Nalaka, Nālaka, Nāḷaka, Nalia-ka: 15 definitions
Introduction:
Nalaka means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi. 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 Nāḷaka can be transliterated into English as Nalaka or Naliaka, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Ayurveda (science of life)
Agriculture (Krishi) and Vrikshayurveda (study of Plant life)
Nalaka (नलक) refers to the “long bones (of monkey’s legs)”, which is used in certain bio-organical recipes for plant mutagenesis, such as to delay of ripening in fruits, according to the Vṛkṣāyurveda by Sūrapāla (1000 CE): an encyclopedic work dealing with the study of trees and the principles of ancient Indian agriculture.—Accordingly, “The ripening of fruits of a tree can be delayed by one year by piercing their roots with long bones of monkey’s legs (plavaṅga-nalaka) dipped in the ichor of an intoxicated elephant. Ripening of fruits of a particular branch of a tree can be stopped by covering that branch firmly by the skin of the hunch of a bull that is just then killed. The fruits of a particular branch of a tree do not ripen if it is covered seven times with the skin from the dewlap of a black bull, killed for the purpose”.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Nalaka (नलक) or Naḍaka refers to a type of fish identified with Barbus curmuca Ham., as mentioned in the 12th-century Mānasollāsa or Abhilaṣitārthachintāmaṇi, an ancient Sanskrit text describing thirty-five kinds of marine and fresh water fishes.—The word nadaka (or nalaka) in Sanskrit suggested a tubular shape or a reed-like appearance. It is an inland, scaly, and large fish. Hora (1951) has identified this fish as Barbus curmuca Ham., a barb, which is common in waters of Western Ghats. We agree with Hora’s identification.
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.
In Buddhism
Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)
1. Nalaka: the world at once and become an ascetic and hold himself in readiness to profit by the Buddhas Enlightenment.
This Nalaka did, though possessing eighty thousand crores of wealth, and he spent his time in Himava. When the time came, he visited the Buddha seven days after the Buddhas first sermon and questioned him on the Moneyyapatipada (also called the Nalakapatipada, because it is included in the Nalaka Sutta). Nalaka retired once more into Himava and there attained arahantship. There he spent seven months leaning against a golden rock, practising patipada in its highest form. After his death the Buddha, with his monks, visited the scene of his death, cremated his remains, and had a cetiya built over them.
It is said that Nalakas aspiration to learn and practise the Moneyyapatipada was made in the time of Padumuttara Buddha. J.i.55; SNA.ii.483ff., 501. The story as drawn from Tibetan sources differs greatly from this story. (See, e.g. Rockhill: op. cit., p. 18, 45 f). In the Mahavastu (iii.380, 387) he is called Katyayana.
2. Nalaka: The personal name of Maha Kaccana (q.v.), Kaccana being his gotta name.
3. Nalaka Thera: Given as an example of an ugghatitannu puggala. After hearing, only once, the teaching of Pacceka Buddhas, he became himself a Pacceka Buddha. AA.i.354.
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).
India history and geography
Nālaka (नालक) is the name of an ancient locality 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).—Nālaka, a village in Magadha, was visited by Sāriputta. We know that Sāriputta stayed among the Magadhans at Nalagāmaka which was not far from Rājagaha. This Nalagāmaka may be said to be identical with Nālaka. In the Mahāsudassana Jātaka the name of the village where the Elder Sāriputta was born is given as Nāla. In the same Jātaka we read that Sāriputta died at Varaka.
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
Marathi-English dictionary
nalaka (नलक).—n S Cartilage or gristle.
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
Nalaka (नलक).—
1) Any long bone of the body; Mv.1.35; जङ्घानलकमुदयिनीर्मज्जधाराः पिबन्ति (jaṅghānalakamudayinīrmajjadhārāḥ pibanti) Mālatīmādhava (Bombay) 5.17.
2) The radius of the arm.
3) A particular ornament for the nose.
Derivable forms: nalakam (नलकम्).
Nālaka (नालक).—(= Pali id.), name of a nephew and pupil of the ṛṣi Asita (also Nāla, and perhaps Nālada, q.v.; in Lalitavistara called Naradatta; see also Nārada 3): Mahāvastu ii.30.14; 33.14; iii.382.14 ff. (his story told at length); belonged to the Kātyāyana gotra, 382.13; 386.8; colophon, Nālaka- praśnā (mss., Senart em. °naṃ) 389.12.
Nalaka (नलक).—n.
(-kaṃ) A bone of either of the extremities, any long bone. E. nala a reed, and kan affix of resemblance.
Nalaka (नलक).—[masculine] [neuter] = naḍaka; [feminine] nalikā = [preceding] [feminine], quiver.
1) Nalaka (नलक):—[from nala] n. a bone (hollow like a reed)
2) [v.s. ...] any long bone of the body e.g. the tibia or the radius of the arm, [Suśruta]
3) [v.s. ...] a [particular] ornament for the nose, [Caṇḍa-kauśika]
4) Nālaka (नालक):—[from nāla] mfn. ifc. a stalk, ([especially]) a lotus-st° (cf. cāru-n)
Nalaka (नलक):—(kaṃ) 1. n. Any long bone.
