Posa, Pō sǎ, Po sa, Pó shā, Po sha, Poṣa, Posha: 28 definitions
Introduction:
Posa means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, Hindi, biology. 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 Poṣa can be transliterated into English as Posa or Posha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Posh.
In Hinduism
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Poṣa (पोष, “nourishing”) or Poṣaya or Poṣana refers to one of the “seven means” (saptopāya) to be performed when a mantra does not manifest its effect, as explained in the 10th-century Kakṣapuṭatantra verse 1.102-104. Poṣaṇa aims to nourish the mantra. One should write it with cow-milk and honey, attaching Tripurasundarīʼs bīja to it, and wear it on oneʼshand. If this does not work, the śoṣaṇa, which aims to dry up the mantra.
Accordingly, “being pressed (in this way), the mantra turns modest and will have an effect. If not, one should perform the poṣaya (nourishing). One should attach the bīja of Nityā’s Tripura (i.e., sauḥ) to the beginning and end of it. Having written the vidyā with cow-milk and honey, one should wear it on his hand. If the nourished [mantra] does not have an effect, one should perform the śoṣaṇa (drying up)”.
Note on śoṣa-poṣaṇa: the Tattvacintāmaṇi (20.94) and Bṛhattantrasāra (4.47) support poṣa-soṣaṇa and the Dīkṣāprakāśa supports poṣaṇa-śoṣaṇa. They are explained in order of poṣaṇa and śoṣaṇa, as we see below.
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.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Poṣa (पोष) refers to a “life-sustaining principle”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “[...] That on which there is dependence, that is nothing in particular; [...] in the dependent origination, there is no self, being (satva), life-principle (jīva), life-sustaining principle (poṣa), spirit (puruṣa), personality (pudgala), human being (manuja), or man (mānava); in the dependent origination there is no attainment; in the dependent origination there is nothing, and it is effortless, empty, no distinguishing mark, transcendent, no activity, no discursive thinking, and beyond discursive thinking. Thus origination is just the arising of the dharma, and cessation is also the ceasing of the dharma. [...]”.
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)
Poṣa (पोष) [=poṣya?] or Supoṣya refers to “(being) copious” [?], according to the Guru Mandala Worship (maṇḍalārcana) ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.—Accordingly, “Oṃ Vajrasattva, cherish the vow, from your vajra-essence, stand by loving, Be firm for me, be pleased for me, be copious for me (supoṣya—supoṣyo me bhava), be passionate for me, Grant me universal success, and in all actions, make me high-minded Hūṃ, Ha ha ha ha ho, divine vajra of all Tathāgata, do not abandon me, Be a holder of the vajra, being of the great vow Āḥ!”.
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.
Chinese Buddhism
婆沙 [po sha]—v. 毘 [pi] Vibhāṣā.
[The following represents an unverified English translation. For all purposes consult the original Chinese text.]
婆沙 [po sha]—(Póshā) — [Miscellaneous Term] (雜語 [za yu]) Vibhāṣā, translated as 'Discourse' (說 [shuo]). See the entry for Vibhāṣā (毘條 [pi tiao]).
婆沙—【雜語】Vibhāṣā，譯曰說。見毘婆沙條。(毘婆沙)
[zá yǔ]Vibhāṣā, yì yuē shuō. jiàn pí pó shā tiáo.(pí pó shā)
[za yu]Vibhasa, yi yue shuo. jian pi po sha tiao.(pi po sha)
婆沙 ts = pó shā p refers to [proper noun] “Abhidharmamahāvibhāṣaśāstra; Apidamo Dapiposha Lun; Vibhāṣā”; Domain: Buddhism 佛教 [fu jiao] , Concept: Canonical Text 典籍 [dian ji]; Notes: See 阿毘達磨大毘婆沙論 [a pi da mo da pi po sha lun] (FGDB '大毘婆沙論 [da pi po sha lun]') .
Chinese Buddhism (漢傳佛教, hanchuan fojiao) is the form of Buddhism that developed in China, blending Mahayana teachings with Daoist and Confucian thought. Its texts are mainly in Classical Chinese, based on translations from Sanskrit. Major schools include Chan (Zen), Pure Land, Tiantai, and Huayan. Chinese Buddhism has greatly influenced East Asian religion and culture.
Biology (plants and animals)
Posha in the Marathi language is the name of a plant identified with Litsea josephii S.M.Almeida from the Lauraceae (Laurel) family having the following synonyms: Litsea stocksii. For the possible medicinal usage of posha, you can check this page for potential sources and references, although be aware that any some or none of the side-effects may not be mentioned here, wether they be harmful or beneficial to health.
1) Posa in Myanmar is the name of a plant defined with Morus alba in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Morus alba var. nigriformis Bureau (among others).
