Ratnavali, Ratnāvali, Ratna-avali: 16 definitions
Introduction:
Ratnavali 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.
In Hinduism
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली) refers to “jewel-neckalce” and is classified as an ornament (ābharaṇa) for the neck (kaṇṭha) to be worn by females, according to Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 23. Such ornaments for females should be used in cases of human females and celestial beings (gods and goddesses).
Ābharaṇa (‘ornaments’, eg., ratnāvalī) is a category of alaṃkāra, or “decorations”, which in turn is a category of nepathya, or “costumes and make-up”, the perfection of which forms the main concern of the Āhāryābhinaya, or “extraneous representation”, a critical component for a successful dramatic play.

Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing Dramatic plays (nataka), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).
Kavya (poetry)
Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली) is the daughter of a merchant from Candanapura, as mentioned in the third story of the Vetālapañcaviṃśati in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 77. Accordingly, “... and finding out that he was of good birth, entertained him, and adopted him as a protégé. And he gave him his daughter Ratnāvalī, with a dower, and thenceforth Dhanadatta lived in his father-in-law’s house”.
The story of Ratnāvalī is mentioned in the Vetālapañcaviṃśati (twenty-five tales of a vetāla) which is embedded in the twelfth book of the Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’). The main book is a famous Sanskrit epic detailing the exploits of prince Naravāhanadatta in his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The Kathā-sarit-sāgara is is explained to be an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā which consisted of 100,000 verses and in turn forms part of an even larger work containing 700,000 verses.
Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली) is the name a locality mentioned in Rājaśekhara’s 10th-century Kāvyamīmāṃsā.—A city on the southern ranges of the Malaya Mountain.

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’.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली) refers to a “necklace made of gems”, according to the Kularatnoddyota, one of the earliest Kubjikā Tantras.—Accordingly, “[...] (The gross form has) five faces, ten arms and, pure, it has a smiling face. [...] Her stomach is thin, navel, deep set and thighs large. (Her) hips and knees are very soft. She has beautiful thighs and red finger (nails) that are very beautiful. She (wears) beautiful cloths, a divine garland and an excellent shawl. (She wears) a necklace made of large gems [i.e., mahā-ratnāvalī-hāra], bangles on her limbs, anklets and a blazing diadem of rubies (māṇikya). O supreme mistress, adorned with divine rings (on her fingers), she sits on a svastika (as her) seat”.

Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Ratnāvali (रत्नावलि) is the shorter name of Ratnāvalidvīpa, one of the continents (dvīpa) of the middle-world (madhyaloka) which is encircled by the ocean named Ratnāvalisasamudra (or simply Ratnāvali), according to Jain cosmology. The middle-world contains innumerable concentric dvīpas and, as opposed to the upper-world (adhaloka) and the lower-world (ūrdhvaloka), is the only world where humans can be born.
Ratnāvali is recorded in ancient Jaina canonical texts dealing with cosmology and geography of the universe. Examples of such texts are the Saṃgrahaṇīratna in the Śvetāmbara tradition or the Tiloyapannatti and the Trilokasāra in the Digambara tradition.
1) Ratnāvali (रत्नावलि) refers to a form of penance, according to chapter 2.1 [ajitanātha-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: “Vimalavāhana practiced penance, the ekāvali, ratnāvali, kanakāvali, and siṃhaniḥkrīḍita long and short. Beginning destruction of karma by a mouth’s fast, he performed penance in the form of fasting ending with a fast of eight months. After he had practiced severe penance in this way and had performed the two saṃlekhanās, at the end he fasted till death, absorbed entirely in tranquillity. Recalling the formula of homage to the Five Supreme Ones, absorbed in abstract meditation, he abandoned his body as easily as a house”.
2) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली) is the daughter of Vidyādhara-lord Nityāloka, according to the Jain Ramayana and chapter 7.2 [Rāvaṇa’s expedition of conquest].—Accordingly, “Daśānana, whose command was acknowledged by Sugrīva, married his sister, Śrīprabhā, took her and went to Laṅkā. Rāvaṇa married by force beautiful daughters of other Vidyādhara-kings, also. Then he set out to marry Ratnāvalī, daughter of the Vidyādhara-lord, Nityāloka, in Nityālokapura. As he was going above Mount Aṣṭāpada, his car Puṣpaka stumbled suddenly, like an army of enemies against a wall. [...]”.

