Samcara, Sañcāra, Sañcara, Saṃcāra, Saṃcara, Sancara, Samcāra: 21 definitions

Introduction:

Samcara means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, 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.

Alternative spellings of this word include Samchara.

In Hinduism

Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Nāṭya-śāstra

Saṃcāra (संचार, “movement”) refers to the “movements” of notes (svara) and relates to the strong aṃśa notes, according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 28. It can also be spelled as Sañcāra (सञ्चार).

Natyashastra book cover
context information

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).

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Yoga (school of philosophy)

[«previous next»] — Samcara in Yoga glossary
Source: ORA: Amanaska (king of all yogas): A Critical Edition and Annotated Translation by Jason Birch

Sañcāra (सञ्चार) refers to the “circulating (the breath)” (through the channels of the body), according to the Amaraughaprabodha: a short 13th century treatise on Yoga attributed to Gorakṣanātha which teaches the fourfold system of yoga (Mantra, Laya, Haṭha and Rāja).—Accordingly, “Some drink urine, their own impurity. Some eat their saliva as food. Some draw up [their] semen that falls from a woman’s vagina after having penetrated [her]. And some who are skilled in circulating (sañcāra) the breath through the channels of the entire body, consume dhātus. They do not have mastery of the body without [the state of] Rājayoga, in which their minds are absent. When the mind has attained equanimity and the breath moves into the central channel, [then] these Amarolī, Vajrolī and Sahajolī [Mudras] arise”.

Yoga book cover
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Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).

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Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)

Source: ORA: Amanaska (king of all yogas): (Shaivism)

Sañcara (सञ्चर) refers to “moving on” (from womb to womb), according to Śivasūtra 3.1 (Cf. Kṣemarāja’s Śivasūtravimarśinī).—Accordingly, “The citta is the [contracted] self (ātmā cittam)”—[Kṣemarāja’s explanation]—“This citta, which is permanent because it is not coloured by the impressions left by sense-objects and which takes the form of the buddhi, ahaṅkāra and manas with their functions of judgement, [ appropriation,] and [attention], is [called] the Ātmā [here], that is, the atomic individual, [from the verb √at ‘to wander’ in the meaning ‘the wanderer’,] because it moves on (sañcara) from womb to womb by taking on the operations of Sattva, [Rajas and Tamas] as a result of its being unaware of its true nature as [unlimited] consciousness”.

Shaivism book cover
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Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.

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Sports, Arts and Entertainment (wordly enjoyments)

[«previous next»] — Samcara in Arts glossary
Source: archive.org: Syainika Sastra of Rudradeva with English Translation (art)

Sañcāra (सञ्चार) refers to “moving (towards the quarry)” (during hunting), 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, [while discussing the outlines of hawking]: “[...] At the time of the search, the circle should move slowly along (sañcāra), and after the fall of the bird still slower. Those who proceed in front of the horsemen, with canes ine their hands, should throw, by Muṣṭimoka, Dhūtis and Ṭonās against quails and other quarry. Their motion, on account of their swiftness, cannot be perceived. They add to the enjoyment of the spectators by darting obliquely (?) on the quarry, which is discovered by the noise, cīcīkucī they make when they are captured. [...]”.

Arts book cover
context information

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.

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In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: MDPI Books: The Ocean of Heroes

Sañcāra (सञ्चार) refers to “rotating” (in circles representing holy sites), according to the 10th-century Ḍākārṇava-tantra: one of the last Tibetan Tantric scriptures belonging to the Buddhist Saṃvara tradition consisting of 51 chapters.—Accordingly: [while explaining the body circle (kāyacakra)]: “[...] The first Yoginī in that circle is the one [who] emerged in the beginning (Vārāhī)—the twelve [classes of Yoginīs] are to be discerned by her; [they] rotate (sañcāra) in [the twelve circles representing] the pīṭha, upapīṭha, [and so on]. The other [Yoginīs] residing at the gates and corners are [expressive of] the thirteenth Level. [Every Yoginī is] to be discerned with a name starting with ‘Vajra’ at the time of offering and praise. [This is] also the case of [the names of] the heroes. [...]”.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

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In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: The University of Sydney: A study of the Twelve Reflections

Saṃcāra (संचार) refers to the “distress (of stones)”, according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “Here in the cycle of rebirth consisting of endless misfortune, sentient beings roam about repeatedly, struck down by spear, axe, vice, fire, corrosive liquid or razor in hell, consumed by the multitude of flames (śikhāsaṃbhāra; var.—śilā-saṃcāra—“the distress of stones”) from the fire of violent actions in the plant and animal world , and subject to unequalled trouble in the human condition [or] full of desire among the gods. [Thus ends the reflection on] the cycle of rebirth.”.

