Nirjara, Nirjarā, Nir-jara: 23 definitions
Introduction:
Nirjara means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, Marathi, Hindi, biology. 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 Nirjar.
In Hinduism
Ayurveda (science of life)
Rasashastra (Alchemy and Herbo-Mineral preparations)
Nirjara (निर्जर) or Nirjararasa is the name of an Ayurvedic recipe defined in the fifth volume of the Rasajalanidhi (chapter 3, Kāsaroga: cough-related-diseases). These remedies are classified as Iatrochemistry and form part of the ancient Indian science known as Rasaśāstra (medical alchemy). However, since it is an ayurveda treatment it should be taken with caution and in accordance with rules laid down in the texts.
Accordingly, when using such recipes (e.g., nirjara-rasa): “the minerals (uparasa), poisons (viṣa), and other drugs (except herbs), referred to as ingredients of medicines, are to be duly purified and incinerated, as the case may be, in accordance with the processes laid out in the texts.” (see introduction to Iatro chemical medicines)
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.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Nirjara (निर्जर) refers to the “Gods”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.4.—Accordingly, as the Gods eulogized Umā (Durgā/Satī) with devotion:—“[...] O great Goddess, the purpose of the gods has not been completely carried out. The sages are agitated. Hence we, Gods, have sought refuge in you. O great Goddess, please fulfil the desire of the God, O Śivā, so that the words of Sanatkumāra may be fruitful. O Goddess, incarnating again on the earth please be the wife of Rudra (Śiva) again. Carry on your sports in a fitting manner and let the Gods be happy [i.e., nirjara-sukha]. [...]”.
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.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Nirjara (निर्जर) refers to “(that which is) ageless”, according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, “The Transmental, which is void, ageless (nirjara) and free of defects is, by it very nature, present in the House of the Full Moon within the Śāmbhava Kula”.
Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.
In Jainism
Jain philosophy
Nirjarā (निर्जरा) refers to one of the twelve reflections (bhāvanā), as mentioned in the Anekāntajayapatākā-prakaraṇa, a Śvetāmbara Jain philosophical work written by Haribhadra Sūri.—[Cf. Vol. II, P. 223, ll. 22-25]—Nirjarā-bhāvanā refers to the reflection that—The two ways of shedding the kārmika matter should be thought of.
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General definition (in Jainism)
Nirjarā (निर्जरा) is two-fold (i.e., voluntary and involuntary), according to chapter 4.1 [śreyāṃsanātha-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.
Accordingly, as Śreyāṃsa said:—“[...] Just as perspiration is ḍestroyed by a breeze, just as flavors are destroyed by medicine, so the eight karmas are destroyed quickly by nirjarā only. Nirjarā is said to be twofold, voluntary and involuntary, because of its wearing away here of karma that has become the seed of saṃsāra. That of persons with subdued senses is known as ‘voluntary’; of other creatures as ‘involuntary’; since the maturing of karma, like that of fruit, results from (outside) means and by itself. Just as gold, though faulty, becomes purified when heated by a burning fire, so a soul becomes purified, burned by the fire of penance”.
Nirjarā (“destruction of karma”) represents one of the seven tattvas (principles), accordingly to the sermon of Anantanātha, according to chapter 4.4 [anantanātha-caritra]:—“[...] Whatever action there is of mind, speech, and body that is āśrava (channel for acquiring karma). Good action is the cause of a good āśrava; bad action is the cause of a bad āśrava. The source of blocking of all channels is saṃvara. Nirjarā is the destruction here of karmas that are the sources of existence. [...]”.
Nirjarā (निर्जरा).—The annihilation of the previously accumulated karma from soul is nirjarā. This annihilation of the karmas or its complete decadence is the nirjarā. The aperture in the boat is plugged so that water coming from outside be stopped. Some previously entered water gets dried automatically and remaining water is scooped out of the boat, the boat is made clean. If the water of the boat is not scooped away and the boat is not made dried and the aperture is not plugged the pouring of water in the boat can take place again.
Nirjarā (निर्जरा, “dissociation”).—According to the 2nd-century Tattvārthasūtra chapter 8, “after fruition (enjoyment), the karmas fall off or disappear”.—What happens to karmas after fruition (vipāka)? They get dissociated (nirjarā) from the soul after fruition (producing pleasant or miseryful experience). What is eant by dissociation (nirjarā)? Like the food consumed after digestion get excreted, similarly the karmas after fruition get excreted or dissociated from the soul. This is dissociation.
How many types of dissociation (nirjarā) are here? It is of two types, namely with fruitions (savipāka) and without fruits (avipāka). What is meant by dissociation with fruits (savipāka)? Dissociation of Karmas after their rise yield fruits and on completion of the results they get dissociated from the soul. This is dissociation with fruits. What is meant by dissociation without fruits (avipāka)? The karmas whose time to rise has not yet materialized but by austerities etc they are made to mature fast and dissociate without rising and without yielding fruits. This is dissociation without fruits.
