Shalabha, Salabha, Salābha, Śalabha, Śalabhā: 24 definitions
Introduction:
Shalabha means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, 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.
The Sanskrit terms Śalabha and Śalabhā can be transliterated into English as Salabha or Shalabha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Shalabh.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
1) Śalabha (शलभ).—An asura, son of Kaśyapaprajāpati by his wife Danu. He was born in his next life as Prahlāda, the Bālhīka King. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 67, Verse 30).
2) Śalabha (शलभ).—A warrior, who fought against the Kauravas on the Pāṇḍava side. He was killed by Karṇa. (Karṇa Parva, Chapter 56, Verse 49).
3) Śalabhā (शलभा).—Wife of Atrimaharṣi. (Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, 3, 8; 74-78).
Śalabha (शलभ) refers to the “locusts” (and moths?) that were seen at the time of the destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.2.34. Accordingly, as Brahmā narrated to Nārada:—“[...] When Vīrabhadra set off thus, bad omens were seen by Dakṣa and the Devas. [...] Rough winds raising a lot of dust blew there. Locusts (śalabha) and moths were tossed about by whirlwinds”.
1a) Śalabha (शलभ).—A Saimhikeya asura.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 6. 19; Vāyu-purāṇa 68. 12.
1b) A son of Jāmbhavān.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 7. 304.
1c) Children of Yāminī.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa VI. 6. 21.
1d) Too much of them, forebodes famine.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 237. 9.
2) Śalabhā (शलभा).—One of the ten wives of Ahi.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 8. 75.
Śalabha (शलभ) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. I.59.26, I.65, I.61.28) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Śalabha) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.
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.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Śalabha (शलभ) refers to “locusts” (i.e., when locusts come to ravage the land), according to the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā, an expansion of the Kubjikāmatatantra: the earliest popular and most authoritative Tantra of the Kubjikā cult.—Accordingly, “One should institute a great sacrifice at times of great fear, when in conflict with a powerful enemy, when the land is afflicted with drought, when locusts [i.e., śalabha] and soldiers come (to ravage it), when (one seeks to) remedy disease and suffering, when there is a fight between relatives for kingdom, when the king is deposed, during solitary combat in a great battle, in order to (get a) son, when one fails to gets a young virgin (bride), during a marriage, in order to gain victory, (or) when a fort is under attack. [...]”.
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.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Śalabha (शलभ) refers to “grass hoppers”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 8), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “The years of Jupiter (bṛhaspati) take their names from the several Nakṣatras in which he reappears after his conjunction with the Sun; and these names are identical with the names of the lunar months. [...] In the Mārgaśīrṣa year of Jupiter, there will be drought and crops will be injuired by animals, by rats, by grass hoppers [i.e., śalabha] and by birds; there will be disease in the land and rulers will be at strife even with their friends”.
Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Agriculture (Krishi) and Vrikshayurveda (study of Plant life)
Salabhā (सलभा) refers to “moths” (mentioned in protective incantations), according to Surapāla’s Vṛkṣāyurveda chapter 5.—Accordingly, [while describing an incantation (mantra) to protect the field from certain creatures]: “Thus may it be well: from Kiṣkindhā, the great Lord, the great devotee of Viṣṇu, one who has revealed his valour, one who has conquered the orb of Sun and bears the sacred thread, the illustrious God Hanumān’s victorious feet threatens the rats, locusts, mouths (salabhā) etc. That by seeing the document of royal order you will leave this field and go elsewhere. If they do not obey the order, the (you Hanumān), kill them rend them here with your vast moving hard tail.—haṃ, phaṭ, svāhā”.
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.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Śalabha (शलभ) refers to “locusts” (causing crop destruction), according to the Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja, an ancient Buddhist ritual manual on agriculture from the 5th-century (or earlier), containing various instructions for the Sangha to provide agriculture-related services to laypeople including rain-making, weather control and crop protection.—Accordingly, [As the Bhagavān teaches an offering manual]: “[...] All crops, all flowers and fruits will be well protected. [...] All pests will be destroyed. Snakes, mice, mongooses, porcupines, goats, frogs, stinging insects, mosquitos, locusts (śalabha) and so on, flocks of birds will perish. All worms will be destroyed. Furthermore, flying insects and so on do not occur. They are never able to destroy. [...]”.
Mahayana (महायान, mahāyāna) is a major branch of Buddhism focusing on the path of a Bodhisattva (spiritual aspirants/ enlightened beings). Extant literature is vast and primarely composed in the Sanskrit language. There are many sūtras of which some of the earliest are the various Prajñāpāramitā sūtras.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
salabha : (m.) a moth; a grass hopper. || salābha (m.), one's own advantage or gain.
Salābha, (sa4+lābha) one's own advantage Dh. 365. (Page 699)
— or —
Salabha, (cp. Sk. śalabha) a moth J. V, 401; Ud. 72 (C.); VbhA. 146. (Page 698)
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.
Marathi-English dictionary
śalabha (शलभ).—m (S) A locust. 2 A candle-moth.
śalabha (शलभ).—m A locust. A candle-moth.
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
Śalabha (शलभ).—[śal-abhac Uṇādi-sūtra 3.122]
1) A grass-hopper, locust; पतति परिणतारुणप्रकाशः शलभसमूह इवाश्रमद्रुमेषु (patati pariṇatāruṇaprakāśaḥ śalabhasamūha ivāśramadrumeṣu) Ś.1.31.
