Vajrapanjara, Vajrapañjara, Vajra-panjara: 9 definitions
Introduction:
Vajrapanjara means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi. 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
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraVajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर) is one of the Asuras who came from the underworld (Rasātala) to assist Sūryaprabha in his campaign against Śrutaśarman, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 46. Accordingly: “... After them came the Daityas and Dānavas, true to their agreement, brothers-in-law, fathers-in-law, friends and other connections of Sūryaprabha. Hṛṣṭaroman, and Mahāmāya, and Siṃhadamṣṭra and Prakampana, and Tantukaccha and Durāroha, and Sumāya, and Vajrapañjara, and Dhūmaketu, and Pramathana, and the Dānava Vikaṭākṣa, and many others came from as low down as the seventh underworld”.
In chapter 47, Vajrapañjarais considered a leader of warriors and transcendent warriors (rathātiratha) in Sunītha and Sūryaprabha’s army. Accordingly, as the Asura Maya explained the arrangement of warriors in Sunītha’s army: “... and [Vajrapañjara], are leaders of warriors and transcendent warriors”.
The story of Vajrapañjara was narrated by the Vidyādhara king Vajraprabha to prince Naravāhanadatta in order to relate how “Sūryaprabha, being a man, obtain of old time the sovereignty over the Vidyādharas”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Vajrapañjara, 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’.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Tibetan BuddhismVajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर) refers to one of the male Vidyā-beings mentioned as attending the teachings in the 6th century Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa: one of the largest Kriyā Tantras devoted to Mañjuśrī (the Bodhisattva of wisdom) representing an encyclopedia of knowledge primarily concerned with ritualistic elements in Buddhism. The teachings in this text originate from Mañjuśrī and were taught to and by Buddha Śākyamuni in the presence of a large audience (including Vajrapañjara).
Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara SamadhiVajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर) refers to the “vajra-canopy”, according to the Saṃvaramaṇḍala of Abhayākaragupta’s Niṣpannayogāvalī, p. 45 and n. 145; (Cf. Cakrasaṃvaratantra, Gray, David B., 2007).—Accordingly, [while describing the iconography of Cakrasaṃvara]: “In the Saṃvara Maṇḍala atop Mount Sumera within a vajra-canopy (vajrapañjara) there is a variegated lotus, on top of that a palace, in the middle of which is the Blessed Lord, standing in ālīḍhāsana, "archer's pose", on Bhairava and Kālirātrī, lying upon a solar-disc, atop the pericarp of the lotus, dark-blue with four faces, which starting in the front (and going counter-clockwise) are dark-blue, green, red and yellow, each with trinetra, "three eyes", [...]”
Source: MDPI Books: The Ocean of HeroesVajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर) refers to an “adamantine cage”, according to the 10th-century Ḍākārṇava-tantra: one of the last Tibetan Tantric scriptures belonging to the Buddhist Saṃvara tradition consisting of 51 chapters.—Accordingly: [while explaining the body circle (kāyacakra)]: “[...] He should push [the obstacle demons by means of the stakes] into the directions starting with the east inside the adamantine cage (vajrapañjara). The adamantine ground should be underneath. A net of arrows is [placed] above. Moreover, there are an adamantine fence, [an adamantine] canopy, and the dharmodayā (“origin of phenomenal existences”) inside. It is triangle, [the second one is] square, and [the third one is] pentagonal [in shape]. He should also visualize a hexagonal one, [the fourth one]. He should arrange them all in sequence corresponding to the order of the four layers. [...]”.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionaryvajrapañjara (वज्रपंजर).—m (S A cage of adamant. A title of Rama.) An impregnable hold, haven, asylum &c. Ex. (rāma) śaraṇāgatāsi vajrapañjara ||. Ps. xviii. 2.
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
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryVajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर).—a secure refuge, protector; वज्रपञ्जरनामेदं यो रामकवचं स्मरेत् (vajrapañjaranāmedaṃ yo rāmakavacaṃ smaret) Rāma-rakṣā 13.
Derivable forms: vajrapañjaraḥ (वज्रपञ्जरः).
Vajrapañjara is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms vajra and pañjara (पञ्जर).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum1) Vajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—stotra. Pet. 725. Paris. (D 12 c). Ben. 43. 45. Rādh. 28. Oudh. Xv, 124. Xvii, 84 (from Maheśasaṃhitā). Burnell. 200^b. Poona. 596 (by Vālmīki). Oppert. Ii, 8398.
—by Budhakauśika. Bhk. 17. Printed in Bṛhatstotraratnākara p. 241.
—[commentary] by Gomatīdāsa Vaiṣṇava. Oudh. Xi, 18.
—[commentary] by Govindadāsa. Oudh. Xv, 124.
—[commentary] Rāmarakṣāviveka by Dharaṇīdhara Pantha. [[Oudh 1876-1877]-1877], 28.
—[commentary] by Mudgala Bhaṭṭa. Oudh. Xi, 18. W. 1768.
Vajrapañjara has the following synonyms: Rāmarakṣā.
2) Vajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर):—See Nṛsiṃhavajrapañjara and Nṛsiṃhapañjara.
3) Vajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर):—See Kālīkavaca.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Vajrapañjara (वज्रपञ्जर):—[=vajra-pañjara] [from vajra > vaj] m. ‘adamantine cage’, a secure refuge for, protector of ([genitive case] or [compound]), [Harṣacarita; Rājataraṅgiṇī]
2) [v.s. ...] n. ([probably]) Name of [particular] prayers addressed to Durgā, [Catalogue(s)] (cf. nṛsiṃha-pañjara and nṛsiṃha-vajra-p)
3) [v.s. ...] m. Name of a Dānava, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
[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)
Partial matches: Vajra, Panjara.
Starts with: Vajrapanjarastotra, Vajrapanjaropanishad.
Ends with: Ganapatikavaca vajrapanjara, Kalikavaca vajrapanjara, Nrisimhavajrapanjara, Sharanagata-vajrapanjara, Suryavajrapanjara.
Full-text (+4): Ramavajrapanjarakavaca, Nrisimhavajrapanjara, Ramaraksha, Suryavajrapanjara, Sharanagata, Ganapatikavaca vajrapanjara, Kalikavaca vajrapanjara, Panjara, Sharanagata-vajrapanjara, Devirahasyatantra, Devirahasya, Alidhasana, Cakrasamvara, Ananda, Sahajananda, Paramananda, Viramananda, Hrishtaroman, Hevajra-tantra, Pramathana.
Relevant text
Search found 4 books and stories containing Vajrapanjara, Vajra-panjara, Vajra-pañjara, Vajrapañjara; (plurals include: Vajrapanjaras, panjaras, pañjaras, Vajrapañjaras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
The Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 72 - Victory of Durgā < [Section 2 - Uttarārdha]
Kathasaritsagara (the Ocean of Story) (by Somadeva)
Chapter XLVIII < [Book VIII - Sūryaprabha]
Chapter XLVII < [Book VIII - Sūryaprabha]
Chapter XLVI < [Book VIII - Sūryaprabha]
Blue Annals (deb-ther sngon-po) (by George N. Roerich)
Chapter 29 - Sonam Gyatso (vii): Labors for the doctrine < [Book 10 - The Kālacakra]
Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 1: Initiation, Mercury and Laboratory (by Bhudeb Mookerjee)
Part 18 - Mercurial operations (16): Incineration of mercury (bhasmikarana) < [Chapter IV-V - Mercurial operations]