Upavasa, Upavāsa: 29 definitions
Introduction:
Upavasa 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 Upvas.
In Hinduism
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Upavāsa (उपवास) refers to “vasting”. It is used throughout Dharmaśāstra literature such as the Manusmṛti and the Baudhāyana-dharmasūtra.
Upavāsa (उपवास) refers to “abstinence”, as mentioned in the Āpastamba-yajña-paribhāṣā-sūtras.—“Let a man observe that full-moon day [viz., Paurṇamāsī] as a day of abstinence [viz., Upavāsa] on which the moon [viz., Amāvāsyā] comes out full before. Or the day when one says, To-morrow it will be full”.
Abstinence, upavāsa, consists in abstaining from meat and from maithuna, in shaving beard and head, cutting the nails, and, what seems a curious provision, in speaking the truth. See Kāty.-Śrauta-sūtras II, I, 8-12.
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Upavāsa (उपवास).—Upavāsa means going back from sin and leading a good life. (Upā (varta) = go back and Vāsa = A life). All actions which are not good, must be relinquished. Those who observe Upavāsa should abstain from using flesh, Masūra (pulse), caṇaka (a kind of gram), Varaku (a kind of grain), green leaves prepared), honey, rice etc. and from contact with women. He should not wear flowers, ornaments, or fashionable dress; should not inhale fragrant smoke, and fragrance of any sort. Cleaning the teeth and using collyrium also are prohibited. Instead of cleaning the teeth in the morning Pañcagavya (Milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung of cow) should be taken in. Drinking water several times, using betel leaves, sleeping in the day time and sexual act also should be avoided. (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 175).
Upavāsa (उपवास) or Upavāsadina refers to “days of fasting”, mentioned as a period when hot-water baths (Uṣṇavāri) are prohibited, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.1.13, while explaining the mode of worshipping Śiva:—“[...] hot water bath (uṣṇavāri-snāna) shall be avoided on sundays (ravidina), Śrāddha days, Saṅkrānti days, at the times of eclipse (grahaṇa), on days of Great Charity (mahādāna-dina) and fast (upavāsa-dina), in holy centres (tīrtha) and during the days of impurity due to death or birth in the family (aśauca). In the holy ponds and rivers one shall take bath facing the east with great devotion”.
Upavāsa (उपवास) refers to the act of “fasting” (viz., in the forest), according to the Rāmāyaṇa chapter 2.28. Accordingly:—“[...] soothening with kind words to Sītā, when eyes were blemished with tears, the virtuous Rāma spoke again as follows, for the purpose of waking her turn back: ‘[...] Oh, Sītā the princess of Mithila! Fasting (upavāsa) is to be done according to one’s stamina. Clothes of bark are to be worn and mass of matted hair has to be worn on the head’”.
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.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Upavāsa (उपवास) refers to “fasting”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 2), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “We shall now proceed to give a brief description of (the qualifications of) a jyotiṣaka. [...] He must be of cleanly habits, able, noble-minded, eloquent and of originality and imagination; must possess a knowledge of place and time; be meek and without nervousness, must be difficult of conquest by his fellow students; must be able and devoid of vices; must be learned in matters of expiatory ceremonies, of Hygiene, of Occult Magic and of ablutions; must be a worshipper of the Devas and an observer of fast [i.e., upavāsa] and penance; must be of remarkable genius and capable of solving any difficulties save in matters of direct divine interference; and finally, he must be learned in astronomy, natural astrology (Saṃhitā) and horoscopy”.
Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Upavāsa (उपवास) refers to one of the ten Niyamas (restraint) prescribed for forest dwelling, as mentioned in the Vaikhānasasmārtasūtra.—The Mānasollāsa verse 9.21-24ab lists thirty Yamas and Niyamas. The Vaikhānasasmārtasūtra (8.4), whose date has been estimated between the fourth and eighth centuries, is the earliest source for a list of twenty Yamas and Niyamas [e.g., upavāsa]. These were prescribed to a sage at the forest dwelling (vanāśrama) stage of life.
Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).
Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)
Upavāsa (उपवास) refers to “fasting”, as discussed in chapter 31 of the Pauṣkarasaṃhitā: a Pāñcarātra text of almost 5900 verses divided into forty-three chapters presented as a frame-work dialogue between Pauṣkara and Bhagavān dealing with the esoteric meaning of maṇḍala-designs, worship routines and temple-building.—Description of the chapter [lokadharma]: [...] Proper offerings to God are then discussed (20c-234), as well as the best times for worship (25-257). Fasting [upavāsa] is then touched upon as a meritorious act pleasing to God (258-292). The chapter ends with a discussion of the especial importance of worshipping God on the 12th day of each fortnight (293-309).
