Shankhapala, Sankhapala, Śaṅkhapāla, Saṅkhapāla, Shankha-pala, Shamkhapala: 18 definitions
Introduction:
Shankhapala means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, Marathi. 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 term Śaṅkhapāla can be transliterated into English as Sankhapala or Shankhapala, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल).—The Nāga presiding over the month of Nabhasya;1 a 1000 hooded snake; lives with the sun for a part of a year;2 with the sun in Āvaṇi and Puraṭṭāśi;3 with the sun in the Bhādrapada month.4
- 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa XII. 11. 38; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 23. 9; IV. 20. 54.
- 2) Matsya-purāṇa 6. 40; 126. 10.
- 3) Vāyu-purāṇa 52. 10.
- 4) Viṣṇu-purāṇa II. 10. 10.
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.
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल) is the name of a Nāga king (nāgarāja), according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 104. Accordingly, as one Brāhman said to another: “... I reached [from the Niṣadha country] in course of time the city of Śaṅkhapura not far from here, where there is a great purifying lake of clear water, sacred to Śaṅkhapāla, King of the Nāgas, and called Śaṅkhahrada”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Śaṅkhapāla, 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.
Source: Wisdomlib Libary: KathāŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल).—One of the eight kulas (‘families’) of nāgas mentioned by Soḍḍhala in his Udayasundarīkathā. Śaṅkhapāla, and other nāgas, reside in pātāla (the nether world) and can assume different forms at will. Their movement is unobstructed in the all the worlds and they appear beautiful, divine and strong.
The Udayasundarīkathā is a Sanskrit work in the campū style, narrating the story of the Nāga princess Udayasundarī and Malayavāhana, king of Pratiṣṭhāna. Soḍḍhala is a descendant of Kalāditya (Śilāditya’s brother) whom he praises as an incarnation of a gaṇa (an attendant of Śiva).
Source: Shodhganga: A critical appreciation of soddhalas udayasundarikathaŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल).—Name of a Nāga mentioned by Soḍḍhala.—Śaṅkhapāla seems to be the same as the father of Śaṅkhacūḍa, the serpent who was given protection by Jimūtavāhana, the hero of the drama, Nāgānanda.
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’.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Source: Shodhganga: Dietetics and culinary art in ancient and medieval IndiaŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल) refers to a type of sweet dish, as described as described in the 17th century Bhojanakutūhala (dravyaguṇāguṇa-kathana), and is commonly found in literature dealing with the topics of dietetics and culinary art, also known as Pākaśāstra or Pākakalā.
(Ingredients of Śaṅkhapāla): samita, ghee and sugar.
(Cooking instructions): Make thin cakes from samita in the shape of polikas explained earlier. These polikas are cut into small diamonds. Cook them in ghee. Then immerse them in sugar syrup. This dish is known as śaṅkhapāla. The Marathi name of this dish is śaṅkarapāli and is made during Diwali days. This dish is very much similar to a Keralite dish known by the name ‘āṛām nambru’.
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.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram1) Śaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल) is the name of the guardian of the cremation ground (śmaśāna) Aṭavīmukha which is associated with Kāmarūpa, one of the sacred seats (pīṭha), according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.
2) Śaṃkhapāla (शंखपाल) refers to one of the eight Servants (ceṭa-aṣṭaka) associated with Kāmākhya (corresponding to the eastern face of Bhairava), according to the Manthānabhairavatantra.—[...] The eight Servants (ceṭāṣṭaka): Śaṃkhapāla, Kaṃkāla, Viśālaka, Ajaya, Vijaya, Vīrabhadra, Raktākṣa, Kasmāla.
3) Śaṃkhapāla (शंखपाल) refers to a “conch”, according to the Manthānabhairavatantra.—Accordingly, “(Kubjikā’s) iconic form is threefold (according to whether it is) in (the transmission) of the Child, Middle One or the Aged. [...] (She holds) a skull, a rosary, the five immortal substances, an ascetic’s staff, the Kādi scripture, conch [i.e., śaṃkhapāla], and the great nectar which is filled constantly with (the recitation of her Trikhaṇḍā Vidyā) consisting of 292 syllables. [...]”.
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.
In Buddhism
Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names1. Sankhapala. The Bodhisatta born as a Naga king. See the Sankhapala Jataka. Sankhapala is evidently a generic name for the Nagas of that world.
