Shubhra, Śubhra: 20 definitions
Introduction:
Shubhra means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, 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 term Śubhra can be transliterated into English as Subhra or Shubhra, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Śubhra (शुभ्र) refers to “white”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.15 (“The penance and reign of Tārakāsura”).—Accordingly, after Tāraka requested boons from Brahmā: “[...] That great demon [i.e., Tāraka] was crowned the king of the three worlds with the permission of Śukra, the preceptor of the demons. [...] Then the demon Tāraka seized gems and jewels of all the guardians of the quarters, Indra and others, offered under duress by them on being afraid of him. Afraid of him, Indra surrendered his Airāvata (white elephant) and Kubera all his nine treasures. White horses were surrendered by Varuṇa [i.e., śubhra-haya—varuṇena hayāḥ śubhrā], the wish-yielding cow Kāmadhenu by the sages, and the sun out of fear for him surrendered his divine horse Uccaiḥśravas. [...]”.
1a) Śubhra (शुभ्र).—The father of Vaikuṇṭha Hari.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa VIII. 5. 4.
1b) Took part in Devāsura war between Bali and Indra. Fought with Bhadrakālī.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa VIII. 10. 21 and 31.
1c) A son of Vasudeva and Rohiṇī.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 71. 165; Vāyu-purāṇa 96. 163.

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.
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Śubhra (शुभ्र) refers to “white”, according to the Amṛtasiddhi, a 12th-century text belonging to the Haṭhayoga textual tradition.—Accordingly, “At the navel is a white lotus (śubhra-aravinda). On top of that is the spotless orb of the sun. In the middle of that, at the triple pathway, is she who is the sole essence of saṃsāra [and] the creator of the three worlds, who arises on the path of dharma, who has three bodies [and] who is lauded as Chinnamastā, “she whose head is cut.” I worship her, she who has the form of knowledge, who removes the danger of death, the Yoginī, the seal of Yoga”.
Śubhra (शुभ्र) refers to “(that which is) radiant”, according to the Muṇḍakopaniṣad 2.1.2-3.—Accordingly, while describing Brahma and the mind: “For, the [cosmic] man is divine, formless, outside and inside [of everything], unborn, breathless, mindless, radiant (śubhra) and higher than the highest imperishable one”.

Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Śubhra (शुभ्र) refers to a “radiant (garland)” (of pearls), according to the Netratantra of Kṣemarāja: a Śaiva text from the 9th century in which Śiva (Bhairava) teaches Pārvatī topics such as metaphysics, cosmology, and soteriology.—Accordingly, [verse 3.17-23, while describing a meditation on Amṛteśa in his form as Mṛtyujit]—“And so now, having constructed the amṛtāmudrā or the padmamudrā, [the Mantrin] should meditate on the Ātman. [...] One should think of him [dressed in] white clothes and ornaments, [draped in] a radiant garland (śubhrahāra) of pearls, bulbs like moonlight, etc. (śubhrahārendukandādi), his body is anointed with white sandalwood and dust-colored powdered camphor. In he middle of the somamaṇḍala, [he is] bathed in thick, abundant waves of amṛta [that make the] moon quiver. [...]”.

Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
India history and geography
Śubhra.—(IA 17), used to indicate the bright fortnight. Note: śubhra 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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
śubhra (शुभ्र).—a (S) White.
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śubhrā (शुभ्रा).—m (śubhra White.) A cant name for a rupee,--shiner, white boy.
śubhra (शुभ्र).—a White.
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
Śubhra (शुभ्र).—a. [śubh-rak Uṇādi-sūtra 2.13] Shining, bright, radiant; बलानि राज्ञां शुभ्राणि प्रहृष्टानि चकाशिरे (balāni rājñāṃ śubhrāṇi prahṛṣṭāni cakāśire) Rām.1.18.4.
2) White; पश्यति पित्तोपहतः शशिशुभ्रं शङ्खमपि पीतम् (paśyati pittopahataḥ śaśiśubhraṃ śaṅkhamapi pītam) K. P.1; R.2.69.
-bhraḥ 1 The white colour.
2) Sandal (said to be n.).
3) Heaven.
-bhram 1 Silver.
2) Talc.
3) Rocksalt.
4) Green vitriol.
