Saptajanman, Saptajanma, Sapta-janman: 3 definitions
Introduction:
Saptajanman 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.
In Hinduism
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Saptajanman (सप्तजन्मन्) refers to “seven births”, according to the second recension of the Yogakhaṇḍa of the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, as the Lord said to Bhadrakālī: “[...] Today, I am one who has done auspicious work. Today I am Śaṃkara and Śiva. I have seen a divine energy: Dakṣa’s daughter, in (her) youth. I have become distraught and mad by that second very powerful curse. Thus, today, I have seen you; (so, I have become) a great Siddha. (I have) experienced you as (my) wife for seven births [i.e., saptajanman], age after age”.
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.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Saptajanman (सप्तजन्मन्) refers to “seven lives”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.28 (“Description of the fraudulent words of the Brahmacārin”).—Accordingly, as Pārvatī said to Śiva (in guise of a Brahmacārin): “[...] Even if a person is perpetually poor for seven lives (saptajanman), after serving Śiva, his prosperity becomes unhampered. How can he find benefit inaccessible—he in whose presence the eight Siddhis (achievements) dance always for the sake of propitiation with speechless mouths or with lowered faces. [...]”.
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.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Saptajanman (सप्तजन्मन्) refers to the “seven-time born”, according to chapter 50 of the 10th-century Ḍākārṇava-tantra: one of the last Tibetan Tantric scriptures belonging to the Buddhist Saṃvara tradition consisting of 51 chapters.—Accordingly, “Now, I will explain the characteristic of Mahākaṅkāla. [...] [The currents] rest in the middle of the skull by means of the mirror-like consciousness. Assuming the appearance of streams of immortal nectar [poured out] from a pot, they flow in the middle of a hollow [viz, channel in his head]. He should meditate that [this awakening] mind undergoes states such as absorption and enjoyment. [If he performs] the yoga of a donkey in that hollow, he sees the seven-time born (saptajanman). The appearances of mother-borns are three; likewise, the father-borns are three. [...]”.
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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