Lanchana, Lamchana, Lañchana, Lāñchana, Lāñchanā: 24 definitions
Introduction:
Lanchana means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, the history of ancient India, 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 Lanchhana.
Images (photo gallery)
(+1 more images available)
In Hinduism
Ayurveda (science of life)
Nighantu (Synonyms and Characteristics of Drugs and technical terms)
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन) refers to the classification of medicinal drugs (auṣadhi) and substances (dravy) according to “characteristic sings or marks”, as defined in the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu (an Ayurvedic encyclopedia). Accordingly, “these seven [eg., Lāñchana] are the everlasting sources of the names i.e. names spoken in different regions or countries such as Kāśmīraja, Kāmbojī, Magadhodbhavā or Vālhikā”.
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
Lañchana (लञ्छन) refers to the “shape (of the spots)” (on the body of elephants), according to the 15th century Mātaṅgalīlā composed by Nīlakaṇṭha in 263 Sanskrit verses, dealing with elephantology in ancient India, focusing on the science of management and treatment of elephants.—[Cf. chapter 2, “on favorable marks”]: “4. Whose body is smooth and swarthy, colored (dark) like a sword, or else ruddy with the sheen of gleaming spots in the shape (lañchana) of the svastika, the śrīvatsa-sign, the wheel, the conch, and the lotus [svastikaśrīvatsa-aridarābja-lāñchana-lasadbinduprakāśāruṇaḥ]; whose buttocks stand out like breasts, and who has a good penis depending from a firm belly ; whose kalā-part is broad, very fleshy, and elevated : such an elephant is worthy of a king”.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन):—A mark or sign, one of the basis for naming plants.
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.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन) refers to the “mark” (of a vajra), 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 10.39-45]—“[...] Outside of the lotus, [the Mantrin] should draw the very white śaśimaṇḍala, and outside of that [he is to draw] a square endowed with the mark of a vajra (vajra-lāñchana-lāñchita). Thus, having written [all this] with saffron, bile, and white milk he should worship in peace with an all white [offering]. In this way, he [gives] edible offerings and liquor to the appropriate, voracious form [of the deity]. [...]”.
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.
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन) refers to the “marks of the Lord” (or: “Viṣṇu’s weapons”), as discussed in chapter 12 of the Sāttvatasaṃhitā: one of the most ancient of Pāñcarātra Āgamas consisting of roughly 3500 verses which stresses the theological standpoint of the oneness of God despite his various vyūhas (modes of existence), vibhavas (manifestations) and avatāras (incarnations).—Description of the chapter [vibhavamūrtidhyāna-vidhi]: [...] It is stated that God takes His many shapes out of His own desire to come within the grasp of His worshippers, doing so out of compassion for His worshippers who have faith and devotion, etc. [...] Even the marks [lāñchana] of the Lord are worthy of honor in their own right because they have an independent identity and can bring salvation-so merciful and omnipresent is God in His saving work. Those are described as follows: Garuḍa. Then there are the twelve Śaktis of the Lords of these which have to be meditated upon: Śrī, Kīrti, Jayā, Māyā, Śuddhi, etc.
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन) refers to “(having various sorts of) marks”, according to the Guru-maṇḍala-arcana [i.e., “Guru Mandala Worship]” ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.—Accordingly, “A vermillion colored body equal radiance as six heroic Vīriṇī, loving mouth, Naked in arm (nagnabhuja) from the Vasu, a seizer of bodies, with various sorts of marks (nānāvidha-lāñchana)”.
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.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Laṃchaṇa (लंछण) refers to the “distinctive signs” (of Tīrthaṃkaras), according to Uddyotanasūri in his 8th-century Kuvalayamālā (a Prakrit Campū, similar to Kāvya poetry).—Page 128.6: There is a reference to ratnamaī mahāpratimā. By the time of Uddyotanasūri the distinctive signs (laṃchaṇa-laṃchiya) of Tīrthaṃkaras (line 11) had come into existence. They did not exist on the image of the Kushan period but appear to have been introduced in the religion and art of the Gupta period.
Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
India history and geography
Lāñchana.—(EI 28), an emblem. Cf. cihna. (EI 9), the [royal] emblem; cf. Tamil lāñjanai-ppeṟu, lāñjinai-ppeṟu, ilāñjai-ppeṟu (SITI), the royal seal. (CII 3, etc.), a crest as distinguished from dhvaja or a banner. Cf. cihna. (HA), the distinguishing mark or symbol of a Jina image, which helps one to identify the different Jinas. Note: lāñchana is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.
