Yuddha: 22 definitions
Introduction:
Yuddha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, 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 Yuddh.
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In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Yuddha (युद्ध).—(war) (i) In ancient times in India war was considered a "Rājadharma". A war declared under this law was known as "Dharmayuddha"
(ii) It is forbidden to use a weapon describing it falsely as another weapon. The use of arrows heated in fire, is also against Dharmayuddha.
(iii) It is also against the rules of Dharmayuddha to kill a person who gets down from the chariot, a eunuch, one with joined palms, one who squats on the ground, one who seeks refuge, one who is asleep, one who is naked, an unarmed person, one who has come to witness the fight, one who is fighting with another, one whose weapon is broken, one who is bereaved by the death of a son or other relative, one who is vanquished, one who flees from battle, and one who refuses to attack in return etc.
(iv) If a warrior fleeing from battlefield is killed by his enemy, he carries with him his master’s sins.
(v) All the grace earned by the young man who flees from battle, passes to his master.
(vi) The soldier himself may take all booty in the battle except chariots, horses, elephants, umbrellas, wealth, corn, cows, women, weapons, silver and gold.
(vii) All costly articles, seized in battle, such as gold, silver, jewels etc. are to be handed over to the King, according to the Vedas. (Manusmṛti, Chapter 7).
Yuddha (युद्ध) refers to a “battle” (using weapons such as the spear), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.10 (“Boasting of Tāraka”).—Accordingly, as Tāraka-Asura fought with Kārttikeya: “[...] At the blow of the spear, the son of Śiva became unconscious. He regained his consciousness in a few minutes. He was eulogised by the great sages. Kumāra became furious like a maddened lion and was desirous of killing the Asura. The powerful Kumāra hit Tāraka with his spear. Thus both Kumāra and Tāraka equally inflamed and equally well versed in the battle of spears (śakti-yuddha) fought each other. [...]”.
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.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
1) Yuddha (युद्ध) 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 sun should appear like a pot; he brings on hunger and death; if he should appear broken, the reigning prince dies; if without rays, mankind will be afflicted with fears; if like a gate, then the capital city, if like an umbrella then the country, will perish. If the sun should appear like a flag staff, or a bow, or quivering or of sharp rays he will bring on wars [i.e., yuddha]; if there should appear black lines on his disc the reigning prince will die by the hand of his own minister”.
2) Yuddha (युद्ध) refers to “conjunctions” (of planets), according to the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chapter 5).—Accordingly, “Lunar and solar eclipses terminate in ten ways [...] If there should appear either a rainbow, or a comet club-like in shape, people, afflicted with hunger, will suffer from foreign yoke; if there should be either planetary conjunctions [i.e., graha-yuddha] or cometary appearances princes will be at war with one another. If there should occur a fall of good rain within the said period, there will be prosperity in the land and the evils described above will disappear”.
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.
Kama-shastra (the science of Love-making)
1) Yuddha (युद्ध) refers to “fighting of animals” (representing an activity prescribed according to the traditional daily-routine-duties of the householder), according to chapter 1.4 of Vātsyāyana’s Kāmasūtra: a Sanskrit text from the 2nd century dealing with eroticism, sexuality and emotional fulfillment in life belonging to Kāmaśāstra (the ancient Indian science of love-making).—Accordingly [while describing the morning routine of a citizen]: “Meals should be taken in the forenoon, in the afternoon, and again at night, according to Charayana. After breakfast, parrots and other birds should be taught to speak, and the fighting (yuddha) of cocks, quails, and rams should follow [lāvakakukkuṭameṣayuddhāni]. A limited time should be devoted to diversions with Pithamardas, Vitas, and Vidushakas, and then should be taken the midday sleep”.
2) Yuddha (युद्ध) [=kadambayuddha] refers to “mock-fighting” or “pelting each other” (with the flowers of the Kadamba tree) (prescribed as social diversions for citizens’ daily routine activities).—Accordingly [while describing the technicalities of social diversions]: “[...] Sporting in the. Decorating each other with the flowers of some trees. Pelting each other with the flowers of the Kadamba tree (kadamba-yuddha), and many other sports which may either be known to the whole country, or may be peculiar to particular parts of it. These and similar other amusements should always be carried on by citizens”.
