Virodha: 30 definitions
Introduction:
Virodha means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit, Marathi, Hindi. 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.
Alternative spellings of this word include Virodh.
In Hinduism
Ayurveda (science of life)
Virodha (विरोध) refers to “incompatibility”, and more specifically, it refers to foods that should not be taken together. It is used throughout Ayurvedic literature such as the Caraka-saṃhitā and the Suśruta-saṃhitā.
Virodha (विरोध):—Suppression, Obstruction

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Virodha (विरोध) refers to “enmity”, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.14 (“The Birth of Tāraka and Vajrāṅga”).—Accordingly, as Vajrāṅga said to Varāṅgī: “My beloved wishes enmity [i.e.., virodha] with the gods. It does not appeal to me. What shall I do? Where shall I go? How can my vow be preserved from destruction? If my wife’s wishes are fulfilled, the three worlds will be much distressed, so too the gods and the sages. If my beloved’s desires are not fulfilled, I am sure to be cast into hell. In either case righteousness will be lost. This is what we have heard”.
1a) Virodha (विरोध).—A son of Vāta, the Rākṣasa.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 7. 96.
1b) A son of Bāṣkala.*
- * Vāyu-purāṇa 67. 79.

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.
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
Virodha (विरोध, “hindrance”) refers to ‘frustration’ or impediment to the successful progression of the plot. Virodha represents one of the thirteen pratimukhasandhi, according to the Nāṭyaśāstra chapter 21. This element is also known by the name Nirodha. Pratimukhasandhi refers to the “segments (sandhi) of the progressing part (pratimukha)” and represents one of the five segments of the plot (itivṛtta or vastu) of a dramatic composition (nāṭaka).

Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts, (natya—theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing Dramatic plays (nataka), construction and performance of Theater, and Poetic works (kavya).
Vyakarana (Sanskrit grammar)
Virodha (विरोध).—Opposition or conflict between two rules where, the rule which is subsequently mentioned is regarded as stronger and given preference to, as far as its application is concerned; cf. तुल्यबलयोर्विरोधो विप्र-तिषेधः । विप्रतिषेधे परं कार्यम् (tulyabalayorvirodho vipra-tiṣedhaḥ | vipratiṣedhe paraṃ kāryam) P.I.4.2; (2) contradiction where one thing prevents another; cf. सर्वनामस्थाने इति अनुवर्तमानमपि विरोधादिह न संबध्यते (sarvanāmasthāne iti anuvartamānamapi virodhādiha na saṃbadhyate) Kāś.on P.VII.1.86.

Vyakarana (व्याकरण, vyākaraṇa) refers to Sanskrit grammar and represents one of the six additional sciences (vedanga) to be studied along with the Vedas. Vyakarana concerns itself with the rules of Sanskrit grammar and linguistic analysis in order to establish the correct context of words and sentences.
Kavyashastra (science of poetry)
Virodha (विरोध) refers to one of the 93 alaṃkāras (“figures of speech”) mentioned by Cirañjīva Bhaṭṭācārya (fl. 17th century) in his Kāvyavilāsa and is listed as one of the 89 arthālaṃkāras (figure of speech determined by the sense, as opposed to sound).—Ancient Ālaṃkārikas Bhāmaha (III/24) Udbhaṭa (V/9), Daṇḍin (II/333) have treated the figure named virodha. Vāmana (IV/3.12), Mammaṭa (X/166) Viśvanātha (X/89) and Jagannātha (II/P. 427) and some others have mentioned the word ābhāsa in the definition of virodha. Some Ālaṃkarikas like Appyyadīkṣita and kavikarṇapura have given the name virodhābhāsa.
Cirañjīva and Jayadeva (the author of Candrāloka) has treated the figures virodha and virodhābhāsa separately. When contradiction appears in mutual connection among genus, attribute, action and substance it is the figure virodha. Cirañjīva (K.V.II/P. 34) defines it as—“virodho’nupapattiśced guṇadravyakriyādiṣu”. This definition occurs verbatim in the Candrāloka of Jayadeva (C.L.V/74). Cirañjīva is silent about the varieties of this virodha. In the Sāhityadarpaṇa of Viśvanātha the varieties of virodha have been mentioned clearly.
Example of the virodha-alaṃkāra:—
sa kīdṛśaḥ śītakaro yo māṃ dahati santatam |
sa ca kālaḥ kathaṃ krūro yo me śaraṇatāṃ gataḥ ||“What type of pacifier is he who always torments me. How the god of death (Yama) under whom I have taken refuge be merciless”.
Notes: In this verse the pacifying nature of a person who is the tormentor is contradictory, similarly the cruelty of Yama under whom one has taken refuge is contradictory in nature. So this verse is an examples of virodha.
Virodha (विरोध, “contradiction”) refers to one of the various Alaṅkāras (‘figures of speech’) classified as Artha (‘sense’), as employed in the Bhīṣmacarita (Bhishma Charitra) which is a mahākāvya (‘epic poem’) written by Hari Narayan Dikshit.—In the poem Bhīṣmacarita, the poet has deliberately used ‘virodha-alaṅkāra’. For instance, in VIII.4 the poet has aptly depicted the sorrow of king due to separation from Satyavatī, his beloved lady. During that time the king feels cool breeze of Monsoon even hot. The other example is I.9.