2) Posa is also identified with Morus macroura It has the synonym Morus macroura var. mawu (Koidz.) C.Y. Wu & Z.Y. Cao (etc.).
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· Acta Botanica Yunnanica (1995)
· Botanical Magazine, or ‘Flower-Garden Displayed’ (Tokyo) (1917)
· Numer. List (4649)
· Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica (1991)
· Journal of Cytology and Genetics (1988)
· Descr. Mûriers (1855)
If you are looking for specific details regarding Posa, for example extract dosage, side effects, diet and recipes, pregnancy safety, chemical composition, health benefits, have a look at these references.
This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
posa : (m.) man.
1) Posa, 2 (adj.) (=*poṣya, grd. of poseti, puṣ) to be fed or nourished, only in dup° difficult to nourish S. I, 61. (Page 475)
2) Posa, 1 (contraction of purisa fr. *pūrṣa›*pussa›*possa› posa. So Geiger, P. Gr. 303)=purisa, man (poetical form, only found in verse) Vin. I, 230; S. I, 13, 205= J. III, 309; A. IV, 266; Sn. 110, 662; Dh. 104, 125 (cp. DhA. III, 34); J. V, 306; VI, 246, 361.—poso at J. III, 331 is Gen. sg. of puṃs=Sk. puṃsaḥ. (Page 475)
Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
pōśā (पोशा).—a (pōṣaṇa) Fostered, brought up, bred as one's own--a child. Used contemptuously. 2 Large and lubberly; fat and sluggish.
pōśā (पोशा).—a Fostered,-a child. Fat and sluggish.
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
Poṣa (पोष).—[puṣ-ghañ]
1) Nourishing, supporting, maintaining.
2) Nourishment, growth, increase, advance.
3) Prosperity, plenty, abundance.
Derivable forms: poṣaḥ (पोषः).
Poṣa (पोष).—m. (= Pali posa, which is said by [Pali Text Society’s Pali-English Dictionary] and Geiger 30.3 to be used only in verses; doubtless somehow derived from Sanskrit puruṣa, but Geiger's theory is not compelling), person, individuality, soul, spirit; occurs often in prose of various texts, regularly associated with near- synonyms like jīva, jantu, pudgala (puṃgala), and even with puruṣa itself, which clearly had come to be felt as a different word (if it was derived from the same original): in Mahāvyutpatti 4672 defined by Tibetan gso ba, nourishment, as if from root puṣ-, tho the context proves it means the same as puruṣa, which is the next word; puruṣa also adjoins it (along with other words of like meaning) in Śikṣāsamuccaya 236.15; Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra 63.15, et alibi; Śatasāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā 120.12 (puruṣa in parallel phrase 13), et alibi; otherwise with similar words, Śikṣāsamuccaya 199.8; Kāśyapa Parivarta 125.6; 142.8 (in these two miswritten pauṣa); Daśabhūmikasūtra 39.21; Mūla-Sarvāstivāda-Vinaya ii.76.15; niṣpoṣa, without personality, along with nirjīva, niṣpudgala, etc., Kāśyapa Parivarta 97.2; Daśabhūmikasūtra 43.13; Vajracchedikā 38.5.
Poṣa (पोष).—m.
(-ṣaḥ) 1. Nourishing, cherishing. 2. Increase, growth. 3. Plenty, abundance. E. puṣ to nourish, aff. ghañ; also with lyuṭ aff. poṣaṇa .
Poṣa (पोष).—i. e. puṣ + a, m. 1. Thriving, prosperity. 2. Nourishing, cherishing, [Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, (ed. Burnouf.)] 3, 30, 33.
Poṣa (पोष).—[masculine] thriving, growth, welfare; nourishing, fostering.
1) Poṣa (पोष):—m. (√puṣ) thriving, prosperity, abundance, wealth, growth, increase, [Ṛg-veda; Atharva-veda; Brāhmaṇa; Gṛhya-sūtra and śrauta-sūtra]
2) nourishing, nurture, rearing, maintaining, supporting, [Kāvya literature; Purāṇa etc.]
Poṣa (पोष):—(ṣaḥ) 1. m. Nourishing; fulness.
Poṣa (पोष):—
Poṣa (पोष):—m. —
1) Gedeihen , Wachsthum , Vermehrung ; Fülle , Copia , Wohlstand. —
2) das Aufziehen , Ernähren , Unterhalten , Fütterung [Gopathabrāhmaṇa 2,1,23.]
Poṣa (पोष) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Posa, Phosa.
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.
Hindi dictionary
Pośa (पोश) [Also spelled posh]:——a Persian word used in Hindi compounds as the second member—meaning that which clothes or conceals (as [nakābapośa, palaṃgapośa]).
...
Prakrit-English dictionary
1) Posa (पोस) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Puṣ.