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
Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली).—
1) a necklace of jewels.
2) Name of a Nāṭikā attributed to Śrīharṣa.
Ratnāvalī is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms ratna and āvalī (आवली).
Ratnāvali (रत्नावलि).—f.
(-liḥ) A necklace of gems. E. ratna, āvali a row; also ratnāvalī .
Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली).—[feminine] pearl necklace, a woman’s name; T. of a play.
1) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—an elementary grammar. Lgr. 105.
—by Gauramodana Vidyāratna. Burnell. 41^b.
2) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—kāvya, by Kavicandra. Mentioned by him Oxf. 211^b.
3) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—nāṭaka, by Harshadeva. Jones. 414. Oxf. 144^b. Paris. (B 82b). K. 74. B. 2, 122. Ben. 37. Kāṭm. 7. Rādh. 23. Burnell. 172^a. P. 10. Bhr. 630. H. 106. Taylor. 1, 479. Oppert. 601. 667. 916. 1552. 1553. 2417. 2682. 3465. 4566. 5756. 7377. Ii, 846. 974. 1147. 1365. 3358. 5994. 8766. 9084. Rice. 264. W. 1565. Peters. 3, 395. Bühler 554.
—[commentary] NW. 624.
—[commentary] by Bhīmasena. K. 74. Bühler 542. Translation of the Prākṛt passages by Mudgaladeva. Br. M. (addit. 26, 359).
4) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—[dharma] See Smṛtiratnāvalī. Quoted by Raghunandana Oxf. 292^b, by Kamalākara, in Dravyaśuddhidīpikā Oxf. 274^a, in Saṃskārakaustubha, etc.
5) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—yoga. Quoted in Tantrasāra Oxf. 95^b, in Āgamatattvavilāsa. See Yogaratnāvalī.
6) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—vedānta, by Brahmānandasvāmin. Rice. 166. See Nyāyaratnāvalī.
7) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—[nyāya] Rice. 118.
—Vādasudhāṭīkā by Kṛṣṇamitra.
8) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—jy. Kāṭm. 10 (and—[commentary]). Quoted in Mārtaṇḍavallabhā.
9) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—med. Cop. 104.
—by Kavīndracandra. Np. I, 16.
—by Rādhāmādhava. Np. I, 12.
10) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—nāṭaka, by Harshadeva. Bl. 93. Gov. Or. Libr. Madras 74. Hz. 267. Peters. 4, 29 (inc.). Rgb. 398. 454. 455. Stein 78.
—[commentary] Ratnāvalīdyuti by Govinda. Stein 78. 298. Prākṛtachāyā. Peters. 4, 29. Rgb. 456.
11) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—jy. Quoted by Hemādri in Pariśeṣakhaṇḍa 2, 848. 849. 857. 858, etc., by Divākara in Prauḍhamanoramā.
12) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—med. See Cikitsā^0, Yoga^0, Rasa^0.
—by Rājīvalocana. Quoted by him in Siddhayogārṇava, Catal. Io. p. 941. Mentioned ibid. p. 944.
13) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—nāṭaka by Harshadeva. As p. 159 (2 Mss.). Bd. 452. Io. 971. 2353. Peters. 5, 432.
1) Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—[from ratna] f. a string of pearls, [Mṛcchakaṭikā; Hitopadeśa; Kathāsaritsāgara]
2) [v.s. ...] a [particular] rhetorical figure, [Kuvalayānanda]
3) [v.s. ...] Name of various women, [Kathāsaritsāgara; Rājataraṅgiṇī] etc.
4) [v.s. ...] of a drama by king Harṣa-deva (or rather by the poet Bāṇa; cf. [Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams 505 n. 1])
5) [v.s. ...] of other wks. (also vali)
Ratnāvali (रत्नावलि):—[ratnā+vali] (liḥ) 2. f. Necklace of gems.
[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.
Kannada-English dictionary
Ratnāvaḷi (ರತ್ನಾವಳಿ):—[noun] a string of gems and pearls.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Ratnāvalī (रत्नावली):—n. necklace of jewels;
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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Ratna, Avali.
Starts with: Ratnavalidvipa, Ratnavalinibandha, Ratnavalipaddhati, Ratnavalisamudra, Ratnavalistotra, Ratnavalivara, Ratnavalivaradvipa, Ratnavalivarasamudra, Ratnavalivaravabhasa, Ratnavalivaravabhasadvipa, Ratnavalivaravabhasasamudra.
Full-text (+708): Vrittaratnavali, Yogaratnavali, Dhaturatnavali, Smritiratnavali, Shabdaratnavali, Hatharatnavali, Bhaktiratnavali, Prasangaratnavali, Dravyaratnavali, Bhaishajyaratnavali, Dravidopanishattatparyaratnavali, Nyayaratnavali, Prameyaratnavali, Ratnavalinibandha, Kramaratnavali, Karmaratnavali, Bhagavadvilasaratnavali, Pancangaratnavali, Krityaratnavali, Hastaratnavali.
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Search found 99 books and stories containing Ratnavali, Ratnāvali, Ratnāvalī, Ratna-avali, Ratna-āvalī, Ratnāvaḷi; (plurals include: Ratnavalis, Ratnāvalis, Ratnāvalīs, avalis, āvalīs, Ratnāvaḷis). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
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