The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
lañchana : (nt.) a mark; an imprint.
Lañchana, (nt.) (fr. lañch) 1. stamp, mark, imprint VvA. 89 (sasa°, of the moon); Dāvs II. 23 (pada°).—2. the seal (of a letter or edict) SnA 172.—Cp. lañcana. (Page 580)
lañchana (လဉ္ဆန) [(na) (န)]—
[achi=lañcha+yu．lañchatelakkhate anenāti lañchanaṃ．,ṭī．55．lañchana-saṃ．laṃchaṇa-prā,addhamāgadhī．]
[လဆိ=လဉ္ဆ+ယု။ လဉ္ဆတေလက္ခတေ အနေနာတိ လဉ္ဆနံ။ ဓာန်၊ ဋီ။ ၅၅။ လဉ္ဆန-သံ။ လံဆဏ-ပြာ၊ အဒ္ဓမာဂဓီ။]
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
lañchana (लंछन).—n (Properly lāñchana).
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
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन).—[lāñch-karmaṇi lyuṭ]
1) A sign, mark, token, characteristic mark; नवाम्बुदानीकमुहूर्तलाञ्छने (navāmbudānīkamuhūrtalāñchane) (dhanuṣi) R.3. 53; Uttararāmacarita 4.2; Mv.1.18; oft. at the end of comp. in the sense of 'marked with.', 'characterized by' &c.; जातेऽथ देवस्य तया विवाहमहोत्सवे साहसलाञ्छनस्य (jāte'tha devasya tayā vivāhamahotsave sāhasalāñchanasya) Vikr.1.1; R.6.18;16.84; so श्रीकण्ठपदलाञ्छनः (śrīkaṇṭhapadalāñchanaḥ) Mālatīmādhava (Bombay) 1 'bearing the characteristic epithet श्रीकण्ठ (śrīkaṇṭha)'.
2) A name, an appellation.
3) A stain, stigma, a mark of ignominy.
4) The spot on the moon; दिवापि निष्ठ्यूतमरीचिभासा बाल्यादना- विष्कृतलाञ्छनेन (divāpi niṣṭhyūtamarīcibhāsā bālyādanā- viṣkṛtalāñchanena) Kumārasambhava 7.35.
5) A landmark.
Derivable forms: lāñchanam (लाञ्छनम्).
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन).—n.
(-naṃ) 1. A name, an appellation. 2. A mark or sign. 3. A stain, a mark of ignominy. 4. A land-mark. 5. The spots on the disc of the moon. E. lāñchi to mark, aff. lyuṭ .
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन).—[lāñch + ana], n. 1. A mark, [Pañcatantra] iii. [distich] 204. 2. A name, [Uttara Rāmacarita, 2. ed. Calc., 1862.] 2, 4 (śri-kaṇṭha-pada-, adj. Having as surname the word Śrīkaṇṭha.)
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन).—[neuter] mark, sign, vestige.
1) Lañchana (लञ्छन):—m. Eleusine Corocana, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
2) Lāñchana (लाञ्छन):—[from lāñch] n. a mark, sign, token (ifc.= marked or, characterized by, furnished or provided with), [Kālidāsa; Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
3) [v.s. ...] a mark of ignominy, stain, spot, [Vikramāṅkadeva-carita, by Bilhaṇa]
4) [v.s. ...] a name, appellation, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन):—(naṃ) 1. n. A name; a sign.
Lañchana (लञ्छन):—Eleusine coracana (eine Körnerfrucht) [Rājanirghaṇṭa] in [NIGH. PR.]
--- OR ---
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन):—(= lakṣaṇa und wohl auch daraus entstanden)
1) n. a) Zeichen, Abzeichen, Mal [Yāska’s Nirukta 4, 10.] [Amarakoṣa 1, 1, 2, 18. 3, 4, 18, 118.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 106.] [Anekārthasaṃgraha 3, 407.] [Medinīkoṣa Nalopākhyāna 119.] [Halāyudha 1, 27. 44. fg. 2, 283. 5, 34.] [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 3, 28, 21.] [Scholiast] zu [Kātyāyana’s Śrautasūtrāṇi 20, 1, 33.] im Monde [Kumārasaṃbhava 7, 35.] eines Fürsten [Kathāsaritsāgara 23, 70.] [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 1, 17, 1. 29. 9, 24, 58. 10, 68, 27.] eines Gottes [Oxforder Handschriften 183,b,1 v. u.] Feldzeichen [Raghuvaṃśa 3, 53.] Schandfleck [Spr. 225. 420.] Am Ende eines adj. comp. (f. ā) gekennzeichnet durch so v. a. versehen mit: kirīṭa (śiras) [Harivaṃśa 4370.] [Raghuvaṃśa 6, 18. 16, 84.] [Kathāsaritsāgara 15, 92.] svanāma so v. a. benannt nach [52, 215.] śrīkaṇṭhapada [UTTARAR. 1, 10 (2, 4).] —
2) Name, Benennung [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] — Vgl. padma, mṛga, śaśa .
