Vatabhaksha, Vātabhakṣa: 3 definitions
Introduction:
Vatabhaksha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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 Vātabhakṣa can be transliterated into English as Vatabhaksa or Vatabhaksha, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationVātabhakṣa (वातभक्ष) refers to “taking in only air” (as part of severe austerities), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.5.1 (“Description of Tripura—the three cities”).—Accordingly, as Sanatkumāra narrated to Vyāsa: “O great sage, when the Asura Tāraka was killed by Skanda, the son of Śiva, his three sons performed austerities. [...] Maintaining strict severity in their austerities, the excellent Asuras made their bodies emaciated by their penance. Standing on the bare ground on a single foot, the strong Asuras performed the penance for a hundred years. Taking in only air (vātabhakṣa) and enduring excessive heat and distress, the terrible and wicked souls continued the penance for a thousand years. [...]”.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryVātabhakṣa (वातभक्ष).—[adjective] living upon wind.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English DictionaryVātabhakṣa (वातभक्ष):—[=vāta-bhakṣa] [from vāta > vā] mfn. feeding on wind, [Rāmāyaṇa]
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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