Pancavarsha, Pañcavarṣa: 4 definitions

Introduction:

Pancavarsha 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 Pañcavarṣa can be transliterated into English as Pancavarsa or Pancavarsha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Alternative spellings of this word include Panchavarsha.

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

[«previous next»] — Pancavarsha in Mahayana glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra

Pañcavarṣa (पञ्चवर्ष) refers to the “assembly of five hundred”, according to Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter 3).—Accordingly, “When the Buddha was in this world, the doctrine did not meet any opposition. After the Buddha had departed, when the doctrine was recited for the first time, it was still as it was in the time when the Buddha was alive.—A hundred years later, king Aśoka brought together a great assembly of five hundred (pañcavarṣa-pariṣad) and the great masters of the Dharma debated. As a result of their differences, two distinct sects (nikāya) subsequently developed, [each] having a name. [...]”.

Mahayana book cover
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.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Pancavarsha in Sanskrit glossary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Pañcavarṣa (पञ्चवर्ष).—[adjective] five years old.

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

Pañcavarṣa (पञ्चवर्ष):—[=pañca-varṣa] [from pañca] mfn. ([Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra]) 5 years old

[Sanskrit to German]

Pancavarsha 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.

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See also (Relevant definitions)

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