Sadhvi, Sādhvī, Sādhvin, Sadhvin: 13 definitions
Introduction:
Sadhvi means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, Marathi, Hindi. 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
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Sādhvī (साध्वी, “accomplish”):—Name of one of the goddesses to be worshipped during Āvaraṇapūjā (“Worship of the Circuit of Goddesses”), according to the Durgāpūjātattva (“The truth concerning Durgā’s ritual”). They should be worshipped with either the five upācāras or perfume and flowers.
Her mantra is as follows:
ह्रीं ओं साध्व्यै नमः
hrīṃ oṃ sādhvyai namaḥ
Sādhvī (साध्वी) refers to “she who is wise and sober”, according to the Lalitāsahasranāma.—Lalitā’s thousand names are eulogized in the Lalitāsahasranāma, describing the goddess’s spiritual beauty on the analogy of physical, sensuous beauty. [...] Of course, the Goddess’s chastity and purity is no less than her erotic energy (kāma). She likes drinking wine very much (mādhvī-pānalalasā) (575) and is, like the Kaula Tantric consort, inebriated (mattā). And yet she is wise and sober (sādhvī) (128). She is the wife, not lover of Kāmeśa. The thread that signals that she is married to him adorns her waist. Only Kāmeśvara has experienced the bliss of the softness of her thighs.
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.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Nighantu (Synonyms and Characteristics of Drugs and technical terms)
Sādhvī (साध्वी) is another name for Medā, an unidentified medicinal plant, according to verse 5.22-24 of the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu. The fifth chapter (parpaṭādi-varga) of this book enumerates sixty varieties of smaller plants (kṣudra-kṣupa). Together with the names Sādhvī and Medā, there are a total of nineteen Sanskrit synonyms identified for this plant.
Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Sādhvī (साध्वी) refers to a “chaste lady” and is used to describe Pārvatī (daughter of Menā and the incarnation of Goddess Śivā), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.8.—Accordingly, Sage Nārada said to Menā:—“O Menā, O king of mountains, this daughter of yours has all auspicious signs. Like the first digit of the moon she will increase day by day. She will delight her husband, and heighten the glory of her parents. She will be a great chaste lady [i.e., mahā-sādhvī]. She will grant bliss to everyone always. I see all good signs in the palm of your daughter, O lord of mountains. There is an abnormal line also. Listen to the indication thereof. Her husband will be a naked Yogin, without any qualities. He will be free from lust. He will have neither mother nor father. He will be indifferent to honours. His dress and manners will be inauspicious”.
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.
India history and geography
Sādhvī.—(JHA), a Jain nun. Note: sādhvī is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.
The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
sādhvī (साध्वी).—f (S) The wife of a Sadhu or holy personage: also a holy and saintly woman.
sādhvī (साध्वी).—f The wife of a sādhu; a holy and saintly woman.
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
Sādhvī (साध्वी).—
1) A virtuous or chaste woman.
2) A faithful wife.
3) Name of a kind of root.
1) Sādhvī (साध्वी):—[from sādhu > sādh] a f. a chaste or virtuous woman, faithful wife, [Manu-smṛti; Mahābhārata] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] a saintly woman, [Horace H. Wilson]
3) [v.s. ...] a kind of root (= medā), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
4) [from sādh] b f. See under sādhu, p. 1201, col. 2
Sādhvī (साध्वी) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Sāhuī, Sāhuṇī.
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
Sādhvī (साध्वी):—(a) chaste (woman), virtuous.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Sādhvi (ಸಾಧ್ವಿ):—
1) [noun] a woman having, characterised by moral virtue, tender and human qualities.
2) [noun] a woman who is chaste and complementary to her husband in the domestic and spiritual affairs.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Sādhvī (साध्वी):—n. a virtuous woman or wife;
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)
Starts with: Sadhvika, Sadhvimani, Sadhvini, Sadhvishapa, Satvikam, Satvikan.
Full-text (+21): Mahasadhvi, Sati-sadhvi, Sadhvika, Mahasadhu, Sadhvimani, Samgha, Sadhvishapa, Sahuni, Anumarana, Vriddhashravas, Sahui, Sadhu, Cattavi, Bhaujya, Yoganidra, Kulavadhu, Kulayoshit, Ashanak, Rina, Svarajya.
Relevant text
Search found 51 books and stories containing Sadhvi, Sādhvī, Sadhvī, Sādhvi, Sādhvin; (plurals include: Sadhvis, Sādhvīs, Sadhvīs, Sādhvis, Sādhvins). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Between the Boundaries of Asceticism and Activism < [Volume 14, Issue 9 (2023)]
“Everyone Drinks from the Same Well” < [Volume 14, Issue 6 (2023)]
‘Examining Religion’ through Generations of Jain Audiences < [Volume 10, Issue 5 (2019)]
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)
Part 11: Rathanemi and Rājīmatī < [Chapter X - The recovery of draupadī]
Part 6: Kalkin < [Chapter XIII - Śrī Mahāvīra’s nirvāṇa]
Part 2: Jamāli’s heresy < [Chapter VIII - Initiation of ṛṣabhadatta and devānandā]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 374 < [Hindi-English-Nepali (1 volume)]
Page 1080 < [Marathi-Hindi-English, Volume 2]
Page 261 < [Hindi-Gujarati-English Volume 3]
Jainism and Patanjali Yoga (Comparative Study) (by Deepak bagadia)
Six Essential observances < [Chapter 3 - Jain Philosophy and Practice]
Part 6 - Spiritual Practices prescribed for Jain ascetics—Monks and Nuns < [Chapter 3 - Jain Philosophy and Practice]
Significance of the prime Symbol of Jainism: < [Chapter 3 - Jain Philosophy and Practice]
Preksha meditation: History and Methods (by Samani Pratibha Pragya)
Bibliography II: Terāpantha-Literature including Mahāprajña’s Literature on Prekṣā-Dhyāna
Traces of Mysticism in Jainism (Study) (by Sadhvi Madhystha Prabha)
4.1. Historical Explaination of Mysticism in Indian Tradition < [Chapter 1 - Introduction to Mysticism]