In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: Wisdom Library: Varāha-purāṇa

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—Name of a river originating from Ṛkṣa, a holy mountain (kulaparvata) in Bhārata, according to the Varāhapurāṇa chapter 85. There are settlements (janapada) where Āryas and Mlecchas dwell who drink water from these rivers.

Bhārata is a region south of Hemādri, once ruled over by Bharata (son of Ṛṣabha), whose ancestral lineage can be traced back to Svāyambhuva Manu, who was created by Brahmā, who was in turn created by Nārāyaṇa, the unknowable all-pervasive primordial being.

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

1) Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—A maid who fell in love with Bhartṛhari. (See under Bhartṛhari).

2) Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—A river which flows near the mountain of Citrakūṭa. If one bathes in this river one will have to one’s credit the benefit of performing one Aśvamedha yajña. If one lives there bathing in that river daily, one will become possessed of Rājalakṣmī (wealth and majesty of a King). (Śloka 29, Chapter 25, Anuśāsana Parva).

3) Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—A river celebrated in the Purāṇas, taking its source from the chain of Kedāra mountains in Uttarā khaṇḍa. It is also known as Mandāgni and Kālīgaṅgā. (Mahābhārata Bhīṣma Parva, Chapter 89, Verse 34).

4) Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—Kubera’s park. Since this park is watered by Gaṅgā, it acquired the name Mandākinī. (Mahābhārata Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 19, Verse 82).

5) Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—Ākāśa Gaṅgā.

6) Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—One of the two wives of Viśravas, son of Pulastya. A son, Kubera was born to her by the blessing of Śiva. (Padma Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—A river in Bhāratavarṣa; Gangā in Devaloka;¹ R. of the Kailāsa hill. Here Aila and Urvaśī lived for sometime.² Other rivers in Kailāsa are Alakanandā and Nandā.³

• 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa V. 19. 18; X. 70. 44; Vāyu-purāṇa 45. 99.
• 2) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 18. 3; III. 66. 6; Matsya-purāṇa 121. 4; Vāyu-purāṇa 41. 14-17; 91. 6.
• 3) Ib. 41. 18; 47. 3.

1b) A R. sacred to the Pitṛs;¹ rises from Ṛṣyavān;² water for bathing a deity.³

• 1) Matsya-purāṇa 22. 23.
• 2) Ib. 105. 10; 114. 25.
• 3) Ib. 267. 20.

Source: JatLand: List of Mahabharata people and places

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी) refers to the name of a River mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. III.83.55, VI.10.33). Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Mandākinī) 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.

Shilpashastra (iconography)

Source: archive.org: Illustrations of Indian Music and Dance in Western Indian Style

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी, “slow”).—Illustration of Mandākinī-śruti according to 15th century art:—The colour of her body is golden. She holds a vīṇā with both hands. The colour of her bodice is like wheat and the scarf is rosy with a crimson-coloured design; the lower garment is dark-red with yellow and green coloured dots, with a yellow-coloured border.

The illustrations (of, for example Mandākinī) are found scattered throughout ancient Jain manuscripts from Gujarat. The descriptions of these illustrations of this citrāvalī are based on the ślokas of Vācanācārya Gaṇi Sudhākalaśa’s Saṅgītopaniṣatsāroddhāra (14^th century) and Śārṅgadeva’s Saṅgītaratnākara (13^th century).

context information

Shilpashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, śilpaśāstra) represents the ancient Indian science (shastra) of creative arts (shilpa) such as sculpture, iconography and painting. Closely related to Vastushastra (architecture), they often share the same literature.

Kavya (poetry)

Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी) is the name of a river, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 72. Accordingly, as king Vinītamati said to Somaśūra: “... there lived on the Kedāra mountain a great hermit, named Śubhanaya, who was for ever bathing in the waters (toya) of the Mandākinī, and was gentle and emaciated with penance”.

Mandākinī described in chapter 111: “... when Naravāhanadatta had thus been exhorted by his ministers, he went with the ladies of his harem to the bank of the Mandākinī. And there he diverted himself in a garden resounding with the song of many birds, adorned with cardamom-trees (elā), clove-trees (lavaṅga), vakulas, aśokas and mandāras”.

Notes: This river [Mandākinī] joins the Alaknandā at Rudraprayāg, and rises at Kedārnāth, the famous temple in the Gaṛhwāl District of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (see Vol. VI, p. 88). Mandākinī should not be confused with a river of the same name mentioned by Kālidāsa in the Mālavikāgnimitra (see Tawney’s translation, p. 7n², where he points out that the Narmadā is probably meant here).

