Upasaka, Upāsaka, Upashaka: 27 definitions
Introduction:
Upasaka means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, 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.
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In Hinduism
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Upāsaka (उपासक) refers to “worshipper”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).
Upāsaka (उपासक) refers to:—Worshipers or devotees. (cf. Glossary page from Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta).
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’).
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
1) Upāsaka (उपासक) refers to a subdivision of the Brahmacarin group of initiates, as discussed in chapter 5 of the Brahmarātra section of the Sanatkumārasaṃhitā: an encyclopedic Sanskrit text written in over 3500 verses dealing with a variety of topics such as yoga, temple-building, consecration ceremonies, initiation and dhanurveda (martial arts).—Description of the chapter [varṇa-ācāra-vidhi]: Sanatkumāra says that only five groups [Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas and Śūdras and Sūtas] are eligible for dīkṣā-initiation. Those who were initiated by cakramaṇḍala means are further generally distinguished according to one or another of the āśrama-stages. The initiates who are known as Brahmacarins have four subdivisions, namely: Brahmacārins, Liṅgins, Śiṣyas, and Upāsakas.
2) Upāsaka (उपासक) refers to a class of persons for whom their “behavior” is discussed in the fourth chapter of the Kapiñjalasaṃhitā: a Pāñcarātra work consisting of 1550 verses dealing with a variety of topics such as worship in a temple, choosing an Ācārya, architecture, town-planning and iconography.—Description of the chapter [samayācāra-vidhi]:—For each of the four castes and for pratilomakas and sūtakas as well as for any of the four āśramas certain modes of behavior are expected; further, all of these persons are eligible for saṃskāras (1-4). [...] Such terms as [e.g., upāsaka] [...] are defined (5-21a). The remainder of the chapter deals with general principles of conduct common to all these persons—prāṇāhuti, japa, etc. (21b-24a).
Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.
In Buddhism
Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)
A male/female lay follower of the Buddha. Compare parisa.M Person who supports and respects the "triple gem": Buddha, dhamma and sangha.
lit. 'sitting close by', i.e. a 'lay adherent', is any lay follower who is filled with faith and has taken refuge in the Buddha, his doctrine and his community of noble disciples (A.VIII.25).
His virtue is regarded as pure if he observes the 5 Precepts (pañca-sīla; s. sikkhāpada).
He should avoid the following wrong ways of livelihood:
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trading in arms,
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trading in living beings,
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trading in meat,
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trading in alcohol
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trading in poison (A.V.177).
See also A.VIII.75.
-- or --
'female adherent'; s. upāsaka.
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).
General definition (in Buddhism)
Upasaka was a man who has gone to the Three Refuges is called in Pali an upasaka, and a woman an upasika. Being an upasaka or upasika amounts to doing a good deed that will send you to the deva worlds.
India history and geography
Upāsaka.—(EI 3, 8, 27; CII 3), a Buddhist lay worshipper; a lay follower of the Buddha; cf. Upāsikā. (SII 13), a temple servant. Note: upāsaka is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.
The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
upāsaka : (m.) a lay devotee; one who comes near.
Upāsaka, (fr. upa + ās, cp. upāsati) a devout or faithful layman, a lay devotee Vin. I, 4, 16 (tevāciko u.), 37, 139, 195 sq.; II, 125; III, 6, 92; IV, 14, 109; D. I, 85; II, 105, 113; III, 134, 148, 153, 168, 172 sq. , 264; M. I, 29, 467, 490; S. V, 395, 410; A. I, 56 sq.; II, 132 (°parisā); III 206 (°caṇḍāla, °ratana); IV, 220 sq. (kittāvatā hoti); Sn. 376, 384; J. I, 83; Pv I 104; Vbh. 248 (°sikkhā); DA. I, 234; PvA. 36, 38, 54, 61, 207.—f. upāsikā Vin. I, 18, 141, 216; III, 39; IV, 21, 79; D. III, 124, 148, 172, 264; M. I, 29, 467, 491; S. II, 235 sq.; A. I, 88; II, 132; V, 287 sq.; Miln. 383; PvA. 151, 160. (Page 150)
upāsaka (ဥပါသက) [(ti) (တိ)]—
[upa+āsa+ṇvu．thī-nitea upāsikā]
[ဥပ+အာသ+ဏွု။ ထီ-၌ ဥပါသိကာ]
Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
upāsaka (उपासक).—a (S) That serves, honors, worships.
upāsaka (उपासक).—a That serves, honours, worships.
