Pracetas: 13 definitions
Introduction:
Pracetas means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit. 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 Prachetas.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation1) Pracetas (प्रचेतस्) is the name of a deity mentioned the Śivapurāṇa 2.2.41.—Accordingly, as Viṣṇu and others eulogized Śiva:—“[...] obeisance, obeisance to one who is omni-formed and the plentiful; obeisance to Nīla, Nīlarudra, Kadrudra and Pracetas. Obeisance to the most bounteous lord who is pervaded by rays, who is the greatest, and the destroyer of the enemies of the gods”.
2) Pracetas (प्रचेतस्) is another name for Varuṇa, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.7 (“Commencement of the War”).—Accordingly, as Brahmā narrated to Nārada: “[...] Leaving the elephant to lord Indra, Kumāra got in an aerial chariot of wonderful build and studded with different sets of gems. [...] The lustrous umbrella presented by Varuṇa (pracetas), shining with various gems was held aloft over his head. Beams of light as though of infinite moons shed great lustre around. Indra and other gods of great strength, desirous of fighting, joined him with their own divisions of the army. [...]”.
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaPracetas (प्रचेतस्).—The emperor Pṛthu, had two virtuous sons named Antardhāna and Vādī. Antardhāna got a son named Havirdhāna of his wife Śikhaṇḍinī. Dhiṣaṇā of the race of Agni became the wife of Havirdhāna She got of Havirdhāna six sons named Prācīnabarhis, Śukra, Gaya, Kṛṣṇa Vraja and Ajina. (Chapter 14, Aṃśa 1, Viṣṇu Purāṇa). Prācīnabarhis had ten sons named Pracetas. They were Prajāpatis. Dakṣa was born of the ten Prajāpatis to Vārkṣī alias Māriṣā. Therefore he got the name Prācetas. (Śloka 5, Chapter 75, Ādi Parva).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index1a) Pracetas (प्रचेतस्).—The son of Durdama; had a hundred sons who went to the North as lords of the mlecchas.1 Father of Śatadharma.2
- 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 23. 15-16; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 74. 11-12; Vāyu-purāṇa 99. 11.
- 2) Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 17. 4-5.
1b) (praśānti) a name of Śanti Agni.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 12. 29; Vāyu-purāṇa 29. 27.
1c) A Mantrakṛt; see Cyavana.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 32. 104; III. 1. 92; Vāyu-purāṇa 65. 54, 88.
1d) A Pārāvata god.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 36. 13. Vāyu-purāṇa 62. 12.
1e) A god of Prasūta group.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 36. 70.
1f) A god of the Lekha group.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 36. 75.
1g) One of the Mind-born sons of Brahmā; a Mantrakṛt.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 3. 7; 102. 19; 145. 98; Vāyu-purāṇa 59. 96.
1h) The son of Viduṣa; had 100 sons, all chieftains of the mleccha countries of the northern regions.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 48. 8-9.
1i) The father of the Yakṣas.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 69. 11.

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.
Vastushastra (architecture)
Source: Brill: Śaivism and the Tantric Traditions (architecture)Pracetas (प्रचेतस्) (or Varuṇa) refers to one of the deities to be installed in the ground plan for the construction of houses, according to the Bṛhatkālottara, chapter 112 (the vāstuyāga-paṭala).—The plan for the construction is always in the form of a square. That square is divided into a grid of cells (padas). [...] Once these padas have been laid out, deities [e.g., Pracetas] are installed in them. In the most common pattern 45 deities are installed.
Pracetas as a doorway deity is associated with the Nakṣatra called Rohiṇī and the consequence is śaṣyada. [...] The Mayasaṃgraha (verse 5.156-187) describes a design for a 9-by-9-part pura, a residential complex for a community and its lead figure. [...] This record lists a place for food storage at Sugrīva, Puṣpadanta and Pracetas.

Vastushastra (वास्तुशास्त्र, vāstuśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science (shastra) of architecture (vastu), dealing with topics such architecture, sculpture, town-building, fort building and various other constructions. Vastu also deals with the philosophy of the architectural relation with the cosmic universe.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Source: archive.org: TrisastisalakapurusacaritraPracetas (प्रचेतस्) refers to a group of deities, according to chapter 1.2 [ādīśvara-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.—Accordingly, while narrating the personal description of Ṛṣabha: “[...] supported by Mahendra, with chauris held by Yakṣas, with Dharaṇendra acting as door-keeper, with an umbrella held by Pracetas, surrounded by gods saying ‘Long live! Long live!’ unassuming, the Master of the World passed his time agreeably”.

