Trishna, Tṛṣṇā: 30 definitions
Introduction:
Trishna 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 term Tṛṣṇā can be transliterated into English as Trsna or Trishna, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
Alternative spellings of this word include Trashna.
In Hinduism
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा, “Desire”):—One of the names of Mahākālī (tamas-form of Mahādevī). Mahākālī is one of the three primary forms of Devī. Not to be confused with Kālī, she is a more powerful cosmic aspect (vyaṣṭi) of Devi and represents the guṇa (universal energy) named tamas. For reference, see the Devī Māhātmya, a Sanskrit work from the 5th century, incorporated into the Mārkaṇḍeya-Purāṇa.
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.
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा, “Thirst”):—First of the eight Mātṛs born from the body of Vahni, according to the Kubjikāmata-tantra. These eight sub-manifestations (mātṛ), including Tṛṣṇā, symbolize mental dispositions or emotions and are considered as obstructing the attainment of liberating knowledge. They are presided over by the Bhairava Unmatta. Vahni is the fourth of the Eight Mahāmātṛs, residing within the Mātṛcakra (third of the five cakras) and represents fire.
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) refers to “thirst” and is used to describe Goddess Umā, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.3.—Accordingly, as the Gods eulogized Umā (Durgā/Satī) with devotion:—“[...] you are sleep in all living beings; you are hunger, satiety, thirst (i.e., tṛṣṇā), splendour, brilliance and contentment. You are the delighter of every one for ever. To those who perform meritorious actions you are the goddess of fortune. To the sinners you are the eldest sister, the deity of Ignominy; you are peace for the universe, and the mother sustaining lives”.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा).—Also tṛṣā, implications of, with regard to life and death;1 annihilation of, leads to mokṣa;2 no end of.3
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.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Kalpa (Formulas, Drug prescriptions and other Medicinal preparations)
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) refers to “excessive thirst” and is one of the various diseases mentioned in the 15th-century Yogasārasaṅgraha (Yogasara-saṅgraha) by Vāsudeva: an unpublished Keralite work representing an Ayurvedic compendium of medicinal recipes. The Yogasārasaṃgraha [mentioning tṛṣṇā] deals with entire recipes in the route of administration, and thus deals with the knowledge of pharmacy (bhaiṣajya-kalpanā) which is a branch of pharmacology (dravyaguṇa).
Rasashastra (Alchemy and Herbo-Mineral preparations)
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) refers to “thirst” according to the fifth volume of the Rasajalanidhi (chapter 16). Accordingly, “an abnormal excess of pitta, combined with an abnormal excess of vayu, caused by such agencies as fear, physical exertion, and loss of strength, accumulate in the upper part of the body and affect the palate, and thus gives rise to an intense thirst (trishna). The fluid-carrying passages in the system, polluted by the three dashas, may also give rise to thirst”.
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
tṛṣṇā (नयनारुणत्व) refers to “(those elephants suffering from) thirst”, according to the 15th century Mātaṅgalīlā composed by Nīlakaṇṭha in 263 Sanskrit verses, dealing with elephantology in ancient India, focusing on the science of management and treatment of elephants.—[Cf. chapter 11, “45-46. Sucking, shutting the eyes, sniffing of the ground, of trees, of the sky (air) and the wind, sluggishness, dryness of the inside of the mouth, quivering of the ear tips, listlessness, constant yawning, moodiness, and fumbling in the dust, redness of urine, and redness of the eyes—these are the signs of an elephant that is tormented with thirst (tṛṣṇā) [tṛṣṇābhibhūtasya gajasya cihnam]”.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा, “polydipsia”).—When pitta and vāta aggravated by fear, anxiety, exertion and debility are situated in mouth and palate give rise to tṛṣṇā (thirst). Tṛṣṇā is of seven types according to causes—
- vātika,
- paittika,
- kaphaja,
- kṣataja (caused by wounds),
- kṣayaja (caused by wasting),
- amaja (caused by āmadoṣa),
- annaja (caused by food).
