In Hinduism

Chandas (prosody, study of Sanskrit metres)

Source: Shodhganga: a concise history of Sanskrit Chanda literature

1) Varatanu (वरतनु) is the name of a Sanskrit metre (chandas) to which Hemacandra (1088-1173 C.E.) assigned the alternative name of Mālatī in his auto-commentary on the second chapter of the Chandonuśāsana. Hemacandra gives these alternative names for the metres by other authorities (like Bharata), even though the number of gaṇas or letters do not differ.

2) Varatanu (वरतनु) refers to one of the 135 metres (chandas) mentioned by Nañjuṇḍa (1794-1868 C.E.) in his Vṛttaratnāvalī. Nañjuṇḍa was a poet of both Kannada and Sanskrit literature flourished in the court of the famous Kṛṣṇarāja Woḍeyar of Mysore. He introduces the names of these metres (e.g., Varatanu) in 20 verses.

context information

Chandas (छन्दस्) refers to Sanskrit prosody and represents one of the six Vedangas (auxiliary disciplines belonging to the study of the Vedas). The science of prosody (chandas-shastra) focusses on the study of the poetic meters such as the commonly known twenty-six metres mentioned by Pingalas.

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

Varatanu (वरतनु).—A King of the Kurus. Because of his sinful deeds in the previous birth he was denied the happiness of getting children in the next birth. In the rebirth his name was Śrīdhara. He lived with his wife Prabhāvatī for a long time, but did not get children. When the hermit Vyāsa came to his palace once, the King asked him for the reason of his remaining childless. Vyāsa replied "Oh King, hear why you have only one wife and why you do not get children. In the previous birth you had been a brahmin named Varatanu. Your wife was called Śaṅkarī. When both of you were going somewhere once, you happened to see a lowcaste child falling into water. Without paying any heed to it, you went on your way. The child was drowned. Though both of you have taken births in royal families due to the several good deeds of yours, you have become childless because of that one sinful act."

According to the instruction of Vyāsa, he gave Brahmins alms of gold, clothes, oxen, pumpkin etc. and performed Bāla vrata, the rite for the sake of children. Thus he got remission of his sin. Within a year he got a son loved and respected by everyone. That handsome prince became an emperor who came to be the founder of a dynasty. (Padma Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 6).

context information

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.

Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)

Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram

varatanu (वरतनु ) refers to an “excellent body”, according to the Kularatnoddyota, one of the earliest Kubjikā Tantras.—Accordingly, “O goddess, initially I am empty devoid of (my) excellent body [i.e., varatanu-rahita] and free of thought constructs. Pervasive (I am) bliss, satisfied with the bliss of the contemplation of my own supreme energy. Established in my own (innate) bliss, (I am) called supreme (para) and, free of the spheres of (both) consciousness and its absence, (I am) the primordial agent (of all actions). Neither the one who meditates nor the object of meditation (I am) not the plane of the objects of sense, nor entity, form or anything else”.

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.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Varatanu (वरतनु).—a. fairlimbed.

-nuḥ f.) a beautiful woman; वरतनुरथवासौ नैव दृष्टा त्वया मे (varatanurathavāsau naiva dṛṣṭā tvayā me) V.4.22.

Varatanu is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms vara and tanu (तनु).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Varatanu (वरतनु).—f.

(-nuḥ) An elegant woman. E. vara and tanu body.

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

Varatanu (वरतनु).—[feminine] ū having a beautiful body; [feminine] ū a beautiful woman.

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

1) Varatanu (वरतनु):—[=vara-tanu] [from vara] mf(ū)n. having a beautiful body, [Kālacakra]

2) Varatanū (वरतनू):—[=vara-tanū] [from vara-tanu > vara] f. a beautiful woman, [Kāvya literature]

3) [v.s. ...] a kind of metre, [Piṅgala Scholiast, i.e. halāyudha]

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

Varatanu (वरतनु):—[vara-tanu] (nuḥ) 2. f. A fine woman.

[Sanskrit to German]

Varatanu 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.

Tamil dictionary

Source: DDSA: University of Madras: Tamil Lexicon

Varataṉu (வரதனு) [vara-taṉu] noun < vara-tanu. Beauty of form; மெய்யழகு. (யாழ்ப்பாணத்து மானிப்பாயகராதி) [meyyazhagu. (yazhppanathu manippayagarathi)]

context information

Tamil is an ancient language of India from the Dravidian family spoken by roughly 250 million people mainly in southern India and Sri Lanka.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Vara, Tanu.

Starts with: Varatanul.

Full-text: Hemaprabhavati, Shankari, Shridhara, Kshubhita, Patrata, Malati.

Relevant text

Search found 4 books and stories containing Varatanu, Vara-tanu, Varatanū, Vara-tanū, Varataṉu, Vara-taṉu, Varathanu, Varadanu, Varadhanu; (plurals include: Varatanus, tanus, Varatanūs, tanūs, Varataṉus, taṉus, Varathanus, Varadanus, Varadhanus). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Trishashti Shalaka Purusha Caritra (by Helen M. Johnson)

Part 4: Life of Brahmadatta < [Chapter I - Brahmadattacaritra]

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Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)

Text 10.147 < [Chapter 10 - Ornaments of Meaning]

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Natyashastra (English) (by Bharata-muni)

Chapter XVI - Metrical Patterns (chandas)

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The Padma Purana (by N.A. Deshpande)

Chapter 5 - The Deeds for Which One Becomes Sonless < [Section 4 - Brahma-khaṇḍa (Section on Brahman)]

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