Kuhara, Kuha-ara: 24 definitions
Introduction:
Kuhara means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, 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 Kuhar.
Images (photo gallery)
In Hinduism
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
Kuhara (कुहर) refers to one of the thirty-three alaṃkāras (embellishments), according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 29. These alaṃkāras, or, ‘embellishments of song’, depend upon the four types of varṇas, which refers to a specific order of musical notes (svara). They are attached to the songs of seven forms, although not generally used in the dhruvās.
According to the Nāṭyaśāstra, “kuhara is that in which notes (lit the wind) being in the medium pitch (lit. stopped in the vocal passage) are (in a play-like tempo)”.
Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—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), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Kuhara (कुहर).—A King of Kaliṅga. He was born from an aspect of the Asura called Krodhavaśa. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 67, Verse 65).
Kuhara (कुहर) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. I.61.60) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Kuhara) 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.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
1) Kuhara (कुहर) refers to the “void”, according to the Jñānanetra’s Yonigahvaratantra (which was traditionally said to be ‘brought down to earth’).—Accordingly, “I bow to Kālī, the Supreme who illumines (all things) with her own Light; to her who is the Light that arises from the Void [i.e., kuhara] (within which) burns the Fire of (universal) Destruction; (I bow to her who is) established in the centre of the (reality that) contains the three paths of Moon, Sun and Fire and whose state is one in which consciousness, the object of thought, the mind, the objects of sense and the senses have dissolved away”.
2) Kuhara (कुहर) or Kuharadeva refers to one of the Nine Nāthas according to the Kubjikānityāhnikatilaka: a derative text drawing from Tantras and other sources such as the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā.—The Nine Nāthas propagated the Western Transmission noted in the Kubjikā Tantras. Although each Siddha has a consort with which he shares some part of his spiritual discipline, she is not considered to be his wife. Thus, from the perspective of his identity as an initiate, he is not a householder.—[...]
The Kubjikānityāhnikatilaka describes the extraordinary events that inspired his “famed names”: Kalpapāla Māhila was called Gausthirīśadeva because he calmed a cow (sthirīkṛtā). He was called Khambhādityanātha because he burst apart a pillar (khambha) (with his yogic power). He awakened (the sage) Kapila and so he was called Kapilaprabodhānandanātha.
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.
Vastushastra (architecture)
Kuhara (कुहर) refers to the “interior windows” of Temples (in ancient Indian architecture), according to the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, an ancient Sanskrit text which (being encyclopedic in nature) deals with a variety of cultural topics such as arts, architecture, music, grammar and astronomy.—The sarvatobhadra type is a special kind of temple which is a great one and appears to be very sophisticated. According to the Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa, the sarvatobhadra type of temple should have kuharas (interior windows) placed to adorn the śikharas and those kuharas are attached with gavākṣas i.e., latticed windows and a jāla i.e., a lattice over those.
Vastushastra (वास्तुशास्त्र, vāstuśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science (shastra) of architecture (vastu), dealing with topics such architecture, sculpture, town-building, fort building and various other constructions. Vastu also deals with the philosophy of the architectural relation with the cosmic universe.
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Kuhara (कुहर) refers to “caves” (on the peak of a mountain), according to the Yogatārāvalī: a short Yoga text of twenty-nine verses presenting Haṭhayoga as the means to Rājayoga (i.e., Samādhi).—Accordingly, while describing the no-mind state: “'[Practising] in caves (kuhara) on the peak of Śrī Śaila [mountain], when will I succeed in dissolving my mind as prescribed [earlier and attain success] in Samādhi? When vines cover my body and when birds build nests in my ear”.
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).
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Kuhara (कुहर) refers to a “hollow space (in the sky)”, according to the 10th-century Ḍākārṇava-tantra: one of the last Tibetan Tantric scriptures belonging to the Buddhist Saṃvara tradition consisting of 51 chapters.—Accordingly, “[...] [He should visualize] a seed of knowledge [representing] the self-existent one (viz., hūm) at the center of a lotus on a sun [disk] in [his] heart. Then he should emit rays of various colors, [which] fill the sky. Having attracted an assembly of deities formed by Jñānaḍākinī, he should make the Lord of the world seated at the center of a hollow space in the sky (gagana-kuhara). [...]”.