Kavyashastra (काव्यशास्त्र, kāvyaśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian tradition of poetry (kavya). Canonical literature (shastra) of the includes encyclopedic manuals dealing with prosody, rhetoric and various other guidelines serving to teach the poet how to compose literature.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Virodha (विरोध) refers to “war”, according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 3), an encyclopedic Sanskrit work written by Varāhamihira mainly focusing on the science of ancient Indian astronomy astronomy (Jyotiṣa).—Accordingly, “If the solar disc should be crossed by the rainbow the princes of the land will be at war with one another [i.e., nṛpati-virodha-prada]. If in winter the disc be clear there will be immediate rain. If in Varṣā the colour of the sun be that of the flower Śirīṣa there will be immediate rain; if the colour be that of the peacock’s plume there will be no rain for twelve years to come”.

Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
In Buddhism
Mahayana (major branch of Buddhism)
Virodha (विरोध) refers to “contradiction” (as opposed to Virodha—‘not being in contradiction with’, according to the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā: the eighth chapter of the Mahāsaṃnipāta (a collection of Mahāyāna Buddhist Sūtras).—Accordingly, “How then, son of good family, does the Bodhisattva who has attained memory never forget? Son of good family, the Bodhisattva attains memory (dhāraṇī) by purifying his memory. What then is the purification of memory? Son of good family, there are thirty-two purifications of memory. What are the thirty-two? [...] (21) never rejecting even the six defilements; (22) not giving up the six ways of politeness; (23) practicing the dharma without thought which is hostile towards all living beings; (24) not being in contradiction with dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda-avirodha); [...]”.
Virodha (विरोध) refers to the “obstructed (of one’s life)”, 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, [after the Bhagavān reached the vicinity of the residence of Vaiśravaṇa], “Then at the time of drought [at] the lotus lake, all forest flowers, fruits, leaves and foliage were dry, the flowers withered. The fish, Makaras, Timiṅgilas, alligators, bees and various other water-born beings were deprived of water, and when only little water remained they fled in the ten directions, dashed, ran with pained hearts because their lives were obstructed (jīvita-virodha) and ruined”.

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.
In Jainism
Jain philosophy
Virodha (विरोध) refers to “contradiction”, as used in the Anekāntajayapatākā-prakaraṇa, a Śvetāmbara Jain philosophical work written by Haribhadra Sūri.—[Cf. Vol. I, P. 10, l. 17]—Virodha, is of three kinds: (1) parasparaparihārasthiti, (2) vadhyaghātaka and (3) sahānavasthāna. Suppose there is a mango-fruit which is green in colour and sour in taste. When it is so, it is not yellow in colour and sweet m taste. This is possible only when the first state gets removed. Thus both of these states are mutually exclusive of one another and not co-existent. Amongst the available works of the Śvetāmbaras, it seems Gandhahastin Siddhasena Gaṇī’s commentary (pp 394-398) on Tattvārthasūtra (V, 31) is the first work to deal with the subject of virodha in details Dharmakirti has treated this subject m Pramāṇaviniścaya.
Virodha refers to one of the “faults” (doṣa) mentioned in the Syādvādaratnākara and Vidyānanda’s Aṣṭaśatī as well as the Tarkarahasyadīpikā (p 93b).
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Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
virodha : (m.) opposition; contradiction; obstruction.
Virodha, (vi+rodha1) obstruction, hindrance, opposition, enmity S. I, 111; IV, 71, 210; Sn. 362; Pug. 18, 22; Kvu 485; Miln. 394; DhsA. 39.—avirodha absence of obstruction, gentleness M. II, 105=Th. 1, 875; Pv III, 73. (Page 635)
virodha (ဝိရောဓ) [(pu) (ပု)]—
[vi+rudha+ṇa.virujjhatīti virodho.abhi,ṭṭha,1.299.virujjhanaṃ virodho.mūlaṭī,1.122.virodha-saṃ.viroha-prā,addhamāgadhī.]
[ဝိ+ရုဓ+ဏ။ ဝိရုဇ္ဈတီတိ ဝိရောဓော။ အဘိ၊ ဋ္ဌ၊ ၁။ ၂၉၉။ ဝိရုဇ္ဈနံ ဝိရောဓော။ မူလဋီ၊ ၁။ ၁၂၂။ ဝိရောဓ-သံ။ ဝိရောဟ-ပြာ၊ အဒ္ဓမာဂဓီ။]
[Pali to Burmese]
virodha—
(Burmese text): (၁) ဆန့်ကျင်တတ်သော (ဒေါသ)၊ အမျက်ဒေါသ။ (၂) ဆန့်ကျင်-ဆန့်ကျင်ဘက်ဖြစ်-ခြင်း။ (၃) ဆန့်ကျင်ကြောင်း-ဆန့်ကျင်ဘက်ကိုပြဆိုကြောင်း-ဖြစ်သည့်စကား၊ စောဒနာ။ (၄) ဘေးရန်။
(Auto-Translation): (1) Contradictory anger, disdainful anger. (2) Opposing - the state of being opposing. (3) Language that expresses opposition - being contrary, contradiction. (4) Danger.

