Nishprapanca, Niṣprapañca, Niṣprapañcā, Nishprapamca: 17 definitions
Introduction:
Nishprapanca means something in Buddhism, Pali, 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.
The Sanskrit terms Niṣprapañca and Niṣprapañcā can be transliterated into English as Nisprapanca or Nishprapanca, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Nishprapancha.
In Hinduism
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Niṣprapañcā (निष्प्रपञ्चा) refers to “she who is devoid of the universe of thought constructs”, according to sources such as the Kulakaulinīmata and Kumārikākhaṇḍa of the Manthānabhairavatantra.—Accordingly, “[...] She is the eternal Transmental. Devoid of the universe of thought constructs (niṣprapañcā), she resides in the life breath of all. She is the supreme energy, called Kuṇḍalī and is the seventeenth energy (of the Moon). [...] She is the subtle (aspect). I will (now) tell (you) how she is in (her) gross form. [...] Residing within the plane of the Neuter (absolute), she is (the one) energy (kalā) and her form is (made of all the) energies. She is threefold (as) will, knowledge and action and abides (permanently) having pervaded the universe”.
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.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च) refers to “unexpanding” and is used to describe Śiva, according to the Netratantra of Kṣemarāja: a Śaiva text from the 9th century in which Śiva (Bhairava) teaches Pārvatī topics such as metaphysics, cosmology, and soteriology.—Accordingly, [verse 22.10cd-13]—“The leader [Śiva] of these [mantras] is eternal, restraining, untroubled, unexpanding (niṣprapañca), without appearance, and causes protection. He does all, he protects the trembling minds [of those who are afraid of saṃsāra]. He leads. From [Śiva's] leading, [the practitioner] shall attain liberation from great fear. Thus, [the mantra] is called “netra”, because [it] protects. [...]”.
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च) refers to “that which has no manifoldness”, and is used to describe Samādhi and Paratattva (highest reality), according to the Amanaska Yoga treatise which deals absorption, yogic powers and liberation.—The Amanaska referred to (or qualified) Samādhi with several terms, which are all negative; [e.g., it has no manifoldness (niṣprapañca);] [...] The fact that such terminology is found in the Amanaska indicates that descriptions of Śiva and the void-like meditative states in Mantramargic Śaivism, were the basis of the descriptions of Samādhi and Paratattva (the highest reality) in this treatise. The Amanaska Yoga was consistent with the Pātañjala Yogaśāstra’s definition of Yoga, yet it described Samādhi in terms different to those of Pātañjalayoga; such as Avicchinna—“that which has no manifoldness”.
Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च) refers to “one who is beyond the world of matter” and is used to describe Śiva, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.12 (“The story of Śiva and Pārvatī”).—Accordingly, as the Gods eulogized Śiva: “[...] Obeisance to the lord free from attachment; obeisance to Śiva the great soul. Obeisance to the pure beyond the world of matter (niṣprapañca), obeisance to the great, the unwasting. Obeisance to you the god of death holding the staff of punishment and noose in the hand. Obeisance to the chief of the deities invoked by Vedic mantras. Obeisance to you the hundred-tongued deity. [...]”.
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)
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च) refers to “those beyond multiplicity”, according to the Aṣṭāvakragītā (5th century BC), an ancient text on spirituality dealing with Advaita-Vedānta topics.—Accordingly, [as Aṣṭavakra says to Janaka]: “[...] The stupid does not attain cessation whether he acts or abandons action, while the wise man find peace within simply by knowing the truth. People cannot come to know themselves by practices—pure awareness, clear, complete, beyond multiplicity (niṣprapañca) and faultless though they are. [śuddhaṃ buddhaṃ priyaṃ pūrṇaṃ niṣprapañcaṃ nirāmayam] [...]”.
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).
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च) refers to “that which is free of empty discussions”, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 2).—Accordingly, “[Question.—Why do Buddhist sūtras begin with the word evam, ‘thus’?]—[...] The Buddha himself is not attached to the Prajñāpāramitā, why then would he be attached to other doctrines? That is why Buddhist texts begin with the word Evam. The intention of the Buddha is as follows: My disciples will not love the doctrine, will not become attached to the doctrine, will not have factions (parapakṣa). They will seek only freedom from suffering (duḥkhakṣaya), deliverance (vimukti), the nature of Dharmas free of empty discussions (niṣprapañca dharmalakṣaṇa). [...]”.
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च) refers to “(that which is) without discursive thinking”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “Then, the Lord went on to speak these verses: ‘(34) Since their nature is originally pure, they give a gift with the purity of awakening. Since they are not attached to (asakta) their train of thoughts (cittasaṃtāna), they give a gift without any discursive thinking (niṣprapañca). [...]’”.
