Yamini, Yāminī: 13 definitions
Introduction
Yamini means something in Buddhism, Pali, 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.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaYāminī (यामिनी).—A daughter of Dakṣa Prajāpati. She was one of the wives of Kaśyapa. (Bhāgavata, 6th Skandha).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexYāminī (यामिनी).—One of the wives of Tārkṣya and mother of locusts (śalabhas);1 a Śakti.2
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: KathāsaritsāgaraYāminī (यामिनी) is one of the daughters of Prahlāda, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 46. Accordingly: “... then, all being satisfied, Prahlāda gave to Sūryaprabha a second daughter of his, named Yāminī, and that prince of the Asuras gave him two of his sons as allies”.
The story of Yāminī and Prahlāda was narrated by the Vidyādhara king Vajraprabha to prince Naravāhanadatta in order to relate how “Sūryaprabha, being a man, obtain of old time the sovereignty over the Vidyādharas”.
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Yāminī, 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.
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’.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Tibetan BuddhismYāminī (यामिनी) is the name of one of the six family deities presiding over twenty-four sacred districts, according to the Vajraḍākavivṛti commentary on the 9th-centruy Vajraḍākatantra.—These six Yoginīs seems most likely to represent female leaders of six families [viz., Yāminī]. The Vajraḍākavivṛti clearly connects twenty-four districts with the system of six families. Accordingly, the Yāminī family comprises the districts Sindhu, Nagara, Pūrṇagiri (Pullīramalaya) and Jālandhara.
Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka MaṇḍalaYāminī (यामिनी) is the name of a Ḍākinī who, together with the Vīra (hero) named Mahābala forms one of the 36 pairs situated in the Vajracakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the vajracakra refers to one of the four divisions of the sahaja-puṭa (‘innate layer’), situated within the padma (lotus) in the middle of the Herukamaṇḍala. The 36 pairs of Ḍākinīs [viz., Yāminī] and Vīras each have one face and four arms; they hold a skull bowl, a skull staff, a small drum and a knife; they are dark-bluish-black in color.
Source: academia.edu: A Critical Sanskrit Edition and a Translation of Kambala’s Sādhananidhi, Chapter 8Yāminī (यामिनी) is the name of a Yoginī associated with the syllable “yoṃ” of the Ṣaḍyoginīmantra (six yoginī mantra): one of the four major mantras in the Cakrasaṃvara tradition, as taught in the eighth chapter of the 9th-century Herukābhidhāna and its commentary, the Sādhananidhi. The Ṣaḍyoginī-mantra consists of six mantras taught to be the six Yoginīs. [...] These six Yoginīs are also found in Nāgārjuna’s Dharmasaṃgraha. A practitioner visualizes them [viz., Yāminī] without male companions. Alternatively, a practitioner visualizes them with their male consorts such as Vajrasattva.
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.
General definition (in Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Dharma-samgrahaYāminī (यामिनी) refers to the third of the “six Yoginīs” (ṣaḍyoginī) as defined in the Dharma-saṃgraha (section 13). The Dharma-samgraha (Dharmasangraha) is an extensive glossary of Buddhist technical terms in Sanskrit (eg., ṣaṣ-yoginī and Yāminī). The work is attributed to Nagarguna who lived around the 2nd century A.D.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryYāminī (यामिनी).—
1) Night; सविता विधवति विधुरपि सवितरति दिनन्ति यामिन्यः । यामिनयन्ति दिनानि च सुखदुःखवशीकृते मनसि (savitā vidhavati vidhurapi savitarati dinanti yāminyaḥ | yāminayanti dināni ca sukhaduḥkhavaśīkṛte manasi) || K. P.1; Ki.11.48.
2) Turmeric.
See also (synonyms): yāmikā.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryYāminī (यामिनी).—name of a yoginī: Dharmasaṃgraha 13.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionaryYāminī (यामिनी).—f. (-nī) 1. Night 2. Turmeric. E. yāma a watch, ini aff.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionaryYaminī (यमिनी).—[feminine] bringing forth twins.
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Yāminī (यामिनी).—[feminine] night; a woman’s name.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Yaminī (यमिनी):—[from yamin > yam] f. bringing forth twins, [Atharva-veda]
2) Yāminī (यामिनी):—[from yā] a f. ([from] 1. yāma) ‘consisting of watches’, night, [Mahābhārata; Kāvya literature] etc.
3) [v.s. ...] Name of a daughter of Prahlāda, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
4) [v.s. ...] of the wife of Tārkṣa (mother of Śalabha), [Bhāgavata-purāṇa]
5) b yāmīra See p. 850, col. 1.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family. 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.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with: Yaminicara, Yaminichara, Yaminidayita, Yaminipati, Yaminipriyatama, Yaminipurnatilaka, Yaminiramana, Yaminisha.
Ends with: Arabyayamini, Darshayamini, Pratiyamini, Samyamini, Sitayamini.
Full-text (+5): Yaminipati, Darshayamini, Yaminipriyatama, Yaminipurnatilaka, Shadyogini, Yaminidayita, Yaminiramana, Shalabha, Yaminisha, Sitayamini, Yaminicara, Yamikapati, Yamin, Six Yoginis, Kacchapaghata, Vraj, Yamika, Tarkshya, Shadyoginimantra, Sindhu.
Relevant text
Search found 12 books and stories containing Yamini, Yāminī, Yaminī; (plurals include: Yaminis, Yāminīs, Yaminīs). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
The Bhagavata Purana (by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
Chapter 6 - The Progeny of the Daughters of Daksa < [Canto VI - Prescribed Duties for Mankind]
Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī)
Verse 2.1.84 < [Part 1 - Ecstatic Excitants (vibhāva)]
The Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 14 - The Legend of Vajrāṅga < [Section 2 - Kaumārikā-khaṇḍa]
Yoga Vasistha [English], Volume 1-4 (by Vihari-Lala Mitra)
Chapter XL - Reflections on human life and mind < [Book III - Utpatti khanda (utpatti khanda)]
The Devi Bhagavata Purana (by Swami Vijñanananda)