Shyena, Śyena, Śyenā: 23 definitions
Introduction:
Shyena 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 Śyena and Śyenā can be transliterated into English as Syena or Shyena, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Shyen.
In Hinduism
Ayurveda (science of life)
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
1) Śyena (श्येन) refers to the Falcon, 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.
2) Śyena (श्येन) also refers to the [Shikra] Hawk (Acelpiter badius).
3) Śyena (श्येन) also refers to the Tawng eagle (Aquila Vindhiana).
Toxicology (Study and Treatment of poison)
Śyena (श्येन) refers to the “eagle” and is mentioned as one of the sworn enemies of Snakes (Sarpas), as taught in the Kāśyapa Saṃhitā: an ancient Sanskrit text from the Pāñcarātra tradition dealing with both Tantra and Viṣacikitsā, which represents the Ayurvedic study on Toxicology (Agadatantra or Sarpavidyā).—The Kāśyapasaṃhitā (verse IV.33) talks about the sworn enemies of Sarpas (snakes): Boar, lightning, peacock, eagle (śyena), cat, mongoose and wolf are its sworn enemies.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Śyena (श्येन) is a Sanskrit word referring to the animal “hawk”, “faclon” or “eagle”. The meat of this animal is part of the māṃsavarga (‘group of flesh’), which is used throughout Ayurvedic literature. The animal Śyena is part of the sub-group named prasaha, refering to animals “who take their food by snatching”. It was classified by Caraka in his Carakasaṃhitā sūtrasthāna (chapter 27), a classical Ayurvedic work. Caraka defined such groups (vargas) based on the dietic properties of the substance.
Śyena (श्येन)—Sanskrit word for a bird corresponding to “eagle”, “falcon” or “garuḍa”. This animal is from the group called Prasaha (‘carnivorous birds’). Prasaha itself is a sub-group of the group of animals known as Jāṅghala (living in high ground and in a jungle).
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.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
1) Śyena (श्येन).—A class of birds. A daughter named "Śyenī" was born to Kaśyapa Prajāpati by his wife Tāmrā. Śyenas were the sons of Śyenī. (Mahābhārata Ādi Parva, Chapter 66, Verse 56).
2) Śyena (श्येन).—An ancient sage. Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva Chapter 7, Verse 11, describes him as shining in Indra’s assembly.
3) Śyena (श्येन) or Śyenavyūha refers to the “Disposition of an army in the shape of a vulture”.—Disposition of an army (vyūha) of four parts, (infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots) in the battlefield, the arrangement of it, in various forms. It is said that during the period of Mahābhārata, there were various forms of disposition of the army.—Śyena-vyūha is mentioned in the Mahābhārata Bhīṣma Parva, Chapter 69 .
Śyena (श्येन) refers to “carnivorous birds”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.7 (“Commencement of the War”).—Accordingly, as Brahmā narrated to Nārada: “[...] Jackals and vixens began eating the flesh. Numbers of vultures, kites, crows and carnivorous birds (śyena) devoured the flesh of those falling down. In the meantime Tāraka, the demon of great strength, came there with a huge army to fight with the gods. On seeing the haughty warrior rushing on them, Indra and others, turned against him. Then a tumultuous sound arose from both the armies. [...]”.
1) Śyena (श्येन).—Eagles, born of Syenī;1 of the Tāmara line.2
2) Śyenā (श्येना).—A river of the Ṛkṣa hill.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 16. 30.
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.
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Śyena (श्येन) is the name of a deity to be invoked in a certain ritual, according to the Mānavagṛhyasūtra 2.14. Accordingly, the deity is prescribed when one suffers from possession by the Vināyakas, Śālakaṭaṅkaṭa, Kūṣmāṇḍarājaputra, Usmita and Devayajana. The Baijavāpagṛhyasūtra replaces the names of last two vināyakas with Mita and Sammita. According to R. C. Hazra in his Gaṇapati-worship, “this rite is both expiatory and propitiatory in nature and in which various things including meat and fish (both raw and cooked) and wine and cakes are to be offered”..
