Saudamini, Saudāminī: 11 definitions

Introduction:

Saudamini means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, 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

Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Nāṭya-śāstra

Saudāminī (सौदामिनी) is the name of an Apsara created for the sake of a type of dramatic perfomance. Acording to the Nāṭyaśāstra 1.46-51, after Brahmā asked Bharata for materials necessary for the Graceful Style (kaiśikī: a type of performance, or prayoga), Bharata answered “This Style cannot be practised properly by men except with the help of women”. Therefore, Brahmā created with his mind several apsaras (celestial nymphs), such as Saudāminī, who were skillful in embellishing the drama.

Natyashastra book cover
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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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Kavya (poetry)

[«previous next»] — Saudamini in Kavya glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

1) Saudāminī (सौदामिनी), daughter of Hāhā, is one of the twelve female friends of Mahallikā: daughter of Prahlāda, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 45. Accordingly, as Mahallikā said to Sūryaprabha: “... my female friends are not only two, but twelve in number, and my father’s brother carried them off from Indra’s heaven... The sixth is named Saudāminī, and the seventh Ujjvalā; these are both of them daughters of the Gandharva Hāhā... They [eg., Saudāminī] are all heavenly nymphs, born from Apsarases, and when I was married they were taken to the first underworld, and I must bestow them on you, in order that I may be always with them”.

The story of Saudāminī and Mahallikā was narrated by the Vidyādhara king Vajraprabha to prince Naravāhanadatta in order to relate how “Sūryaprabha, being a man, obtain of old time the sovereignty over the Vidyādharas”.

2) Saudāminī (सौदामिनी) is the name of a Yakṣiṇī, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 73. Accordingly, as a certain Yakṣa said to Vicitrakatha: “... having formed this resolution, the Brāhman Pavitradhara went to the forest, and according to the prescribed method he won for himself a Yakṣiṇī, named Saudāminī. And when he had won her, he lived united with her, like a banyan-tree, that has tided through a severe winter, united to the glory of spring”.

Also, as Saudāminī said to Pavitradhara regarding her lineage: “there is on the confines of the southern region a range of tamāla forests, dark with clouds that obscure the sun, looking like the home of the monsoon. In it dwells a famous Yakṣa of the name of Pṛthūdara, and I am his only daughter, Saudāminī by name. My loving father led me from one mighty mountain to another, and I was for ever amusing myself in heavenly gardens”

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Saudāminī, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.

Kavya book cover
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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’.

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In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

[«previous next»] — Saudamini in Jainism glossary
Source: The University of Sydney: A study of the Twelve Reflections

Saudāminī (सौदामिनी) refers to “lightning”, according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “The meeting of beloved women is like a city in the sky. Youth or wealth is like a mass of clouds. Relations, children and bodies, etc. are perishable as lightning [com.saudāminī-cañcala—‘inconstant like lightning’]. You must understand that the whole action of the cycle of rebirth is thus momentary”.

Synonyms: Vidyut.

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

Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Saudamini in Sanskrit glossary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Saudāminī (सौदामिनी).—

1) Lightning; सौदामन्या कनकनिकषस्निग्धया दर्शयोर्वीम् (saudāmanyā kanakanikaṣasnigdhayā darśayorvīm) Meghadūta 39; सौदामिनीव जलदोदरसंधिलीना (saudāminīva jaladodarasaṃdhilīnā) Mṛcchakaṭika 1.35; Mālatīmādhava (Bombay) 8.14.

2) The female of Indra's elephant.

3) A kind of lightning (forked one); काञ्चनाभं नभश्चक्रे विद्युत्सौदामिनी यथा (kāñcanābhaṃ nabhaścakre vidyutsaudāminī yathā) Rām.7.32.56; Bhāgavata 1.6.28.

See also (synonyms): saudāmanī, saudāmnī.

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

Saudāminī (सौदामिनी).—f. (-nī) 1. Lightning. 2. One of the Apsarasas or nymphs of Swarga. 3. A particular sort of lightning. 4. A city so named. E. sudāman a cloud, a mountain, or Indra'S elephant, aṇ and ṅīṣ affs. with the augment ik; also omitting the augment, saudāmanī, and dropping the penultimate vowel, saudāmnī .

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

Saudāminī (सौदामिनी).—(±vidyut) [feminine] lightning; [Name] of [several] women.

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

Saudāminī (सौदामिनी):—[from saudāmanī] incorrect for preceding.

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

Saudāminī (सौदामिनी):—(nī) 3. f. Idem; a city so named.

[Sanskrit to German]

Saudamini 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»] — Saudamini in Hindi glossary
Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Saudāminī (सौदामिनी):—(nf) lightning.

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Kannada-English dictionary

[«previous next»] — Saudamini in Kannada glossary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Saudāmini (ಸೌದಾಮಿನಿ):—

1) [noun] = ಸೌದಾಮನಿ [saudamani].

2) [noun] a flash of lightning and the accompanying thunder; a thunderbolt.

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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