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Mandākinī, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.

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’.

Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)

Source: Wisdom Library: Brihat Samhita by Varahamihira

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी) is the name of a River identified with the Gaṅgā, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 16) (“On the planets—graha-bhaktiyoga”), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “Mars presides over the people residing in the west half of the countries on both banks of the Śoṇa, the Narmadā and the Beas; over those residing on the banks of the Nirvindhya, the Vetravatī, the Siprā, the Godāvarī, the Veṇa, the Gaṅgā [i.e., mandākinī], the Payoṣṇī, the Mahānadī, the Indus, the Mālatī and the Pārā; he also presides over the country of Uttarapāṇḍya, [...]”.

context information

Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: Google Books: The Malavikagnimitra

Mandākinī is a name that usually signifies 'the river of the air or heaven' (the Ganges or a feeder of it before it reaches the plains?); but it is also the name of an actual river flowing, according to the Vāyu Purāṇa, from the Riksha mountain. (See Vāyu Purāṇa, p. 184 n. 70.)

In Buddhism

Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names

One of the seven great lakes of the Himalaya. Their names are given at J.v.415; A.iv.101; SNA.ii.407; DA.i.164; UdA.300; AA.ii.759. At Vsm.416, the name Tiyaggala is substituted for Mandakini.

It is in the Chaddantavana and is fifty leagues in extent, of which twenty five leagues is of crystal water, free from moss or weeds. For the next twenty five leagues, the water is but waist deep and is covered with white lotus, spreading for half a league around the lake; beyond that are red lotus, red lilies, etc., rice fields, fruit trees, a grove of sugar cane - each cane being as big as a palm tree banana, jak, mango, rose apple, etc.

On the bank of the lake is a spot where Pacceka Buddhas generally live; but Anna Kondanna lived there for twelve years attended by Chaddanta, the elephant and Nagadatta, a devaputta. They ministered to all his needs, and he only left there to take leave of the Buddha before his death. He then returned to Mandakini, where he died and was cremated, his relics being later deposited at the gateway of Veluvana, where a cetiya was erected over them. SA.i.217ff.; but see ThagA.ii.3, where he is said to have lived on the bank of the Chaddantadaha; Mandakini may have been another name for the same lake.

The Mandakini Lake never grows hot and dries up only at the end of the kappa. SNA.ii.407.

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).

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी) refers to “slowly (streaming of water)”, according to the Kalaśa Pūjā [i.e., Kalasha 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, “Oṃ immortal vajra water Ṭhaḥ Ṭhaḥ Hūṃ. Oṃ heat heat, great heat, observe the form of water streaming slowly (mandākinī)!”.

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.

India history and geography

Source: archive.org: Nilamata Purana: a cultural and literary study (history)

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी) is the name of a river mentioned in the Nīlamatapurāṇa that remains unidentified.—The Naubandhana Māhātmya refers to four streams joining the Viśokā and the Mandākinī is one of them.

Source: Ancient Buddhist Texts: Geography of Early Buddhism

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी) is the name of a river situated in Majjhimadesa (Middle Country) of ancient India, as recorded in the Pāli Buddhist texts (detailing the geography of ancient India as it was known in to Early Buddhism).—Mandākinī is the Kāligaṅgā or the western Kāli or Mandāgni, which rises in the mountains of Kedāra in Gharwal. It is a tributary of Alakānandā. Cunningham, however, identifies it with Mandākin, a small tributary of Paisundi in Bundelkhand which flows by the side of Mount Chitrakūta.

context information

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

Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

mandākinī : (f.) name of a great lake, and of a river.

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

Mandākinī, (f.) N. of one of the seven great lakes in the Himavant, enumerated at A. IV, 101; J. V, 415; Vism. 416; SnA 407; DA. I, 164. (Halāyudha 3, 51 gives m. as a name for the Gaṅges.) (Page 523)

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

mandākinī (मंदाकिनी).—f (S) mandākinīōgha m (Poetry. The current or stream of the celestial Ganges.) The Galaxy or milky way. Ex. nīḷa gaganāvarī sundara || mandākinīvōgha disē śubhra ||.

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

mandākinī (मंदाकिनी).—f mandākinīōgha m The milky way.