General definition book cover
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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.

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Languages of India and abroad

Pali-English dictionary

[«previous next»] — Samcara in Pali glossary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

sañcāra : (m.) passage; movement; wandering.

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

Sañcāra, (saṃ+cāra) 1. going, movement, passing through Sdhp. 244.—2. passages entrance, road J. I, 409; II, 70, 122. (Page 669)

— or —

Sañcara, (fr. saṃ+car) passage, way, medium DA. I, 289. (Page 669)

Pali book cover
context information

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.

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Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

Sañcāra (सञ्चार).—m (S The ca is both tsh and ts.) Penetration into and occupation of; pervasion; as bhūtasañcāra, viṣasañcāra, vātasañcāra. 2 Stirring about in; lively motion or action in. 3 Passage, progress, advance made into. 4 A slip; a turn aside; a devious or erring step; esp. a slip or blunder in a recitation. v g. of s.

Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-English

Sañcāra (सञ्चार).—m Penetration into and occupa- tion of, pervasion; as bhūtasañcāra, viṣasañcāra, vātasacāra. Lively motion or action in; passage, progress.

context information

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.

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Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Saṃcara (संचर).—

1) Passage, transit from one zodiacal sign to another.

2) A way, path; यत्रौषधिप्रकाशेन नक्तं दर्शितसंचराः (yatrauṣadhiprakāśena naktaṃ darśitasaṃcarāḥ) Kumārasambhava 6.43; R.16.12.

3) A narrow road, defile, difficult passage.

4) Entrance, gate.

5) The body.

6) Killing.

7) Development. -a. Going about, moving everywhere; अनिरुक्तस्त्रयोदशः स्तोभः संचरो हुंकारः (aniruktastrayodaśaḥ stobhaḥ saṃcaro huṃkāraḥ) Ch. Up.1.13.3.

Derivable forms: saṃcaraḥ (संचरः).

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Saṃcāra (संचार).—1 Going, movement, travelling or roaming through; स पुनः पार्थसंचारं संचरत्यवनीपतिः (sa punaḥ pārthasaṃcāraṃ saṃcaratyavanīpatiḥ) K. P.1; सुलभ- पुरुषसंचारेऽस्मिन् प्रदेशे (sulabha- puruṣasaṃcāre'smin pradeśe) Mṛcchakaṭika 7; R.2.15.

2) Passing through, passage, transit.

3) A course, way, road, pass.

4) A difficult progress or journey.

5) Difficulty, distress.

6) Inciting.

7) Leading, guiding.

8) Transmission, contagion.

9) A gem said to be found in the hood of serpents.

1) The entrance of the sun into a new sign.

11) Infatuating; तथाख्यातविधानं च योगः संचार एव च (tathākhyātavidhānaṃ ca yogaḥ saṃcāra eva ca) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 12.59.48 (com. saṃcāraḥ śravaṇadarśanābhyāṃ paramohanam).

12) Track (of wild animals).

Derivable forms: saṃcāraḥ (संचारः).

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

Sañcara (सञ्चर).—m.

(-raḥ) A defile, any narrow or difficult pass, a road along the edge of a mountain, or a bridge over a mountain-stream, &c. 2. Difficult passage, travelling along almost impracticable routes. 3. A road, a way. 4. The body. 5. Killing. 6. The passage of a planet from one sign of the zodiac to another. E. sam before car to go, aff. ghañ; also sañcāra .

--- OR ---

Sañcāra (सञ्चार).—m.

(-raḥ) 1. Difficult progress. 2. Difficulty, distress. 3. Leading, guiding. 4. Inciting. 5. Impelling, setting in motion. 6. Contagion, communication or transmission of disease. 7. Course, transition. 8. A gem supposed to be found in the head of a serpent. 9. A way, a pass. E. sam before car to go, aff. ghañ: see sañcara; or sam and car to go, causal v., ac aff.

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

Saṃcara (संचर).—i. e. sam-car + a, m. 1. A defile, any narrow or difficult pass, a road along the edge of a mountain, or a bridge, etc. 2. Difficult passage. 3. A road. 4. The body. 5. Killing.

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Saṃcāra (संचार).—i. e. sam-car + a, m. 1. Difficult progress. 2. Difficulty, distress. 3. Going, [Rāmāyaṇa] 3, 52, 34; motion, [Bhartṛhari, (ed. Bohlen.)] 1, 11. 4. Course, [Uttara Rāmacarita, 2. ed. Calc., 1862.] 42, 16 (of life). 5. Contagion. 6. Setting in motion, Bhāṣāp. 151. 7. Leading. 8. Inciting. 9. A gem supposed to be in the head of a serpent.