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
virōdha (विरोध).—m (S) Opposition; action or influence against; antagonism, contrariety, hostility. For ex. of comp. see under viruddha. 2 Inconsistency (in argument). 3 Antithesis or contrast.
virōdha (विरोध).—m Opposition. Inconsistency. Contrast.
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
Virodha (विरोध).—
1) Opposition, obstruction, impediment.
2) Blockade, siege, investment.
3) Restraint, check.
4) Inconsistency, incongruity, contradiction; विरोधो न विद्यते ब्रह्माद्वितीयमेव सत्यम् (virodho na vidyate brahmādvitīyameva satyam) | (-tripādvibhūtimahānārāyaṇopaniṣat 4.2.)
5) Antithesis, contrast.
6) Enmity, hostility; विरोधो विश्रान्तः (virodho viśrāntaḥ) Uttararāmacarita 6.11; Pañcatantra (Bombay) 1.332; R.1.13.
7) A quarrel, disagreement.
8) A calamity, misfortune.
9) (In Rhet.) An apparent incongruity which is merely verbal and is explained away by properly construing the passage; it consists in representing objects as antithetical to one another though in the nature of things they are not so; representing things as being together though really they cannot be together; (this figure is largely used by Bāṇa and Subandhu; puṣpavatyapi pavitrā, kṛṣṇo'pyasudarśanaḥ, bharato'pi śatrughnaḥ being familiar instances;) it is thus defined by Mammaṭa :-विरोधः सोऽविरोधे- ऽपि विरुद्धत्वेन यद्वचः (virodhaḥ so'virodhe- 'pi viruddhatvena yadvacaḥ) K. P.1; this figure is also called विरोधाभास (virodhābhāsa)).
Derivable forms: virodhaḥ (विरोधः).
Virodha (विरोध).—m.
(-dhaḥ) 1. Enmity, animosity. 2. Restraint, check, control, confinement. 3. Opposition, contradiction. 4. Preventing, hindrance. 5. War. 6. Calamity, misfortune. 7. Surrounding, investing, siege, blockade. 8. Impediment to a successful progress of the story, (in a play.) 9. Antithesis, contrast. 10. Opposition of qualities, (in articles of food or medicine, &c.) 11. Inconsistency, (in argument.) f. (-dhī) Fixed rule, ordinance, institute. E. vi before rudh to stop, aff. ghañ .
Virodha (विरोध).—i. e. vi-rudh + a, I. m. 1. Hindrance, impediment. 2. Restraint, check. 3. Opposition, [Pañcatantra] 162, 14;
Virodha (विरोध).—[masculine] obstruction, hindrance, disturbance; opposition, contradiction; adversity, injury, detriment, calamity; hostility, contest between ([instrumental] ±saha or —°).
1) Virodha (विरोध) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—[nyāya] Oppert. Ii, 887. 1164.
—by Gadādhara. Oppert. Ii, 3802.
2) Virodha (विरोध):—[nyāya] by Gadādhara. Gov. Or. Libr. Madras 85.
3) Virodha (विरोध):—[nyāya] by Gadādhara. Hz. 1248.
1) Virodha (विरोध):—[=vi-rodha] [from vi-rudh] m. opposition, hostility, quarrel, strife between ([genitive case], rarely [instrumental case], or [compound]) or with ([instrumental case] with or without saha, or [compound]), [Mahābhārata; Kāvya literature] etc.
2) [v.s. ...] hostile contact of inanimate objects (as of planets etc.), [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā]
3) [v.s. ...] (logical) contradiction, contrariety, antithesis, inconsistency, incompatibility, [Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra; Kaṇāda’s Vaiśeṣika-sūtra] [Kapila] etc.
4) [v.s. ...] (ifc.) conflict with, injury of ([instrumental case] = at the cost or to the detriment of), [Yājñavalkya; Mahābhārata]
5) [v.s. ...] hindrance, prevention, [Gautama-dharma-śāstra]
6) [v.s. ...] blockade, siege, [Horace H. Wilson]
7) [v.s. ...] adversity, calamity, misfortune, [Sāhitya-darpaṇa]
