Sphota, Sphoṭa, Sphoṭā: 26 definitions
Introduction:
Sphota means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, 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.
Alternative spellings of this word include Sfot.
In Hinduism
Ayurveda (science of life)
Rasashastra (Alchemy and Herbo-Mineral preparations)
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) refers to the “breaking of the skin”, a side-effect of the incorrect use of certain metals. It is used throughout Rasaśāstra literature, such as the Rasaprakāśasudhākara.
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) refers to “eruption” (e.g., Vārisphoṭa—‘bulbous eruption’), according to Āyurveda sections in the Garuḍapurāṇa.—[Treatment of vāri-sphoṭa (bulbous eruption) in Haya and Keśara (horses and bullocks)]—When Haya and Keśara (horses and bullocks) are suffering from vārisphoṭa (bulbous eruption) the leaves of Śarapuṅkha (Tephrosia purpurea) with lavaṇa (rock salt) is advised.
Toxicology (Study and Treatment of poison)
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) (or Sphoṭakā) is the name of an ingredient used in the treatment of Maṇḍalī-snake-bites, according to the Kāśyapa Saṃhitā: an ancient Sanskrit text from the Pāñcarātra tradition dealing with both Tantra and Viṣacikitsā—an important topic from Āyurveda which deals with the study of Toxicology (Viṣavidyā or Sarpavidyā).—A number of different permutation and combination of herbs are prescribed as Lepa and Pāna for removing the poison of Maṇḍalī snakes.—According to the Kāśyapasaṃhitā verse 9.74cd: “A drink made out of boiling the root of Sphoṭa (sphoṭakāmūla) in milk effectively quells the poison”.
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.
Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar)
Sphoṭa (स्फोट).—Internal word (śabda) which communicates the meaning. It is revealed when the word is uttered by the speaker and heard by the addresses.
Sphoṭa (स्फोट).—Name given to the radical Sabda which communicates the meaning to the hearers as different from ध्वनि (dhvani) or the sound in ordinary experience. The Vaiyakaranas,who followed Panini and who were headed by Bhartruhari entered into discussions regarding the philosophy of Grammar, and introduced by way of deduction from Panini's grammar, an important theory that शब्द (śabda) which communicates the meaning is different from the sound which is produced and heard and which is merely instrumental in the manifestation of an internal voice which is called Sphota. स्फुटयतेनेन अर्थः इति स्फोटः (sphuṭayatenena arthaḥ iti sphoṭaḥ) or स्फोटः शब्दो ध्वनिस्तस्य व्यायमा-दुपजायते (sphoṭaḥ śabdo dhvanistasya vyāyamā-dupajāyate) Vakyapadiya; cf. also अभि-व्यक्तवादको मध्यमावस्थ आन्तरः शब्दः (abhi-vyaktavādako madhyamāvastha āntaraḥ śabdaḥ) Kaiyata's Pradipa. For, details see Vakyapadiya I and Sabdakaustubha Ahnika 1. It is doubtful whether this Sphota theory was. advocated before Panini. The word स्फोटायन (sphoṭāyana) has been put by Panini in the rule अवङ् स्फोटायनस्य (avaṅ sphoṭāyanasya) only incidentally and, in fact, nothing can be definitely deduced from it although Haradatta says that स्फोटायन (sphoṭāyana) was the originator of the स्फोटवाद (sphoṭavāda). The word स्फोट (sphoṭa) is not actually found in the Pratisakhya works. However, commentators on the Pratisakhya works have introduced it in their explanations of the texts which describe वर्णोत्पत्ति (varṇotpatti) or production of sound; cf. com. on R.Pr.XIII.4, T.Pr. II.1. Grammarians have given various kinds of sphota; cf. स्फोटो द्विधा । व्यक्तिस्फोटो जातिस्फोटश्च। व्यक्ति-स्पोटः सखण्ड अखण्डश्च । सखण्ड। वर्णपदवाक्य-भेदेन त्रिधा। अखण्डः पदवाक्यभेदेन द्विधा । एवं पञ्च व्यक्तिस्फोटाः। जातिस्फोटः वर्ण-पदवाक्यभेदेन त्रिधा। इत्येवमष्टौ स्फोटः तत्र अखण्डवाक्यस्फोट एव मुख्य इति नव्याः । वाक्य जातिस्फोट इति तु प्राञ्चः॥ (sphoṭo dvidhā | vyaktisphoṭo jātisphoṭaśca| vyakti-spoṭaḥ sakhaṇḍa akhaṇḍaśca | sakhaṇḍa| varṇapadavākya-bhedena tridhā| akhaṇḍaḥ padavākyabhedena dvidhā | evaṃ pañca vyaktisphoṭāḥ| jātisphoṭaḥ varṇa-padavākyabhedena tridhā| ityevamaṣṭau sphoṭaḥ tatra akhaṇḍavākyasphoṭa eva mukhya iti navyāḥ | vākya jātisphoṭa iti tu prāñcaḥ||); cf. also पदप्रकृतिः संहिता इति प्रातिशाख्यमत्र मानम् । पदानां प्रकृतिरिति षष्ठीतत्पुरुषे अखण्डवाक्यस्फो-टपक्षः । बहुव्रीहौ सखण्डबाक्यस्फोटः ॥ (padaprakṛtiḥ saṃhitā iti prātiśākhyamatra mānam | padānāṃ prakṛtiriti ṣaṣṭhītatpuruṣe akhaṇḍavākyaspho-ṭapakṣaḥ | bahuvrīhau sakhaṇḍabākyasphoṭaḥ ||)