Yuddha (युद्ध) refers to “(the art of) fighting”.—Cf. Meṣakukkuṭalāvakayuddhavidhi which refers to the “art of cock fighting, ram fighting and quail fighting”, representing one of the “sixty four kinds of Art”, according to the Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyaṇa.—Indian tradition, basically includes sixty four Art forms are acknowledged. The references of sixty four kinds of kalā are found in the Bhāgavatapurāṇa, Śaiva-Tantras, Kāmasūtra of Vātsyāyaṇa etc.
Kamashastra (कामशास्त्र, kāmaśāstra) deals with ancient Indian science of love-making, passion, emotions and other related topics dealing with the pleasures of the senses.
Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)
Yuddha (युद्ध) refers to “fighting” which should be avoided on a stage (where a dramatic play is performed).—A Nāṭaka should contain pañcasandhis which indicate five successive stages of the drama. This criterion also is present in the Mudrārākṣasa. [...] In the Sāhityadarpaṇa, Viśvanātha gives a list of certain actions which should not be presented on the stage. These are [e.g., fighting (yuddha)] [...].
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).
Ayurveda (science of life)
Veterinary Medicine (The study and treatment of Animals)
Yuddha (युद्ध) refers to the “battle” (between the Gods and Demons), according to the 15th century Mātaṅgalīlā composed by Nīlakaṇṭha in 263 Sanskrit verses, dealing with elephantology in ancient India, focusing on the science of management and treatment of elephants.—[Cf. chapter 1, “on the origin of elephants”]: “Of old, seeing that the throng of gods in the battle (yuddha) of the Gods and Demons could not endure the oppressive smell of the sweat of the elephants in the battle front the Noose-bearer (Varuṇa) then speedily turned the sweat of the elephants inward. Therefore their drops of sweat go inward and the noble elephants expel them from their trunks. But their absence of scrotum was granted by fiat of the Unborn (Brahmā), that they might move more swiftly and freely in battles, etc.”.
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.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Yuddha (युद्ध) is a Sanskrit word referring to “war”.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
yuddha : (nt.) fight; war; battle.
Yuddha, (nt.) (orig. pp. of yujjhati; cp. Vedic yuddha (pp.) and yudh (f.) the fight) war, battle, fight D. I, 6 (daṇḍa° fighting with sticks or weapons); J. III, 541 (id.); Sn. 442 (Dat. yuddhāya); J. VI, 222; Miln. 245 (kilesa°, as pp. : one who fights sin); Mhvs 10, 45 (°atthaṃ for the sake of fighting); 10, 69 (yuddhāya in order to fight); 25, 52 (yuddhāy’āgata); 32, 12 (yuddhaṃ yujjhati); 32, 13 (maccu° fight with death); 33, 42; DhA. II, 154 (malla° fist-fight).—The form yudhāya at Sn. 831 is to be taken as (archaic) Dat. of Vedic yudh (f.), used in sense of an inf. & equal to yuddhāya. Nd1 172 explains as “yuddh’atthāya. ”
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
yuddha (युद्ध).—n (S) Battling, warring, fighting; conflict or a conflict in general. kukkuṭayuddha, mēṣayuddha, gajayuddha Cock-fighting, ram-fighting, elephant-fighting; mallayuddha Wrestling or pugilistic contest; talātalayuddha Fight consisting in slapping of hands mutually against each other's breast; gadāyuddha, caraṇayuddha &c.
yuddha (युद्ध).—n Fighting, battling; conflict.
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
Yuddha (युद्ध).—p. p.
1) Fought, encountered.
2) Conquered, subdued.
-ddham [yudh-bhāvādau kta]
1) War, battle, fight, engagement, contest, struggle, combat; वत्स केयं वार्ता युद्धं युद्धमिति (vatsa keyaṃ vārtā yuddhaṃ yuddhamiti) Uttararāmacarita 6.
2) (In astr.) The opposition or conflict of planets.
Yuddha (युद्ध).—n.
(-ddhaṃ) 1. War, battle, contest. 2. Conflict of the planets, (in astronomy.) E. yudh to fight, aff. kta .
