Pushkaravati, Puṣkarāvatī: 9 definitions
Introduction:
Pushkaravati 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 Puṣkarāvatī can be transliterated into English as Puskaravati or Pushkaravati, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index1a) Puṣkarāvatī (पुष्करावती).—The capital of Puṣkara, son of Bharata.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 63. 191; Vāyu-purāṇa 88. 190.
1b) A Goddess enshrined at Prabhāsa.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 13. 43.
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.
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: The VetālapañcaviṃśatiPuṣkarāvatī (पुष्करावती) is the name of a city in the kingdom of King Vikramabāhu, according to the twenty-first story according to the Vetālapañcaviṃśati, a Sanskrit work relating the ‘twenty-five stories of a vetāla’. These stories revolve around the Indian King Vikramāditya whose kingdom is threatened by the machinations of a necromancer.
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraPuṣkarāvatī (पुष्करावती) is the name of a Vidyādhara city located on a peak of the Himālayas, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 37. Accordingly, as Anurāgaparā came out visibly from the pillar: “there is a city called Puṣkarāvatī on a peak of the Himālayas; in it there lives a king named Vindhyapara”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Puṣkarāvatī, 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’.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Maha Prajnaparamita SastraPuṣkarāvatī (पुष्करावती), capital of Gandhāra, on the left bank of the Swāt river. This is the Poukelaītis, Peukelaotis or Peukolaītis of the Greeeks. Puṣkarāvatī had a coinage representing, on the obverse side, the goddess of the city with the inscription Pakhalavadi devada; on the reverse side, the Indian bull with the inscription TAYPOC, Uṣabhe. The goddess bears a mural crown and holds a lotus in her right hand. Her temple was outside the city near the western gate and, according to Hiuan tsang, her image worked miracles. The Greek kings who succeeded at Puṣkāravatī identified her with Artemis, for coins of the Artemis type (Indian bull) were struck by Artemidor and Peukolaos. Hiuan tsang (l. c.) venerated a great stūpa north of the city (according to Foucher, the mound of Bālā-Hissar), built by Aśoka on the place where the Buddha gave the gift of his eyes.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryPuṣkarāvatī (पुष्करावती).—i. e. puṣkara + vant + ī, f. The name of a town.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Puṣkarāvatī (पुष्करावती):—[=puṣkarā-vatī] [from puṣkara > puṣ] f. ‘abounding in lotuses’, Name of a town (= the Πευκελαῶτις of the ancients and the Pousekielofati of Hiouen-Thsang), [Rāmāyaṇa; Kathāsaritsāgara; Purāṇa] (cf. [Pāṇini 6-3, 119 [Scholiast or Commentator]])
2) [v.s. ...] a form of Dākṣāyaṇī, [Matsya-purāṇa]
Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)Puṣkarāvatī (पुष्करावती) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Pukkhalāvaī.
[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)
Partial matches: Pushkara, Vati.
Full-text: Pushkalavati, Gudhasena, Pukkhalavai, Maulimala, Pushkalavata, Karna, Pingalagandhara, Campavati, Kshamavati, Kamasena, Vasavadatta, Manidatta, Kumaradatta, Vindhyapara, Kanakadatta, Ratnadatta, Nidhipatidatta, Anuragapara, Pushkara.
Relevant text
Search found 5 books and stories containing Pushkaravati, Puṣkarāvatī, Puskaravati, Pushkara-vati, Puṣkarā-vatī, Puskara-vati; (plurals include: Pushkaravatis, Puṣkarāvatīs, Puskaravatis, vatis, vatīs). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Note on the story of the Prince and the Merchant’s son < [Notes]
Chapter XXXVII < [Book VII - Ratnaprabhā]
Chapter CVI < [Book XIV - Pañca]
Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)
Part 4 - Story of the complete gift of the painter Karṇa < [Chapter XIX - The Characteristics of Generosity]
Part 4 - The buddha’s frequent sojourns in Rājagṛha and Śrāvastī < [Chapter V - Rājagṛha]
Introduction to second volume < [Introductions]
The Padma Purana (by N.A. Deshpande)
One hundred and eight (108) names of Sāvitrī < [Section 1 - Sṛṣṭi-khaṇḍa (section on creation)]
The Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 198 - The Greatness of Śūleśvara Tīrtha < [Section 3 - Revā-khaṇḍa]
The Brahmanda Purana (by G.V. Tagare)
Chapter 63 - The Ikṣvāku dynasty (vaṃśa) < [Section 3 - Upodghāta-pāda]