Somadatta: 15 definitions
Introduction:
Somadatta means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit. 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.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Wisdom Library: Bhagavata Purana1) Somadatta (सोमदत्त):—Son of Kṛśāśva (one of the two sons of Saṃyama). He satisfied Viṣṇu by performing aśvamedha sacrifices. (see Bhāgavata Purāṇa 9.2.35-36)
2) Somadatta (सोमदत्त):—Son of Bāhlīka (one of the three sons of Pratīpa). He had three sons, named Bhūri, Bhūriśravā and Śala. (see Bhāgavata Purāṇa 9.22.18-19)
Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia1) Somadatta (सोमदत्त).—A King of the Ikṣvāku dynasty. Genealogy. Descended from Viṣṇu in the following order:—Brahmā-Marīci-Kaśyapa-Vivasvān-Vaivasvata Manu-Ikṣvāku-Diṣṭa-Nābhāga-Phalantana-Vatsaprīti-Prāṃśu-Pramati-Khanitra-Cākṣuṣa-Rambha-Kaninetra-Karandhama-Avikṣit-Marutta-Dama-Rājyavardhana-Sudhṛti-Nara-Kevala-Bandhumān-Vegavān-Tṛṇabindu-Alambuṣa-Viśāla-Hemacandra-Dhūmrākṣa Sṛñjaya-Sahadeva-Kṛśāśva-Somadatta. (See full article at Story of Somadatta from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)
2) Somadatta (सोमदत्त).—A King of Pāñcāla. He was the great grandson of Sṛñjaya and the grandson of Sahadeva. The father of Somadatta was Kṛśāśva. (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Sarga 47).
3) Somadatta (सोमदत्त).—A King of the Kuru dynasty. General information. This King was the son of Bālhīka and the grandson of King Pradīpa. Three sons named Bhūri, Bhūriśravas and Śala were born to Somadatta. Other details.
(i) Somadatta and his sons were present at the Svayaṃvara marriage of Draupadī. (Mahābhārata Ādi Parva, Chapter 185, Verse 14).
(ii) Somadatta had participated in the royal consecration sacrifice of Yudhiṣṭhira. (Mahābhārata Chapter 34, Verse 8).
(iii) This Somadatta was present at the Svayaṃvara of Devakī. At that time there occurred a hand to hand fight between Śini and Somadatta. (Mahābhārata Droṇa Parva, Chapter 114, Verse 14).
(iv) The defeat from Śini being unbearable, Somadatta did penance to get power to vanquish him and Śiva appeared before him. Somadatta made the following request:— "God! May I be granted a son who would be powerful enough to kick down the son of Śini in his palace." Śiva granted his wish. Bhūriśravas was the son born in conformity with this boon. He grew up and defeated the son of Śini and kicked him in the palace of the King. This story occurs in Mahābhārata, Droṇa Parva, Chapter 144.
(v) Somadatta fought against Sātyaki and Bhīmasena in the battle of Bhārata and fell down unconscious. (Droṇa Parva, Chapter 157, Verse 10).
(vi) In the battle which followed this, Sātyaki killed Somadatta. (Mahābhārata Droṇa Parva, Chapter 162, Verse 33).
(vii) It is mentioned in Mahābhārata, Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 11, Verse 17, that Dhṛtarāṣṭra performed the sacrifice of giving offerings to the spirit of Somadatta.
(viii) Somadatta was one of the spirits which appeared on the surface of the Ganges when invoked by Vyāsa. (Mahābhārata Āśramavāsika Parva, Chapter 32, Verse 12).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index1a) Somadatta (सोमदत्त).—A son of Kṛśāśva: performed 100 Aśvamedhas and attained the goal of Yogins. Father of Sumati (Janamejaya, Viṣṇu-purāṇa);1 a Rājaṛṣi.2
1b) A son of Bāhlika and father of Bhūri and two other sons. Attacked the northern gate of Mathurā, and the eastern gate of Gomanta when they were besieged by Jarāsandha. A Kaurava.*
- * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 22. 18; X. 50. 11[7]; 52. 11 [6]; Vāyu-purāṇa 99. 235; Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 20. 31-2.
1c) Versed in the purāṇas.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 35. 64; Viṣṇu-purāṇa V. 35. 28.
