.91; केशव्यपरोपणादिव (keśavyaparopaṇādiva) R.3.56;2.8.

3) The mane of a horse or lion.

4) A ray of light.

5) An epithet of Varuṇa.

6) A kind of perfume.

7) An epithet of Viṣṇu.

-śī 1 A lock of hair (on the crown of the head.)

2) An epithet of Durgā.

Derivable forms: keśaḥ (केशः).

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

Keśa (केश).—m.

(-śaḥ) 1. Hair. 2. A name of Varuna. 3. A kind of perfume: see vālā, 4. The name of a demon. 5. A name of Vishnu. f. (-śo) 1. A lock of hair on the crown of the head. 2. The indigo plant 3. Indian spikenard. E. kliś to bind, aṇ affix, and la rejected; or ka the head, and īś to rule, affix ac; again, ka water or happiness, and īśa the lord or master.

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

Keśa (केश).—m. 1. Hair, [Hitopadeśa] i. [distich] 102. 2. A lion’s mane, Sch. ad [Śākuntala, (ed. Böhtlingk.)] 6.

— Comp. adj. end in the fem. in śā or śī. Añjana-, adj., f. śī, having manes as smooth as ointment, Mahābhārata 1, 8008. Bhūta-, m., and f. śī, root of sweet flag. Miśra-keśī, f. an Apsaras. Mukta- (vb. muc), adj., f. śī, one whose hair is loose, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 7, 91; Mahābhārata 1, 782. Muñja-, m. Viṣṇu. vi-, I. adj., f. śī, bald. Ii. f. śī, a small braid or dress of hair, tied up severally and then collected into the larger braid. Vyomakº, i. e. vyoman-, m. Śiva. Vi-kīrṇa- (vb. kṛ10), and vi-galita-, adj., fem. śā, with dishevelled hair, [Kumārasaṃbhava, (ed. Stenzler.)] 5, 68. Śukla-, adj. hoary-haired. Su-, adj., f. śī, having beautiful hair, [Rāmāyaṇa] 3, 52, 35.

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

Keśa (केश).—[masculine] (adj. —° [feminine] ā & ī) hair (of the head), mane, tail (of the Yak).

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

1) Keśa (केश):—1. keśa m. (√kliś, [Uṇādi-sūtra]; ifc. ā or ī, [Pāṇini 4-1, 54]) the hair of the head, [Atharva-veda; Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā; Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa] etc.

2) the mane (of a horse or lion), [Mahābhārata i, 8008; Śakuntalā [Scholiast or Commentator]]

3) a kind of perfume (hrīvera), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

4) Name of a mineral, [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā lxxvii, 23]

5) Name of Varuṇa, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

6) of Viṣṇu, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

7) of a Daitya, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

8) of a locality, [Romakasiddhānta]

9) ([plural]) the tail (of the Bos grunniens), [Pāṇini 2-3, 36; Kāśikā-vṛtti] ([varia lectio] vāla)

10) 2. keśa n. ‘whose lord is Prajā-pati (See 3. ka)’, the lunar mansion Rohiṇī.

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

Keśa (केश):—(śaḥ) 1. m. Hair; Varuna; Vishnu; a perfume; a demon. (śī) f. A lock of hair on the crown of the head; indigo; spikenard.

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)

Keśa (केश) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Kesa.

[Sanskrit to German]

Kesa 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.

Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Keśa (केश) [Also spelled kesh]:—(nm) the hair; ~[kalāpa] hairdo; ~[pāśa] the ringlets of the hair; ~[baṃdha] the hair-ribbon; —[racanā/vinyāsa] hair-do.

context information

...

Prakrit-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary

Kesa (केस) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Keśa.

context information

Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.

Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Kesa (ಕೆಸ):—[noun] = ಕೆಸವು [kesavu].

--- OR ---

Kēśa (ಕೇಶ):—

1) [noun] the hair growing on the head.

2) [noun] the mane of a horse or lion.

3) [noun] a ray of light.

4) [noun] Varuṇa, the Ocean-God.

5) [noun] a kind of perfume made from the fragrant grass Andropogon muricatus.

--- OR ---

Kēsa (ಕೇಸ):—[noun] red colour or any of its shades.

--- OR ---

Kēsa (ಕೇಸ):—[noun] the hair growing on the head; .

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

Nepali dictionary

Source: unoes: Nepali-English Dictionary

1) Keśa (केश):—n. hair of the head;

2) Kesa (केस):—1. a case/container to put things on; suitcase; showcase; 2. Law. a case/suit for trial; 3. a medical case;

context information

Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.

Relevant text

Search found 71 books and stories containing Kesa, Kesha, Kēśa, Keśā, Keśa, Kēsa; (plurals include: Kesas, Keshas, Kēśas, Keśās, Keśas, Kēsas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Verse 1.12.13 < [Chapter 12 - Description of Śrī Nanda’s Festival]

Verse 6.1.27 < [Chapter 1 - Jarāsandha’s Defeat]

Verse 5.3.29 < [Chapter 3 - Akrūra’s Arrival]

+ 4 more chapters / show preview

Rig Veda 8.60.2 < [Sukta 60]

Rig Veda 5.8.2 < [Sukta 8]

Rig Veda 1.45.6 < [Sukta 45]

+ 13 more chapters / show preview

Appendix 3 - Thirty-two substances of the human body < [Chapter XXXII-XXXIV - The eight classes of supplementary dharmas]

Appendix 2 - The offering of the future Śākyamuni to the Buddha Dīpaṃkara < [Chapter VIII - The Bodhisattvas]

Act 5.8: The weak, the sick and the crippled are healed < [Chapter XIV - Emission of rays]

+ 4 more chapters / show preview