Vyakarana (व्याकरण, vyākaraṇa) refers to Sanskrit grammar and represents one of the six additional sciences (vedanga) to be studied along with the Vedas. Vyakarana concerns itself with the rules of Sanskrit grammar and linguistic analysis in order to establish the correct context of words and sentences.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) (Cf. Nāda) refers to the “manifestor” (of the universe) symbolizing Sound (Nāda), according to Kṣemarāja in his commentaries on the Netratantra and the Svacchandabhairavatantra, which is well known to the Kubjikā Tantras.—‘Sound’ (nāda) is the name given to the pulse (spanda) of the supreme level of Speech (parā vāc), which animates the highest reality. [...] As this Sound is the denotator of the world of objects, which are its denoted meaning, it manifests (sphuṭati) the universe, and so is called the ‘manifestor’ (sphoṭa). As such it is the aggregate of phonemic energies (śabdagrāma) that generates the universe identified with the Sound Absolute (śabdabrahman)—the absolute reality in the form of sound (dhvanirūpa, śabdanasvabhāva). Viewed from the reverse perspective, Sound is the resonance that follows the Point that condenses the energy of mantra, which, through Sound, merges into Śiva’s energy. Accordingly, it is defined as that which remains of the synthetic awareness of the conscious subject in itself when the duality of thought comes to an end. [...]”.
Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Mādhavācārya, while enumerating the philosophy of Paṇini, says: ‘The eternal word is called sphoṭa. . . .’ Sphoṭa is nothing but the bursting of the Kāmabīja. It is the first sound.
Sphoṭa (स्फोट, the Sanskrit for "bursting, opening", "spurt") is an important concept in the Indian grammatical tradition of Vyakarana, relating to the problem of speech production, how the mind orders linguistic units into coherent discourse and meaning.
In his Mahābhāṣya, Patañjali (2nd century BCE) uses the term sphoṭa to denote the sound of language, the universal, while the actual sound (dhvani) may be long or short, or vary in other ways. This distinction may be thought to be similar to that of the present notion of phoneme. Bhatrihari however, applies the term sphoṭa to each element of the utterance, varṇa the letter or syllable, pada the word, and vākya the sentence. In order to create the linguistic invariant, he argues that these must be treated as separate wholes (varṇasphoṭa, padasphoṭa and vākyasphoṭa respectively). For example, the same speech sound or varṇa may have different properties in different word contexts (e.g. assimilation), so that the sound cannot be discerned until the whole word is heard.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) [=sphoṭaka?] refers to “bursting (the heart of all Nāgas)” (according to the Jvalitavajrāśanituṇḍā-dhāraṇī) [i.e., sarvanāgahṛdayāni sphoṭakāya hūṃ phaṭ svāhā], 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.
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.
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Sphoṭā (स्फोटा) refers to one of the “Forty-two Peaceful Deities” (Tibetan: zhi ba'i lha zhe gnyis) according to various sources such as the Guhyagarbha Tantra and the Tibetan Book of the Dead.—They feature in Tantric teachings and practices which focus on purifying elements of the body and mind. These deities [e.g., Sphoṭā] form part part of the the Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities who manifest to a deceased person following the dissolution of the body and consciousness whilst they are in the intermediate state (bardo) between death and rebirth.
Sphoṭā is also known as Śṛṅkhalā, Siṃhavaktra or Siṃhamukhā, Siṃhāsyā. She is known in Tibetan as: (1) lcags sgrog ma or (2) seng gdong ma. She is the consort of Hayagrīva and is part of the “Four Female Gatekeepers”.
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) or “iron chain” refers to one of the attributes of Aja or Rigden Gyalka—one of the Twenty-five Kulikas as well as one of the traditional Shambhala rulers.—His attributes are a club and iron chain (Sanskrit: Śṛṅkhalā, Sphoṭa; Tibetan: chagdrog [lchags sgrog]).—Rigden Gyalka is known in Tibetan (wylie) as rgyal dka'; and in Sanskrit as: Kulika Durjaya or Aja.
