Nirvishesha, Nirviśeṣa, Nir-vishesha: 18 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
In Buddhism
1. Mahayana
Languages
1. Sanskrit
2. Hindi
3. Kannada
See also
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Introduction:

Nirvishesha means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Hindi. 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 Nirviśeṣa can be transliterated into English as Nirvisesa or Nirvishesha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Alternative spellings of this word include Nirvishesh.

In Hinduism

Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)

Source: Pure Bhakti: Bhagavad-gita (4th edition)

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष) refers to “devoid of variety, featureless, without distinction”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).

Source: Pure Bhakti: Bhajana-rahasya - 2nd Edition

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष) refers to:—Devoid of variety; featureless impersonal aspect of the Absolute. (cf. Glossary page from Bhajana-Rahasya).

context information

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 Translation

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष) refers to “that which has no special traits” and is used to describe Sadāśiva (i.e., the Supreme Brahman), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.8.—Accordingly, Himavat said to Nārada:—“[...] The supreme Brahman is great and imperishable. It is like the streak of a lamp. It is termed Sadāśiva. It is without aberration. It is beyond Brahmā. It is both full and devoid of qualities. It has no special traits [i.e., nirviśeṣa], no desires. It sees within and not without. O sage, from the Kinnaras who come here, such are the things heard about Him. Can it be untrue?”.

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.

Vedanta (school of philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Sannyasa Upanishad

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष) refers to “(Brahman) without attributes”, according to the commentary on the Kuṇḍika-upaniṣad verse 28.—The worshippers of the pure, resplendent Brahman (śabala-brahma) enter the world of Brahma (brahmaloka), that is, the sphere of Hiraṇyagarbha, along the path of the Sun (sūryamārga, or uttarāyaṇa-mārga) by exiting from the crown of the head (brahma-randhra) through the suṣumṇā canal; and there they are engaged in their quest for the attributeless Brahman till the end of the kalpa (till pralaya, or great dissolution, takes place). Having lived there till such time, they ultimately merge with Brahman on the attenuation of their subtle desires and attractions (vāsanā-kṣaya). Thereafter they never return to the plane of relative existence. This is the gradual liberation (krama-mukti) attained by the knowers of Brahman with attributes (saviśeṣa brahmajñānī). On the other hand, the knowers of the attributeless, absolute Brahman (nirviśeṣa brahmajñānī) will attain direct, instant liberation (sadyo-mukti), here and now (ihaiva).

Source: Wikisource: Ashtavakra Gita

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष) refers to “one who is free from individual characteristics”, according to the Aṣṭāvakragītā (5th century BC), an ancient text on spirituality dealing with Advaita-Vedānta topics.—Accordingly, [as Janaka says to Aṣṭavakra]: “In my unblemished nature there are no elements, no body, no faculties, no mind. There is no void and no anguish. [...] For him who is always free from individual characteristics (nirviśeṣa) there is no antecedent causal action, no liberation during life, and no fulfilment at death. [kva tadvidehakaivalyaṃ nirviśeṣasya sarvadā] For me, free from individuality, there is no doer and no reaper of the consequences, no cessation of action, no arising of thought, no immediate object, and no idea of results. [...]”.

context information

Vedanta (वेदान्त, vedānta) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. There are a number of sub-schools of Vedanta, however all of them expound on the basic teaching of the ultimate reality (brahman) and liberation (moksha) of the individual soul (atman).

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: Vaniquotes: Hinduism

Nirviśeṣa means without any varieties or impersonalist.

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: academia.edu: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष) [=Nirviśeṣatā?] refers to the “(one who is) without distinction”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “Then the Bodhisattva Gaganagañja, having praised the Lord with these verses, addressed himself to the Lord: ‘[...] The Lord, who is without distinction (nirviśeṣa), practices (prayoga) sameness (samatā) of all living beings since he is purified just like open space. Since the Lord has no desire, he is satisfied with insight (prajñatṛpta) and free from gain, honor and fame. Since the Lord is omniscient (sarvajña), his mode of five eyes is purified and sees everything’. [...]’”.

context information

Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष).—a. showing or making no difference, indiscriminating, without distinction; निर्विशेषा वयं त्वयि (nirviśeṣā vayaṃ tvayi) Mb.; निर्विशेषो विशेषः (nirviśeṣo viśeṣaḥ) Bhartṛhari 3.5. 'a difference without distinction'.

