Panthadurga, Pānthadurgā, Pantha-durga: 2 definitions
Introduction:
Panthadurga 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.
In Hinduism
Kavya (poetry)
Source: archive.org: Naisadhacarita of Sriharsa1) Pānthadurgā (पान्थदुर्गा) refers to a “deity of the road”, and is mentioned in the Naiṣadha-carita 14.37. Pānthadurgā refers to being a stone idol of Durgā worshipped by travellers. Cāṇḍūpaṇḍita’s explanation is similar. Vidyādhara also explains pānthadurgā as panthikadurgā and remarks “travellers’ Durgā, thus means an idol of Durgā installed on the roadside and worshipped by travellers”. A very similar reference is found in Harṣacarita (chapter 2) which speaks of an image of Kātyāyanī or Durgā, engraved on a tree at the entrance of a forest, and saltuted by wayfarers.
Pānthadurgā was thus a Mārgadevatā as explained by Nārāyaṇa, and in this connection we may refer to Hemacandra’s Dvyāśraya Kāvya 7.34, which describes a cetain king as worshipping the deities of the road during his march against a rival. Abhayatilaka in his commentary remarks “adhvadevatā devakulādisthā mārgādhiṣṭhātṛdevatā nirupadravāya upatasthe”.
2) Pānthadurgā (पान्थदुर्गा) can also refers to a “travelling image of Durgā” according to Nārāyaṇa. He refers to the idol of Durgā carried on a platform in the streets on festive occasions. This custom is, in fact, still followed in Bengal and Assam on the Vijayādaśamī day of the great Durgāpūjā festival. [See translation]. We may refer also to the description of the Rathayātrā of the Devī in Devīpurāṇa (chapter 31), which speaks of the idol of Durgā as being taken roundin procession in a richly decorated chariot. A similar procession is described in Skandapurāṇa (Prabhāsakhaṇḍa) in connection wtih the worship of the Yogeśvarī form of Durgā (chapter 83 of Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya). It is, however, doubtful if Pānthadurgā has anything to do with such customs, and the first explanation of the word seems to be the right one.
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’.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryPānthadurgā (पान्थदुर्गा).—a deity on the road; आलिङ्ग्य नीत्वाकृत पान्थदुर्गाम् (āliṅgya nītvākṛta pānthadurgām) N.14.37. (cf. notes thereon-Handiqui edition, p.61.
Pānthadurgā is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms pāntha and durgā (दुर्गा).
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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