Shunaka, Śunaka, Śunakā: 16 definitions
Introduction:
Shunaka means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, 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 terms Śunaka and Śunakā can be transliterated into English as Sunaka or Shunaka, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Wisdom Library: Bhagavata Purana1) Śunaka (शुनक):—Son of Ṛta (son of Vijaya, who was the son of Jaya). He had a son named Vītahavya. (see Bhāgavata Purāṇa 9.13.26)
2) Śunaka (शुनक):—Son of Gṛtsamada (son of Suhotra). He had a son whom he called Śaunaka. (see Bhāgavata Purāṇa 9.17.1-3)
Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia1) Śunaka (शुनक).—A King of the Solar dynasty. In Bhāgavata, 9th Skandha it is mentioned that he was the son of Kṛta and father of Vītihotra.
2) Śunaka (शुनक).—Minister of Purañjaya, a King of Kaliyuga. In Bhāgavata, 12th Skandha, there is a story that this Śunaka murdered his King and made his own son King.
3) Śunaka (शुनक).—A Rājarṣi. He was born from a portion of the asura named Candrahantā. This Rājarṣi attained Samādhi (passed away) at Candra tīrtha. During his life he received a sword from King Hariṇāśva and he presented it to another King Uśīnara. (Mahābhārata Ādi Parva, Chapter 67; Vana Parva, Chapter 123; Śānti Parva, Chapter 166).
4) Śunaka (शुनक).—A Maharṣi. In the Purāṇas it is said that Sūta read Purāṇas in an assembly at which Śaunaka and others had been present in Naimiṣāraṇya. There are two inferences about this Śaunaka. In Bhāgavata, 9th Skandha we find that the sage Gṛtsamada who belonged to Bhṛguvaṃśa had a son named Śunaka and this Śunaka’s son was named Śaunaka. A son named Śunaka was born to King Ruru by his wife Pramadvarā. Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapter 5 mentions that this Śunaka was an exceptionally brilliant scholar in Vedas and Śāstras and was the grandfather of Śaunaka. Ruru’s son, Śunaka was a member of Yudhiṣṭhira’s assembly. (Mahābhārata Sabhā Parva, Chapter 4, Verse 10).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index1a) Śunaka (शुनक).—A son of Ṛta, and father of Vītahavya.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 13. 26.
1b) A son of Gṛtasamada, and father of Śaunaka.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 17. 3; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 67. 4; Vāyu-purāṇa 92. 4.
1c) The minister of Puramjaya; killed his king and placed his own son Pradyota on the throne.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa XII. 1. 3; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 74. 123.
1d) A disciple of Pathya.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa XII. 7. 2.
1e) Approached by Kesidhvaja to give him a form of expiation.*
- * Viṣṇu-purāṇa VI. 6. 16.
Śunaka (शुनक) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. I.61.35) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Śunaka) 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.
Vastushastra (architecture)
Source: Wisdom Library: Vāstu-śāstraŚunakā (शुनका, “bitch”) refers to the fourth of eight yoni (womb), according to the Mānasāra. Yoni is the fourth of the āyādiṣaḍvarga, or “six principles” that constitute the “horoscope” of an architectural or iconographic object. Their application is intended to “verify” the measurements of the architectural and iconographic object against the dictates of astrology that lay out the conditions of auspiciousness.
The particular yoni (e.g., śunakā) of all architectural and iconographic objects (settlement, building, image) must be calculated and ascertained. This process is based on the principle of the remainder. An arithmetical formula to be used in each case is stipulated, which engages one of the basic dimensions of the object (breadth, length, or perimeter/circumference). The first, third, fifth and seventh yonis are considered auspicious and therefore to be preferred, and the rest, inauspicious and to be avoided.
Vastushastra (वास्तुशास्त्र, vāstuśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science (shastra) of architecture (vastu), dealing with topics such architecture, sculpture, town-building, fort building and various other constructions. Vastu also deals with the philosophy of the architectural relation with the cosmic universe.
Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres)
Source: Shodhganga: a concise history of Sanskrit Chanda literatureŚunaka (शुनक) refers to one of the 23 types of dohā metres (a part of mātrā type) described in the 1st chapter of the Vṛttamauktika by Candraśekhara (17th century): author of many metrical compositions and the son of Lakṣmīnātha Bhaṭṭa and Lopāmudrā.
