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SAMBA A son of Krishna by Jambavati, but the
Linga Purana names Rukmini as his mother. At the swayam-vara of
Draupadi he carried off that princess, but he was pursued by
Dur-yodhana and his friends and made prisoner. Bala-rama undertook
to obtain his release, and when that hero thrust his ploughshare
under the ramparts of Hastina-pura and threatened it with ruin, the
Kauravas gave up their prisoner, and Bala- rama took him to Dwaraka,
There he lived a dissolute life and scoffed at sacred things. The
devotions of the three great sages, Viswamitra, Dur-vasas, and
Narada, excited the ridicule of Samba and his boon companions. They
dressed samba up to represent a woman with child and took him to the
sages, inquiring whether he would give birth to a boy or a girl. The
sages answered, "This is not a woman, but the son of Krishna, and he
shall bring forth an iron club which shall destroy the whole race of
Yadu, ...and you and all your people shall perish by that club."
Samba accordingly brought forth an iron club, which Ugrasena caused
to be pounded and cast into the sea. These ashes produced rushes,
and the rushes when gathered turned into clubs, or into reeds which
were used as swords. One piece could not be crushed. This was
subsequently found in the belly of a fish, and was used to tip an
arrow, which arrow was used by the hunter Jaras, who with it
unintentionally killed Krishna. Under the curse of Dur-vasas, Samba
became a leper and retired to the Panjab, where by fasting, penance,
and prayer he obtained the favour of Surya (the sun), and was cured
of his leprosy. He built a temple to the sun on the banks of the
Chandra-bhaga (Chinab), and introduced the worship of that
luminary.
SAMBA-PURANA See purana.
SAMBARAIn the Vedas, a demon, also
called a Dasyu, who fought against King Divodasa, but was defeated
and had his many castles destroyed by Indra. He appears to be a
mythical personification of drought, of a kindred character to
Vritra, or identical with him. In the puranas a Daitya who carried
off Pradyumna and threw him into the sea, but was subsequently slain
by him. (See Pradyumna.) He was also employed by Hiranya-kasipu to
destroy Prahlada.
SAMBHU A name of Siva; also one of the
Rudras.
SAMBUKA
A Sudra, mentioned in the Raghu-vansa, who performed religious
austerities and penances improper for a man of his caste, and was
consequently killed by Rama-chandra.
SAMl The Acacia suma, the wood of which is used
for obtaining fire by friction. So Agni, or fire, is called
Sami-garbha, ‘having the Sami for its womb.’ It is sometimes
personified and worshipped as a goddess,
Sami-devi.
SAMPATI
A mythical bird who appears in the Ramayana as son of
Yishnu's bird Garuda, and brother of Jatayus. According to another
account he was son of Aruna and Syeni. He was the ally of
Rama.
SAMVARANA
Son of Raksha, fourth in descent from lkshwaku, and father of Kuru.
According to the Maha-bharata he was driven from Hastina-pura by the
panchalas, and forced to take refuge among the thickets of the
Indus. When the sage Yasishtha joined his people and became the
Raja's family priest, they recovered their country under
Kuru.
SAMVARTA
Writer of a Dharma-sastra or code of law bearing his
name.
SAMVAT,
SAMVATSARA 'Year.' The era of Vikramaditya, dating from
57 B.C.
SANAIS-CHARA
'Slow-moving.' A name of Sani or
Saturn.
SANAKA, SANANDA, SANATANA, SANAT-KUMARA The
four Kumaras or mind-born sons of Brahma. Some specify seven.
Sanat-kumara (or Sanat-sujata) was the most prominent of them. They
are also called by the patronymic Vaidhatra. See
Kumara.
SANAT-KUMARA
PURANA See Purana.
SANDHYA
'Twilight.' It is personified as the daughter of Brahma and wife of
Siva. In the Siva Purana it is related that Brahma having attempted
to do violence to his daughter, she changed herself into a deer.
Brahma then assumed the form of a stag and pursued her through the
sky. Siva saw this, and shot an arrow which cut off the head of the
stag. Brahma then reassumed his own form and paid homage to Siva.
The arrow remains in the sky in the sixth lunar mansion, called
Ardra, and the stag's head remains in the fifth mansion,
Mriga-siras.
SANDHYA-BALA
‘Strong in twilight.’ Rakshasas and two Aswins and other demons,
supposed to be most powerful at
twilight.
SANDILYA
A descendant of Sandila. A particular sage who was connected with
the Chhandogya Upanishad; one who wrote a book of Sutras, one who
wrote upon law, and one who was the author of the Bhagavata heresy:
two or more of these
may be one and the same person. The Sutras or aphorisms have
been published in the Bibliotheca
Indica.
SANDIPANI
A master-at-arms who gave instruction to Bala-rama and
Krishna.
SANDRACOTTUS
See Chandra-gupta.
SANGITA-RATNAKARA A work on singing, dancing,
and pantomime, written by Sarangi Deva
SANHITA
That portion of a Veda which comprises the hymns. See
Veda.
SANHITOPANISHAD
The eighth Brahmana of the Sama-veda. The text with a commentary has
been published by Burnell.
SANI
The planet Saturn. The regent of that planet, represented as a black
man in black garments. Sani was a son of sun and Chhaya, but another
statement is that he was the offspring of Bala-rama and Revati. He
is also known as Ara, Kona, and Kroda (cf. Kf6.0,), and by the
patronymic Saura. His influence is evil, hence he is called
Krura-dris and Krura-lochana, the evil-eyed one.’ He is also Manda,
‘the slow;’ Pangu, ‘tile lame;’ Sanais-chara, ‘slow-moving;
‘Saptarchi, I seven-rayed;’ and Asita, ‘the dark.’
