Saptanga, Saptamga, Saptan-anga, Saptāṅga: 14 definitions
Introduction:
Saptanga means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, biology. 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
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग, “seven-limbed”):—The master and the minister, the capital city, the people, the treasury and the army, and the ally,—these are the seven constituents; and the kingdom is described as having ‘seven limbs.’
- ‘Master’—i.e. the King himself.
- ‘Minister’—the Councillor, the Priest, the Army-Commander.
- ‘Capital City’—the city containing the king’s residence.
- ‘People’—the public.
- ‘Treasury’—store of gold and silver and other valuables.
- ‘Army’—consisting of elephants, horses and foot-soldiers.
- ‘Ally’—one having the same end in view: as has been described‘next to him comes the Ally.’
These are the ‘constituents’—causes, components—of the kingdom; in the same manner as the potsherds are of the jar.
(Also see the Manubhāṣya, verse 9.294)
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग).—The seven limbs of a kingdom; svāmi, amātya, janapada, durga, daṇḍa, kośa and mitra.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 220. 19.
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)
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग) is the name of a work attributed to Vāgīśvarakīrti: an East Indian tantric Buddhist scholar whose views were considered important enough to be contested sometime before 1057ce.—The Saptāṅga, another treatise, this time in mixed verse and prose, is the only major work of Vāgīśvarakīrti which appears to be lost in the original. One of its most important verses survives in quotation (Isaacson and Sferra 2014, 171, 271, passim). The Tibetan translation is the work of the same ’Gos Lhas btsas.
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग) (Cf. Saptayoga) refers to the “seven aṅgas of mahāmudrā”, according to Vāgīśvavarakīrti’s Saptāṅga and Tattvaratnāvaloka (and its auto-commentary).—(Cf. the seven yogas mentioned by Buddhajñānapāda in the Muktitilaka).—The same seven factors are addressed in Vāgīśvavarakīrti’s later Saptāṅga and his Tattvaratnāvaloka and its auto-commentary, where they are called the seven aṅgas of mahāmudrā, with reference to which see Isaacson (2010b, 271, 271n27) and, with a bit more detail, Isaacson and Sferra (2014, 271), where they are mentioned with reference to a citation from the Saptāṅga in Rāmapāla’s Sekanirdeśapañjikā
The seven aṅgas are listed in Vāgīśvarakīrti’s work as:
- sambhoga,
- sampuṭa,
- mahāsukha,
- niḥsvabhāva,
- kāruṇyanirbhara,
- nirantara,
- anirodha.
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.
India history and geography
Sapta-aṅga.—(CII CITD), the seven constitutent parts of a kingdom, viz., king, ministers, allies, treasury, territory, forts and forces. Note: sapta-aṅga 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.
Biology (plants and animals)
Saptanga in India is the name of a plant defined with Alstonia scholaris in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Chonemorpha malabarica G. Don (among others).
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· World Checklist of Seed Plants. (1995)
· Fitoterapia. (2003)
· World Checklist of Selected Plant Families Database (2003)
· On the Asclepiadeae (1810)
· Encycl. (Lamarck) (1786)
· Bulletin de l’Institut Française d’Afrique Noire
If you are looking for specific details regarding Saptanga, for example chemical composition, health benefits, side effects, diet and recipes, extract dosage, pregnancy safety, have a look at these references.
This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग).—a. see सप्तप्रकृति (saptaprakṛti) below.
Saptāṅga is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms saptan and aṅga (अङ्ग).
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग).—mfn.
(-ṅgaḥ-ṅgī-ṅgaṃ) Having seven members or parts. E. sapta, aṅga a part.
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग).—[adjective] having seven members or parts.
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग):—[from sapta > saptan] mfn. consisting of 7 members or parts, [Upaniṣad; Manu-smṛti etc.]
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग):—[(ṅgaḥ-ṅgī-ṅgaṃ) a.] Of seven members.
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग):—(saptan + aṅga) adj. siebengliedrig, theilig: ātman [Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad 3.] [Weber’s Indische Studien 9, 125.] [WEBER, Rāmatāpanīya Upaniṣad 337. fg. 342.] rājya [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 9, 294. 296.] [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 1, 352.] [KĀM. NĪTIS. 1, 17. 4, 1.] sarpis [Weber’s Verzeichniss No. 1002.]
Saptāṅga (सप्ताङ्ग) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Sattaṃga.
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
Saptāṃga (ಸಪ್ತಾಂಗ):—[noun] (used in pl. with -ಗಳು [galu]) the seven limbs of the state the ruler, minister, friend, treasury, military, state or nation and fort.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches (+0): Sapta, Anga, Anka.
Starts with (+0): Saptangapuja.
Full-text (+3): Saptangapuja, Pranina, Nihsvabhava, Anirodha, Karunyanirbhara, Nirantara, Sambhoga, Samputa, Mahasukha, Sattanga, Guhya, Guhyabhisheka, Cattankamum, Prajnajnana, Prajnajnanabhisheka, Abhisheka, Caturthabhisheka, Saptayoga, Anga, Mukha.
Relevant text
Search found 36 books and stories containing Saptanga, Sapta-anga, Sapta-aṅga, Saptamga, Saptāṃga, Saptan-anga, Saptan-aṅga, Saptāṅga, Saptānga; (plurals include: Saptangas, angas, aṅgas, Saptamgas, Saptāṃgas, Saptāṅgas, Saptāngas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Yajnavalkya-smriti with Mitakshara and Viramitrodaya (by J. R. Gharpure)
Verse 1.353 < [Chapter 13 - Of the Duties of a King]
Verse 1.309-311 < [Chapter 13 - Of the Duties of a King]
Mandukya Upanishad (Madhva commentary) (by Srisa Chandra Vasu)
Mantra 1.3 < [Chapter 1 - First Khanda]
Historical Elements in the Matsya Purana (by Chaitali Kadia)
The State and organizations of Kingdoms < [Chapter 5 - Cultural history in the Matsya-Purāṇa]
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
International Ayurvedic Medical Journal
Experimental evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of saptanga guggulu prepared by guggulu shodhana with four different media in wistar strain albino rats < [2018, Issue IV April]
A study to evaluate the analytical parameters of saptanga guggulu and its standardization < [2018, Issue IV April]
Tablet and tableting in ayurveda (vati kalpana)-a review < [2016, Issue VII July]
Further sources of Vijayanagara history (by K. A. Nilakanta Sastri)