Pakshu, Pakṣu: 4 definitions

Introduction:

Pakshu means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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 Pakṣu can be transliterated into English as Paksu or Pakshu, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: 84000: The Basket’s Display

Pakṣu (पक्षु) refers to one of the great rivers of Jambudvīpa, according to the Kāraṇḍa­vyūha-sūtra chapter 2 (“”).—Accordingly, as Tathāgata Padmottama praises the qualities of this six-syllable mahāvidyā: “As a comparison, in Jambudvīpa there are great rivers that flow day and night. They are the [e.g., Pakṣu] [...]. Each of these rivers has five hundred tributaries. Day and night they flow into the ocean. Noble son, this is how the accumulation of merit increases as the result of a single repetition of the six-syllable mahāvidyā: I can count each drop in those great rivers, but, noble son, I cannot calculate the accumulation of merit that comes from repeating the six-syllable mahāvidyā once”.

Note: Pakṣu is an unidentified river, though there are Tibetan texts that use this name to refer to the source of the Brahmaputra.

Source: academia.edu: Studies in History, Myths, Rituals and Beliefs in Tibet

Pakshu is the name of a River situated in the land of 'ol-mo lung-ring, according to the gZer mig (by Drang-rje btsun-pa gSer-mig): an ancient Tibetan text dealing Bon: an indigenous shamanistic tradition of Tibet.—Accordingly, Bonpo tradition maintains that the ultimate source of Bon is the land of 'ol-mo lung-ring, said to be a part of sTag-gzig (Tazig). [...] The land is dominated by Mount g.Yung-drung dgu-brtsegs—literally ‘pile of nine swastikas’. [...] The nine stages of Mount gYung-drungdgu-brtsegs are said to represent the nine ways of Bon. One strange thing about this mountain is that its peak is in the form of a crystal monolith referring originally no doubt to its snowy or glacial summit. Later on conspicuous importance was attached to this crystal monolith. Four rives flow from the base of the mountain g.Yung-drungdgu-brtsegs in the four directions. [For example]: In the north the river Pakshu flows from the mouth of a lion (Seng-ge kha-'babs); Hundreds of temples, cities and parks are said to be in the vicinity of the mountain, but only eight centres stand out as worthy of note.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
context information

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.

Discover the meaning of pakshu or paksu in the context of Tibetan Buddhism from relevant books on Exotic India

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary

Pakṣu (पक्षु).—name of a nāga king: °ur Mahāvyutpatti 3307. Cf. Vakṣu. Tibetan Pag-śu. But it seems to be a river-name; the three preceding names are Gaṅgā-, Sindhur, and Sītā-nāgarājā; similarly in Mūla-Sarvāstivāda-Vinaya i.164.1. (Nāgas are often thought of as living in rivers, as is well known; compare Mahāvyutpatti 3304—6.) Since Vakṣu occurs as name of a river in Sanskrit, it is probably the correct form.

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

Pakṣu (पक्षु):—[from pakṣ] m. Name of a serpent-demon, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.] ([wrong reading] for vakṣu?).

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.

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