Maladhara, Mala-dhara, Mālādhara: 12 definitions
Introduction:
Maladhara 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
Vastushastra (architecture)
Source: Wisdom Library: Vāstu-śāstraMālādhara (मालाधर) refers to a type of temple (prāsāda) classified under the group named Lalita, according to Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra chapter 56. The Lalita group contains twenty-five out of a sixty-four total prāsādas (temples) classified under four groups in this chapter. The Samarāṅgaṇasūtradhāra is an 11th-century encyclopedia dealing with various topics from the Vāstuśāstra.
Vastushastra (वास्तुशास्त्र, vāstuśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science (shastra) of architecture (vastu), dealing with topics such architecture, sculpture, town-building, fort building and various other constructions. Vastu also deals with the philosophy of the architectural relation with the cosmic universe.
Kavya (poetry)
Source: Wisdom Library: KathāsaritsāgaraMālādhara (मालाधर) is the name of a Brāhman, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 72. Accordingly, as king Vinītamati said to Somaśūra: “... once on a time there was a young Brāhman of the name of Mālādhara: he beheld one day a prince of the Siddhas flying through the air. Wishing to rival him, he fastened to his sides wings of grass, and continually leaping up, he tried to learn the art of flying in the air”.
The story of Mālādhara was narrated by Vinītamati in order to teach Somaśūra the doctrine of the perfection of perseverance (yapāramita) as known in the Buddhist doctrine with the object of dissuading Somaśūra from ignorance (ajñāna).
The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Mālādhara, 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’.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantram1) Mālādhara (मालाधर) refers to one of the eight Servants (ceṭa-aṣṭaka) associated with Nādapīṭha (identified with Kulūta), according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—[...] The eight Servants (ceṭāṣṭaka): Śuṣkaruṇḍa, Dīrghajaṅgha, Digambara, Mālādhara, Mahāmuṇḍa, Caṇḍa, Caṇḍaparākrama, Śukatuṇḍa.
2) Mālādhara (मालाधर) is the “famed-name” of Gulmadeva (i.e., Gulmadeva/Vatsagulma)—one of the Sixteen Siddhas according to the Kubjikānityāhnikatilaka: a derative text drawing from Tantras and other sources such as the Ṣaṭsāhasrasaṃhitā.—These sixteen spiritual teachers represent the disciples of the Nine Nāthas who propagated the Western Transmission noted in the Kubjikā Tantras.—Gulmadeva is the Caryā name of this Nātha (i.e., the public name the Siddha uses when living as a wandering renouncer). His well-known or “famed” name (prasiddha) is Mālādhara. A Nātha may have more than one such ‘famed name’ (kīrtināma), according to the number of extraordinary events especially associated with him.
Note: Viṣṇuśarmā was called Mālādhara-deva because he miraculously hung a garland of flowers (mālā) in the sky.
Shakta (शाक्त, śākta) or Shaktism (śāktism) represents a tradition of Hinduism where the Goddess (Devi) is revered and worshipped. Shakta literature includes a range of scriptures, including various Agamas and Tantras, although its roots may be traced back to the Vedas.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Source: Wisdom Library: Tibetan BuddhismMālādhāra (मालाधार) refers to a group of deities mentioned as attending the teachings in the 6th century Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa: one of the largest Kriyā Tantras devoted to Mañjuśrī (the Bodhisattva of wisdom) representing an encyclopedia of knowledge primarily concerned with ritualistic elements in Buddhism. The teachings in this text originate from Mañjuśrī and were taught to and by Buddha Śākyamuni in the presence of a large audience (including the Mālādhāras).
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionarymālādhara : (adj.) wearing a garland of flowers.
Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English DictionaryMālādhara refers to: wearing a wreath J. III, 179 (ratta°, see also above).
Note: mālādhara is a Pali compound consisting of the words mālā and dhara.
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.
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryMālādhara (मालाधर).—a. wearing a garland.
Mālādhara is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms mālā and dhara (धर).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit DictionaryMālādhāra (मालाधार).—also °rin, q.v., m. (regularly pl.), name of a class of godlings, in Mahāvastu i.30.7 yakṣas, associated with karoṭapāṇi and sadāmatta, qq.v.: Mahāvastu i.30.7 °rā(ḥ); Mahāvyutpatti 3151 °rah (but Mironov °rāḥ); Divyāvadāna 218.8; (Ārya-)Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa 19.13.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Mālādhara (मालाधर):—[=mālā-dhara] [from mālā > māla] mfn. wearing a garland, crowned
2) [v.s. ...] m. Name of a class of divine beings, [Buddhist literature]
3) [v.s. ...] of a man, [Kathāsaritsāgara]
4) [=mālā-dhara] [from mālā > māla] n. a kind of metre, [Colebrooke]
5) Mālādhāra (मालाधार):—[=mālā-dhāra] [from mālā > māla] m. Name of a class of divine beings, [Divyāvadāna] (cf. [preceding])
[Sanskrit to German]
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.
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusMaladhara (ಮಲಧರ):—[noun] = ಮಲಗ್ರ್ರಸ್ತ [malagrrasta]2.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: A, Dhara, Maala, Tara, Mala.
Starts with: Maladharadeva.
Query error!
Full-text: Vanamaladhara, Sadamada, Maladharin, Maladharadeva, Candaparakrama, Dirghajangha, Shushkarunda, Shukatunda, Lalita, Mahamunda, Atyashti, Ramanuja, Sadamatta, Digambara, Gulmadeva, Canda.
Relevant text
Search found 22 books and stories containing Maladhara, Mala-dhara, Mālā-dhara, Mālā-dhāra, Mala-dhara-a, Mālā-dhara-a, Mālādhara, Mālādhāra; (plurals include: Maladharas, dharas, dhāras, as, Mālādharas, Mālādhāras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Chaitanya Bhagavata (by Bhumipati Dāsa)
Verse 2.13.329 < [Chapter 13 - The Deliverance of Jagāi and Mādhāi]
Verse 1.8.156 < [Chapter 8 - The Disappearance of Jagannātha Miśra]
Verse 2.5.84 < [Chapter 5 - Lord Nityānanda’s Vyāsa-pūjā Ceremony and His Darśana of the Lord’s Six-armed Form]
Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (by Rajendralala Mitra)
Page 56 < [Volume 6 (1882)]
Padma Purana (by N.A. Deshpande)
Chapter 11 - The Importance of Observing a Vow in Honour of Lakṣmī < [Section 4 - Brahma-khaṇḍa (Section on Brahman)]
Vastu-shastra (Introduction to Indian architecture) (by D. N. Shukla)
Chapter 6 - Group A: Early Lāṭa Temples < [Volume 5 - Temple Architecture]
Mahavastu (great story) (by J. J. Jones)
Buddhist Sutra literature (study) (by Gopika G)
Part 3.2 - Hells and Heavens in different realms < [Chapter 3 - Mythology in Sūtra literature]