Kotara, Koṭara, Koṭarā: 27 definitions
Introduction:
Kotara means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, Marathi, Hindi. 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.
Alternative spellings of this word include Kotar.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Koṭarā (कोटरा).—An attendant of Skanda. (Mahābhārata Śalya Parva, Chapter 46, Stanza 14).
Koṭara (कोटर) refers to the “hollow (of a tree)”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.54 (“Description of the duties of the chaste wife”).—Accordingly, as a Brahmin lady said to Pārvatī: “[...] She who forsakes her husband and secretly violates her fidelity is born as a she-owl of cruel nature wasting its days in the hollow of a tree (koṭara-śāyinī). If she desires to beat her husband in retaliation, she becomes a tiger or a wild cat. She who ogles at another man becomes squint-eyed. She who partakes of sweet dish denying the same to her husband becomes a pig in the village or a wild goat eating its own dung. [...]”.
Koṭarā (कोटरा).—An evil spirit and mother of Bāṇa. Appeared naked and with dishevelled hair before Kṛṣṇa who had deprived Bāṇa of his chariot.1 A varṇa śakti.2
Koṭarā (कोटरा) refers to the name of a Lady mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. IX.45.17). Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Koṭarā) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.
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)
Nighantu (Synonyms and Characteristics of Drugs and technical terms)
Koṭara (कोटर) refers to the “hollow” of a tree, as mentioned in a list of two synonyms (the other being Niṣkuṭa) in the second chapter (dharaṇyādi-varga) of the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu (an Ayurvedic encyclopedia). The Dharaṇyādi-varga covers the lands, soil, mountains, jungles and vegetation’s relations between trees [viz., Koṭara] and plants and substances, with their various kinds.
Toxicology (Study and Treatment of poison)
Koṭara (कोटर) [?] is mentioned in a list of places highly susceptible to snake-bites, as taught in the Kāśyapa Saṃhitā: an ancient Sanskrit text from the Pāñcarātra tradition dealing with both Tantra and Viṣacikitsā, which represents the Ayurvedic study on Toxicology (Agadatantra or Sarpavidyā).—The Kāśyapasaṃhitā mentions that snake-bites that happen in certain places [e.g., koṭara—valmīkodyānakoṭare] [?], are highly inimical to the victim.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Koṭara (कोटर):—[koṭaraḥ] Orbit or orbital cavity. The bony pyramid shape cavity the skull containing and protect the eyeball.
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)
1) Koṭara (कोटर) is mentioned as the birth-place of Mudrāsphoṭa—one of the Sixteen Siddhas according to the Kubjikānityāhnikatilaka: a derative text drawing from Tantras and other sources such as the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā.—These sixteen spiritual teachers represent the disciples of the Nine Nāthas who propagated the Western Transmission noted in the Kubjikā Tantras.—Mudrāsphoṭa is the Caryā name of this Nātha (i.e., the public name the Siddha uses when living as a wandering renouncer). He is associated withe with the birth-place known as Mahārāṣṭra (alternatively, Koṭara).
2) Koṭara (कोटर) refers to “stern” [?], according to the Kularatnoddyota, one of the earliest Kubjikā Tantras.—Accordingly, “That, O goddess, is said to be the subtle (form), now listen to the gross one. She possesses every limb and is endowed with a visualized form whose (basic) reality is clear. She is (black) like sliced collyrium and hair is brown and (tied in the) foreign (style). The eyes are stern [i.e., koṭara-akṣī]. Showing (her) teeth, they (are as if) burning. The eyebrows are brown and the goddess bears the Five Insignias and shines with the skull that decorates (her). [...]”.
Koṭarā (कोटरा) refers to one of the “thousand names of Kumārī”, as mentioned in the Kumārīsahasranāma, which is included in the 10th chapter of the first part (prathamabhāga) of the Rudrayāmala-Uttaratantra: an ancient Tantric work primarily dealing with the practice of Kuṇḍalinī-yoga, the worship of Kumārī and discussions regarding the Cakras. This edition is said to be derived of the Rudrayāmalatantra and consists of 6000 verses in 90 chapters (paṭalas) together with the Saralā-Hindīvyākhyopetam (i.e., the Rudrayamalam Uttaratantram with Sarala Hindi translation).—Koṭarā is mentioned in śloka 1.10.20.—The chapter notes that one is granted the rewards obtained by reciting the text even without the performance of pūjā (worship), japa, snāna (bathing) and puraścaryā.
