The Sanskrit term Śarapuñjaka can be transliterated into English as Sarapunjaka or Sharapunjaka, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: De Gruyter: A Buddhist Ritual Manual on Agriculture

Śarapuñjaka (शरपुञ्जक) refers to a “multitude of arrows” (suitable for an offering ceremony), 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 said to the great Nāga kings]: “Now I will teach the auspicious offering manual which can bring about any effect. [...] The spell-master, clean, wearing clean and white clothes, should make a square maṇḍalaka with cow dung, facing east at a high place, a mountain or forest, village or monastery, at an elevated place. A multitude of arrows (śarapuñjaka) measuring a hasta should be driven into the ground in the middle of the maṇḍala. [...]”.

context information

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.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Sara, Punjaka, Cara.

Full-text: Punjaka.

Relevant text

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