In Hinduism

Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)

Source: Wisdom Library: Brihat Samhita by Varahamihira

Rahas (रहस्) refers to the “secret (course of the Ravi)”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 12), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “Hear now the effects of the heliacal rising of Canopus (Agastya), a star sacred to Agastya who suppressed the Vindhya mountains whose soaring heights obstructed the course of the Sun; [...] whose summits appeared to score the starry vault; whose rocks were full of buzzing bees scared by the violent pulling of flower trees by wild elephants and were also the abodes of hyenas, of bears, of tigers and of monkeys; through which lay the secret course of the Ravi [i.e., rahas] which appeared to embrace its bosom with the affection of a mistress; and in whose forests dwelt the Devas and also Brāhmaṇa recluses, some subsisting on water, some on roots, some on the air and some altogether without food”.

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Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Rahas (रहस्) refers to a “secret”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.54 (“Description of the duties of the chaste wife”).—Accordingly, as a Brahmin lady said to Pārvatī: “[...] She who forsakes her husband and secretly (rahas) [rahaścarati] violates her fidelity is born as a she-owl of cruel nature wasting its days in the hollow of a tree. If she desires to beat her husband in retaliation, she becomes a tiger or a wild cat. She who ogles at another man becomes squint-eyed. She who partakes of sweet dish denying the same to her husband becomes a pig in the village or a wild goat eating its own dung. [...]”.

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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.

Sports, Arts and Entertainment (wordly enjoyments)

Source: archive.org: Syainika Sastra of Rudradeva with English Translation (art)

Rahas (रहस्) refers to a “private (party)”, according to the Śyainika-śāstra: a Sanskrit treatise dealing with the divisions and benefits of Hunting and Hawking, written by Rājā Rudradeva (or Candradeva) in possibly the 13th century.—Accordingly, “[...] It has been said that there are eighteen addictions. These are the outcome of the desire for earthly enjovments. [...] Disparagement means be-littling the merits of others and attributing demerits to them. It becomes enjoyable in a party (rahas-goṣṭhi) [rahogoṣṭhyāṃ] when uttered by jesters and others. In dramas, novels and other compositions it is extensively used, sometimes pithily and sometimes in a verbose and round-about way. [...]”.

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This section covers the skills and profiencies of the Kalas (“performing arts”) and Shastras (“sciences”) involving ancient Indian traditions of sports, games, arts, entertainment, love-making and other means of wordly enjoyments. Traditionally these topics were dealt with in Sanskrit treatises explaing the philosophy and the justification of enjoying the pleasures of the senses.

Languages of India and abroad

Pali-English dictionary

Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Rahas, & Raho (nt.) (Vedic rahas. The Pāli word is restricted to the forms raho and rahā° (=*rahaḥ); a Loc. rahasi is mentioned by Childers, but not found in the Canon.—To rahati) lonely place, solitude, loneliness; secrecy, privacy.—1. raho: occurring only as adv. “secretly, lonely, in secret, ” either absolutely, e.g. S. I, 46; Sn. 388; Pv. II, 7¹⁶ (opp. āvi openly); IV, 1⁴⁰ (raho nisinna); Vism. 201 (na raho karoti pāpāni: arahaṃ tena vuccati); or in cpds. e.g. °gata being in private, being alone D. I, 134 (+paṭisallīna); Sn. p. 60. See also under paṭisallīna; °gama “secret convention, secret intercourse, ” fig. a secret adviser J. VI, 369 (after Kern, not found!); °vāda secret talk M. III, 230. See also anu°.—2. rahā°, only in cpd. rahā-bhāva secrecy, in definition of arahant at DA. I, 146=Vism. 201 (rahābhāvena ten’esa arahan ti). See also der. rāha-seyyaka. Note. Hardy’s reading yathā rahaṃ at Pv. II, 9²³ & PvA. 78 is not correct, it should be yath’ârahaṃ (cp. similarly pūj-âraha). In the same sense we would preferably read agg’āsan’ādi-arahānaṃ “of those who merit the first seat etc. ” at J. I, 217, although all MSS. have aggāsanādi-rahānaṃ, thus postulating a form raha=araha. (Page 567)

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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.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Rahas (रहस्).—n. [rah-asun Uṇādi-sūtra 4.222]

1) Solitude, privacy, loneliness, retirement, secrecy; अथ राजा दशरथः कदाचि- द्रहसि स्थितः (atha rājā daśarathaḥ kadāci- drahasi sthitaḥ) A. Rām.2.2.1; रहसि रमते (rahasi ramate) Mālatīmādhava (Bombay) 2.2; R.3. 3;15.92; Pañcatantra (Bombay) 1.138.