Nirjarā (निर्जरा) refers to the “dissociation of karma” and is one of the topics treated in the Sūtrakṛtāṅga (Sūtrakṛtāṃga), one of the Dvādaśāṅgī (twelve Aṅgas) of Jainism.—Sūtrakṛtāṅga is the second Āgama of the Dvādaśāṅgī. Sūtra kṛatāṃga has 2 Śruta skaṇdhas. The first Śruta skaṇdha has 16 and the second has 7 lectures; in all 23 chapters, 33 topics, 33 sub topics and 36000 verses. Topics include dissociation of karma (nirjarā).
1) Nirjarā (निर्जरा) refers to “wearing away karma” and represents one of the seven reals (tattvas), according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “Consequently, the sages have said that the seven reals are sentient soul, non-sentient matter, the influx of karma, the binding of karma, stopping the influx of karma, wearing away karma (nirjarā) and liberation”.
2a) Nirjarā (निर्जरा) (Cf. Nirjaraṇa) refers to the “elimination (of karmic matter)” and represents one of the twelve themes of contemplation (bhāvanā), according to the Jain Yogaśāstra (vol. 2, p. 839).—Accordingly, “Equanimity is attained through the state of non-attachment. In order to attain that [state of non-attachment], one should cultivate the twelve themes of contemplation: on impermanence, helplessness, the cycle of transmigration, solitude, the distinction [of the Self and the body], the impurity [of the body], the influx of karmic matter, the stopping [of karmic influx], the elimination of karmic matter (karman-nirjarā), the correctly expounded law, the universe, and the [difficulty of attaining] enlightenment”.
2b) Nirjarā (निर्जरा) refers to “wearing away karma” and represents one of the “(twelve) reflections” (bhāvanā), according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Wearing away previously accumulated karma [i.e., nirjarā] is of two kinds—intentional and unintentional—and it is the cause for cutting the many chains produced by actions. In this world, just as fruits of a tree ripen of their own accord from different means so karmas can be understood as ripening of their own accord from different means.
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.
Biology (plants and animals)
Nirjara [निर्जरा] in the Sanskrit language is the name of a plant identified with Tinospora cordifolia from the Menispermaceae (Moonseed) family. For the possible medicinal usage of nirjara, you can check this page for potential sources and references, although be aware that any some or none of the side-effects may not be mentioned here, wether they be harmful or beneficial to health.
This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
nirjara (निर्जर).—a (S) Immortal, imperishable, not obnoxious to decrepitude or decay.
nirjara (निर्जर).—a Immortal, imperishable.
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
Nirjara (निर्जर).—a.
1) young, fresh.
2) imperishable, immortal.
-raḥ a deity, god; (nom. pl. nirjarāḥ -nirjarasaḥ)
-ram ambrosia, nectar.
Nirjara is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms nir and jara (जर).
Nirjara (निर्जर).—mfn.
(-raḥ-rā-raṃ) Immortal, imperishable, undecaying. m.
(-raḥ) A deity, an immortal. n.
(-raṃ) Ambrosia, the food of the gods. f.
(-rā) 1. A plant: see guḍucī. 2. A sort of perfume, commonly Mura. E. nir not, jarā decrepitude or decay.
Nirjara (निर्जर).—[adjective] not growing old; young, fresh.
1) Nirjara (निर्जर):—[=nir-jara] [from nir > niḥ] a mfn. (in some cases ras, [Pāṇini 7-2, 101]) not becoming old, young, fresh, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
2) [v.s. ...] imperishable, immortal, [Horace H. Wilson]
3) [v.s. ...] m. a god, [Rājataraṅgiṇī]
4) Nirjarā (निर्जरा):—[=nir-jarā] [from nir-jara > nir > niḥ] f. Cocculus Cordifolius or Anethum Graveolens, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) Nirjara (निर्जर):—[=nir-jara] [from nir > niḥ] n. ambrosia or nectar, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
6) [=nir-jara] [from nir-jṝ] b mfn. (for 1. See p.541) completely wearing down or destroying, [Colebrooke]
7) [v.s. ...] m. (with Jainas) the gradual destruction of all actions (also f(ā). and raṇa n.), [Hemacandra’s Yoga-śāstra; Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha]
Nirjara (निर्जर):—[nir-jara] (raḥ) 1. m. A deity. f. A plant or perfume. n. Ambrosia. a. Immortal, undecaying.
Nirjara (निर्जर):—1. (nis + jarā)
1) adj. nicht alternd [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha 3, 567.] [Medinīkoṣa r. 174.] jung, frisch [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 8, 6, 37.] —
2) m. ein Gott [Amarakoṣa 1, 1, 1, 2.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 88.] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] [Halāyudha 1, 4.] [Rājataraṅgiṇī 7, 480.] —
3) f. ā a) Name eines Strauchs, Cocculus cordifolius DC., [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 3, 3, 359.] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] — b) Anethum graveolens [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] — c) = tattvabhid [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] —
4) n. Göttertrank [Śabdaratnāvalī im Śabdakalpadruma]
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Nirjara (निर्जर):—2. (von 1. jar mit nis) adj. vollständig abnutzend, zu Nichte machend [Colebrooke I, 383.]