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
Pali-English dictionary
kuhara : (nt.) a hole; cavity.
Kuhara, (nt.) (der. fr. kuha) a hole, a cavity; lit. a hidingplace Dāvs. I, 62. (Page 224)
kuhara (ကုဟရ) [(na) (န)]—
[kuha+ara]
[ကုဟ+အရ]
[Pali to Burmese]
kuhara—
(Burmese text): (၁) အပေါက်၊ အခေါင်း၊ တွင်း။ (၂) လိုဏ်ဂူ။
(Auto-Translation): (1) Pockmark, Head, Cave. (2) Lunar cave.
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
kuhara (कुहर).—n S A cavern or cave: and, fig. a recess, abyss, cavity, hollow. Ex. jananīcyā jaṭharakaharīṃ || prāṇī asē nava māsavari ||.
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
Kuhara (कुहर).—
1) A cavity, hollow; as in नाभिकुहर, आस्य° (nābhikuhara, āsya°) &c. दधति कुहरभाजामत्र भल्लूकयूनामनुरसितगुरूणि स्त्यानमम्बूकृतानि (dadhati kuharabhājāmatra bhallūkayūnāmanurasitagurūṇi styānamambūkṛtāni) Mālatīmādhava (Bombay) 9.6; Ve.1.22.
2) The ear.
3) The throat.
4) Proximity.
5) Copulation; प्रवृत्तकुहरपारावत (pravṛttakuharapārāvata) ... &c. Daśakumāracarita 2.2.
6) A hole, rent.
7) A guttural sound.
-raḥ A window, the interior window; कुहरा अभ्यन्तरगवाक्षाः (kuharā abhyantaragavākṣāḥ) Bṛ. S.56.2. B. P.13.5.27.
Derivable forms: kuharam (कुहरम्).
Kuhara (कुहर).—n.
(-raṃ) 1. A cavity, a hollow. 2. A hole, a rent, &c. 3. The ear. 4. A guttural sound. 5. The throat or larynx. m.
(-raḥ) A kind of snake. E. ku the earth, &c. and hara what takes, &c. from hṛ with the aff ap.
Kuhara (कुहर).—[kuh + ara] (cf. the last). I. n. 1. A cavern, [Bhartṛhari, (ed. Bohlen.)] 3, 29. 2. A cavity, [Prabodhacandrodaya, (ed. Brockhaus.)] 3, 15. 3. The interior, [Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, (ed. Burnouf.)] 3, 28, 33. 4. Coition, [Daśakumāracarita] in
Kuhara (कुहर).—[masculine] [Name] of a serpent-demon; [neuter] hole, cave.
1) Kuhara (कुहर):—m. ([from] √kuh = guh?), Name of a serpent belonging to the Krodha-vaśa race, [Mahābhārata i, 2701; Harivaṃśa 229]
2) n. a cavity, hollow, hole, [Bhartṛhari; Hitopadeśa; Prabodha-candrodaya] etc.
3) a small window (?), [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā]
4) the ear, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) the throat or larynx, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
6) a guttural sound, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
7) proximity, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
8) copulation, [Daśakumāra-carita]
Kuhara (कुहर):—(raṃ) 1. n. A cavity, a hole; the ear; the throat; a guttural sound. m. A kind of snake.
