Varshana, Varṣaṇa: 14 definitions

Introduction:

Varshana 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.

The Sanskrit term Varṣaṇa can be transliterated into English as Varsana or Varshana, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Dhanurveda (science of warfare)

Source: Wisdom Library: Dhanurveda

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण) refers to a weapon (a missile causing rain). It is a Sanskrit word defined in the Dhanurveda-saṃhitā, which contains a list of no less than 117 weapons. The Dhanurveda-saṃhitā is said to have been composed by the sage Vasiṣṭha, who in turn transmitted it trough a tradition of sages, which can eventually be traced to Śiva and Brahmā.

Dhanurveda book cover
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Dhanurveda (धनुर्वेद) refers to the “knowledge of warfare” and, as an upaveda, is associated with the Ṛgveda. It contains instructions on warfare, archery and ancient Indian martial arts, dating back to the 2nd-3rd millennium BCE.

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In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: Wisdomlib Libary: Vajrayogini

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण) is the name of a cloud (megha) associated with Ghorāndhakāra: the south-western cremation ground (śmaśāna) according to the Guhyasamayasādhanamālā 34. The name for the cloud of the southern direction is sometimes given as Varṣa. As a part of this sādhana, the practicioner is to visualize a suitable dwelling place for the goddess inside the circle of protection which takes the form of eight cremation grounds.

These clouds (e.g., Varṣaṇa) are known as cloud-kings (megharāja) and have names that are associated with the loud noises of thunderclouds and the noise of rain, according to the Guhyasamayasādhanamālā 11.77. Their presence in the cremation grounds may be connected with the nāgas, for they are known to be responsible for the rain.

Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka Maṇḍala

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण) refers to one of the eight cloud king (meghendra) of the Guṇacakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the guṇacakra refers to one of the four divisions of the sahaja-puṭa (‘innate layer’), situated within the padma (lotus) in the middle of the Herukamaṇḍala. Varṣaṇa is associated with the charnel grounds (śmaśāna) named Ghorāndhakāra; with the tree (vṛkṣa) named Latāparkaṭi; with the direction-guardians (dikpāla) named Rākṣasa and with the serpent king (nāgendra) named Kulika.

Tibetan Buddhism book cover
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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.

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Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: De Gruyter: A Buddhist Ritual Manual on Agriculture

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण) refers to “rain”, according to the Vajratuṇḍasamayakalparāja, an ancient Buddhist ritual manual on agriculture from the 5th-century (or earlier), containing various instructions for the Sangha to provide agriculture-related services to laypeople including rain-making, weather control and crop protection.—Accordingly, [as the Bhagavān teaches the offering of the root spell], “[...] When rain (varṣaṇa) is to be made, then the spell-master having enchanted mustard seed water 108 times, having climbed up to an elevated place, standing facing east, he should throw seven handfuls of water in the eastern direction having recited the mantra seven times; [thus] all Nāga kings meet in the middle at once. They send down rain showers. [...]”.

Mahayana book cover
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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.

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Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

varṣaṇa (वर्षण).—n S Raining.

context information

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.

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Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण).—[vṛṣ-lyuṭ]

1) Raining, rain.

2) Sprinking, showering down (fig. also); द्रव्यवर्षणम् (dravyavarṣaṇam) 'showering or bestowing wealth.

Derivable forms: varṣaṇam (वर्षणम्).

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

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण).—name of a nāga king: Mahā-Māyūrī 246.26.

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

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण).—n.

(-ṇaṃ) 1. Raining, rain. 2. Sprinkling. 3. Bestowing. E. vṛṣ to sprinkle, lyuṭ aff.

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

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण).—i. e. vṛṣ + ana, n. Raining.

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

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण).—[feminine] ī (mostly —°) & [neuter] raining.

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

1) Varṣaṇa (वर्षण):—[from varṣa] a mf(ī)n. (mostly ifc.) raining (with astram, a missile causing rain), [Harivaṃśa; Rāmāyaṇa; Bhāgavata-purāṇa; Inscriptions]

2) [v.s. ...] n. raining, causing to rain, pouring out, shedding out gifts upon ([compound]), [Harivaṃśa; Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā; Pañcatantra] etc.

3) [v.s. ...] sprinkling, [Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary]

4) [from vṛṣ] b See p.926etc.

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

Varṣaṇa (वर्षण):—(ṇaḥ) 1. n. Raining, rain.

[Sanskrit to German]

Varshana 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.

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Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Varṣaṇa (ವರ್ಷಣ):—[noun] water drops falling from the clouds continuously for sometime; rain.

context information

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

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