Nagasharman, Nāgaśarman, Naga-sharman: 4 definitions

Introduction:

Nagasharman means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India. 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 term Nāgaśarman can be transliterated into English as Nagasarman or Nagasharman, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Kavya (poetry)

[«previous next»] — Nagasharman in Kavya glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

Nāgaśarman (नागशर्मन्) is the name of a Brāhman from Pāṭaliputra that once performed a sacrifice with vilva [bilva] fruits according to the story “the brave king Vikramatuṅga” according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 35. Accordingly, as Brāhman said to king Vikramatuṅga: “I am a Brāhman named Nāgaśarman, and hear the fruit I hope from my sacrifice. When the God of Fire is pleased with this vilva sacrifice, then vilva fruits of gold will come out of the fire-cavity. Then the God of Fire will appear in bodily form and grant me a boon; and so I have spent much time in offering vilva fruits. But so little is my merit that even now the God of Fire is not propitiated”.

The story of Nāgaśarman was narrated to king Hemaprabha by queen Alaṅkāraprabhā in order to demonstrate that “the Lord grants their desires to men of fierce courage, seeming to be either terrified or pleased by them”.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Nāgaśarman, 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.

Kavya book cover
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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’.

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India history and geography

Source: archive.org: Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions

Nāgaśarman (नागशर्मन्) is an example of a name based on Nāga mentioned in the Gupta inscriptions. The Gupta empire (r. 3rd-century CE), founded by Śrī Gupta, covered much of ancient India and embraced the Dharmic religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Derivation of personal names (e.g., Nāgaśarman) during the rule of the Guptas followed patterns such as tribes, places, rivers and mountains.

Source: Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum Vol. 5 (inscriptions of the Vakatakas): Chammak plates of Pravarasena II

Nāgaśarman (नागशर्मन्) is the name of two Brāhmaṇas both mentioned in the seal of the Chamak copper plates of King Pravarasena II (r. 400-415 CE). Chammak, or Chamak, is modern name of the ancient village Charmāṅka, situated four miles south-west of Achalpur in the Amarāvatī district of Vidarbha.

According to the grant, “this grant shall be enjoyed by the Brāhmaṇas (e.g., Nāgaśarman) as long as the sun and the moon will endure, provided that they commit no treason against the kingdom consisting of seven constituents of the (future) kings; that they are not found guilty of the murder of a Brāhmaṇa, theft, adultery and high treason, etc.; that they do not wage war; (and) that they do no harm to other villages. But if they act otherwise or assent to such acts, the king will commit no theft if he takes the land away (from them)”.

India history book cover
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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.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Nagasharman in Sanskrit glossary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Nāgaśarman (नागशर्मन्):—[=nāga-śarman] [from nāga] m. Name of a Purohita, [Bhadrabāhu-caritra]

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.

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