Kuhara (कुहर):—
1) m. Nomen proprium einer Schlange aus der Sippe Krodhavaśa [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 1311,] [Scholiast] [Medinīkoṣa r. 137.] [Mahābhārata 1, 2701.] [Harivaṃśa 229.] Vgl. kuhaka . —
2) n. a) Höhle, Höhlung [Amarakoṣa 1, 2, 1, 1.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 1363.] [Anekārthasaṃgraha 3, 538.] [Medinīkoṣa] śikharikuhara [Bhartṛhari 3, 29. 88.] [Hitopadeśa 58, 2.] karikumbhakūṭakuhara [Prabodhacandrodaja 3, 15.] kaṇṭhakuhara [Mahānāṭaka 221.] svadahrakuhare [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 3, 28, 33.] — b) Ohr. — c) Kehle. — d) Kehllaut. — e) Nähe [AJAYAPĀLA im Śabdakalpadruma] — f) Begattung (vgl. kuharita) [Daśakumāracarita 87, 13.] — Ist viell. auch auf kuh = guh (vgl. u. 2. kuha) zurückzuführen.
--- OR ---
Kuhara (कुहर):—
2) a) mahādri [Spr. 1094.] kara [4185.] āsya [Kathāsaritsāgara 73, 307.] netra [109, 10.] rodaḥ [NALOD. 3, 32] so v. a. dyāvābhūmyantara . — g) etwa Fensterchen [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 56, 20.]
Kuhara (कुहर):——
1) m. Nomen proprium eines Schlangendämons. —
2) n. — a) Höhle , Höhlung [Indische sprüche 7686.] — b) etwa Fensterchen. — c) *Ohr. — d) *Kehle. — e) *Kehllaut. — f) *vulva [Galano's Wörterbuch] — g) *Nähe. — h) Begattung.
Kuhara (कुहर) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Kuhara.
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
1) Kuhara (कुहर) [Also spelled kuhar]:—(nm) a meatus, a channel or passage (in the body).
2) Kuharā (कुहरा):—(nm) fog, mist.
...
Prakrit-English dictionary
Kuhara (कुहर) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Kuhara.
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
Kuhara (ಕುಹರ):—
1) [noun] a large hollow in the side of a cliff, hill, etc. or underground; a cave; a cavern.
2) [noun] a hollow or hollowed-out place; a cavity; an excavation or pit; a hole.
3) [noun] the organ of hearing; the ear.
4) [noun] the upper part of the passage leading from the mouth and nose to the stomach and lungs; the throat.
5) [noun] the state or quality of being near; nearness in space; proximity.
6) [noun] sexual intercourse; copulation.
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)
Partial matches (+0): Kuha, Ara.
Starts with (+0): Kuharabhaj, Kuharadeva, Kuharama, Kuharamadhya, Kuharana.
Full-text (+9): Ratikuhara, Kuharabhaj, Girikuhara, Svargarodahkuhara, Interior, Kuharita, Rodahkuhara, Rodahkandarakuhara, Kuharin, Shringakuhara, Gavaksha, Lattice, Window, Kuhar, Jala, Vastikuhara, Kukaram, Narikela, Rodas, Cave.
Relevant text
Search found 29 books and stories containing Kuhara, Kuha-ara, Kuharā; (plurals include: Kuharas, aras, Kuharās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Vastu-shastra (Introduction to Indian architecture) (by D. N. Shukla)
Guhārāja Cave-Temples < [Chapter 12 - History of Hindu Temples (Prāsādas and Vimānas)]
Vishnudharmottara Purana (Art and Architecture) (by Bhagyashree Sarma)
8. Characteristic Features of Sarvatobhadra Temple < [Chapter 4 - Temple Building]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 4.19.37 < [Chapter 19 - A Thousand Names of Srī Yamunā]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 368 < [Hindi-Kashmiri-English Volume 2]
Page 434 < [Hindi-Marathi-English Volume 1]
Page 384 < [Hindi-Bengali-English Volume 2]
Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)
Text 8.28 < [Chapter 8 - Literary Qualities]
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī)
Verse 2.4.133 < [Part 4 - Transient Ecstatic Disturbances (vyābhicāri-bhāva)]
Verse 2.1.237 < [Part 1 - Ecstatic Excitants (vibhāva)]
Verse 2.4.153 < [Part 4 - Transient Ecstatic Disturbances (vyābhicāri-bhāva)]