1d) An ally of Kārtavīrya killed by Paraśurāma.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 39. 2-7.
1e) A Bāleya Gandharva; a Rājaṛṣi and father of Janamejaya.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 69. 20; 86. 20.
Somadatta (सोमदत्त) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. I.177.14) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Somadatta) 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.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Source: ISKCON Press: GlossarySomadatta (सोमदत्त).—The son of King Bālhīka and the grandson of King Pratīpa. He had three sons name Bhūri, Bhūriśravas, and Śala. He was killed by Sātyaki during the battle of Kurukṣetra.
Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara1) Somadatta (सोमदत्त) is the name of a Brāhman from the city of Kauśāmbī, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 2. He is also known by the name Agniśikha. His wife was called Vasudattā, and together they had a son named Vararuci. Vararuci was an incarnation of Puṣpadanta (a subordinate of Śiva), who was cursed by Pārvatī for overhearing Śiva narrating the adventures of the seven vidhyādharas.
2) Somadatta (सोमदत्त), who later became the Gaṇa Mālyavān, is the name of one of the sons of Govindadatta: a learned Brāhman from Bahusuvarṇaka, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 7. Over time, Somadatta became an attendant (gaṇa) of Śiva, by the name Mālyavān: “The husband of the daughter of the mountain, that mighty god, thus addressed me: ‘Because I have been worshipped by thee with garlands of flowers growing in trackless forest regions, brought with thy own hand, therefore thou shalt be one of my Gaṇas, and shalt bear the name of Mālyavān.’”
3) Somadatta (सोमदत्त) is one of the two sons of Agnidatta: a Brāhman of high renown living in the land of Padma, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 20. Their story was told by Yaugandharāyaṇa to king Udayana in order to demonstrate that a sensible man will not injure one who treats him well, for whoever does, will find that it turns out unfortunately for himself.
4) Somadatta (सोमदत्त) is the name of a prince mentioned in the “story of Tejasvatī ” according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 30. Accordingly, as Somaprabhā said to Kaliṅgasenā: “... a certain prince of high lineage came, as his father was dead, to visit the king, who had been his father’s friend. And that handsome young prince, named Somadatta, whose kingdom and wealth had been taken by pretenders, arriving at night, entered by accident, to pass the night there, that very temple in which the confidante of the princess [Tejasvatī] had arranged a meeting with the man”.
The story of Somadatta was narrated by Somaprabhā to Kaliṅgasenā in order to demonstrate that “fate watches to ensure the objects of auspicious persons, as good servants of their masters, when the latter are not on the look-out”.
5) Somadatta (सोमदत्त) is one of three Brāhman brothers mentioned in a story according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 33. Accordingly, “... in this land there were three Brāhman brothers, Brahmadatta, Somadatta and Viśvadatta, of holy deeds. Of these two, the eldest, possessed wives, but the youngest was unmarried; he remained as their servant without being-angry”
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Somadatta, 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.
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’.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Source: Apam Napat: Indian MythologySomadatta was an ally of the Kauravas. He was a suitor to Devaki, who was the mother of Krishna. He fought with Sini, who was seeking the hand of Devaki for his friend Vasudeva. The battle was hard fought and in the end Sini emerged victorious. Devaki married Vasudeva. This incident began a bitter feud between the clan of Somadatta and the Yadavas, the clan of Sini.
In Buddhism
Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)
Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names1. Somadatta. The Bodhisatta born as the son of the brahmin Aggidatta (q.v.).
2. Somadatta. The younger brother of Sutasoma. He is identified with Ananda. J.v.185,192.
3. Somadatta. A brahmin. For his story see the Bhuridatta Jataka. He is identified with Ananda. J.vi.219.
4. Somadatta. An elephant calf. See the Somadatta Jataka (No. 410).
5. Somadatta - A brahmin of Savatthi. He once played dice with another brahmin, Soma, and won the latters possessions, including his upper garment and signet ring. When Soma said he could not walk home barefoot, nor face his family without his ring, Somadatta returned his winnings and the two became great friends. Somadatta was later sentenced to death for repeated adultery. When Soma discovered this he offered his life instead and was killed. He was reborn as a deva and took Somadatta to the deva world for a week, sending him back with a wish conferring gem. Later Somadatta too was born near Soma. Ras.i.46f.