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
Upāsaka (उपासक).—
1) One who waits upon, a worshipper.
2) A servant, follower.
3) A Śūdra, a low fellow.
4) A worshipper of Buddha as distinguished from the Bhikṣu.
Derivable forms: upāsakaḥ (उपासकः).
Upāsaka (उपासक).—m., °sikā, once °sikī, f., lay-disciple (of the Buddha), passim: m. Mahāvyutpatti 8724; Divyāvadāna 618.13, 17; Avadāna-śataka i.338.4 ff., and often; in Mahāvastu iii.268.13, description of Rāhula's ordination, acceptance of the first five śikṣāpada makes him an upāsaka, and the further requirements for making him a monk are then stated; f. °sikā Mahāvyutpatti 8725; Divyāvadāna 618.13; Bhikṣuṇī-karmavācanā 9a.2; °sikī Divyāvadāna 618.18 (no v.l.).
Upāsaka (उपासक).—mfn.
(-kaḥ-kā-kaṃ) 1. Worshipping, a worshipper. 2. Serving, a servant. 3. A Sudra. E. upa before as to be, vun aff.
Upāsaka (उपासक).—i. e. upa-ās + aka, m. 1. A servant, [Kathāsaritsāgara, (ed. Brockhaus.)] 19, 78. 2. A worshipper, [Mṛcchakaṭikā, (ed. Stenzler.)] 113, 11.
Upāsaka (उपासक).—[adjective] serving, intent upon (—°); [masculine] a servant or follower, [especially] of Buddha ([feminine] sikā).
1) Upaśāka (उपशाक):—[=upa-śāka] [from upa-śak] m. a helper, companion, [Ṛg-veda i, 33, 4.]
2) Upāsaka (उपासक):—[from upās] mfn. serving, a servant, [Kauśika-sūtra; Kathāsaritsāgara]
3) [v.s. ...] worshipping, a worshipper, follower, [Mṛcchakaṭikā]
4) [v.s. ...] intent on, engaged or occupied with, [Kapila]
5) [v.s. ...] a Buddhist lay worshipper (as distinguished from the Bhikṣu q.v.), [Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha; Lalita-vistara; Prabodha-candrodaya] etc.
6) [v.s. ...] a Śūdra, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
Upāsaka (उपासक):—[upā+saka] (kaḥ-kā-kaṃ) a. Worshipping, serving. m. A Servant, a Sudra.
Upāsaka (उपासक):—(von ās mit upa) adj. subst. (f. upāsikā)
1) dienend, Diener [Kauśika’s Sūtra zum Atuarvaveda 92.] kamapyekaṃ rājaputramupāsakam [Kathāsaritsāgara 19, 78.] arhadupāsakāḥ [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 43.] m. f. ein Śūdra [Rājanirghaṇṭa im Śabdakalpadruma] —
2) Verehrer, Anhänger: buddhopāsaka [Mṛcchakaṭikā 113, 11.] tīrthikopāsaka [Burnouf 280.] bei den Buddhisten ein Anhänger von Buddha, oft im Gegens. zu bhikṣu einem buddh. Geistlichen, ebend. [?279. fgg. Rgva tch’er rol pa 94. 157. Prabodhacandrodaja 48, 9. 49, 7. 14. Lebensbeschreibung Śākyamuni’s, Lebensb. 248 (18).]
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Upaśāka (उपशाक):—
--- OR ---
Upāsaka (उपासक):—
2) [WEBER, Rāmatāpanīya Upaniṣad 287. 343.] [SARVADARŚANAS. 54, 17. 57, 9] [WASSILJEW 49. 156.] —
3) einer Sache obliegend: yajñopāsaka [Kapila 4, 21]
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Upāsaka (उपासक):—
2) [Hemacandra] [Yogaśāstra 2, 21.]
Upaśāka (उपशाक):—m. etwa Helfer.
