Vajrayudha, Vajrāyudha, Vajra-āyudha, Vajra-ayudha: 16 definitions

Introduction
In Hinduism
1. Shaivism
2. Shaktism
3. Purana
4. Kavya
5. General definition
In Jainism
1. General definition
Languages
1. Sanskrit
2. Kannada
See also
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Introduction:

Vajrayudha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit. 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

Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)

Source: murugan: Murukan in Cankam Literature

On the day Murukan was born, Intiran became his enemy and tried to destroy him with his Vaccirayutam Halics (vajrayudha). The six at once became one with six faces and twelve hands. The devas each gave Him an instrument, separated from their bodies, to fight against Intiran: The goat, peacock, cock, bow, maran, sword, spear, kotari, malu, kanali, garland and bells. He holds them in His twelve hands and appears majestic with them (Paripatal.5:55-70).

context information

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.

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध) refers to a “thunderbolt weapon”, according to the Kulakaulinīmata verse 3.82-88.—Accordingly, while describing the nine attendants of Goddess Tvaritā: “1) Huṃravā (She who makes the sound Huṃ) has the form of a lightning flash and, auspicious, holds a thunderbolt weapon (vajrāyudha). 2) Khecarī (the Skyfaring Goddess) has the form of fire and is adorned with a javelin as a weapon. 3) Caṇḍā (the Fierce One) holds a staff. She is black (kṛṣṇa) and points (threateningly) at (both) gods and demons. [...]”.

Source: Manblunder: Lalitha Sahasranama

1) Indra has a powerful weapon called vajrāyudha (said to have been formed out of the bones of the Ṛṣi Dadhīca or Dadhīci), the thunder bolt. This nāma (Vajriṇī, वज्रिणी, nāma 944) says that Lalitāmbikā holds vajrāyudha in Her hand to destroy the sinners. The nāma could also mean that She is bedecked with diamonds and gems.

2) It is also said that Indra obtained his famous and the deadliest of his armouries called vajrāyudha after performing penance on Vajreśī. She was pleased with Indra’s penance and gave him this armour and then only Indra could return to his world.

Source: Manblunder: Journey to Śrī Cakrā

Vajrāyudha was given to Indra by Lalitāmbikā. Vajrāyudha is made of the spinal cord of a great sage Dadhīci, who was constantly meditation on Her. Lalitāmbikā, in appreciation of his penance, took him with Her by offering him liberation through Vajreśī, a goddess on the banks of river Vajrā, whose darśan we had when we were in the open space between 11^th and 12^th forts. The spinal cord of Dadhīci after his liberation was given to Indra as his weapon to destroy demons.

Vajrāyudha is considered as one of the most potent weapons. Kṛṣṇa talks about Indra on three occasions in Bhagavad Gītā (Chapter X). He says, “I am Indra, among gods”; “Among elephants, I am Airāvata (Indra’s elephant vehicle)” and “Among thunderbolts, I am vajrāyudha.”

context information

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.

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध).—(Thunderbolt). The famous weapon of Indra. The making of this weapon. In olden days a fierce asura named Vṛtra was born. The Kālakeyas and many other asuras became his followers. They began to create havoc in the world, and cause harm to the Devas. At last under the leadership of Indra, the Devas went to Brahmā and informed him of their grievances and requested for advice as to the way of killing Vṛtra. Brahmā told them that only with a weapon made of the bone of the hermit Dadhīca, could Vṛtrāsura be killed. The Devas went to the bank of the river Śoṇa and saw the hermit Dadhīca, who was the foremost of munificent men, doing penance there. Indra told him the purpose of their visit. He told the Devas to take his bone, if it was useful to them. Saying this he forsook his body. The Devas took the bones of the hermit and gave them to Viśvakarmā who made a powerful weapon with them and gave that to Indra. They named the weapon the 'thunderbolt.' (Mahābhārata Vana Parva, Chapter 100). (See full article at Story of Vajrāyudha from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)

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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: Kathāsaritsāgara

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध) is the warder of Mahendrāditya, a world-conquering king (jagajjayin) from Avanti, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 120. Accordingly, as sage Kaṇva narrated to Naravāhanadatta: “... and that king [Mahendrāditya] had a great minister named Sumati, and a warder named Vajrāyudha, in whose family the office was hereditary. With these the king remained ruling his realm, propitiating Śiva, and ever bearing various vows in order to obtain a son”.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Vajrāyudha, 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.