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च) refers to “that which is free from mental fabrication”, according to the Tattvaratnāvalī (“a jewel garland of true reality”)—the title of one of the 26 texts revolving around the theme of amanasikāra (“non-conceptual realization”) ascribed to Maitrīpa (c. 986–1063)—an influential late Indian Buddhist master who helped bring Mahāsiddha-style Mahāmudrā teachings into a monastic Mahāyāna scholastic setting.—Accordingly, [while describing the philosophy of the Mahāyāna and its division of Pāramitānaya according to Yogācāra and its doctrine of Nirākāravāda]: “An external object as imagined by immature beings is not to be found; agitated by mental imprints, the mind appears as an object. Insofar as something appears, it appears as an illusion only; in reality, [the nature of mind] is devoid of appearance, like the pure limitless sky. The Dharmakāya of the great sage is free from mental fabrication (niṣprapañca) and from appearances. The two form-kāyas have arisen from it, and thereafter abide as illusion. [...]’”.
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.
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च) refers to “(that which is) unelaborated”, according to the thirty-third chapter of the Saṃvarodayatantra: a Buddhist explanatory Tantra of the Cakrasaṃvara cycle.—Accordingly, while describing the no-mind meditation: “[...] Free from meditation and concentration and beyond [both] Yoga and reasoning, he leads people to absorption in ‘suchness’, when the mind becomes steady in awareness. Its form is like the sky, the dwelling place of the ether and like a pure crystal and gem, [it is] without beginning or end, unelaborated (niṣprapañca), beyond the senses, unchanging, without appearance, completely void, free of ills, the light of the world, the destruction of the bonds of existence, inexpressible by words and even beyond the sphere of the mind”.
Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपंच).—a Free from secular proceedings.
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
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च).—see prapañca.
1) Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च):—[=niṣ-prapañca] [from niṣ > niḥ] mfn. subject to no expansion or manifoldness, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
2) [v.s. ...] pure, honest, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च):—(nis + pra) adj.
1) ohne Ausdehnung [] zu [ŚVETĀŚV. Upakośā 6, 5.] niṣprapañcātman Beiw. Śiva’s [Śivanāmasahasra] —
2) rein, lauter (von Personen) [RATNAG. 31, 9.]
--- OR ---
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च):—
1) lies keiner Mannichfaltigkeit unterliegend und füge [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 10, 14, 37.] [Dhūrtasamāgama 71, 3] hinzu.
Niṣprapañca (निष्प्रपञ्च):—Adj. —
1) ohne Entfaltung , ganz unentfaltet , keiner Mannichfaltigkeit unterworfen. —
2) rein , lauter (Person).
Niṣprapañca (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 無戲論 [wú xì lùn]: “no conceptual proliferations”.
2) 無爲 [wú wèi]: “unconditioned”; “uncreated”.
3) 離戲論 [lí xì lùn]: “free from conceptual elaborations”.
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
Niḥprapaṃca (ನಿಃಪ್ರಪಂಚ):—
1) [noun] that which is not subject to, adhering to mundane activities; such a condition.
2) [noun] a man who is free from mundane activities or worldly passions.
Niṣprapaṃca (ನಿಷ್ಪ್ರಪಂಚ):—
1) [noun] that which is not subject to, adhering to mundane activities; such a condition.
2) [noun] a man who is free from mundane activities or worldly passions.
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 (+0): Prapanca, Nih.
Starts with (+0): Nishprapamcabrahmavadi, Nishprapancagagana, Nishprapancasadatman, Nishprapancasadatmatva, Nishprapancasamata, Nitprapancatman.
Full-text (+13): Nishprapancagagana, Nishprapancasamata, Nishprapamcabrahmavadi, Prapanca, Nihprapamci, Nihprapamcu, Aviprapanca, Undifferentiated, Unelaborated, Sarvatathagatadharmavannishprapancajnanamudra, Manifoldness, Niramaya, Li xi lun, Cittasamtana, Wu xi lun ping deng xing, Samtana, Ashakta, Wu xi lun, Devidiksha, Upaplava.
Relevant text
Search found 19 books and stories containing Nishprapanca, Niḥ-prapaṃca, Nih-prapamca, Niḥ-prapañca, Nih-prapanca, Niḥprapaṃca, Nihprapamca, Niḥprapañca, Nihprapanca, Nishprapamca, Niṣprapaṃca, Niṣprapaṃcā, Nisprapamca, Niṣprapañca, Nisprapanca, Niṣprapanca, Niṣprapañcā; (plurals include: Nishprapancas, prapaṃcas, prapamcas, prapañcas, prapancas, Niḥprapaṃcas, Nihprapamcas, Niḥprapañcas, Nihprapancas, Nishprapamcas, Niṣprapaṃcas, Niṣprapaṃcās, Nisprapamcas, Niṣprapañcas, Nisprapancas, Niṣprapancas, Niṣprapañcās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Krishna Sandarbha of Jiva Goswami (by Kusakratha Prabhu)
Verse 143.1 < [Anuccheda 143]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (by Rajendralala Mitra)
Page 209 < [Volume 13 (1898)]
Blue Annals (deb-ther sngon-po) (by George N. Roerich)
Chapter 1 - Homage (mchod par brjod pa) < [Book 1 - The beginning of the story of the Doctrine]
Advayavajra-samgraha (Sanskrit text and English introduction) (by Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri)
Part 3 - The three Kayas < [Introduction]
Buddhism: An Integrated Interpretation < [January – March, 1984]