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 Buddhist Teachers, Deities and other Spiritual beingsSomadatta (सोमदत्त) refers to one of the “Seven Dharma kings” (Tibetan: chos rgyal bdun) as well as the “Thirty-two kings of Shambhala”, according to the Tibetan oral recounting and written texts such as the Kalachakra Tantra (kālacakratantra), dealing with the Buddhist conception of the end of the world and time.—The Tibetan mythic land (the kingdom of Shambhala) is a parallel world invisible and inaccessible to common people which is closely related to the teaching about the Wheel of Time (dus 'khor). The seven Dharmarajas [e.g., Somadatta] and twenty-five Kulikas are the traditional rulers of Shambhala, passing on the reign from father to son.
Somadatta is also known as Dharmaraja Chandradatta, and in Tibetan as (1) Dawä Jin (2) Chogyal Dawechin [chos rgyal zla bas byin] (3) Dawejyin (4) [zla bas byin pa] (5) [zla sbyin]; and in Mongolian as: Khaan Davaajinshen. His traditional reign is considered to be from 676 to 576 BC. Somadatta is further considered to be an emanation of Sarvanivāraṇaviṣkambhin.
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: TrisastisalakapurusacaritraSomadatta (सोमदत्त) is the name of an ancient king from Padmakhaṇḍapura, according to chapter 3.6 [candraprabha-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.
Accordingly, “[...] Then the Lord’s (i.e., Candraprabha’s) fourth kind of knowledge, mind-reading knowledge, illuminating the mind-substance of creatures of the human world, arose. On the next day the Lord broke his fast with rice-pudding at the house of King Somadatta in Padmakhaṇḍapura. The five divine things—the stream of treasure, etc., were made by the gods, and a jeweled platform was made by the king on the ground marked by the Arhat’s feet. [...]”
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
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionarySomadatta (सोमदत्त).—name of a previous incarnation of Kālo-dāyin: Mahāvastu iii.105.20 ff.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionarySomadatta (सोमदत्त).—[masculine] a man’s name.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum1) Somadatta (सोमदत्त) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—a writer on dharma. Quoted by Hemādri in Pariśeṣakhaṇḍa Ii, 79.
2) Somadatta (सोमदत्त):—add 593.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Somadatta (सोमदत्त):—[=soma-datta] [from soma] m. Name of various kings, [Mahābhārata; Harivaṃśa; Purāṇa]
2) [v.s. ...] of various Brāhmans, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
3) [v.s. ...] of a merchant, [Śukasaptati]
4) [v.s. ...] of a writer on Dharma, [Catalogue(s)]
5) Somadattā (सोमदत्ता):—[=soma-dattā] [from soma-datta > soma] f. Name of a woman, [Catalogue(s)]
[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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Somadatta Jataka.
Full-text (+37): Saumadatti, Bhurisravas, Bhuri, Shala, Bhurishrava, Shini, Seven Dharmarajas, Agnishikha, Janamejaya, Krishashva, Bahlika, Viranatthambhaka, Kushashva, Pancadhanus, Pancajana, Samyamani, Somadatta Jataka, Aggidatta, Samyamana, Bhavananda.
Relevant text
Search found 36 books and stories containing Somadatta, Soma-datta, Somadattā, Soma-dattā; (plurals include: Somadattas, dattas, Somadattās, dattās). 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 CLXI < [Ghatotkacha-badha Parva]
Section CVII < [Jayadratha-Vadha Parva]
Section CXLIII < [Jayadratha-Vadha Parva]
The Jataka tales [English], Volume 1-6 (by Robert Chalmers)
Jataka 211: Somadatta-jātaka < [Book II - Dukanipāta]
Jataka 410: Somadatta-jātaka < [Volume 3]
Jataka 525: Culla-Sutasoma-jātaka < [Volume 5]
Shrimad Bhagavad-gita (by Narayana Gosvami)
Verses 1.8-9 < [Chapter 1 - Sainya-Darśana (Observing the Armies)]
Dhammapada (Illustrated) (by Ven. Weagoda Sarada Maha Thero)
Verse 152 - The Story of Venerable Kāludāyi < [Chapter 11 - Jarā Vagga (Old Age)]
The Agni Purana (by N. Gangadharan)