Thinthakarala, Ṭhiṇṭhākarāla: 4 definitions
Introduction:
Thinthakarala means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaṬhiṇṭhākarāla (ठिण्ठाकराल).—A prodigal person who lived in Ujjayinī. He used to defeat all in the game of dice. With the money so received from defeated persons he would buy wheat and go to the burial ground and after making bread with it would eat it dipped in ghee sitting before an oil light placed before an idol of Mahākāla (lord of the burial ground). He would then lie there itself and sleep.
One night he saw the idols in the Mahākāla temple twinkling. He jumped up and challenged the idols for a game of dice. The idols stood mute and Ṭhiṇṭhākarāla taking their silence to be consent according to the rules of gambling fixed a wager and played. He won and then he said addressing the idols "I have defeated you. Give me the money due to me." The idols stood silent and he, therefore, wrestled with them. Still the idols stood dumb. Then Ṭhiṇṭhākarāla took his sword. Instantly the devas gave him the money due to him. Early morning he went away from there and spent the money lavishly. At night he came back again and challenged the idols for gambling as before. This became a daily routine and the devas felt themselves harassed. They, therefore, approached the goddess Cāmuṇḍī and she advised them to refrain from playing as there was no loss of honour if one refused to take a challenge to gamble. (See full article at Story of Ṭhiṇṭhākarāla from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)
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.
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraṬhiṇṭhākarāla (ठिण्ठाकराल) is the name of a gambler, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 121. Accordingly, as Agniśikha said to Yamaśikha: “... long ago there lived in this very city of Ujjayinī a ruffianly gambler, who was rightly named Ṭhiṇṭhākarāla. He lost perpetually, and the others, who won in the game, used to give him every day a hundred cowries”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Ṭhiṇṭhākarāla, 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’.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English DictionaryṬhiṇṭhākarāla (ठिण्ठाकराल):—[=ṭhiṇṭhā-karāla] [from ṭhiṇṭhā] m. Name of a gaming-house keeper, [Kathāsaritsāgara cxxi, 71f.]
[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)
Relevant text
Search found 2 books and stories containing Thinthakarala, Ṭhiṇṭhākarāla, Thintha-karala, Ṭhiṇṭhā-karāla; (plurals include: Thinthakaralas, Ṭhiṇṭhākarālas, karalas, karālas). 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)
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter CXXI < [Book XVIII - Viṣamaśīla]
Vetāla 20: The Brāhman Boy who offered himself up to save the Life of the King < [Appendix 6.1 - The Twenty-five Tales of a Vetāla]