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) or “iron chain” also represents one of the attributes of Vikrānta or Rigden Namparnon.
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
Jain philosophy
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) refers to “that by which the sense becomes clear”, as occurring in the Anekāntajayapatākā-prakaraṇa, a Śvetāmbara Jain philosophical work written by Haribhadra Sūri.—[Cf. Vol. I, P. 385, l. 7 & p. 393, ll. 3-7]—Sphoṭa is explained in the super-commentary on p. 385 as one whereby the sense becomes clear. Further, it is said here that according to some it is directly realized by means of the sense of hearing and according to others by implication (arthāpatti). That sphoṭa is eternal, all-pervading and uncreated and that is revealed by dhvanis produced by a person making an effort for it, is refuted on pp. 391 & 392.
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Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
sphōṭa (स्फोट).—m (S) A boil, blain, blotch, blister, bladder, pustule, pimple. 2 Bursting, rending, ripping, breaking: also bursten or broken state. 3 Opening or opened state (of a flower, bud &c.)
sphōṭa (स्फोट).—m A boil; bursting; opened state. Explosion.
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
Sphoṭa (स्फोट).—[sphuṭ karaṇe ghañ]
1) Breaking forth, splitting open, bursting.
2) Disclosure; as in नर्मस्फोट (narmasphoṭa).
3) A swelling, boil, tumour; अयमपरो गण्डस्थोपरि स्फोटः (ayamaparo gaṇḍasthopari sphoṭaḥ) Mu. 5.
4) The idea which bursts out or flashes on the mind when a sound is uttered, the impression produced on the mind at hearing a sound; बुधैर्वैयाकरणैः प्रधान- भूतस्फोटरूपव्यङ्ग्यव्यञ्जकस्य शब्दस्य ध्वनिरिति व्यवहारः कृतः (budhairvaiyākaraṇaiḥ pradhāna- bhūtasphoṭarūpavyaṅgyavyañjakasya śabdasya dhvaniriti vyavahāraḥ kṛtaḥ) K. P.1; also see Sarva. S. (pāṇinīyadarśana).
5) The eternal sound recognised by the Mīmāṃsakas; दिशां त्वमवकाशोऽसि दिशः खं स्फोट आश्रयः (diśāṃ tvamavakāśo'si diśaḥ khaṃ sphoṭa āśrayaḥ) Bhāgavata 1.85.9; शृणोति य इमं स्फोटं सुपश्रोत्रे च शून्यदृक् (śṛṇoti ya imaṃ sphoṭaṃ supaśrotre ca śūnyadṛk) 12.6.4.
Derivable forms: sphoṭaḥ (स्फोटः).
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Sphoṭā (स्फोटा).—The expanded hood of a serpent.
Sphoṭā (स्फोटा).—(in this meaning Sanskrit sphoṭana, [Boehtlingk]), snap of the fingers: mahā-sphoṭā-saṃghāta-śabdena Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 388.9 (prose), referring to, and synonymous with, acchaṭā-saṃghāta- śabda, just before, see acchaṭā.
Sphoṭa (स्फोट).—m.
(-ṭaḥ) 1. A boil, a tumour. 2. Breaking, bursting. 3. Revealing, disclosure, (as in narmasphoṭa.) 4. The idea which bursts out or flashes on the mind when a sound is uttered. f.
(-ṭā) The hood of the snake. E. sphuṭ to break or open, aff. ghañ .
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Sphoṭā (स्फोटा).—f.
(-ṭā) The expanded hood of a snake.
Sphoṭa (स्फोट).—i. e. sphuṭ + a, I. m. 1. Bursting, breaking. 2. A tumour, a boil, [Suśruta] 2, 383, 10. 3. The eternal sound, in the Pūrva Mīmāṃsā. Ii. f. ṭā, The hood of the snake.
Sphoṭa (स्फोट).—[masculine] bursting, splitting, opening, cracking, roaring; also = seq.
1) Sphoṭa (स्फोट):—[from sphuṭ] a m. bursting, opening, expansion, disclosure (cf. narma-sph), [Mahābhārata; Kāvya literature] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] extension (See kara-sph)
3) [v.s. ...] a swelling, boil, tumour, [Caraka; Suśruta]
4) [v.s. ...] a little bit or fragment, chip, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) [v.s. ...] crackling, crash, roar, [Mahābhārata; Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā]
6) [v.s. ...] (in [philosophy]) sound (conceived as eternal, indivisible, and creative), [Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha]
7) [v.s. ...] the eternal and imperceptible element of sounds and words and the real vehicle of the idea which bursts or flashes on the mind when a sound is uttered, [Patañjali]
8) Sphoṭā (स्फोटा):—[from sphoṭa > sphuṭ] f. shaking or waving the arms, [Mārkaṇḍeya-purāṇa]
9) [v.s. ...] the expanded hood of a snake (= or [wrong reading] for sphaṭā), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
10) Sphoṭa (स्फोट):—b ṭaka etc. See p. 1270, col. 3.