SANJAYA
1. The charioteer of Dhrita-rashtra. He was minister also, and went
as ambassador to the Pandavas before the great war broke out. He is
represented as reciting to Dhrita-rashtra the Bhagavad-gita. His
patronymic is Gavalgani, son of Gavalgana. 2. A king of Ujjayini and
father of Vasava-datta.
SANJNA ‘Conscience.’ According to the Puranas,
she was daughter of Visva-karma and wife of the sun. She. had three
children by him, the Manu Vaivaswata, Yama, and Yami (goddess of the
Yamuna river). “Unable to endure the fervours of her lord, Sanjna
gave him Chhaya (shade) as his - handmaid, and repaired to the
forests to practise devout exercises.” The sun beheld her engaged in
austerities in the form of a mare, and he approached her as a horse.
Hence sprang the two Aswins and Revanta. Surya then took Sanjna back
to his own dwelling, but his effulgence was still so overpowering,
that her father, Viswa-karma, placed the sun upon his lathe, and cut
away an eighth part of his brilliancy. She is also call Dyu- mayi,
'the brilliant,' and Maha-virya, ‘the very powerful.’
SANKARA
‘Auspicious.’ A name of Siva in his creative character or as chief
of the Rudras.
SANKARACHARYA (Sankara + acharya). The great
religious reformer and teacher of the Vedanta philosophy, who lived
in the eighth or ninth century. He was a native of Kerala or
Malabar, and lived a very erratic life, disputing with heretics and
popularising the Vedanta philosophy by his preaching and writings
wherever he went. His travels extended as far as Kashmir, and he
died at Kedaranath in the Himalayas at the early age of thirty-two.
His learning and sanctity were held in such high estimation and
reverence, that he was looked upon as an incarnation of Siva, and
was believed to have the power of working miracles. The god Siva was
the special object of his worship, and he was the founder of the
great sect of Smartava Brahmans, who are very numerous and powerful
in the south. He established the several maths or monasteries for
the teaching and preservation of his doctrines. Some of these still
remain. The chief one is at Sringa-giri or Sringiri, on the edge of
the Western Ghauts in the Mysore, and it has the supreme control of
the Smartava sect. The writings attributed to him are very numerous;
chief among them are his Bhashyas or commentaries on the Sutras or
aphorisms of Vyasa, a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, some
commentaries on the Upanishads, and the Ananda-lahari, a hymn in
praise of Parvati, the consort of Siva.
SANKARA-VIJAYA
‘The triumph of Sankara.’ A biography of Sankaracharya relating his
controversies with heretical sects and his refutation of their
doctrines and superstitions. There is more than one work bearing
this name; one by Ananda Giri, which is published in the Bibliotheca
Indica ; another by Madhavacharya; the latter is distinguished as
the Sankshepa Sankara-vijaya. The work of Ananda Giri has been
critically examined by Kashinath Trimbak Telang in the Indian
Antiquary, vol. v.
SANKARSHANA
A name of Bala-rama.
SANKHA Writer of a Dharma-sastra or law-book
bearing his name. He is often coupled with Likhita, and the two seem
to have worked together.
SANKHAYANA 1. Name of a writer who
was the author of the Sankhayana Brahmana of the Rig-yeda, and of
certain Srauta-sutras also called by his name. 2. He is the oldest
known writer on the Ars Erotics, and is author of the work called
Sankhayana Kama-sutra.
SANKHYA A
school of philosophy. See Darsana.
SANKHYA-DARSANA Kapila’s aphorisms on the
Sankhya philosophy. They have been printed.
SANKHYA-KARIKA A work on
the Sankhya philosophy, written by Iswara Krishna; translated by
Colebrooke and Wilson.
SANKHYA-PRAVACHANA A text-book of the Sankhya
philosophy, said to have been written by Kapila himself. Printed in
the Bibliotheca Indica.
SANKHYA-SARA A work
on the Sankhya philosophy by Vijnana Bhikshu. Edited by Hall in the
Bibliotheca Indica.
SANNYASl A Brahman in
the fourth and last stage of his religious life. (See Brahman). In
the present day the term has a wider meaning, and is applied to
various kinds of religious mendicants who wander about and subsist
upon alms, most of them in a filthy condition and with very scanty
clothing. They are generally devotees of Siva.
SANTA Daughter of
Dasa-ratha, son of Aja, but adopted by Loma-pada or Roma-pada, king
of Anga. She was married to Rishya-sringa.
SANTANU A king of the Lunar
race, son of Pratipa, father of Bhishma, and in a way the
grandfather of Dhrita-rashtra and Pandu. Regarding him it is said,
“Every decrepit man whom he touches with his hands becomes young.”
(See Maha-bharata.) He was called Satya-vach, ‘truth-speaker,’ and
was remarkable for his “devotion and charity, modesty, constancy,
and resolution.”
SANTI-SATAKA A century of
verses on peace of mind. A poem of repute written by Sri
Sihlana.
SAPTARSHI (Sapta-rishi).
The seven great Rishis. See Rishi.
SAPTA-SATI A poem of 700
verses on the triumphs of Durga. It is also called
Devi-mahatmya.
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