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Śubhrā (शुभ्रा).—
1) The Ganges.
2) A crystal.
3) Bamboomanna.
4) Alum.
5) Sugar.
Śubhra (शुभ्र).—mfn.
(-bhraḥ-bhrā-bhraṃ) 1. White. 2. Shining. m.
(-bhraḥ) 1. White, (the colour.) 2. Sandal. n.
(-bhraṃ) 1. Talc. 2. Silver. 3. Green vitriol. 4. Rock-salt. 5. Sandal. f.
(-bhrā) 1. The Ganges. 2. Crystal. 3. Bamboo-manna. E. śubh to shine, rak aff.
Śubhra (शुभ्र).—[śubh + ra], I. adj. 1. White, [Meghadūta, (ed. Gildemeister.)] 53; [Lassen, Anthologia Sanskritica.] 4, 17. 2. Shining, bright,
Śubhra (शुभ्र).—[adjective] beautiful, shining, white, pure, clear (also of sounds).
Śubhra (शुभ्र) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—poet. Padyāvalī.
1) Śubhra (शुभ्र):—[from śubh] mf(ā)n. radiant, shining, beautiful, splendid, [Ṛg-veda] etc. etc.
2) [v.s. ...] clear, spotless (as fame), [Pañcatantra]
3) [v.s. ...] bright-coloured, white, [Manu-smṛti; Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā] etc.
4) [v.s. ...] m. white (the colour), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) [v.s. ...] sandal, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
6) [v.s. ...] heaven, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
7) [v.s. ...] Name of a man [gana] kurv-ādi
8) [v.s. ...] of the husband of Vikuṇṭhā and father of Vaikuṇṭha, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
9) [v.s. ...] of a poet, [Catalogue(s)]
10) [v.s. ...] [plural] Name of a people, [Mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇa]
11) Śubhrā (शुभ्रा):—[from śubhra > śubh] f. (only [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]) crystal
12) [v.s. ...] bamboo-manna
13) [v.s. ...] alum
14) [v.s. ...] Name of the Ganges
15) Śubhra (शुभ्र):—[from śubh] n. (only [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]) silver
16) [v.s. ...] talc
17) [v.s. ...] green vitriol
18) [v.s. ...] rock or fossil salt
19) [v.s. ...] the root of Andropogon Muricatus.
Śubhra (शुभ्र):—(bhraḥ) 1. m. White colour; sandal. n. Talc; silver; green vitriol. 1. f. Ganges; crystal; bambu manna. a. White, shining.
Śubhra (शुभ्र):—(von 3. śubh) [Uṇādisūtra 2, 13.]
1) adj. (f. ā) a) schmuck, schön; klar; = uddīpta, dīpta [Amarakoṣa 3, 4, 25, 194.] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha 2, 464.] [Medinīkoṣa r. 93] harī [Ṛgveda 1, 35, 3. 2, 11, 3. 8, 15, 5.] grāvan [3, 33, 1.] yuvan [9, 14, 5.] marya [96, 20.] śiśavaḥ [7, 56, 16.] die Aśvin [68, 1.] die Marut [1, 19, 5. 167, 4. 2, 36, 2.] Uṣas [1, 57, 3. 7, 75, 6.] Agni [3, 26, 2. - 7, 39, 3. 95, 6.] śuṣma [2, 11, 4. 7, 56, 8.] āpaḥ [5, 41, 12.] [Kauśika’s Sūtra zum Atuarvaveda 103.] andhas [Ṛgveda 9, 62, 5. 107, 24.] [Atharvavedasaṃhitā 11, 1, 17.] puruṣa [Muṇḍakopaniṣad 2, 1, 2.] ratha [Mahābhārata 3, 3031.] āsana [Rāmāyaṇa Gorresio 1, 3, 68.] ābharaṇa [Rāmāyaṇa] [SCHL. 2, 78, 5.] [Mārkāṇḍeyapurāṇa 82, 25.] guṇāḥ glänzende Vorzüge [Spr. (II) 3809.] — b) weiss, hellfarbig [Amarakoṣa 1, 1, 4, 22. 3, 4, 25, 194.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 1393.] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] [Halāyudha 4, 47.] [KĀM. NĪTIS. 14, 32.] [Spr. 4925.] kuthāḥ [Rāmāyaṇa Gorresio 2, 72, 20.] asthi [Vetālapañcaviṃśati] in [Lassen’s Anthologie (III) 4, 7.] triṇayanavṛṣa [Meghadūta 53.] giri [Kathāsaritsāgara 50, 169.] candana [WEBER, KṚṢṆAJ. 