Alternative spellings of this word include Suchitra.

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

1) Sucitra (सुचित्र).—A nāga (serpent) born in the family of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. This serpent fell in the sacrificial fire of the serpent sacrifice of Janamejaya and was burnt to death. (Mahābhārata Ādi Parva, Chapter 57, Stanza 18).

2) Sucitra (सुचित्र).—(sumitra) Father of Sukumāra the King of Pulinda. (See under Sukumāra I.)

3) Sucitra (सुचित्र).—A son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He attacked Abhimanyu in the battle of Bhārata. (Mahābhārata, Bhīsma Parva, Chapter 79, Verse 22).

4) Sucitra (सुचित्र).—A King who fought on the side of the Pāṇḍavas. He was a good fighter from chariot. (Mahā-Bhārata, Karṇa Parva, Chapter 6, Stanza 27). While this king and his son Citravarmā were walking in the battlefield, Droṇa killed them.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

Sucitra (सुचित्र).—A Śiva god.^*

• * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 36. 33.

context information

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.

Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Source: Wisdom Library: Saṅgītaśiromaṇi

Sucitra (सुचित्र, “extremely diverse”) refers to one of the sixteen words that together make up the elā musical composition (prabandha), according to the Saṅgītaśiromaṇi 67-84. Elā is an important subgenre of song and was regarded as an auspicious and important prabandha (composition) in ancient Indian music (gāndharva). According to nirukta analysis, the etymological meaning of elā can be explained as follows: a represents Viṣṇu, i represents Kāmadeva, la represents Lakṣmī.

Sucitra is one of the sixteen words of elā and has a presiding deity named cāmuṇḍā (a particular form of Durgā) defined in the Saṅgītaśiromaṇi (“crest-jewel of music”), which is a 15th-century Sanskrit work on Indian musicology (gāndharvaśāstra).

context information

Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing Dramatic plays (nataka), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).

In Buddhism

Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: archive.org: Bulletin of the French School of the Far East (volume 5)

Sucitra (सुचित्र) is the name of an Asura appointed as one of the Divine protector deities of Vārāṇasī (Benares), according to chapter 17 of the Candragarbha: the 55th section of the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra, a large compilation of Sūtras (texts) in Mahāyāna Buddhism partly available in Sanskrit, Tibetan and Chinese.—In the Candragarbhasūtra, the Bhagavat invites all classes of Gods and Deities to protect the Law [dharma?] and the faithful in their respective kingdoms of Jambudvīpa [e.g., the Asura Sucitra in Vārāṇasī], resembling the time of the past Buddhas.

context information

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.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Sucitrā (सुचित्रा).—a kind of gourd.

Sucitrā is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms su and citrā (चित्रा).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary

Sucitra (सुचित्र).—(Pali Sucitti), name of an asura: Mahāsamājasūtra, Waldschmidt, Kl. Sanskrit Texte 4, 179 line 2 from bottom.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Sucitra (सुचित्र).—[adjective] manifold, various; distinguished.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Sucitra (सुचित्र):—[=su-citra] [from su > su-cakra] mf(ā)n. very distinguished, [Atharva-veda]

2) [v.s. ...] very manifold, [Harivaṃśa]

3) [v.s. ...] very variegated, [Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary]

4) [v.s. ...] m. Name of a serpent-demon, [Mahābhārata]

5) [v.s. ...] of a king, [ib.]

6) Sucitrā (सुचित्रा):—[=su-citrā] [from su-citra > su > su-cakra] f. a kind of gourd, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

[Sanskrit to German]

Sucitra in German

context information

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)

Partial matches: Citra, Cu, Shu.

Starts with: Sucitrabija, Sucitraka, Sucitrarajika.

Ends with: Shalasucitra.

Full-text: Sucitrabija, Saucitti, Ojasvin, Camunda, Citravarma, Varanasi, Mayuradhvaja, Satyadhriti, Ela, Sukumara, Subahu, Citra.

Relevant text

Search found 3 books and stories containing Sucitra, Su-citra, Su-citrā, Sucitrā; (plurals include: Sucitras, citras, citrās, Sucitrās). 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)

Story of Mayūradhvaja

Story of Subāhu

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Mahabharata (English) (by Kisari Mohan Ganguli)

Section CLXXXVIII < [Swayamvara Parva]

Section LVII < [Astika Parva]

Section 6 < [Karna Parva]

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The Brahmanda Purana (by G.V. Tagare)

Chapter 36 - The Lineage of Manu: Manvantaras < [Section 2 - Anuṣaṅga-pāda]

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