The gṛhya-sūtras are a branch of dharma-sūtras and refer to a category of Vedic literature dealing with domstic rites and rituals. The Mānava-gṛhya-sūtra belongs to the Kṛṣṇa-yajurveda. The Baijavāpa-gṛhya-sūtra is known only through references to it in other works (e.g., Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra).
Śyena (श्येन) refers to the bird “Falcon” (Falco peregrinata).—Birds have been described in several ancient Sanskrit texts that they have been treated elaborately by eminent scholars. These birds [viz., Śyena] are enumerated in almost several Smṛtis in context of specifying the expiations for killing them and their flesh being used as a dietary article to give satisfaction to the manes (Pitṛs) in Śrāddha rites. These are elaborated especially in the Manusmṛti, Parāśarasmṛti [chapter VI], Gautamasmṛti [chapter 23], Śātātapasmṛti [II.54-56], Uśānasmṛti [IX.10-IX.12], Yājñavalkyasmṛti [I.172-I.175], Viṣṇusmṛti [51.28-51.29], Uttarāṅgirasasmṛti [X.16].
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres)
Śyena (श्येन) 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.
Shyanika-shastra (the science of Hawking and Hunting)
Śyena (श्येन) refers to “hawks”, according to the Śyainika-śāstra: a Sanskrit treatise dealing with the divisions and benefits of Hunting and Hawking, written by Rājā Rudradeva (or Candradeva) in possibly the 13th century.—Accordingly, [while discussing the training of hawks]: “There are different ways of taming them according to the species to which they belong. Therefore an enumeration of the species [of hawks] (śyena) is given below. There are two distinctly separate divisions, namely, ‘black-eyed’ and ‘yellow-eyed.’ The subdivisions of these are many. [...]”.
Black-eyed Hawks (kṛṣṇākṣa):
- Kūhī,
- Śasāda,
- Caraka,
- Vaharī,
- Lagaru,
- Pakṣakalikā,
- Turumutī.
Yellow-eyed Hawks (pāṭalākṣa):
- Vāja,
- Vāsa,
- Vesara,
- Sicāna,
- Jūra,
- Ceṭa,
- Dhūti,
- Ṭunā.
Shyanika-shastra (श्यैनिकशास्त्र, śyainikaśāstra) deals with ancient Indian skill of hawking/falconry (one of the ways of hunting) which were laid down in a systematic manner in various Sanskrit treatises. It also explains the philosophy behind how the pleasures derived from sense-experience could lead the way to liberation.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Śyenā (श्येना) (or Senā) is the name of a Ḍākinī who, together with the Vīra (hero) named Sena forms one of the 36 pairs situated in the Vāyucakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the vāyucakra refers to one of the three divisions of the dharma-puṭa (‘dharma layer’), situated in the Herukamaṇḍala. The 36 pairs of Ḍākinīs [viz., Senā] and Vīras are dark blue in color; they each have one face and four arms; they hold a skull bowl, a skull staff, a small drum, and a knife.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
śyēna (श्येन).—m S A hawk. śyēnī f S A female hawk.
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
Śyena (श्येन).—[śyai-inan Uṇādi-sūtra 2.45]
1) The white colour.
2) Whiteness.
3) A hawk, falcon.
4) Violence.
5) Ved. A horse.
6) A kind of array in battle.
Derivable forms: śyenaḥ (श्येनः).
Śyena (श्येन).—m.
(-naḥ) 1. A hawk, a falcon. 2. White, (the colour.) 3. Whiteness, paleness. 4. Violence, desperation. f. (-nī) 1. The female hawk. 2. A species of the Trishtub'h-metre. E. śyai to go, inan Unadi aff.
Śyena (श्येन).— (akin to the last), I. m. 1. White (the colour). 2. A hawk, [Pañcatantra] 188, 15. Ii. f. nī. A female hawk.
Śyena (श्येन).—[masculine] eagle, falcon, hawk; a form of military array, [Name] of a man; [feminine] śyenī the [mythological] mother of eagles etc.
