Nirguna, Nirguṇa, Nirguṇā, Nir-guna: 11 definitions
Introduction
Nirguna means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, 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.
In Hinduism
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Source: humindian: 108 names of Lord KrishnaOne of the 108 names of Krishna; Meaning: "Without Any Properties"
Source: Pure Bhakti: Bhagavad-gita (4th edition)Nirguṇa (निर्गुण) refers to “devoid of material qualities; transcendental to the modes of nature”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).
Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationNirguṇa (निर्गुण) refers to “attributeless”, and represents an epithet of Śiva used in Sandhyā’s eulogy of Śiva, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.2.6. Accordingly:—“[...] Directly perceiving the lord of Durgā she [viz., Sandhyā] eulogised the lord of the worlds: [...] O lord, Thou art attributeless (nirguṇa). How can Thy attributes be known to me, a mere woman? Even the Gods including Indra and Asuras do not know it”.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexNirguṇā (निर्गुणा).—A third mātra of o.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 20. 2.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionarynirguṇa (निर्गुण).—a (S) pop. nirguṇī a That is without attributes or properties;--used of the Deity. 2 That is without good qualities or properties.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishnirguṇa (निर्गुण).—a nirguṇī a That is without attri- butes. That is without good qualities.
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-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryNirguṇa (निर्गुण).—a.
1) stringless (as a bow).
2) devoid of all properties.
3) devoid of good qualities, bad, worthless; निर्गुणः शोभते नैव विपुलाड- म्बरोऽपि ना (nirguṇaḥ śobhate naiva vipulāḍa- mbaro'pi nā) Bv.1.115.
4) without attributes; साकारं च निराकारं सगुणं निर्गुणं विभुम् (sākāraṃ ca nirākāraṃ saguṇaṃ nirguṇaṃ vibhum) Brahmavai. P.
5) having no epithet.
-ṇaḥ the Supreme Spirit. °आत्मक (ātmaka) a. having no qualities.
Nirguṇa is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms nir and guṇa (गुण).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryNirguṇa (निर्गुण).—mfn.
(-ṇaḥ-ṇā-ṇaṃ) 1. Void, of all properties. 2. Bad, worthless, having no good qualities. 3. Stringless. m.
(-ṇaḥ) The Supreme Being, or any deity so considered. E. nir privative, and guṇa a property, an excellence.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryNirguṇa (निर्गुण).—adj., f. ṇā, 1. without a string, [Mṛcchakaṭikā, (ed. Stenzler.)] 131 17. 2. without qualities, Mahābhārata 1, 2432. 3. devoid of virtue, [Rāmāyaṇa] 2, 33, 11.
Nirguṇa is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms nis and guṇa (गुण).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryNirguṇa (निर्गुण).—[adjective] having no thread or string; devoid of attributes, qualities, or virtues, [abstract] tā [feminine], tva [neuter]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Nirguṇa (निर्गुण):—[=nir-guṇa] [from nir > niḥ] a mf(ā)n. having no cord or string, [Kāvya literature]
2) [v.s. ...] having no good qualities or virtues, bad, worthless, vicious, [Mahābhārata; Rāmāyaṇa] etc.
3) [v.s. ...] devoid of all qualities or properties, [Upaniṣad; Mahābhārata] etc.
4) [v.s. ...] having no epithet, [Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra] [Scholiast or Commentator]
5) [v.s. ...] (said of the Supreme Being), [Horace H. Wilson]
6) [=nir-guṇa] b etc. See p. 541, col. 1.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family. 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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Nirguna Brahman, Nirgunabhakti, Nirgunabrahma, Nirgunaka, Nirgunapa, Nirgunasakshatkara, Nirgunashraddha, Nirgunata, Nirgunatattva, Nirgunatmaka, Nirgunatva.
Full-text (+13): Nairgunya, Nigguna, Nirguna Brahman, Nirgunatva, Nirgunatattva, Nirgunaka, Saguna Brahman, Nirgunata, Nirgunatmaka, Nijabodha, Sadgunanirgunavada, Samadhi, Niguna, Sagunanirgunavada, Atmasakshatkara, Kalahamsa, Shankara, Shiva, Akriya, Nirganaca.
Relevant text
Search found 33 books and stories containing Nirguna, Nirguṇa, Nirguṇā, Nir-guna, Nir-guṇa, Nis-guna, Nis-guṇa; (plurals include: Nirgunas, Nirguṇas, Nirguṇās, gunas, guṇas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Śrī Hari-bhakti-kalpa-latikā (by Sarasvati Thkura)
Text 13 < [Second Stabaka]
Shrimad Bhagavad-gita (by Narayana Gosvami)
Verse 2.41 < [Chapter 2 - Sāṅkhya-yoga (Yoga through distinguishing the Soul from the Body)]
Verse 12.2 < [Chapter 12 - Bhakti-yoga (Yoga through Pure Devotional Service)]
Verse 14.15 < [Chapter 14 - Guṇa-traya-vibhāga-yoga]
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-vijaya (by Śrī Gunaraja Khan)
Brahma Sutras (Shankara Bhashya) (by Swami Vireshwarananda)
Chapter III, Section III, Adhikarana XVII < [Section III]
Chapter III, Section III, Adhikarana XXV < [Section III]
Chapter I, Section I, Adhikarana V < [Section I]
The Devi Bhagavata Purana (by Swami Vijñanananda)
Chapter 7 - On the creation and the Tattvas and their presiding deities < [Book 3]
Chapter 24 - On the installation of Durgā Devī in the city of Benares < [Book 3]
Chapter 6 - On the one thousand and eight names of the Gāyatrī < [Book 12]
The Shiva Purana (by J. L. Shastri)
Chapter 42 - The difference between Saguṇa and Nirguṇa < [Section 4 - Koṭirudra-Saṃhitā]
Chapter 41 - Review of salvation < [Section 4 - Koṭirudra-Saṃhitā]
Chapter 9 - Description of Śivatattva < [Section 2.1 - Rudra-saṃhitā (1): Sṛśṭi-khaṇḍa]