Tṛṣṇa (तृष्ण) refers to “thirst”, as mentioned in verse 5.15-16 of the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā (Sūtrasthāna) by Vāgbhaṭa.—Accordingly, “[...] normal, fat, and lean (respectively get) those who drink water during, after, and before meals. Cold water removes alcoholism, lassitude, stupor, nausea, fatigue, giddiness, thirst [viz., tṛṣṇa], heat through hot (factors), hemorrhage, and poison”.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) refers to “thirst” and is one of the various diseases dealt with in the Dhanvantarīyapathyāpathya, as is mentioned in A. Rahman’s Science and Technology in Medievel India: A bibliography of source materials in Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian.—Ancient and medieval India produced a wide range of scientific manuscripts and major contributions lie in the field of medicine, astronomy and mathematics, besides covering encyclopedic glossaries and technical dictionaries.—The Dhanvantarīyapathyāpathya deals with the treatment of various diseases [e.g., Tṛṣṇā]. The word pathyāpathya classifies those elements as either beneficial or hurtful in disease.
1) Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा):—Thirst
2) A synonym of Pipasa. Thirst, a sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat associated with a desire for liquids.
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.
Vedanta (school of philosophy)
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) refers to “desires” (which [those seeking liberation] should regard as being Saṃsāra), according to the Aṣṭāvakragītā (5th century BC), an ancient text on spirituality dealing with Advaita-Vedānta topics.—Accordingly, [as Aṣṭavakra says to Janaka]: “[...] Wherever a desire (tṛṣṇā) occurs, see saṃsāra in it [yatra yatra bhavettṛṣṇā saṃsāraṃ viddhi tatra vai]. Establishing yourself in firm dispassion, be free of passion and happy. The essential nature of bondage is nothing other than desire (tṛṣṇā-mātra), and its elimination is known as liberation. It is simply by not being attached to changing things that the everlasting joy of attainment is reached. [...]”.
Vedanta (वेदान्त, vedānta) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. There are a number of sub-schools of Vedanta, however all of them expound on the basic teaching of the ultimate reality (brahman) and liberation (moksha) of the individual soul (atman).
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
1) Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा, “thirst”) (pali taṇhā) refers to the eighth of twelve pratītyasamutpāda (dependent origination) according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra chapter X. Within vedanā there arises an adherence of mind (cittābhiniveśa) called craving or thirst, tṛṣṇā. The tendency caused by tṛṣṇā is called upādāna, grasping, attachment.
2) Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) refers to one of the three daughters of Māra mentioned in the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XXIV).—Accordingly, “While the Buddha was under the Bodhi tree, king Māra, out of spite (daurmanasya) sent him the three princesses, Lo kien (Ragā), Yue pei (Arati) and K’o ngai (Tṛṣṇā). They came showing off their bodies and using all sorts of charms to try to corrupt the Bodhisattva, but the latter did not let himself become disturbed and did not look at them”.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) refers to “craving”, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “Then, the Lord went on to speak these verses: ‘[...] (84) Having thought suffering (duḥkha), in this manner, it gets rid of craving (tṛṣṇā). Having shown ways, it declares its extinction (nirodha). It enters into the insight (prajñā) to understand truth (satya), thereby cuts off the past (pūrvānta). [...]’”.
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)
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा, “craving”) refers to one of the Seventeen Viśuddhipadas (“stations of purity”) and is associated with the deity Gītā, according to the Prajñāpāramitānayasūtra: an ancient Buddhist Tantric text recited daily in the Japanese Shingon sect which is closely related to the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha.—The visualization of the seventeen-deity maṇḍala, representing the deification of the seventeen Viśuddhipadas [e.g., tṛṣṇā], was thought to facilitate the attainment of enlightenment through the sublimation of the defilements into the mind of enlightenment (bodhicitta).
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) is the name of a Vākchomā (‘verbal secrect sign’) which has its meaning defined as ‘gandhavāhinī’ according to chapter 8 of the 9th-century Vajraḍākamahātantrarāja, a scripture belonging to the Buddhist Cakrasaṃvara (or Saṃvara) scriptural cycle. These Vākchomās (viz., tṛṣṇā) are meant for verbal communication and can be regarded as popular signs, since they can be found in the three biggest works of the Cakrasaṃvara literature.