1) Śyena (श्येन):—[from śyeta] m. a hawk, falcon, eagle, any bird of prey ([especially] the eagle that brings down Soma to man), [Ṛg-veda] etc. etc.
2) [v.s. ...] firewood laid in the shape of an eagle, [Śulba-sūtra]
3) [v.s. ...] a kind of array (in battle), [Mahābhārata; Kāmandakīya-nītisāra]
4) [v.s. ...] a [particular] part of the sacrificial victim, [Kauśika-sūtra]
5) [v.s. ...] a [particular] Ekāha, [ṢaḍvBr.; Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra]
6) [v.s. ...] a horse, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
7) [v.s. ...] Name of a Ṛṣi (having the [patronymic] Āgneya and author of [Ṛg-veda x, 188]), [Anukramaṇikā]
8) [v.s. ...] (with or without indraśya) Name of a Sāman, [Ārṣeya-brāhmaṇa; Lāṭyāyana]
9) Śyenā (श्येना):—[from śyena > śyeta] f. a female hawk, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
10) Śyena (श्येन):—[from śyeta] mfn. eagle-like, [Aitareya-brāhmaṇa]
11) [v.s. ...] coming from an eagle (as ‘eagle’s flesh’), [Kṛṣṇaj.] ([probably] [wrong reading] for śyaina).
Śyena (श्येन):—(naḥ) 1. m. A hawk, a falcon; whiteness, violence f.
(-ī) A female hawk; a kind of metre.
Śyena (श्येन):—
Śyena (श्येन) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Seṇa.
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
Śyena (श्येन) [Also spelled shyen]:—(nm) a hawk, falcon.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Śyēna (ಶ್ಯೇನ):—
1) [noun] = ಶ್ಯೇತ [shyeta]2.
2) [noun] 'a hawk (as an enemy of rabits) (any of various accipitrine birds (family: Accipitridae) having a characteristic curved beak, short, rounded wings and a long tail and legs).'3) [noun] a particular military array.
4) [noun] a tormenting or beig tormented; tormentation; harassment.
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 (+12): Shyenabhadra, Shyenabhicara, Shyenabhrita, Shyenabrihat, Shyenacakramatrikacakradi, Shyenacayanasutra, Shyenacit, Shyenacita, Shyenacitra, Shyenadhara, Shyenagami, Shyenagamin, Shyenaghanta, Shyenahrita, Shyenajidakhyana, Shyenajit, Shyenajivin, Shyenajuta, Shyenakapotiya, Shyenakarana.
Full-text (+91): Shyenajivin, Shyenakarana, Shyenacit, Shyenajit, Shyenacitra, Shyenapata, Shyenajuta, Kshiprashyena, Shyenapattra, Shyenakapotiya, Shyenabhrita, Shyenahrita, Shyenayaga, Shyenavyuha, Shyenabrihat, Shyenaghanta, Shyenapatvan, Shyenagamin, Shyenavapata, Shyenam.
Relevant text
Search found 82 books and stories containing Shyena, Śyena, Śyenā, Syena, Śyēna; (plurals include: Shyenas, Śyenas, Śyenās, Syenas, Śyēnas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Animal Kingdom (Tiryak) in Epics (by Saranya P.S)
Chapter 4.34 - The Shyena (Shikra) in the Epics
Chapter 4.1 - Animals and Birds in the Epics and their classifications
Shishupala-vadha (Study) (by Shila Chakraborty)
Daṇḍa-vyūha (Staff array) < [Chapter 6 - Principles of Warfare]
Various other Arrays < [Chapter 6 - Principles of Warfare]
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
Nirukta and the Vedic interpretation (study) (by Shruti S. Pradhan)
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
Page 137 < [Volume 27 (1937)]
Page 69 < [Volume 1, Part 1 (1901)]
Page 319 < [Volume 1, Part 3 (1905)]
Mimamsa interpretation of Vedic Injunctions (Vidhi) (by Shreebas Debnath)