Yuddha (युद्ध).—[adjective] fought; [neuter] fight, battle.
1) Yuddha (युद्ध):—[from yudh] mfn. fought, encountered, conquered, subdued, [Mahābhārata]
2) [v.s. ...] m. Name of a son of Ugra-sena, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa]
3) [v.s. ...] n. (ifc. f(ā). ) battle, fight, war, [Ṛg-veda] etc. etc.
4) [v.s. ...] m. (in [astronomy]) opposition, conflict of the planets, [Sūryasiddhānta; Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā]
Yuddha (युद्ध):—(partic. praet. pass. von 1. yudh)
1) adj. bekämpft [Rāmāyaṇa 5, 78, 10.] —
2) n. Kampf, Schlacht [Amarakoṣa 2, 8, 2, 72.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 796.] [Halāyudha 2, 298.] [Ṛgveda 10, 54, 2.] nārā.akasya yu.dhamasti [Taittirīyabrāhmaṇa 1, 5, 9, 1.] devā vā asurairyuddhamupaprāyan [Aitareyabrāhmaṇa 3, 39.] uteva yuddhenoteva māyayā [6, 36.] [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 13, 1, 5, 6.] [Kātyāyana’s Śrautasūtrāṇi 20, 2, 8.] [Kauṣītakyupaniṣad 3, 1.] [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 7, 190. 198. fg.] [Rāmāyaṇa 2, 75, 25.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 4, 12.] kṣatriyāṇāṃ svadharmācaraṇaṃ yuddham [Madhusūdanasarasvatī’s Prasthānabheda] in [Weber’s Indische Studien 1, 22, 1.] yuddhe vināśo bhavati kadācidubhayorapi [Spr. 2495.] sutumula [Mahābhārata 1, 1176.] yuddhe parāṅmukhaiḥ [3, 1759.] yuddhānivartin [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 795.] yuddhaṃ śikṣeta kukkuṭāt [Spr. 2494.] yuddhe śūraṃ jānīyāt [352.] yatrāyuddhe dhruvo mṛtyuryuddhe jīvitasaṃśayaḥ . tameva kālaṃ yuddhasya pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ .. [2295.] kāle [2493.] na yuddhayogyatāmasya paśyāmi saha rākṣasaiḥ [Rāmāyaṇa 1, 22, 2.] [Pañcatantra 87, 15.] yena yuddhaṃ tava kṣamam [Rāmāyaṇa 4, 9, 40.] cirakālasthitaṃ hyetadyuddhaṃ me rāghaveṇa [6, 34, 22.] tayorbabhūva yuddhaṃ tumulam [Raghuvaṃśa 3, 57.] tvaṃ yuddhāyābhiniryāhi rāmasya [Rāmāyaṇa 6, 27, 19.] yuddhāya niragāddviṣām [Kathāsaritsāgara 54, 217.] atra yuddhaṃ mayā dattaṃ rāvaṇasya punaḥ punaḥ . pakṣatuṇḍanakhairghoram [Rāmāyaṇa 3, 72, 20.] pradadyānme yo dya yuddham [4, 9, 49. 38. 40.] dānavaiḥ sākaṃ prāptayuddhena vajriṇā [Kathāsaritsāgara 17, 18.] a [Mahābhārata 5, 7469.] suyuddhameva tatrāpi samācaret [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 7, 176.] manmatha [Rāmāyaṇa 1, 37, 7.] huḍu [Spr. 939.] vṛttayuddhā (bhū) [Kathāsaritsāgara 60, 57.] śakti [Oxforder Handschriften 24,b,32. fg.] In der Astr. Planetenkampf, Opposition [Sūryasiddhānta 7, 1. 19. fg.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 17, 1. fgg. 18, 8. 47, 1.] — Vgl. kūṭa, graha, dvaṃdva, prati, bāhu (auch [Mahābhārata 3, 11973]), mitra, muṣṭi, ratha, vāda .
Yuddha (युद्ध):——
1) Adj. s.u. 1. yudh. —
2) m. Nomen proprium eines Sohnes des Ugrasena [Wilson's Uebersetzung des Viṣṇupurāṇa 4,4,99.] —
3) n. (adj. Comp. f. ā) Kampf , Schlacht. In der Astr. Planetenkampf , so v.a. Opposition.