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

Saṃcara (संचर).—[adjective] wandering together, happening at the same time, belonging to or partaking of (—°); [masculine] way, road, passage.

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Saṃcāra (संचार).—[masculine] wandering, roaming, riding, driving moving i.[grammar]; going through, passage (also concr.); way, path.

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

1) Saṃcara (संचर):—[=saṃ-cara] [from saṃ-car] mfn. going about, moving (See divā-s)

2) [v.s. ...] going or belonging together, simultaneous, [Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā; Āpastamba-śrauta-sūtra]

3) [v.s. ...] m. (ifc. f(ā). ) passage, a way, road, path, place for walking ([especially] the space assigned to each person who takes part in a rite), [Taittirīya-saṃhitā; Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa; ???; Kālidāsa; Kathāsaritsāgara]

4) [v.s. ...] m. a difficult passage, defile, bridge over a torrent etc., [Horace H. Wilson]

5) [v.s. ...] (in Sāṃkhya) evolution, development, emanation, [Tattvasamāsa]

6) [v.s. ...] the body, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

7) [v.s. ...] killing, [Horace H. Wilson]

8) Saṃcāra (संचार):—[=saṃ-cāra] [from saṃ-car] m. (ifc. f(ā). ) walking about, wandering, roaming, driving or riding, any motion, [Mahābhārata; Kāvya literature] etc.

9) [v.s. ...] transit, passage, [ib.]

10) [v.s. ...] the passage or entrance of the sun into a new sign, [Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary]

11) [v.s. ...] passing over, transition, transference to ([compound]), [Yājñavalkya]

12) [v.s. ...] transmission (of disease), contagion, [Horace H. Wilson]

13) [v.s. ...] course, path, way (also [figuratively] = ‘mode, manner’), [Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa]

14) [v.s. ...] track (of wild animals), [Śakuntalā [Scholiast or Commentator]]

15) [v.s. ...] course of life, career, [Sāhitya-darpaṇa]

16) [v.s. ...] a [particular] class of spies, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

17) [v.s. ...] difficult progress, difficulty, distress, [Horace H. Wilson]

18) [v.s. ...] leading, guiding, [ib.]

19) [v.s. ...] inciting, impelling, [ib.]

20) [v.s. ...] a gem supposed to be in the head of a serpent, [ib.]

21) [v.s. ...] = huṃ-kāra, [Chāndogya-upaniṣad]

22) [v.s. ...] ([wrong reading] for saṃ-cara, saṃ-sāra, and sac-cāra)

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

1) Sañcara (सञ्चर):—(raḥ) 1. m. A difficult passage; defile, road; body; killing.

2) Sañcāra (सञ्चार):—[sa-ñcāra] (raḥ) 1. m. Difficult progress; difficulty; transition; guiding, impelling; contagion; gem in a snake’s head.

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

Saṃcāra (संचार) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Saṃcāra.

[Sanskrit to German]

Samcara 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.

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Hindi dictionary

[«previous next»] — Samcara in Hindi glossary
Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Saṃcāra (संचार) [Also spelled sanchar]:—(nm) communication; transmission; movement; -[maṃtrālaya] Ministry of Communications; —[maṃtrī] Minister for Communications; —[sādhana] means of communication; [vyavasthā] communication system.

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Prakrit-English dictionary

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

1) Saṃcara (संचर) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Saṃcar.

2) Saṃcāra (संचार) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Saṃcāra.

3) Saṃcāra (संचार) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Saṃcāra.

context information

Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.

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Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Saṃcara (ಸಂಚರ):—

1) [noun] the act or an instance of wandering or travelling.

2) [noun] a way, path or road.

3) [noun] a narrow path; a lane.

4) [noun] a structure spanning and providing passage over a river or stream; a bridge.

5) [noun] ಸಂಚರವಾಗು [samcaravagu] saṃcaravāgu to move; to pass.

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Saṃcāra (ಸಂಚಾರ):—

1) [noun] a moving about; a roaming; a wandering.

2) [noun] the act of traveling; journeying; travel; journey.

3) [noun] a path, way, road or course.

4) [noun] the passage of the sun from one zodiacal sign to another or similar movement of other astral bodies.

5) [noun] (mus.) a movement of the tone within the countour and course prescribed for a particular rāga (musical mode) for exploration of its terrain with a particular gait, progression, rest, etc.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

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