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Nirjara (निर्जर):—1.
2) [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 10, 14, 40.] —
3) e) (von 1. jar mit nis) bei den Jaina das allmähliche Zunichtemachen der Handlungen [SARVADARŚANAS. 39, 20. 22. 40, 2. 4. 7.] [WILSON, Sel. Works 1, 312.]
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Nirjara (निर्जर):—2. lies m. = 1. nirjara
3) c) und vgl. [SARVADARŚANAS. 36, 15. 43, 20.]
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Nirjara (निर्जर):—1.
2) c) definirt [Hemacandra] [Yogaśāstra 4, 85.] karma [55.]
Nirjara (निर्जर):—1. —
1) Adj. nicht alternd , jung , frisch. —
2) m. ein Gott. —
3) *f. ā — a) Cocculus cordifolius. — b) Anethum graveolens. —
4) *n. Göttertrank.
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Nirjara (निर्जर):—2. m. und ra f. bei den Jaina das allmähliche Zunichtemachen , insbes. aller Handlungen.
Nirjarā (निर्जरा) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Ṇijjarā.
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
Nirjara (निर्जर) [Also spelled nirjar]:—(a) ever-young, blessed with perennial youth.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Nirjara (ನಿರ್ಜರ):—[noun] = ನಿರ್ಝರ [nirjhara].
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Nirjara (ನಿರ್ಜರ):—
1) [adjective] not becoming old; being young forever; ageless.
2) [adjective] lasting for ever; eternal.
3) [adjective] belonging to heaven; hevenly; celestial.
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Nirjara (ನಿರ್ಜರ):—
1) [noun] an eternal thing.
2) [noun] a deity who never gets aged.
3) [noun] (jain.) destruction of accrued sins, religious transgressions, faults, etc.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Nirjara (निर्जर):—adj. never ageing; always young; eternal; n. God;
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: Nirjarabhavana, Nirjarana, Nirjaranakarana, Nirjaranuprekshe, Nirjarapanyayoshit, Nirjaraprakaranadi, Nirjararasa, Nirjaras, Nirjarasarshapa, Nirjaratva, Nirjarayu.
Full-text (+11): Nirjarasarshapa, Nirjaras, Nirjaraprakaranadi, Nirjarana, Akamanirjara, Nirjar, Nijjara, Nirjarabhavana, Nirjarapanyayoshit, Avipaka, Savipaka, Karmanirjara, Ahsrava, Jarajara, Nirccaram, Nirccarai, Sakamanirjara, Avipakanirjara, Savipakanirjara, Haluvata.
Relevant text
Search found 47 books and stories containing Nirjara, Nirjarā, Nir-jara, Nir-jarā; (plurals include: Nirjaras, Nirjarās, jaras, jarās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
A History of Indian Philosophy Volume 1 (by Surendranath Dasgupta)
Part 16 - Karma, Āsrava and Nirjarā < [Chapter VI - The Jaina Philosophy]
Part 15 - Karma Theory < [Chapter VI - The Jaina Philosophy]
Part 21 - Jaina Yoga < [Chapter VI - The Jaina Philosophy]
Tattvartha Sutra (with commentary) (by Vijay K. Jain)
Verse 9.3 - Religious austerity is the cause of both stoppage and dissociation < [Chapter 9 - Stoppage and Shedding of Karmas]
Verse 8.23 - The shedding of karmas (nirjarā) < [Chapter 8 - Bondage of Karmas]
Verse 1.4 - The reality (‘tattva’) < [Chapter 1 - Right Faith and Knowledge]
Jainism and Patanjali Yoga (Comparative Study) (by Deepak bagadia)
Part 3.4 - Nine Elements (8): Nirjara (exhaustion of the accumulated karma) < [Chapter 3 - Jain Philosophy and Practice]
Twelve reflections (cintana-anupreksa) < [Chapter 3 - Jain Philosophy and Practice]
Sukladhyana (pure meditation) < [Chapter 3 - Jain Philosophy and Practice]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 180 < [Hindi-English-Nepali (1 volume)]
Expiatory Rites in Keralite Tantra (by T. S. Syamkumar)
9. Expiatory Rites in Jainism < [Chapter 1 - Expiatory Rites: Concept and Evolution]
Sucindrasthala-mahatmya (critical edition and study) (by Anand Dilip Raj)
Chapter 17 - Saptadasha Adhyaya (saptadaso'dhyayah) < [Chapter 5 - Sucindrasthalamahatmya: Sanskrit critical edition]