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
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Upavāsa (उपवास, “fast”) according to the 2nd century Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter XXII).—In agreement with the Sarvāstivādin-Vaibhāṣikas, the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra makes the fast or upavāsa, in the proper meaning of fast, consist of the renunciation of taking a meal outside of the proper time; the other eight renunciations are the members of the fast (upavāsāṅga). The Sautrāntikas do not hold this opinion for, they say, according to the sūtra, immediately after the renunciation of having a meal outside of the time, the person fasting should say: “By this eighth member, I am imitating the rule, I am conforming to the rule of the Arhats”. Cf. Kośa, IV, p. 68.
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)
Upavāsa (उपवास) refers to “observe abstinence”, according to the Guru Mandala Worship (maṇḍalārcana) ritual often performed in combination with the Cakrasaṃvara Samādhi, which refers to the primary pūjā and sādhanā practice of Newah Mahāyāna-Vajrayāna Buddhists in Nepal.—Accordingly, “I raise the highest enlightened mind, I invite all beings to this place, Following the wisest conduct desired, becoming a Buddha for the world. Confessing all sins, and rejoicing in meritorious acts, I observe abstinence (upavāsa) (and taking) the Eight Precepts”.
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
General definition (in Jainism)
Upavāsa (उपवास) refers to “fasting”, according to the 11th century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga in roughly 2200 Sanskrit verses composed by Śubhacandra.—Accordingly, “In that regard, external asceticism is declared to be of six kinds beginning with fasting (upavāsa) while internal [asceticism] is also of [six] kinds on account of the divisions beginning with atonement. Hardship of the limbs of the body is excellent in respect of the divisions beginning with fasting. Internal [asceticism] in the form of meditation is excellent in respect of the divisions beginning with atonement”.
Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
upavāsa : (m.) fasting; abstaining from enjoyments.
Upavāsa, (fr. upa + vas, see upavasati) keeping a prescribed day, fasting, self-denial, abstaining from enjoyments (Same as uposatha; used extensively in BSk. in meaning of uposatha, e.g. at Av. Ś I. 338, 339; Divy 398 in phrase aṣṭânga-samanvāgataṃ upavāsaṃ upavasati) A. V, 40 (? uncertain; vv. ll. upāsaka, ovāpavāssa, yopavāsa); J. VI, 508; SnA 199 (in expln. of uposatha). (Page 147)
[Pali to Burmese]
1) upavasa—
(Burmese text): ကျင့်သုံး-စောင့်ထိန်း-ဆောက်တည်-ပါလော့။ ဥပဝသတိ-(၁)-ကြည့်။
(Auto-Translation): Practice - Observe - Build up - Please. Mindfulness - (1) Look.
2) upavāsa—
(Burmese text): (၁) ဥပုသ်စောင့်သုံးခြင်း၊ ဆောက်တည်ခြင်း၊ သီလစောင့်ထိန်းခြင်း။ (၂) မှီခိုချဉ်းကပ်နေထိုင်သော၊ သူ။
(Auto-Translation): (1) Observing precepts, building, maintaining morality. (2) One who is dependent and residing nearby.
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
upavāsa (उपवास).—m (S) Keeping a fast: also a fast. upavāsīṃ Without having eaten; with empty belly.
upavāsa (उपवास).—m A fast. upavāsī n Fasting.
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
Upavāsa (उपवास).—a. Staying near; तेषूपवासान्विबुधानुपोष्य (teṣūpavāsānvibudhānupoṣya) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 3.118.14.
-saḥ 1 A fast; सोपवासस्त्र्यहं वसेत् (sopavāsastryahaṃ vaset) Y.1.175,3.19; Manusmṛti 11.196 (a fast is a religious act and consists in abstaining from every kind of sensual gratification).
2) Kindling a sacred fire.
3) A fire-altar.
Upavāsa (उपवास).—m.
(-saḥ) 1. A fast, fasting: when observed as a religious act, it comprises abstinence from all sensual gratification, from perfumes, flowers, unguents, ornaments, betel, music and dancing, &c. 2. A fire-alter. E. upa before vas to abide, ghañ aff.
Upavāsa (उपवास).—i. e. upa-vas + a, m. and n. Fasting, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 2, 188.
Upavāsa (उपवास).—[masculine] fast.
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Upāvasā (उपावसा).—settle down near ([accusative]).
Upāvasā is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms upāva and sā (सा).