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Upāsaka (उपासक):—Adj. Subst. —
1) dienend , Diener. —
2) Verehrer , Anhänger ; insbes. Buddha's. —
3) einer Sache obliegend. —
4) *ein Śūdra [Rājan 18,12.]
Upāsaka (उपासक) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Uvāsaga.
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
Upāsaka (उपासक) [Also spelled upasak]:—(nm) a worshipper; an adorer.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Upāsaka (ಉಪಾಸಕ):—
1) [noun] one who worships; a devout worshipper (of a deity); a devotee (of a god).
2) [noun] (masc.) a very pious and devout Jaina householder.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Upāsaka (उपासक):—n. 1. worshipper; 2. a devotee; a votary; 3. a Buddhist other than a Vikshu (भिक्षु [bhikṣu ] : monk);
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)
Partial matches: Shaka, Upa, Asha.
Starts with (+9): Upacakai, Upacakan, Upasaka Vagga, Upasakacandala, Upasakacandalasutta, Upasakadasha, Upasakadashasamgrahagatha, Upasakadashasutra, Upasakaddhyana, Upasakadhamma, Upasakadhyayana, Upasakajana, Upasakamala, Upasakamgane, Upasakanihina, Upasakapacchimaka, Upasakapaduma, Upasakaparivuta, Upasakapatikittha, Upasakapatikuttha.
Full-text (+358): Upasika, Paryupasaka, Upasakadasha, Yajnopasaka, Buddhopasaka, Upasakapatikittha, Anupasaka, Gihiupasaka, Kappinaupasaka, Mahallakaupasaka, Upasakasampatti, Upasakapaduma, Upasakajana, Upasakasata, Mahavacakalaupasaka, Wu bo suo jia, Upasakavanna, Aggupatthakupasaka, Upasakadhamma, Cittupasaka.
Relevant text
Search found 120 books and stories containing Upasaka, Upa-asa-nvu, Upa-āsa-ṇvu, Upa-śāka, Upa-saka, Upa-shaka, Upāsaka, Upaśāka, Upashaka; (plurals include: Upasakas, nvus, ṇvus, śākas, sakas, shakas, Upāsakas, Upaśākas, Upashakas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra (by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön)
Part 2.2 - The taking of vows of the upāsaka < [Section II.1 - Morality of the lay person or avadātavasana]
Part 1.2 - Five kinds of upāsaka < [Section II.1 - Morality of the lay person or avadātavasana]
Part 1 - Superiority of the monastic vows over the lay vows < [Section II.2 - Morality of the monastic or pravrajita]
Yavanajataka by Sphujidhvaja [Sanskrit/English] (by Michael D Neely)
Verse 22.4 < [Chapter 22 - Pravrajyā Yoga]
Bhagavad-gita (with Vaishnava commentaries) (by Narayana Gosvami)
Verse 9.15 < [Chapter 9 - Rāja-guhya-yoga (Yoga through the most Confidential Knowledge)]
Verse 9.20 < [Chapter 9 - Rāja-guhya-yoga (Yoga through the most Confidential Knowledge)]
Verse 9.22 < [Chapter 9 - Rāja-guhya-yoga (Yoga through the most Confidential Knowledge)]
Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh (early history) (by Prakash Narayan)
Monks and Upasakas < [Chapter 4 - Social Process, Structures and Reformations]
The Buddha and the Upasakas < [Chapter 4 - Social Process, Structures and Reformations]
The Laity’s influence on the Sangha < [Chapter 3 - Religious Beliefs, Institutions and Practices: New Perspectives]
Mundaka Upanishad (Madhva commentary) (by Srisa Chandra Vasu)
Maha Buddhavamsa—The Great Chronicle of Buddhas (by Ven. Mingun Sayadaw)
Brahmacariya-Pañcama Sīla < [Chapter 6 - On Pāramitā]
Part 3 - Note on Upāsaka (Lay-devotee) < [Chapter 37 - Story of King Ajātasattu]
Part 1 - Preaching to the Sakyan Prince Mahānāma < [Chapter 33 - The Buddha’s Fifteenth Vassa at Kapilavatthu]
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