Nalaka (नलक):—(von nala)
1) n. Röhrenknochen [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 627.] [Suśruta 1, 302, 3. 339, 15. 17.] —
2) f. nalikā a) ein best. wohlriechender Stoff, = nalī, vulg. pavārī oder pa~ṭhārī [NIGH. PR.] [Amarakoṣa] von [PŪNĀ] und [Rājanirghaṇṭa im Śabdakalpadruma] — b) Name verschiedener Pflanzen: Dolichos Lablab L., eine Gemüsepflanze, [Suśruta 1, 372, 13.] Tuberose, Polianthes tuberosa [NIGH. PR.] Daemia extensa R. Br. [NIGH. PR.] wohl eine Rohrart in der Stelle: kāśā kuśā vā nalikā nalo vā [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 53, 102.] Vielleicht hierher auch Schol. zu [Kātyāyana’s Śrautasūtrāṇi 536, 2.] Nach [Śabdakalpadruma] auch = nāḍī, aber in welcher Bed. dieses Wortes?
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Nalaka (नलक):—
1) = śākhāsthi (wie [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi]) [Halāyudha 3, 12.]
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Nalaka (नलक):—
1) auch m. s. u. vaṃśa
1) d.) —
2) f. nalikā Röhre [Spr. (II) 5377. 7301.]
Nalaka (नलक):——
1) m. n. Röhrenknochen. —
2) ein best. Nasenschmuck [Kṣemīśvara’s Caṇḍakauśika 73,12.] —
3) f. nalikā — a) Röhre. — b) Köcher [Naiṣadhacarita 2,28.] — c) Dolichos Lablab , eine best. Grasart ([Varāhamihira’s Bṛhatsaṃhitā 54,100] ), *Polianthes tuberosa und *Daemia extensa. — d) *ein best. wohlriechender Stoff [Rājan 12,163.]
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Nālaka (नालक):——
1) am Ende eines adj. Comp. Stengel , insbes. ein Lotusstengel ; vgl. cāru. —
2) *m. eine Erbsenart [Galano's Wörterbuch] —
3) f. nālikā — a) *Stengel , Lotusstengel. — b) eine best. Gemüsepflanze. — c) eine best. Pflanze , = carmakaśā. — d) *ein Werkzeug zum Durchbohren der Elephantenohren. — e) ein Zeitraum von 24 Minuten. — f) eine spöttisch-scherzhafte Räthselrede. — g) Anspielung , versteckter Wink [Indische sprüche 4046.]
Nālaka (नालक) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Ṇālaya.
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.
Kannada-English dictionary
Nalaka (ನಲಕ):—[noun] any long bone of the body, as the tibia or the radius of the arm.
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Naḷaka (ನಳಕ):—[noun] any long bone of the body, as the tibia or the radius of the arm.
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: Nalia, Ka, Nala, Na.
Starts with (+20): Nalaka Sutta, Nalakacchapura, Nalakadaraka, Nalakagamaka, Nalakala, Nalakalaka, Nalakalapa, Nalakalapi, Nalakalapiya Sutta, Nalakalika, Nalakalira, Nalakam, Nalakamam, Nalakanana, Nalakanda, Nalakapana, Nalakapanagama, Nalakapanaka, Nalakapanapokkharani, Nalakapanasutta.
Full-text (+26): Nala, Nali, Aranalaka, Nalakagamaka, Sunalaka, Carunalaka, Nalakatthera, Nalakapatipada, Nalaka Sutta, Janghanalaka, Nalakini, Nalakadaraka, Nalakam, Nalakapana, Charunalaka, Nalaya, Nalika, Nalikabandhapaddhati, Nalikapushpa, Puthiya Nalakam.
Relevant text
Search found 34 books and stories containing Nalaka, Naḷa-ka, Nala-na, Nala-ṇa, Nālaka, Naḷaka, Nāḷaka, Nalia-ka; (plurals include: Nalakas, kas, nas, ṇas, Nālakas, Naḷakas, Nāḷakas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Maha Buddhavamsa—The Great Chronicle of Buddhas (by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw)
Chapter 11 - Teaching The Practice Of Moral Perfection (From Nālaka Sutta) < [Volume 2.2]
Sāriputta Mahāthera’s attainment of Parinibbāna < [Chapter 43 - Forty-one Arahat-Mahatheras and their Respective Etadagga titles]
The Story of Kāḷadevila the Hermit < [Chapter 1 - The Jewel of the Buddha]
Brahmasphutasiddhanta by Brahmagupta (Introduction) (by Acharyavara Ram Swarup Sharma)
Part 4 - Golayantra or Armillary Sphere < [Chapter 13 - Brahmagupta and Astronomical Instruments]
Indian Astronomy (a source book) (by B. V. Subbarayappa)
Chapter 10 - Indian astronomical Instruments (yantra)
Jataka tales [English], Volume 1-6 (by Robert Chalmers)
Jataka 20: Naḷapāna-jātaka < [Book I - Ekanipāta]
Mahavastu (great story) (by J. J. Jones)
Chapter XXXVII - The questions of Nālaka < [Volume III]
Foreword to the second volume < [Volume II]
Chapter II - Asita and the young Gotama < [Volume II]
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences
Analysis of Asthi Sharir in relation to the different types of Asthi... < [Vol. 10 No. 4 (2025)]
Review on Asthi Shareera w.s.r. to Nalakasthi < [Vol. 7 No. 5 (2022)]
A review on Shimbhi Dhanya Varga < [Vol. 6 No. 01 (2021)]