2) A moth; कौरव्यवंशदावेऽस्मिन् क एष शलभायते (kauravyavaṃśadāve'smin ka eṣa śalabhāyate) Ve.1.19; Śiśupālavadha 2.117; Kumārasambhava 4.4.
3) Name of an Asura.
Derivable forms: śalabhaḥ (शलभः).
Śalabha (शलभ).—name of a nāga king: Mahā-Māyūrī 246.22.
Śalabha (शलभ).—m.
(-bhaḥ) 1. A grass-hopper. 2. A locust. E. śal to go, abhac Unadi aff.: see śarabha .
Śalabha (शलभ).— (cf. śarabha), m. 1. A grasshopper, [Pañcatantra] i. [distich] 369; iv. [distich] 58 (cf. pataṅga). 2. A locust, [Arjunasamāgama] 7, 24;
Śalabha (शलभ).—[masculine] grasshopper, moth, night-butterfly; [abstract] tā [feminine], tva [neuter]
--- OR ---
Śālabha (शालभ).—[adjective] moth-like; vidhi [masculine] such a way of acting (cf. pataṃgavṛtti).
1) Śalabha (शलभ):—m. (cf. śarabha) a grass-hopper, locust (fabled to be the children of Pulastya or of Tārkṣya and Yāminī), a kind of moth (such as is attracted by a lighted candle?), [Mahābhārata; Kāvya literature] etc.
2) Name of a Deva-gandharva, [Mahābhārata]
3) of an Asura, [ib.]
4) Śālabha (शालभ):—mfn. ([from] śalabha) belonging to a moth or grasshopper
5) m. (with vidhi) the way of the moth (to fly into fire id est. ‘rushing inconsiderately into danger’), [Mudrārākṣasa] (cf. pataṃga-vṛtti).
Śalabha (शलभ):—(bhaḥ) 1. m. A grasshopper.
Śalabha (शलभ):—(von śal) [Uṇādisūtra 3, 122.] m. f. n. (!) [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 3, 5, 24.]
1) m. a) Heuschrecke (vielleicht auch Lichtmotte, Nachtschmetterling) [Amarakoṣa 2, 5, 28.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 1213.] [Halāyudha 2, 102.] [Arjunasamāgama 7, 24.] yastvāṃ spṛṣṭvāgnisadṛśaṃ na dagdhaḥ śalabho yathā [Mahābhārata 2, 686.] chādayantu śarāḥ pārthaṃ śalabhā iva pādapam [4, 1510.] śreṇyaḥ śalabhānām [5, 7213. 13, 6899. 14, 2187. 2248.] [Harivaṃśa 5659. 6442. 6473.] [Rāmāyaṇa 3, 20, 38. 4, 45, 1. 5, 39, 12. 95, 17. 6, 20, 23.] [KĀM. NĪTIS. 13, 63.] samūha [Śākuntala 31.] [Spr. (II) 100. 1167. 1907. 2303. (I) 4700.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 8, 4. 84, 1] (viśalabhamarut eine Lampe). [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 5, 14, 5.] śalabhāstra [Mahābhārata 3, 11967.] Heuschrecken von Gold als Verzierungen auf einem Bogen [4, 1329.] die Heuschrecken sind Kinder Pulastya's [Mahābhārata 1, 2572.] Tārkṣya’s von der Yāminī [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 6, 6, 21.] — b) Nomen proprium eines Devagandharva [Mahābhārata 1, 2534.] eines Asura [2666.] [Harivaṃśa 204. 12940. 13181. 14287.] [Oxforder Handschriften 78,b,44.] —
2) f. ī Nomen proprium einer der Mütter im Gefolge Skanda's [Mahābhārata 9, 2624.] — Vgl. indra .
Śalabha (शलभ) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Salaha.
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
Śalabha (शलभ) [Also spelled shalabh]:—(nm) a moth.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Śalabha (ಶಲಭ):—
1) [noun] any of various families of four-winged, chiefly night-flying lepidopteran insects, that is attracted by light; a kind of moth.
2) [noun] any of a family (Lampyridae) of winged beetles, active at night, whose abdomens usu. glow with a luminescent light; a firefly.
3) [noun] any of various families (esp. Acrididae) of leaping, plant-eating orthopteran insects with powerful hind legs adapted for jumping; a grass-hopper.
4) [noun] any of gems which are believed to be inauspicious to have or to be worn.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Śalabha (शलभ):—n. 1. a grasshopper; 2. a locust; a moth;
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: Shalabhamjike, Shalabhanji, Shalabhanjika, Shalabhanjikaprakhya, Shalabhanjikaya, Shalabhasana, Shalabhastra, Shalabhasura, Shalabhata, Shalabhatva, Shalabhavicalita, Shalabhay, Shalabhaya.
Full-text (+20): Indrashalabha, Shalabhatva, Shalabhasana, Shalabhata, Ardhashalabhasana, Viparitashalabhasana, Shalabhavicalita, Yamini, Abhyagni, Calapam, Sharabha, Shalabhasura, Shalab, Shalabhi, Shalabh, Shalabhastra, Abha, Gunambara, Ativrishti, Vishalabhamarut.
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Search found 25 books and stories containing Shalabha, Salabha, Salābha, Śalabha, Śalabhā, Śālabha; (plurals include: Shalabhas, Salabhas, Salābhas, Śalabhas, Śalabhās, Śālabhas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
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