Sphoṭa (स्फोट):—(ṭaḥ) m. A boil or tumour; bursting. 1. f. Hood of a snake.
[Sanskrit to German]
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Khoḍa, Phoḍa, Phoḍāva.
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
Sphoṭa (स्फोट) [Also spelled sfot]:—(nm) explosion, burst; the eternal and imperceptible element of sounds and words and the real vehicle of the idea which bursts or flashes on the mind when a sound is uttered; ~[vāda] the philosophical doctrine of [sphoṭa] hence ~[vādī] (a, nm).
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Kannada-English dictionary
Sphōṭa (ಸ್ಫೋಟ):—
1) [noun] a bursting suddenly (as from internal pressure).
2) [noun] a brief news report of something that has just happened; a news-flash.
3) [noun] a killing, murdering of a person (illegally).
4) [noun] an inflamed, painful, pus-filled swelling on the skin, caused by localised infection; a furuncle; a boil.
5) [noun] (rhet.) a bursting or flashing of the eternal and imperceptible element of sounds and words, when a sound is uttered, causing the sense of the word flashing on the mind.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Sphoṭa (स्फोट):—n. 1. breaking forth; splitting open; bursting; explosion; eruption; 2. the impression produced on the mind at hearing a sound; 3. Phonol. plosion; release;
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 (+7): Sphotabijaka, Sphotacakra, Sphotacandrika, Sphotacataka, Sphotagollu, Sphotahetu, Sphotahetuka, Sphotajivika, Sphotak, Sphotaka, Sphotakadravya, Sphotakam, Sphotakamantra, Sphotakara, Sphotalata, Sphotamudra, Sphotana, Sphotani, Sphotanirupana, Sphotaniya.
Full-text (+77): Visphota, Asphota, Muktasphota, Karnasphota, Narmasphota, Samsphota, Padasphota, Duhsphota, Shrutisphota, Nagasphota, Kapalasphota, Sphotanirupana, Vajrasphota, Sphotakara, Sphotabijaka, Pitasphota, Bhusphota, Lajasphotam, Ghatasphota, Sphotacandrika.
Relevant text
Search found 70 books and stories containing Sphota, Sphoṭa, Sphōṭa, Sphoṭā; (plurals include: Sphotas, Sphoṭas, Sphōṭas, Sphoṭās). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Tattvabindu of Vachaspati Mishra (study) (by Kishor Deka)
Part 3 - Classification of Sphoṭa < [Chapter 2 - Sphoṭavāda and its refutation by Vācaspati Miśra]
Part 4 - Bhartṛhari’s theory of sphoṭa < [Chapter 2 - Sphoṭavāda and its refutation by Vācaspati Miśra]
Part 1 - Derivation of the word Sphoṭa < [Chapter 2 - Sphoṭavāda and its refutation by Vācaspati Miśra]
Vakyapadiya (study of the concept of Sentence) (by Sarath P. Nath)
4. The Concept of Sentence Indivisibility and Sphoṭa < [Chapter 3 - The Concept of Sentence and Sentence-Meaning]
7.2 Pratibhā and the Sentence Sphoṭa < [Chapter 4 - The Concept of Pratibhā and its Implications]
2. Definition of Sentence (vākya) < [Chapter 3 - The Concept of Sentence and Sentence-Meaning]
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Efficacy of Jalaukavacharana in Herpes Zoster: An Observational Study < [2018: Volume 7, July special issue 14]
Management of visarpa through shaman yoga along with raktamokshan-a case study < [2021: Volume 10, January issue 1]
Ahiputana vyadhi and napkin rash in children: An Ayurveda perspective. < [2020: Volume 9, April issue 4]
Vakyapadiya of Bhartrihari (by K. A. Subramania Iyer)
Verse 1.104 < [Book 1 - Brahma-kāṇḍa (or Āgama-samuccaya)]
Verse 1.102 < [Book 1 - Brahma-kāṇḍa (or Āgama-samuccaya)]
Verse 1.91 < [Book 1 - Brahma-kāṇḍa (or Āgama-samuccaya)]
Tattvasangraha [with commentary] (by Ganganatha Jha)
Verse 2310-2312 < [Chapter 24a - The case for the reliability of the Veda (the Revealed Word)]
Verse 2705-2706 < [Chapter 24b - Arguments against the reliability of the Veda (the Revealed Word)]
Verse 2715 < [Chapter 24b - Arguments against the reliability of the Veda (the Revealed Word)]
Glimpses of History of Sanskrit Literature (by Satya Vrat Shastri)
Chapter 26.6 - The Dhvani School of Poetics < [Section 4 - Classical Sanskrit literature]