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.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा, “craving”) refers to the eighth of the “twelve factors of conditional origination” (pratītyasamutpāda) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 42). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (e.g., tṛṣṇā). The work is attributed to Nagarjuna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा).—f Thirst. Fig. Ambition. Cupidity.
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
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा).—[tṛṣ na kicca]
1) Thirst (lit. and fig.); तृष्णां चेह परित्यज्य को दरिद्रः क ईश्वरः (tṛṣṇāṃ ceha parityajya ko daridraḥ ka īśvaraḥ) H.1.164; Ṛtusaṃhāra 1.15.
2) Desire, strong desire, greedy, avidity, desire of gain; तृष्णां छिन्द्धि (tṛṣṇāṃ chinddhi) Bhartṛhari 2.77;3.5; R.8.2.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा).—(= Pali Taṇhā), (1) name of a daughter of Māra: Lalitavistara 378.4; compare Tantrī; (2) = Sanskrit, craving; as with Pali taṇhā, three in Buddhism, kāma-, bhava-, vibhava- (2): Abhidharmakośa LaV-P. v. 29.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा).—f.
(-ṣṇā) 1. Thirst. 2. Desire, wish. E. tṛṣ to thirst, na Unadi aff.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा).—i. e. tṛṣ + na, f. 1. Thirst, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 8, 67. 2. Desire, [Bhartṛhari, (ed. Bohlen.)] 2, 70.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा).—[feminine] thirst; greediness, strong desire for (—°).
1) Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा):—[from tṛṣ] f. thirst, [i, vii, ix; Atharva-veda; Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] desire, avidity (chiefly ifc.), [Rāmāyaṇa; Raghuvaṃśa; Bhāgavata-purāṇa] etc.
3) [v.s. ...] Avidity as mother of Dambha ([Prabodha-candrodaya; ii, 11/12]), daughter of Death (Mṛtyu, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa i, 7, 31]; or Māra, [Lalita-vistara xxiv, 20]), generated by Vedanā and generating Upādāna ([Buddhist literature])
4) [v.s. ...] cf. ati-.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा):—(ṣṇā) 1. f. Thirst; desire.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा):—
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा):—f. —
1) Durst. —
2) Begier , Habsucht , heftiges Verlangen nach (im Comp. vorangehend). —
3) personif. als Mutter des Dambha , als Tochter des Todes u.s.w.
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Iṇhā, Taṇhā.
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
Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा) [Also spelled trashna]:—(nf) thirst; greed; longing, craving; —[kā aṃta nahīṃ hotā] craving knows no end; the eye is bigger than the belly.
...
Nepali dictionary
1) Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा):—n. 1. thirst; 2. curiosity; greed;
2) Tṛṣṇā (तृष्णा):—n. 1. thirst; 2. curiosity; greed;
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 (+5): Trinashunya, Trishnabhibhuta, Trishnacikitsa, Trishnadhikara, Trishnaghna, Trishnahara, Trishnaj, Trishnajala, Trishnaka, Trishnakshaya, Trishnalu, Trishnamana, Trishnamara, Trishnamatra, Trishnamaya, Trishnanigrahana, Trishnanud, Trishnapalli, Trishnapratyaya, Trishnari.
Full-text (+179): Vitrishna, Atitrishna, Mrigatrishna, Satrishna, Trishnakshaya, Bhogatrishna, Bahutrishna, Trishnaghna, Dhanatrishna, Arthatrishna, Trishnavarutri, Trishnamara, Trinashunya, Satrishnam, Baddhatrishna, Trishnasanga, Jivitatrishna, Madanatrishna, Trishnanigrahana, Vitatrishna.
Relevant text
Search found 115 books and stories containing Trishna, Tṛṣṇā, Trsna, Tṛṣnā, Tṛṣṇa; (plurals include: Trishnas, Tṛṣṇās, Trsnas, Tṛṣnās, Tṛṣṇas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
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