2) Posa (पोस) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Poṣa.
3) Posa (पोस) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Poṣa.
4) Posa (पोस) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Posa.
5) Posa (पोस) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Pauṣa.
Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.
Kannada-English dictionary
Posa (ಪೊಸ):—
1) [adjective] never existing before; appearing, thought of, developed, made, produced, etc. for the first time; new.
2) [adjective] recently observed, experienced, manifested, etc.
3) [adjective] not yet familiar or accustomed; inexperienced.
4) [adjective] recently grown or made; fresh.
5) [adjective] not previously used or worn.
6) [adjective] modern; recent; fashionable; recently current.
7) [adjective] beginning again; starting as a repetition of a cycle, series, etc.; making another start.
8) [adjective] refreshed in spirits.
9) [adjective] beautiful; pleasing to the eyes.
10) [adjective] clean; unpolluted; unstained.
11) [adjective] fully grown or developed; ready to be harvested and used for food, as grain or fruit; ripe.
--- OR ---
Pōṣa (ಪೋಷ):—
1) [noun] a flower of a plant; a blossom.
2) [noun] the tenth month in the Hindu lunar calendar (considered to be the inauspicious month of the year).
3) [noun] the act or process of worshipping.
4) [noun] the price or value.
5) [noun] the quality of being auspicious; inauspiciousness.
6) [noun] (astrol.) the eighth of the twenty seven austerisms that the moon is supposed to move in.
7) [noun] rain coming during the period in which the moon is associated with this austerism.
--- OR ---
Pōṣa (ಪೋಷ):—
1) [noun] a protecting, fostering of another person or an animal.
2) [noun] progress; prosperity; well-being.
--- OR ---
Pōsa (ಪೋಸ):—[noun] (jain.) a practice of taking one’s dinner before sunset or night advances.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
1) Poṣa (पोष):—n. 1. nourishment; growth; nutrition maintenance; 2. confirmation; justification;
2) Posa (पोस):—n. 1. covering; 2. nourishment; nurture; maintenance;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
Chinese-English dictionary
婆沙 [pó shā] refers to: “wider interpretation”.
婆沙 is further associated with the following language/terms:
[Vietnamese] bà sa.
[Korean] 바사 / Basa.
[Japanese] バシャ / Basha.
Chinese language.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Sha, Po, Bo, Ca.
Starts with (+18): Pocakam, Pocakkai, Posaba, Posabe, Posac, Posac-khaanaa, Posaga, Posagannada, Posagar, Posagaru, Posagu, Posaha, Posahiya, Posajauvana, Posajauvane, Posajavvana, Posajavvane, Posaka, Posaka-khana, Posakannada.
Full-text (+433): Pariposha, Posham, Pi po sha, Bi po sha, Bing po sha, Po sha lun, Paratahposha, Shi zhu pi po sha lun, Suposha, Poshas, Pi po sha shi, Po sha bo, Da pi po sha lun, Chi zi pi po sha, Bing po sha lun, Za a pi tan po sha, Goposha, A pi tan pi po sha lun, Nitposha, Za a pi tan pi po sha.
Relevant text
Search found 41 books and stories containing Posa, Pō sǎ, Po sa, Pó shā, Po sha, Pōśā, Pośā, Poṣa, Pośa, Pōsa, Pōṣa, Pōsǎ, Posha, Póshā, 婆沙, 潑灑; (plurals include: Posas, Pō sǎs, Po sas, Pó shās, Po shas, Pōśās, Pośās, Poṣas, Pośas, Pōsas, Pōṣas, Pōsǎs, Poshas, Póshās). 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)
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 405 < [Hindi-Kashmiri-English Volume 1]
Page 403 < [Hindi-Kashmiri-English Volume 3]
Page 199 < [Hindi-English-Nepali (1 volume)]
Taisho: Chinese Buddhist Canon
Chapter 91: The Buddha's Contemplation on Turning the Dharma Wheel < [Part 190 - The Abhinishkramana-sutra]
Chapter 2: Entering the Gate of Dharani (part 2) < [Part 158 - Karunapundarika-sutra (unkown translator)]
Sutta 7: King Ajatashatru Seeks the Buddha < [Part 125 - Ekottara-Agama (Numbered Discourses)]
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)
Appendix 6.2: new and rare words < [Appendices]
Part 6: Vīra’s special vow < [Chapter IV - Mahāvīra’s second period of more than six years]
On the Patriarchal Lineages of Vinaya Transmission Starting with Upāli < [Volume 14, Issue 4 (2023)]
The “Adbhuta-Dharma” Narratives in Translated Chinese... < [Volume 14, Issue 5 (2023)]
How Did Chinese Buddhists Incorporate Indian Metaphors? A Study of Lushan... < [Volume 15, Issue 8 (2024)]