Chandas (छन्दस्) refers to Sanskrit prosody and represents one of the six Vedangas (auxiliary disciplines belonging to the study of the Vedas). The science of prosody (chandas-shastra) focusses on the study of the poetic meters such as the commonly known twenty-six metres mentioned by Pingalas.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
Source: Shodhganga: Portrayal of Animal Kingdom (Tiryaks) in Epics An Analytical studyŚunaka (शुनक) refers to the Kuchi breed [Tanjavur] of the Dog (Canis lupus familiaris), according to scientific texts such as the Mṛgapakṣiśāstra (Mriga-pakshi-shastra) or “the ancient Indian science of animals and birds” by Hamsadeva, containing the varieties and descriptions of the animals and birds seen in the Sanskrit Epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionarysunakā (सुनका).—a (sunā) Naked, bare, barren, empty, dreary, void.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishsunakā (सुनका).—a Naked, empty, void.
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 dictionaryŚunaka (शुनक).—
1) Name of a sage, descendant of Bhṛgu.
2) A dog.
3) A young dog.
Derivable forms: śunakaḥ (शुनकः).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionaryŚunaka (शुनक).—[śuna + ka], m. A dog, a young dog, [Rāmāyaṇa] 1, 61, 17.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryŚunaka (शुनक).—[masculine] young dog, dog i.[grammar], a man’s name.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Śunaka (शुनक):—[from śuna] m. a young or small dog, any dog, [Mahābhārata] : [xiii, 6070] (cf. [Uṇādi-sūtra ii, 32 [Scholiast or Commentator]])
2) [v.s. ...] Name of a Ṛṣi, [Mahābhārata]
3) [v.s. ...] of an Āṅgirasa and disciple of Pathya, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
4) [v.s. ...] of a king, [Mahābhārata]
5) [v.s. ...] of a son of Ruru, [ib.]
6) [v.s. ...] of a son of Ṛcīka, [Rāmāyaṇa]
7) [v.s. ...] of a son of Ṛta, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
8) [v.s. ...] of a son of Gṛtsa-mada, [Harivaṃśa]
9) [v.s. ...] of the slayer of Puraṃ-jaya and father of Pradyota, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
10) [v.s. ...] = śaunaka, [Catalogue(s)]
11) [v.s. ...] [plural] the family or race of Śunaka, [???] (cf. śaunaka)
Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)Śunaka (शुनक) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Suṇaya, Suṇaha.
[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 corpusŚunaka (ಶುನಕ):—
1) [noun] a dog.
2) [noun] (myth.) name of a hell.
3) [noun] name of a sage.
--- OR ---
Sunaka (ಸುನಕ):—[noun] (correctly, ಶುನಕ [shunaka]) a dog.
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)
Starts with: Shunakabarbara, Shunakacancuka, Shunakachanchuka, Shunakacilli, Shunakacuncuka, Shunakakancuka, Shunakaputra, Shunakasadrisha, Shunakashana, Shunakasuta.
Ends with: Atikshunaka, Jalashunaka, Kshunaka, Shishunaka.
Full-text (+22): Pramadvara, Atidhanvan, Shaunaka, Vitahavya, Gritsamada, Shunakaputra, Rita, Shunakasuta, Pradyota, Shunakakancuka, Shunakacilli, Cunankan, Shumni, Cunankatticai, Candrahanta, Jalashunaka, Cunakan, Shunaki, Virahantra, Sunaya.
Relevant text
Search found 20 books and stories containing Shunaka, Śunaka, Śunakā, Sunaka, Sunakā, Sūnāka; (plurals include: Shunakas, Śunakas, Śunakās, Sunakas, Sunakās, Sūnākas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)
Mahabharata (English) (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)
Section CL < [Apaddharmanusasana Parva]
Section IV < [Sabhakriya Parva]
Section VIII < [Pauloma Parva]
Ramayana of Valmiki (by Hari Prasad Shastri)
Chapter 61 - King Ambarisha’s sacrificial horse is lost < [Book 1 - Bala-kanda]
Mundaka Upanishad with Shankara’s Commentary (by S. Sitarama Sastri)
Verse 1.1.3 < [Mundaka I, Khanda I]
Animal Kingdom (Tiryak) in Epics (by Saranya P.S)
The Bhagavata Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 17 - The Lunar Dynasty—The Descendants of Āyu, the Son of Purūravas < [Book 9 - Ninth Skandha]
Chapter 13 - The Description of the Race of Nimi < [Book 9 - Ninth Skandha]
Chapter 7 - The Branches of the Atharva Veda: Characteristics of the Purāṇas < [Book 12 - Twelfth Skandha]