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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’.

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: WikiPedia: Hinduism

Vajrayudha (वज्रयुद्ध): The weapon with which Indra killed Visvarupa on suspicion because his mother belonged to the asura tribe of daityas.

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: archive.org: Trisastisalakapurusacaritra

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध) is the son of Ratnamālā and king Kṣemaṅkara, and he is a previous incarnation of Śānti-nātha, according to chapter 5.3 [śāntinātha-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra (“lives of the 63 illustrious persons”): a Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three important persons in Jainism.

Accordingly:—“[...] Aparājita’s soul, the Indra of Acyuta, fell from Acyuta and developed in her [i.e., queen Ratnamālā’s] womb, like a pearl in a pearl-oyster. [...] Because the queen had seen a thunderbolt in a dream, while he was in embryo, his father gave him the name Vajrāyudha. He, having an extraordinary body, grew up gradually, protected every day from people’s evil-eye by a blooming garland. He, a traveler across the ocean of all the arts, attained youth alone confusing the heart of Gods, Asuras, men, and women. With the ribbon placed around his wrist, he married a princess, Lakṣmīvatī, like Lakṣmī embodied. [...]”.

Source: academia.edu: Tessitori Collection I

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध) or Vajrāyudhakathā refers to one of the 157 stories embedded in the Kathāmahodadhi by Somacandra (narrating stories from Jain literature, based on the Karpūraprakara), which is included in the collection of manuscripts at the ‘Vincenzo Joppi’ library, collected by Luigi Pio Tessitori during his visit to Rajasthan between 1914 and 1919.—The Kathāmahodadhi represents a repository of 157 stories [e.g., Vajrāyudha-kathā] written in prose Sanskrit, although each of them is preceded by a verse. Together, they stage a large number of Jain characters (including early teachers). [...]

context information

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

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध).—an epithet of Indra.

Derivable forms: vajrāyudhaḥ (वज्रायुधः).

Vajrāyudha is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms vajra and āyudha (आयुध).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध).—name of a yakṣa: Mahā-Māyūrī 11.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—poet. [Subhāshitāvali by Vallabhadeva]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध):—[from vajra > vaj] m. ‘thunderbolt-armed’, Name of Indra, [Harivaṃśa; Bhāgavata-purāṇa]

2) [v.s. ...] of a poet, [Catalogue(s)]

3) [v.s. ...] of another man, [Kathāsaritsāgara]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Vajrāyudha (वज्रायुध):—[vajrā+yudha] (dhaḥ-dhā-dhaṃ) a. Armed with thunderbolts.

[Sanskrit to German]

Vajrayudha in German

context information

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.

Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Vajrāyudha (ವಜ್ರಾಯುಧ):—

1) [noun] thunderbolt, as the weapon of Indra, the chief of gods.

2) [noun] Indra, himself.

3) [noun] a very strong, unfailing weapon.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

Relevant text

Search found 13 books and stories containing Vajrayudha, Vajrāyudha, Vajra-āyudha, Vajra-ayudha; (plurals include: Vajrayudhas, Vajrāyudhas, āyudhas, ayudhas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Part 4: Vajrāyudha’s conquest as Cakravartin < [Chapter III - Eighth incarnation as Vajrāyudha]

Part 8: Initiation of Vajrāyudha < [Chapter III - Eighth incarnation as Vajrāyudha]

Part 3: Kṣemaṅkara’s omniscience < [Chapter III - Eighth incarnation as Vajrāyudha]

+ 8 more chapters / show preview

Chapter 3.5 - The story of Hanuman (Immortal characters, part 2)

Chapter 3.2 - The story of Jatayu (Bird characters, part 2)

show preview

Story of Saṃvarta

Story of Tvaṣṭā

Story of Caṇḍamahāsena

+ 15 more chapters / show preview

Analysis of Vyūha < [Chapter 4]