Pancatirtha, Pañcatīrtha, Panca-tirtha: 4 definitions
Introduction:
Pancatirtha means something in 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.
Alternative spellings of this word include Panchatirtha.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaPañcatīrtha (पञ्चतीर्थ).—A holy place. There is a pond at this place. Once a nymph called Vargā with her four companions lived in this pond as crocodiles as a result of a curse. Arjuna came to that pond and rescued them from their curse. From that day onwards the pond came to be known as Pañcatīrtha or Saubhadrakatīrtha (For details see under Vargā and Saubhadraka tīrtha).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index1a) Pañcatīrtha (पञ्चतीर्थ).—The name of a tīrtha in Kāñcī.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa IV. 40. 60; 71, 115.
1b) In Gayā.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 111. 1, 21.
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.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Source: Wisdomlib Libary: VaishnavismPañcatīrtha (पञ्चतीर्थ) refers to five Śiva temples at Pañca-śivālaya-ghāṭa according to Śrī Navadvīpa-dhāma-māhātmya, parikramā-khaṇḍa 5.106: “O Jīva, see here, at this ghāṭa are five Śiva temples (pañcatīrtha) where five gleaming śiva-liṅgas are splendidly situated”.
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’).
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraPañcatīrtha (पञ्चतीर्थ) or Pañcatīrthī is the name of a sacred bathing-place mentioned in a story narrated by Agniśarman, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 33. Accordingly, as Agniśarman narrated to king Śrutasena, “... having gone on a pilgrimage to all the sacred bathing-places, I reached that Pañcatīrtha [Pañcatīrthī], in which five Apsarases were reduced to the condition of crocodiles by the curse of a holy sage, and were rescued from it by Arjuna, who had come there while going round the holy spots. There I bathed in the blessed water, which possesses the power of enabling those men who bathe in it, and fast for five nights, to become followers of Nārāyaṇa”.
The story of Pañcatīrtha and Agniśarman was narrated to Udayana (king of Vatsa) by Yaugandharāyaṇa in order to demonstrate that “matrons cannot endure the interruption of a deep affection” demonstrated by the anecdote that “chaste women, when their beloved is attached to another, or has gone to heaven, become careless about all enjoyments and determined to die, though their intentions are inscrutable on account of the haughtiness of their character”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Pañcatīrtha, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.
Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Tirtha, Panca.
Full-text: Pauloma, Agastyatirtha, Karandhamana, Pancatirttam, Pancavavi, Lata, Pancatirthi.
Relevant text
Search found 7 books and stories containing Pancatirtha, Pañcatīrtha, Panca-tirtha, Pañca-tīrtha; (plurals include: Pancatirthas, Pañcatīrthas, tirthas, tīrthas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
The Gautami Mahatmya (by G. P. Bhatt)
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
The Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 82 - The Greatness of Pañca Tīrthas < [Section 3 - Revā-khaṇḍa]
Chapter 30 - The Greatness of Pañcatīrtha < [Section 2 - Puruṣottama-kṣetra-māhātmya]
Chapter 31 - The Lord in the Wooden Body < [Section 2 - Puruṣottama-kṣetra-māhātmya]
The Brahma Purana (by G. P. Bhatt)
Historical Elements in the Matsya Purana (by Chaitali Kadia)
The Pilgrimages in the Matsya Purāṇa < [Chapter 4 - Geographical history in the Matsya-Purāṇa]
The Padma Purana (by N.A. Deshpande)
Chapter 11 - A list of sacred places (tīrtha) < [Section 1 - Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa (section on creation)]