1) Upavāsa (उपवास):—[=upa-vāsa] [from upa-vas] m. (n., [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]) a fast, fasting (as a religious act comprising abstinence from all sensual gratification, from perfumes, flowers, unguents, ornaments, betel, music, dancing etc.), [Gautama-dharma-śāstra; Āśvalāyana-gṛhya-sūtra; Manu-smṛti ii, 183]
2) [v.s. ...] [xi, 195; 212; Yājñavalkya iii, 190; Mahābhārata] etc.
3) [v.s. ...] abstinence from food etc. in general, [Suśruta; Rāmāyaṇa; Pañcatantra] etc.
4) [v.s. ...] kindling a sacred fire
5) [v.s. ...] a fire altar, [Horace H. Wilson]
Upavāsa (उपवास):—[upa-vāsa] (saḥ) 1. m. Idem.
[Sanskrit to German]
Upavāsa (उपवास) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Uvavāsa, Ūāsa, Ovāsa.
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
Upavāsa (उपवास) [Also spelled upvas]:—(nm) fast; ~[sī] one who observes a fast.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Upavāsa (ಉಪವಾಸ):—
1) [noun] the act or an instance of abstaining from food; fast; fasting.
2) [noun] ಉಪವಾಸ ಕೆಡವು [upavasa kedavu] upavāsa keḍavu to deny another his/her food (as a punishment); ಉಪವಾಸಬೀಳು [upavasabilu] upavāsa bīḷu to suffer from hunger; ಉಪವಾಸಮಾಡು [upavasamadu] upavāsa māḍu to abstain from taking food; to fast; ಉಪವಾಸಮುಗಿಸು [upavasamugisu] upavāsa mugisu to break the fast, esp. the one taken as a vow or in protest against something; ಉಪವಾಸವಿರು [upavasaviru] upavāsaviru to be fasting.
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Upāvāsa (ಉಪಾವಾಸ):—[noun] the act or an instance of abstaining from food; fast; fasting.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Upavāsa (उपवास):—n. fasting esp. for religious reasons;
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: Upava, Hi, Upa, A, Ca, Sha, Vaca, Na, Vassa.
Starts with (+5): Upavacakalam, Upavacam, Upavasa-basnu, Upavasadina, Upavasaka, Upavasam, Upavasama, Upavasamgey, Upavasami, Upavasamushkara, Upavasana, Upavasanakaranadivasa, Upavasanauposatha, Upavasaniya, Upavasanta, Upavasanti, Upavasasatyagraha, Upavasasatyagrahi, Upavasastha, Upavasatha.
Full-text (+71): Upavasin, Sopavasa, Upavasatha, Upavasana, Vratopavasa, Masopavasa, Upavasitva, Upavasavratin, Proshadhopavasa, Uposathupavasa, Upavuttha, Upavasati, Upavacam, Upavasaka, Upavasta, Upasa, Aupavasa, Upavasissam, Upavasum, Upavasissama.
Relevant text
Search found 68 books and stories containing Upavasa, Upavāsa, Upāvasā, Upava-sa, Upāva-sā, Upa-vasa, Upa-vāsa, Upāvāsa, Upa-vasa-a-hi, Upa-vasa-na, Upa-vasa-ṇa; (plurals include: Upavasas, Upavāsas, Upāvasās, sas, sās, vasas, vāsas, Upāvāsas, his, nas, ṇas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Vratas depicted in the Gangajala (study) (by Maitreyee Goswami)
Part 2.6 - A study on the Upavāsa-vrata < [Chapter 4]
Part 3.5 - Discussion on Śivarātri-vrata < [Chapter 3]
Part 2.7 - A study on the Yugādi-vrata < [Chapter 4]
Matsya Purana (critical study) (by Kushal Kalita)
Part 4 - The concept of Vrata < [Chapter 4 - Religious aspects of the Matsyapurāṇa]
Part 5 - Dāna (donation—the practice of cultivating kindness) < [Chapter 4 - Religious aspects of the Matsyapurāṇa]
Religious Aspects of the Purāṇas (Introduction) < [Chapter 4 - Religious aspects of the Matsyapurāṇa]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 119 < [Malayalam-English-Kannada (1 volume)]
Page 111 < [Kannada-English-Malayalam (1 volume)]
Page 852 < [Hindi-Malayalam-English Volume 2]
Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)
Notes on penances < [Notes]
Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 81 - Greatness of Śrī Daityasūdana < [Section 1 - Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya]
Chapter 270 - Greatness of Prācī Sarasvatī < [Section 1 - Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya]
Chapter 8 - Ratikuṇḍa and other Holy Tīrthas < [Section 8 - Ayodhyā-māhātmya]
Amarakoshodghatana of Kshirasvamin (study) (by A. Yamuna Devi)
Customs, Belief and Rituals (Introduction) < [Chapter 4 - Cultural Aspects]
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