--- OR ---
Lañchanā (लञ्छना):—nach lañca zu stellen.
Lañchana (लञ्छन):—m. Eleusine corocana.
--- OR ---
Lāñchana (लाञ्छन):—n. —
1) Zeichen , Abzeichen , Mal. pādakṛta. so v.a. Fussspur [Sāyaṇa. ] zu [Ṛgveda (roth). 1,65,1.] Am Ende eines adj. Comp. (f. ā) gekennzeichnet durch , so v.a. versehen mit. —
2) *Name , Benennung.
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) Lāṃchana (लांछन) [Also spelled lanchhan]:—(nm) a stigma, blemish; slander.
2) Lāṃchanā (लांछना) [Also spelled lanchhana]:—(nf) stigma; blamed; slander.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Lāṃchana (ಲಾಂಛನ):—
1) [noun] a mark; a symbol; a sign.
2) [noun] a sectarian mark put on the forehead.
3) [noun] the apparent block spot on the disc of the moon.
4) [noun] a defect or flaw; a stain; a blemish.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
1) Lāñchana (लाञ्छन):—n. 1. stain; spot; 2. blame; accusation; stigma; calumny; 3. mark; sign; stamp;
2) Lāñchanā (लाञ्छना):—n. allegation; accusation; blame; stigma;
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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Lamchanaspada, Lancanai, Lanchanadhara, Lanchanahetuka, Lanchanalakshana, Lanchanamuddika, Lanchanata, Lanchanaya.
Full-text (+74): Mrigalanchana, Sasalanchana, Padmalanchana, Shrivatsalanchana, Vrishalanchana, Nirlanchana, Shrikanthapadalanchana, Alanchana, Lanchanata, Kurangalanchana, Mattikalanchana, Rajalanchana, Makaralanchana, Harinalanchana, Sahasalanchana, Vatsalanchana, Minalanchana, Laddhalanchana, Lakhalanchana, Samajika-lanchana.
Relevant text
Search found 30 books and stories containing Lanchana, Lāṃchanā, Lāṃchana, Laṃchaṇā, Laṃchaṇa, Lamchana, Lañchana, Lāñchana, Lañchanā, Lānchana, Lañchaṇā, Lañchaṇa, Lāñchanā; (plurals include: Lanchanas, Lāṃchanās, Lāṃchanas, Laṃchaṇās, Laṃchaṇas, Lamchanas, Lañchanas, Lāñchanas, Lañchanās, Lānchanas, Lañchaṇās, Lañchaṇas, Lāñchanās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Jain Remains of Ancient Bengal (by Shubha Majumder)
Jain Caumukha/Caumukhi or Caturmukhas < [Chapter 6 - Iconographic Study of Jaina Sculptural Remains]
Caubisi type of Ṛṣabhanātha sculptures < [Chapter 6 - Iconographic Study of Jaina Sculptural Remains]
Pañca-tīrthika type of Ṛṣabhanātha sculptures < [Chapter 6 - Iconographic Study of Jaina Sculptural Remains]
Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)
Text 6.2 < [Chapter 6 - Third-rate Poetry and Super-excellent Poetry]
Text 10.226 < [Chapter 10 - Ornaments of Meaning]
Text 7.111 < [Chapter 7 - Literary Faults]
Jainism in Odisha (Orissa) (by Ashis Ranjan Sahoo)
The Jaina Temple of Choudhury Bazar, Cuttack City < [Chapter 3: Survey of Jaina Antiquities in Odisha]
Maa Bhagavati Temple < [Chapter 3: Survey of Jaina Antiquities in Odisha]
Jaina Remains at Jamunda Village < [Chapter 3: Survey of Jaina Antiquities in Odisha]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 306 < [Bengali-Hindi-English, Volume 2]
Page 295 < [Gujarati-Hindi-English, Volume 3]
Page 100 < [Hindi-Assamese-English Volume 1]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Krishna Sandarbha of Jiva Goswami (by Kusakratha Prabhu)
Verse 183.5 < [Anuccheda 183]