291.] ātapatra [Rājataraṅgiṇī 5, 482.] [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 3, 15, 38.] gṛha [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 7, 76.] [Rāmāyaṇa 4, 40, 40.] sadman [Spr. 3003.] catuḥśālāni [Rāmāyaṇa 2, 91, 32.] guṇāḥ Fäden [Spr. (II) 3809.] Perlen [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 81, 5.] akṣarāṇi, dhātu [Scholiast] zu [Naiṣadhacarita 22, 54.] mṛd (mṛdā st. sadā zu lesen) [PADMA-Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 3, 4.] sudhāśubhraṃ sadma [Spr. 3268.] bhūti wie Asche [Kathāsaritsāgara 25, 231.] hima [30, 31.] karpūra [75, 104.] śaraśubhra (so ist wohl zu lesen st. śaracchubhra) [Rāmāyaṇa Gorresio 1, 45, 19.] yaśas weiss, rein [Raghuvaṃśa 2, 69.] [Kathāsaritsāgara 25, 225.] —
2) m. a) Sandel [Śabdacandrikā im Śabdakalpadruma] — b) Nomen proprium α) eines Mannes [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 4, 1, 123.] gaṇa kurvādi zu [151.] Gatte der Vikuṇṭhā und Vater Vaikuṇṭha’s [Bhāgavatapurāṇa 8, 5, 4.] — β) pl. eines Volkes [Mārkāṇḍeyapurāṇa 58, 12.] —
3) f. ā crystal; Bambu manna; the Ganges [WILSON] nach [Rājanirghaṇṭa] —
4) n. a) Talk [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] — b) Silber [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 161.] [Rājanirghaṇṭa im Śabdakalpadruma] — c) Eisenvitriol [Rājanirghaṇṭa a. a. O.] — Vgl. candra, tanū, mahā, śaubhrāyaṇa, śaubhreya, śaubhrya .
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Subhra (सुभ्र):—[Mahābhārata 8, 1765] fehlerhaft für śubhra (so ed. Bomb.).
Śubhra (शुभ्र) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Subbha.
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
Śubhra (शुभ्र):—(a) radiant, shining; clear, spotless (as [kīrti]); bright-coloured; white; ~[tā] radiance; spotlessness; whiteness, brightness.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Śubhra (ಶುಭ್ರ):—
1) [adjective] cleaned; cleansed; washed; clean; pure; clear.
2) [adjective] shining; brilliant.
3) [adjective] of the colour of pure snow; white.
4) [adjective] ಶುಭ್ರವಾಗು [shubhravagu] śubhravāgu to become clean, free from dust, dirt; to be cleansed.
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Śubhra (ಶುಭ್ರ):—
1) [noun] the quality or condition of being clean, spotless; cleanliness; immaculateness.
2) [noun] the white colour.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Śubhra (शुभ्र):—adj. 1. radiant; bright; 2. white;
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 (+12): Shubhrabhanu, Shubhrabhumi, Shubhrabindumat, Shubhracandana, Shubhracchada, Shubhradant, Shubhradanta, Shubhradanti, Shubhradantin, Shubhradat, Shubhradi, Shubhrahara, Shubhrahaya, Shubhrakara, Shubhrakhadi, Shubhrakrit, Shubhralu, Shubhramati, Shubhramshu, Shubhrangi.
Full-text (+70): Shubhramshu, Mahashubhra, Shubhrarashmi, Shubhrata, Shubhrakrit, Shubhratva, Shubhrayama, Candrashubhra, Shubhrayavan, Shubhrakhadi, Shubhradanti, Tanushubhra, Shubhrabhanu, Shubhrashastama, Shubhramati, Shubhravati, Shubhrakara, Shubhradanta, Shubhravat, Sudhashubhra.
Relevant text
Search found 66 books and stories containing Shubhra, Śubhra, Subhra, Śubhrā; (plurals include: Shubhras, Śubhras, Subhras, Śubhrās). 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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