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.
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Koṭara (कोटर) refers to the “hollow” (of a palace), according to the Amṛtasiddhi, a 12th-century text belonging to the Haṭhayoga textual tradition.—Accordingly, “[...] Bindu resides in Kāmarūpa in the hollow (koṭara) of the multi-storied palace. Through pleasurable contact at Pūrṇagiri it travels along the Central Channel. Rajas resides in the great sacred field in the perineal region. It is as red as a javā flower and is supported by the Goddess element. [...]
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).
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Koṭara (कोटर) refers to the “hollow of a tree”, according to the Netratantra of Kṣemarāja: a Śaiva text from the 9th century in which Śiva (Bhairava) teaches Pārvatī topics such as metaphysics, cosmology, and soteriology.—Accordingly, [verse 10.7cd-17ab, while describing the worship of Bhairavī and Bhairava]—“[Bhairavī] has the appearance of vermillion or lac. [She has] erect hair, a large body and is dreadful and very terrifying. [She has the medicinal plant] śatavārī, is five-faced, and adorned with three eyes. [Her hands bear] curved talons curved [She has] eyes like the hollow of a tree (koṭara-akṣī) and wears a garland of severed heads. [Ten-]armed, like Bhairava [she also] bears Bhairava’s weapons [of an axe and hatched]. [...]”.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
kōṭara (कोटर).—n S A hole in a tree.
kōṭara (कोटर).—n A hole in a tree.
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
Koṭara (कोटर).—[koṭaṃ kauṭilyaṃ rāti rā-ka Tv.] The hollow of a tree; नीवाराः शुकगर्भकोटरमुखभ्रष्टास्तरूणामधः (nīvārāḥ śukagarbhakoṭaramukhabhraṣṭāstarūṇāmadhaḥ) Ś.1.14; कोटरमकालवृष्ट्या प्रबलपुरोवातया गमिते (koṭaramakālavṛṣṭyā prabalapurovātayā gamite) M.4.2; Ṛtusaṃhāra 1.26.
Derivable forms: koṭaraḥ (कोटरः), koṭaram (कोटरम्).
Koṭara (कोटर).—mn.
(-raḥ-raṃ) The hollow of a tree. f. (-rī) 1. A name of the goddess Durga, 2. A naked woman: see koṭavī. E. koṭa and ra, from rā to get, to possess, with the affix ḍa.
Koṭara (कोटर).— (cf. vb. kuṭ), m. and n. 1. The hollow of a tree, [Pañcatantra] 104, 7. 2. A cavity, [Rājataraṅgiṇī] 5, 439.
Koṭara (कोटर).—[neuter] hollow of a tree.
1) Koṭara (कोटर):—[from koṭa] mn. ([as m., [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]]) (n., [Pāṇini 6-3, 117; viii, 4, 4]; [gana] aśmādi) the hollow of a tree, [Mahābhārata; Śakuntalā; Mālavikāgnimitra] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] cave, cavity, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa x; Mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇa; Rājataraṅgiṇī v, 439; Śārṅgadhara-paddhati]
3) [v.s. ...] Alangium decapetalum, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
4) [v.s. ...] Name of a man
5) Koṭarā (कोटरा):—[from koṭara > koṭa] f. Ipomoea Turpethum, [Caraka vii, 7]
6) [v.s. ...] Name of one of the mothers in Skanda’s retinue, [Mahābhārata ix, (2632 and) 2635]
7) [v.s. ...] of the mother of Bāṇa, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa x, 63, 20]
Koṭara (कोटर):—[(raḥ-rā)] 1. m. n. Hollow of a tree. f. Durgā; naked woman.
Koṭara (कोटर):—[Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 6, 3, 117. 8, 4, 4] (Name eines Baumes?). gaṇa aśmādi zu [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 4, 2, 80.]