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryPracetas (प्रचेतस्).—m.
1) An epithet of Varuṇa; Kumārasambhava 2.21.
2) Name of an ancient sage and law-giver; Manusmṛti 1.35.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryPracetas (प्रचेतस्).—mfn.
(-tāḥ-tāḥ-taḥ) Happy, delighted. m.
(-tāḥ) 1. Varuna, the regent of water. 2. The name of a saint and law-giver. m. plu.
(-saḥ) The ten sons of Prachinavarhi by the daughter of Varuna, and the progenitors of Daksha. E. pra best, first, cetas the heart.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryPracetas (प्रचेतस्).—[pra-cetas], I. adj. Wise, intelligent. Ii. m. 1. A name of Varuṇa. 2. The name of a Ṛṣi. 3. (also pracetas + a), m. pl. The ten sons of Pracīnavarhis. 4. The name of a king.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryPracetas (प्रचेतस्).—[adjective] attentive, knowing, wise; [masculine] [Epithet] of Varuṇa.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Pracetas (प्रचेतस्):—[=pra-cetas] [from pra-cit] (pra-) mfn. attentive, observant, mindful, clever, wise (said of the gods, [especially] of Agni and the Ādityas), [Ṛg-veda; Atharva-veda; Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā; Taittirīya-saṃhitā]
2) [v.s. ...] (pra-) happy, delighted, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
3) [v.s. ...] (pra-) m. Name of Varuṇa, [Harivaṃśa; Kālidāsa; Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
4) [v.s. ...] (pra-) Name of a Prajā-pati (an ancient sage and law-giver), [Manu-smṛti i, 35] (-smṛti f. Name of [work])
5) [v.s. ...] (pra-) Name of a prince (son of Duduha), [Harivaṃśa]
6) [v.s. ...] (pra-) Name of a son of Duryāman, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa]
7) [v.s. ...] (pra-) Name of a son of Dur-mada, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
8) [v.s. ...] (pra-) [plural] ([wrong reading] prāc) Name of the 10 sons of Prācīna-barhis by a daughter of Varuṇa (they are the progenitors of Dakṣa), [Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa; Purāṇa]
9) Prācetas (प्राचेतस्):—[=prā-cetas] [from prā] m. [plural] Name of the 10 sons of Prācīna-barhis (= pra-cetas), [Mahābhārata]
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English DictionaryPracetas (प्रचेतस्):—[pra-cetas] (tāḥ) 5. m. Varuna; plu. his grandsons; name of a sage and lawgiver. a. Happy, delighted.
[Sanskrit to German]
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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Pracetahsmriti, Pracetasa, Pracetasastava, Pracetasi.
Ends with: Apracetas, Brihatpracetas, Supracetas, Vatsapracetas.
Full-text (+40): Pracetasa, Varkshi, Brihatpracetas, Pracetahsmriti, Savarna, Sucetas, Lekha, Pracinabarhis, Prashanta, Apracetas, Supracetas, Vatsapracetas, Apracetita, Brahmajivin, Durmana, Dravinasa, Druhyuvamsha, Vidusha, Va, Turvasuvamsha.
Relevant text
Search found 31 books and stories containing Pracetas, Pra-cetas, Prā-cetas, Prācetas; (plurals include: Pracetases, cetases, Prācetases). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
The Bhagavata Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 23 - The History of the Dynasties of Anu, Druhyu, Turvasu and Yadu < [Book 9 - Ninth Skandha]
Chapter 4 - History of Dakṣa, the son of Pracetas < [Book 6 - Sixth Skandha]
Chapter 11 - The Story of Rāma (concluded) < [Book 9 - Ninth Skandha]
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
The Markandeya Purana (Study) (by Chandamita Bhattacharya)
Marriage (c): Polyandry < [Chapter 2]
Harivamsha Purana (by Manmatha Nath Dutt)
Chapter 2 - The Origin of Men: the Birth of Daksha < [Book 1 - Harivamsa Parva]
Chapter 20 - The Fruits of Yoga < [Book 3 - Bhavishya Parva]
Chapter 28 - Shiva Obstructs Daksha’s Sacrifice and Hari Fights with Him < [Book 3 - Bhavishya Parva]
The Brahmanda Purana (by G.V. Tagare)
Chapter 2 - The progeny of Prajāpati: the race of Dakṣa < [Section 3 - Upodghāta-pāda]
Chapter 37 - Cākṣuṣa Manvantara and dynasty of Vaivasvata Manu < [Section 2 - Anuṣaṅga-pāda]
Chapter 57 - Varuṇa visits Bhārgava < [Section 3 - Upodghāta-pāda]
Related products