Yuddha (युद्ध) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Jujjha, Jujjhia.
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
Yuddha (युद्ध) [Also spelled yuddh]:—(nm) war/warfare; battle; fight/fighting; combat, hostilities; ~[kārī] fighting/fighter; combating/combatant; -[kāla] wartime; period of fighting; -[kṣetra] battle-field, theatre of war; -[nīti] strategy; -[pota] warship, man of war; ~[pravaṇa] bellicose, pugnacious, martial, militant; ~[pravaṇatā] bellicosity, pugnacity; ~[pravīṇa] expert/skilled in warfare; ~[priya] a warmonger; bellicose, pugnacious, militant, martial; •[tā] war-mongering; bellicosity, pugnaciousness; ~[baṃdī] a prisoner of war; cesssation of hostilities; -[bhūmi] the battlefield; -[maṃtrī] minister for war; ~[rata] belligerant; -[vijñāna/śāstra] science of warfare; military science; -[vidyā] art of warfare; -[virāma] cease-fire; •[saṃdhi] cease-fire pact, cease-fire; agreement; -[śakti] fighting potential, power/capacity to wage a war; -[saṃbaṃdhī] military; pertaining to war/battle/fighting; -[sthagana] cessation of hostilities.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Yuddha (ಯುದ್ಧ):—[noun] open armed conflict between two military forces; a war.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Yuddha (युद्ध):—n. battle; war; fight; warfare; conflict;
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)
Starts with (+26): Yuddha-boneta, Yuddhabhu, Yuddhabhumi, Yuddhacarya, Yuddhacintamani, Yuddhadarpa, Yuddhadharma, Yuddhadhvana, Yuddhadhyana, Yuddhadurmada, Yuddhadyuta, Yuddhagandharva, Yuddhajaya, Yuddhajayarnava, Yuddhajayopaya, Yuddhajayotsava, Yuddhajit, Yuddhakala, Yuddhakama, Yuddhakamya.
Full-text (+420): Mallayuddha, Bahuyuddha, Dvandvayuddha, Mushtiyuddha, Niyuddha, Vadayuddha, Yuddhavira, Ayuddha, Grahayuddha, Mahayuddha, Yuddharanga, Yuddhabhumi, Dharmayuddha, Yuddhasara, Prayuddha, Kutayuddha, Mitrayuddha, Yuddhonmatta, Kukkutayuddha, Yuddhabhu.
Relevant text
Search found 129 books and stories containing Yuddha; (plurals include: Yuddhas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 6.6.31 < [Chapter 6 - The Yādavas’ Victory When Śrī Rukmiṇī is Kidnapped]
Verse 1.6.50 < [Chapter 6 - Description of Kaṃsa’s Strength]
Verse 1.10.16 < [Chapter 10 - Description of the Birth of Lord Balarāma]
Dictionaries of Indian languages (Kosha)
Page 270 < [Hindi-English-Nepali (1 volume)]
Page 779 < [Hindi-Malayalam-English Volume 2]
Page 43 < [Hindi-Marathi-English Volume 3]
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts, Madras (by M. Seshagiri Sastri)
The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal (by Rajendralala Mitra)
Page 131 < [The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal (pages)]
Page 156 < [The Sanskrit Buddhist Literature of Nepal (pages)]
Bhasa’s dramas (socio-cultural study) (by Dutta Pallabi)
Part 8.2-5 - Description of War (according to Bhāsa’s plays) < [Chapter 3 - The political and military aspect]
Part 4.3 - Brief introduction to Bhāsa’s Dūtaghaṭotkaca < [Chapter 1 - Introduction]
Part 4 - Duties of Envoys (according to Bhāsa’s dramas) < [Chapter 3 - The political and military aspect]
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī)
Verse 2.1.207 < [Part 1 - Ecstatic Excitants (vibhāva)]
Verse 4.3.4 < [Part 3 - Chivalry (vīrya-rasa)]
Verse 4.3.2 < [Part 3 - Chivalry (vīrya-rasa)]