1) m. n. [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 3, 5, 11.] Baumhöhle [Amarakoṣa 2, 4, 1, 13.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 1122.] mahāhaṃkāraviṭapa indriyāṅkurakoṭaraḥ [Mahābhārata 14, 1328.] [Suśruta 1, 135, 9.] [Mālavikāgnimitra 60.] [Śākuntala 14.] [Ṛtusaṃhāra 1, 26.] [Pañcatantra 104, 7. II, 2. 211, 11.] tasyā (mahāśamyāḥ) mahatkoṭaramasti [97, 16.] śamīkoṭara [23. 25.] [Hitopadeśa 18, 7. 20, 11.] sarpa [Pañcatantra 53, 4.] Höhle überh.: hṛtkoṭaraguhāsīnaṃ vāsudevam [Mārkāṇḍeyapurāṇa 8, 230.] koṭṭavīstanakoṭara [Rājataraṅgiṇī 5, 439.] —
2) f. ī a) eine nackte Frau [Amarakoṣa 2, 6, 1, 17,] [Scholiast] (nach [Śabdakalpadruma] Lesart des Textes und koṭavī eine von einem Schol. aufgeführte Form). — b) ein Beiname der Durgā [Amarakoṣa,] [Scholiast] [Śabdakalpadruma] — Vgl. koṭavī, koṭṭavī, kauṭavī .
Koṭara (कोटर):——
1) (*m.) n. Baumhöhle , Höhle überh. —
2) m. — a) *Alangium decapetalum [Rājan 9,76.] — b) Nomen proprium eines Mannes. —
3) f. ā — a) Ipomoea Turpethum [Carakasaṃhitā 7,7.] — b) Nomen proprium — α) einer der Mütter im Gefolge Skanda's. — β) der Mutter Bāṇa's. —
4) *f. ī — a) eine nackte Frau. — b) Beiname der Durgā.
Koṭara (कोटर) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Koḍara, Koḍala.
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
Koṭara (कोटर) [Also spelled kotar]:—(nm) a cavitation, cavity, hollow of a tree; cinus.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Koṭāra (ಕೊಟಾರ):—
1) [noun] a storehouse for threshed grain; a granary.
2) [noun] a tax levied on granaries, warehouse, etc.
--- OR ---
Kōṭara (ಕೋಟರ):—
1) [noun] a hollow in the stem or a branch of a tree.
2) [noun] a hole or hollow in the ground.
3) [noun] the structure made or the place chosen by birds for laying their eggs and sheltering their young; a nest.
4) [noun] the place, under a rock in water, used by turtles, hornets, fish, etc. for spawning or breeding.
--- OR ---
Kōṭāra (ಕೋಟಾರ):—
1) [noun] a storehouse for threshed grain; a granary.
2) [noun] a tax levied on granaries, warehouse, etc.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Pali-English dictionary
koṭara (ကောဋရ) [(pu,na) (ပု၊န)]—
[kuṭa+ara．,ṭī．548．(koṭa+rā+ka．saṃ)]
[ကုဋ+အရ။ ဓာန်၊ဋီ။၅၄၈။ (ကောဋ+ရာ+က။သံ)]
[Pali to Burmese]
koṭara—
(Burmese text): သစ်ခေါင်း။ ကောဋရောဟိတ-ကြည့်။
(Auto-Translation): Tree trunk. Look at the kathyawhit.
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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Ara, Kuta, Kitta.
Starts with: Kodaram, Kotaradi, Kotaraggi, Kotaraka, Kotarakshi, Kotaranam, Kotarapushpa, Kotarapushpi, Kotarashayin, Kotarashayini, Kotarastha, Kotaravali, Kotaravalimaram, Kotaravam, Kotaravana, Kotaravant, Kotaravasini, Kotaravat, Kotarayava, Kotarohita.
Full-text (+23): Bhujakotara, Kotaravana, Tarukotara, Kotarapushpi, Kotarapushpa, Kotarastha, Kotaravasini, Kotarakshi, Andakotarapushpi, Kaittakotaram, Kotaravat, Kotaraggi, Sarpakotara, Kotarohita, Kothara, Kodaram, Kotarashayin, Kotarayava, Trikotara, Kotarashayini.
Relevant text
Search found 20 books and stories containing Kotara, Koṭara, Koṭarā, Kōṭara, Koṭāra, Kōṭāra, Kuta-ara, Kuṭa-ara; (plurals include: Kotaras, Koṭaras, Koṭarās, Kōṭaras, Koṭāras, Kōṭāras, aras). 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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