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

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—[mandamakati ak-ṇini]

1) The river Ganges; मन्दाकिनी भाति नगोपकण्ठे मुक्तावली कण्ठगतेव भूमेः (mandākinī bhāti nagopakaṇṭhe muktāvalī kaṇṭhagateva bhūmeḥ) R.13.48; Kumārasambhava 1.29.

2) The river of heaven, celestial Ganges (mandākinī viyadgaṅgā); मन्दाकिन्याः सलिलशिशिरैः सेव्यमाना मरुद्भिः (mandākinyāḥ salilaśiśiraiḥ sevyamānā marudbhiḥ) Meghadūta 69.

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

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—f. (-nī) 1. The Ganges of heaven. 2. A species of the Jagati. metre. E. manda slowly, ak to go, aff. ṇini, fem. form.

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

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—i. e. mandāka + in, f. The Ganges of heaven, [Uttara Rāmacarita, 2. ed. Calc., 1862.] 158, 3.

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

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी).—[feminine] [Name] of [several] rivers & a mountain.

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

1) Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी):—[from mad] f. ([from] manda + 2. añc) ‘going or streaming slowly’, Name of an arm of the Ganges (flowing down through the valley of Kedāra-nātha in the Himālayas) and of other rivers, [Mahābhārata; Purāṇa]

2) [v.s. ...] ([especially]) the heavenly Ganges, [Mahābhārata; Kāvya literature] etc.

3) [v.s. ...] another river in heaven, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]

4) [v.s. ...] Name of a metre, [Chandomañjarī]

5) [v.s. ...] (in [astronomy]) Name of a [particular] conjunction.

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

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी):—[mandā+kinī] (nī) 3. f. The Ganges of heaven; name of a metre.

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

Mandākinī (मन्दाकिनी) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Maṃdāiṇī.

[Sanskrit to German]

Mandakini 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

Mandakini in Hindi refers in English to:—(nf) the Ganges; celestial Ganges..—mandakini (मंदाकिनी) is alternatively transliterated as Maṃdākinī.

context information

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Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Maṃdākini (ಮಂದಾಕಿನಿ):—[noun] the celistial river Gange; the Gaṃgā river.

context information

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)

Starts with: Mandakinidharacalamahatmya, Mandakinishruti.

Ends with: Anandamandakini, Chandomandakini, Chhandomandakini, Svargamandakini.

Full-text (+34): Rudraprayaga, Svargamandakini, Siddhaganga, Mamdakini, Mamdaini, Pratisrota, Svarganga, Suradirghika, Cittakuta, Surasindhu, Mahasara, Pishuni, Kedara, Mandodaka, Svarnadi, Citrakuta, Manda, Mandakinishruti, Sandipani, Arbuda.

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Search found 48 books and stories containing Mandakini, Mandākinī, Mamdakini, Maṃdākini, Mandākini; (plurals include: Mandakinis, Mandākinīs, Mamdakinis, Maṃdākinis, Mandākinis). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)

Verse 4.19.113 < [Chapter 19 - A Thousand Names of Srī Yamunā]

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Ramayana of Valmiki (by Hari Prasad Shastri)

Chapter 95 - Shri Rama points out the beauties of nature to Sita < [Book 2 - Ayodhya-kanda]

Chapter 99 - The four brothers meet with tears of joy < [Book 2 - Ayodhya-kanda]

Chapter 102 - They are all afflicted with grief < [Book 2 - Ayodhya-kanda]

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Chaitanya Bhagavata (by Bhumipati Dāsa)

Verse 2.23.260 < [Chapter 23 - Wandering about Navadvīpa On the Day the Lord Delivered the Kazi]

Verse 1.17.50 < [Chapter 17 - The Lord’s Travel to Gayā]

Verse 3.9.232-233 < [Chapter 9 - The Glories of Advaita]

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Rivers in Ancient India (study) (by Archana Sarma)

3c. The sacred aspect of the river Sarasvatī < [Chapter 5 - Rivers in the Purāṇic Literature]

2. The rivers in the Purāṇic Literature < [Chapter 5 - Rivers in the Purāṇic Literature]

8. The river Gaṅgā and its present status < [Chapter 6 - Changing trends of the Rivers from Vedic to Purāṇic Age]

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Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)

Notes on the river Mandākinī < [Notes]

Chapter LXXXIII < [Book XII - Śaśāṅkavatī]

Chapter CXI < [Book XVI - Suratamañjarī]

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The Linga Purana (by J. L. Shastri)

Chapter 51 - Various Continents < [Section 1 - Uttarabhāga]

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