2) A deserted or lonely place, hiding-place.

3) A secret, mystery; कथ्यतां न रहो यदि (kathyatāṃ na raho yadi) Bhāgavata 9.9.19.

4) Copulation, coition.

5) Truth.

6) Swiftness.

7) A privity. -ind. Secretly, clandestinely, privately, in private or seret; अतः परीक्ष्य कर्तव्यं विशेषात्सं- गतं रहः (ataḥ parīkṣya kartavyaṃ viśeṣātsaṃ- gataṃ rahaḥ) Ś.5.24; oft. in comp.; वृत्तं रहःप्रणयमप्रतिपद्यमाने (vṛttaṃ rahaḥpraṇayamapratipadyamāne) 5.23.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Rahas (रहस्).—n. Subst.

(-haḥ) 1. Solitariness, privacy. 2. Copulation. 3. A privity. 4. A religious or mystic truth. Ind. or an adv.

(-haḥ) Solitary, private, in private, secretly, privily. E. rah to abandon, (society, &c.) and asun aff.; or ram to sport or play, with the same aff., and aha substituted for the radical final.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Rahas (रहस्).—[rah + as], I. n. 1. Secrecy, [Pañcatantra] 253, 25; Chr. 5, 6; [Vikramorvaśī, (ed. Bollensen.)] [distich] 51 (loc., secretly). 2. A secret, [Rājataraṅgiṇī] 5, 317; a religious or mystic truth. 3. A place of privacy, a hiding-place, solitude, [Daśakumāracarita] in Chr. 181, 23; [Lassen, Anthologia Sanskritica.] 55, 15. 4. Copulation, [Pañcatantra] i. [distich] 197 (but cf. Böhtl. Ind. Spr. 2366). 5. A privity. Ii. adv. Secretly, privily, [Pañcatantra] 192, 23; Chr. 53, 22. Cf. rak.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Rahas (रहस्).—[neuter] solitude, lonely place, as [adverb] secretely.

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

1) Rahas (रहस्):—[from raṃh] 1. rahas n. (for 2. See p.871, [column] 1) swiftness, speed, velocity, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]

2) [from rah] 2. rahas n. (for 1. See p. 859, col. 3) a lonely or deserted place, loneliness, solitude, privacy, secrecy, retirement (rahas ind., si ind. and ssu ind. privately, in secret), [Manu-smṛti; Mahābhārata] etc.

3) [v.s. ...] a secret, mystery, mystical truth, [Kāvya literature; Purāṇa]

4) [v.s. ...] sexual intercourse, copulation, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

5) [v.s. ...] ind., privately, in secret

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Rahas (रहस्):—(haḥ) 5. n. Privacy; copulation; privity; mystic truth. adv. Solitary, in solitude.

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)

Rahas (रहस्) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Raha.

[Sanskrit to German]

Rahas 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.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Starts with (+77): Rahahkama, Rahahkara, Rahasa, Rahasali, Rahasanandin, Rahaseyyaka, Rahasi, Rahasi-niyukta, Rahasika, Rahasiya, Rahaskama, Rahaskamata, Rahaskara, Rahassa, Rahassaka, Rahassakatha, Rahassiya, Rahassu, Rahastas, Rahastha.

Ends with: Anurahas, Arahas, Grahas, Prahas, Samprahas, Surahas, Vatarahas.

Full-text (+16): Raha, Rahasya, Rahay, Rahi, Anurahasa, Rahahstha, Rahahkamata, Rahastas, Rahahkara, Rahahkama, Rahasa, Anurahas, Raho, Rahassu, Rahasyanushasika, Rahasi, Arahita, Arahaya, Taptarahasa, Strirahahkama.

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Search found 2 books and stories containing Rahas; (plurals include: Rahases). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)

Verse 5.16.24 < [Chapter 16 - Comforting Sri Radha and the Gopis]

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Natyashastra (English) (by Bharata-muni)

Chapter XVII - Diction of a Play (lakṣaṇa)

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