8) [v.s. ...] perversity, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
9) [v.s. ...] (in [rhetoric]) an apparent contradiction or incongruity (e.g. bharato pi śatru-ghnaḥ), [Kāvyaprakāśa]
10) [v.s. ...] (in [dramatic language]) impediment to the successful progress of a plot, [Horace H. Wilson]
Virodha (विरोध):—[vi-rodha] (dhaḥ) 1. m. Enmity; barrier; restraint; opposition; obstacle; contrast; incompatibility; inconclusiveness; siege. f. Fixed rule, institute.
[Sanskrit to German]
Virodha (विरोध) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Viroha.
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.
Hindi dictionary
Virodha (विरोध) [Also spelled virodh]:—(nm) opposition, antagonism; hostility; resistance, objection; antimony, contrariety; protest; contradiction; —[karanā] to oppose; to resist; to object; to protest; to contradict; to contest; to strike a blow against; to set one’s face against.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Virōdha (ವಿರೋಧ):—
1) [noun] the act of opposing; opposition.
2) [noun] an opposed condition; resistance; opposition.
3) [noun] an unpleasant, unfavouable, non-conducive condition.
4) [noun] a feeling of enmity, ill-will, unfriendliness.
5) [noun] a quarrel; dispute.
6) [noun] the condition of being destroyed; destruction.
7) [noun] (rhet.) a figure of speech implying incongruity.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Virodha (विरोध):—n. 1. opposition; obstruction; protest; objection; 2. blockade; siege; 3. check; restraint;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Rodha, Rudha, Vi, Na.
Starts with (+25): Virodhabhaj, Virodhabhanjani, Virodhabhasa, Virodhabhava, Virodhabhaya, Virodhadassana, Virodhadosa, Virodhahetuka, Virodhakaraka, Virodhakarin, Virodhakatha, Virodhakrit, Virodhakriya, Virodhanunayabhavavimamsana, Virodhanurodhappahanayugalasiddhi, Virodhapaccaya, Virodhapaksha, Virodhaparihara, Virodhapariharanadhippaya, Virodhaphala.
Full-text (+149): Virodhin, Avirodha, Pativirodha, Virodhabhasa, Virodhokti, Virodhakrit, Vacanavirodha, Smritivirodha, Pratijnavirodha, Virodhita, Virodhopama, Shastravirodha, Virodhaparihara, Virodhakriya, Virodhavada, Virodhavaruthini, Virodhabhaj, Purvaparavirodha, Virodhavacana, Virotam.
Relevant text
Search found 96 books and stories containing Virodha, Virōdha, Vi-rodha, Vi-rudha-na, Vi-rudha-ṇa; (plurals include: Virodhas, Virōdhas, rodhas, nas, ṇas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Alamkaras mentioned by Vamana (by Pratim Bhattacharya)
12: Definition of Virodha Alaṃkāra < [Chapter 4 - Arthālaṃkāras mentioned by Vāmana]
1-2: The number of Alaṃkāras (poetic figures) mentioned < [Chapter 5 - A Comparative study of the different alaṃkāras mentioned by Vāmana]
13: Definition of Vibhāvanā Alaṃkāra < [Chapter 4 - Arthālaṃkāras mentioned by Vāmana]
Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)
Text 10.132 < [Chapter 10 - Ornaments of Meaning]
Text 10.127 [Virodha] < [Chapter 10 - Ornaments of Meaning]
Text 10.133 < [Chapter 10 - Ornaments of Meaning]
Kavyalankara-sara-sangraha of Udbhata (by Narayana Daso Banhatti)
Chapter 5—Fifth Varga < [English notes to the Kavyalankara-sara-sangraha]
Chapter 5 (pancamo vargah) < [Sanskrit text of the Kavyalankara-sara-sangraha]
Brihad Bhagavatamrita (commentary) (by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyana Gosvāmī Mahārāja)
Verse 2.4.44 < [Chapter 4 - Vaikuṇṭha (the spiritual world)]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
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