2. Sankhapala. A king of Ekabala. Mahosadha (q.v.), hearing that he was collecting arms and assembling an army, sent a parrot to find out about it. The parrot reported that there was no reason to fear Sankhapala. J.vi.390.
3. Sankhapala. A lake in the Mahimsakarattha. It was the residence of the Naga king, Sankhapala. From the lake rose the river Kannapenna. J.v.162.
4. Sankhapala Thera. A pupil of Buddhadatta, to whom he dedicated his Vinaya Vinicchaya. Gv. 40; P.L.C. 109.
Theravāda is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka (philosophy and psychology).
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Tibetan BuddhismŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल) is the name of a Nāga mentioned as attending the teachings in the 6th century Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa: one of the largest Kriyā Tantras devoted to Mañjuśrī (the Bodhisattva of wisdom) representing an encyclopedia of knowledge primarily concerned with ritualistic elements in Buddhism. The teachings in this text originate from Mañjuśrī and were taught to and by Buddha Śākyamuni in the presence of a large audience (including Śaṅkhapāla).
Source: Google Books: VajrayoginiŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल) is another name for Śaṅkha: the serpent deity (nāga) of the north-western cremation ground.—Śaṅkha is also listed as Śaṅkhapāla (Guhyasamayasādhanamālā 34). In Śmaśānavidhi 19, there is a very brief descirption of him as yellow, with spots on his hood (kalaṅkita), or a tilaka.
Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka MaṇḍalaŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल) refers to one of the eight serpent king (nāgendra) of the Guṇacakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the guṇacakra refers to one of the four divisions of the sahaja-puṭa (‘innate layer’), situated within the padma (lotus) in the middle of the Herukamaṇḍala. Śaṅkhapāla is associated with the charnel grounds (śmaśāna) named Kilikilārava; with the tree (vṛkṣa) named Pārthiva; with the direction-guardians (dikpāla) named Vāyu and with the cloud king (meghendra) named Caṇḍa.
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.
In Jainism
General definition (in Jainism)
Source: archive.org: TrisastisalakapurusacaritraŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल) is the name of a Yakṣa, according to chapter 5.4 [śāntinātha-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra (“lives of the 63 illustrious persons”): a Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three important persons in Jainism.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryśaṅkhapāḷa (शंखपाळ).—m (śaṅkhapāla S Serpent of Patal.) A creature of the serpent-tribe. 2 m f A kind of lizard.
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
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल).—
1) an epithet of the sun.
2) a kind of sweetmeat (Mar. śaṃkarapāḷe).
3) a kind of snake.
Derivable forms: śaṅkhapālaḥ (शङ्खपालः).
Śaṅkhapāla is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms śaṅkha and pāla (पाल).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल).—m.
(-laḥ) 1. The sun. 2. A Naga or serpent of Patala. E. śaṅkha a conch, &c., pāla who nourishes.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Śaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल):—[=śaṅkha-pāla] [from śaṅkha] m. a kind of snake, [Suśruta]
2) [v.s. ...] a kind of sweetmeat ([from] [Persian] پاره شكر), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
3) [v.s. ...] Name of a serpent-demon, [Harivaṃśa; Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
4) [v.s. ...] of a son of Kardama, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa]
5) [v.s. ...] n. a house with a [particular] defect (also laka), Vastuv.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English DictionaryŚaṅkhapāla (शङ्खपाल):—[śaṅkha-pāla] (laḥ) 1. m. The sun; a Nāga.
[Sanskrit to German]
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
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusŚaṃkhapāla (ಶಂಖಪಾಲ):—
1) [noun] = ಶಂಕರಪಾಳಿ [shamkarapali].
2) [noun] (myth.) name of one of the eight serpents that bear the earth.
3) [noun] the sun.
--- OR ---
Śaṃkhapāḷa (ಶಂಖಪಾಳ):—[noun] = ಶಂಖಪಾಲ [shamkhapala].
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: Pala, Shankha.
Starts with: Shankhapalaka.
Full-text (+9): Navanaga, Shikhandatilaka, Duyyodhana, Kannapenna, Shankhapad, Ekabala, Shankhacuda, Alara, Sankhapala Jataka, Shankha, Kankala, Mahimsaka, Uttaravinicchaya, Vishalaka, Kashmala, Shankhapada, Ajaya, Virabhadra, Raktaksha, Parthiva.
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