2) having no difference, same, like, not differing from (oft. in comp.); निर्विशेषाकृति (nirviśeṣākṛti) 'having the same form'; प्रवातनीलो- त्पलनिर्विशेषम् (pravātanīlo- tpalanirviśeṣam) Kumārasambhava 1.46; स निर्विशेषप्रतिपत्तिरासीत् (sa nirviśeṣapratipattirāsīt) R.14.22.

3) indiscriminate, promiscuous.

-ṣaḥ absence of difference. (nirviśeṣam and nirviśeṣeṇa are used adverbially in the sense of 'without difference', 'equally', indiscriminately'; kruddhena vipramukto'yaṃ nirviśeṣaṃ priyāpriye Rām.7.22.41. svagṛhanirviśeṣamatra sthīyatām H.1; R.5.6.).

Nirviśeṣa is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms nir and viśeṣa (विशेष).

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

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष).—mfn.

(-ṣaḥ-ṣā-ṣaṃ) 1. Undiscriminating, making no difference. 2. Same, like, indiscriminate. E. nir neg. viśeṣa difference.

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

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष).—I. m. want of difference, [Hitopadeśa] 113, 11. Ii. adj. 1. having no discrimination, [Hitopadeśa] ii. [distich] 68. 2. not different. 3. equal. 4. acc. ṣam, adv. a. without difference, [Hitopadeśa] 84, 5, M.M. b. alike, [Hitopadeśa] 128, 10. c. exceedingly, [Uttara Rāmacarita, 2. ed. Calc., 1862.] 99, 6.

Nirviśeṣa is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms nis and viśeṣa (विशेष).

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

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष).—[adjective] making or showing no difference, not differing from (—°); equal, similar; [neuter] as [adverb] or as [abstract] = tā [feminine], tva [neuter]

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

1) Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष):—[=nir-viśeṣa] [from nir > niḥ] mf(ā)n. showing or making no difference, undiscriminating, without distinction, [Mahābhārata; Rāmāyaṇa] etc.

2) [v.s. ...] not different from, same, like ([compound]), [Kālidāsa]

3) [v.s. ...] (with viśeṣa m. not the least difference, [Bhartṛhari iii, 54])

4) [v.s. ...] unqualified, absolute, [Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha]

5) [=nir-viśeṣa] [from nir > niḥ] n. absence of difference, indiscriminateness, likeness, [Mahābhārata vi, 5519]

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

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष):—[nir-viśeṣa] (ṣaḥ-ṣā-ṣaṃ) a. Same, not different, indiscriminate.

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

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Ṇivvisesa.

[Sanskrit to German]

Nirvishesha 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

Nirviśeṣa (निर्विशेष) [Also spelled nirvishesh]:—(a) without distinction, having no attributes; invariable; (nm) the Transcendental Reality.

context information

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Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Nirviśēṣa (ನಿರ್ವಿಶೇಷ):—[adjective] = ನಿರ್ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟ [nirvishishta].

--- OR ---

Nirviśēṣa (ನಿರ್ವಿಶೇಷ):—

1) [noun] the quality of being exactly same as another; perfect similarity which can be termed as oneness.

2) [noun] he who is not different from another.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

Relevant text

Search found 48 books and stories containing Nirvishesha, Nir-viśeṣa, Nir-visesa, Nir-vishesha, Nirviśeṣa, Nirvisesa, Nirviśēṣa, Nis-viśeṣa, Nis-visesa, Nis-vishesha; (plurals include: Nirvisheshas, viśeṣas, visesas, visheshas, Nirviśeṣas, Nirvisesas, Nirviśēṣas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

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