Gunanidhi, Guṇanidhi, Guna-nidhi: 10 definitions
Introduction:
Gunanidhi means something in 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 EncyclopediaGuṇanidhi (गुणनिधि).—A Purāṇic character who lived a sinful life and yet attained Svarga. In the country of Kosala there was once a noble brahmin named Girinātha who was rich, erudite and well-versed in the Vedas. Considering his greatness people called him Girināthadīkṣita. Guṇanidhi was his son.
When Guṇanidhi grew up he started his education under a preceptor called Sudhiṣṇa. Sudhiṣṇa had a wife named Muktāvalī. After some time Guṇanidhi started having clandestine relations with Muktāvalī. This developed so much that Guṇanidhi gave poison to his guru and killed him. His parents came to know of this and they came and reprimanded him. Evilnatured Guṇanidhi thought that the presence of his parents would be an annoyance to him in future. So Guṇanidhi and Muktāvalī planned together to kill his parents and one day they poisoned them.
After some time Guṇanidhi and his wife lost all they had and gradually Guṇanidhi turned himself into a thief and drunkard. Nobody in the village liked the couple and all the villagers combined together and sent the couple away from the place. Guṇanidhi and Muktāvalī went to the forests and there they started a life of looting the travellers. After some years of a sinful life Guṇanidhi one day died lying beneath a Rudrākṣa tree. Servants of both Yama and Śiva came to claim the soul of Guṇanidhi. The servants of Yama said that the right place of Guṇanidhi the sinner, was in hell but the servants of Śiva said that even if he was a great sinner his place was in heaven because he died lying beneath a Rudrākṣa tree. In the end the Śivadūtas won and took Guṇanidhi to heaven.
This story was once told by Śiva himself to demonstrate the glory of Rudrākṣa. (Skandha 11, Devī Bhāgavata)
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationGuṇanidhi (गुणनिधि) is the son of Yañadatta, a Dīkṣita (sacrificer) from Kāmpilya, and was addicted to gambling (dyūta), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.1.17:—“[...] [Guṇanidhi] assiduously maintained the sacrificial fire and was devoted to the study of the Vedas. His son (Guṇanidhi) was of a very handsome complexion and shone like the moon’s disc. After the investiture with the sacred thread he learned all the eight lores over and over again. Yet, unknown to his father he indulged in gambling (dyūta)”.
Guṇanidha was made Lord of Alakā (viz., Kubera) in the Meghavāhanakalpa, as mentioned in the Śivapurāṇa 2.1.19.—“[...] when that Kalpa [viz., Pādmakalpa] was over and the Meghavāhana Kalpa had started, the son of Yajñadatta [viz., Guṇanidhi], Śrīda, performed a severe penance. Realising the efficacy of devotion to Śiva accruing from the mere illumination (of his temple) with lamps, he reached Kāśī for the illumination of his thought [...]”.
Source: Archaeological Survey of India: Śaiva monuments at Paṭṭadakal (purāṇa)Guṇanidhi (गुणनिधि), a fraudulent son of Yajñadatta, on attending by chance the pūjā of Śiva and lighting the lamp, earned a little merit and in his next life was born as a king of Kaliṅga under the name of Arindama. After ruling over his kingdom for a while, he left for pilgrimage; he reached Kāśī where he worshipped Viśveśvara. Śiva, pleased with his penance made him Kubera, lord of Alakā attended by Yakṣa, Kinnara etc.
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.
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Source: Google Books: ManthanabhairavatantramGuṇanidhi (गुणनिधि) refers to a “treasury of (divine) qualities”, according to the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, “I salute Lord Bhairava, the treasury of many kinds of (divine) qualities [i.e., vividha-guṇanidhi], the one cause of (all that is) seen and unseen. In the beginning the pure Kramakula came forth from him and there all things dissolve away. All the endless creation, beginning from the cause up to the fire (that burns the worlds), depends on him. He who has authority over all forms and pure, is the greatest of teachers, is the subtle, venerable Kulālīśa”.
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.
General definition (in Hinduism)
Source: Google Books: Hindu Ritual at the MarginsGuṇanidhi (गुणनिधि, whose name means “a treasure house of virtues”) was a son of Yajñadatta:—In the city of Kāmpilya, there lived a great Vedic fire sacrificer named Yajñadatta. This Brahman was a very knowledgeable scholar and generous donor who stood as a model of virtue for his entire communtiy. Yajñadatta had a son named Guṇanidhi, who was handsome and well educated. In his late adolescent years, however, unbeknownst to his father, he became addicted to gambling and took money from his mother to squander it all away. Eventually Guṇanidhi’s father discovered the truth and was so outraged that he threw Guṇanidhi out of the house. Guṇanidhi now had no choice but to live the life of a poor and homeless wanderer. The story continues as the hungry Guṇanidhi sat beneath a tree at sunset, while a devotee of Śiva walked past him, during the evening of Śivarātri. (See the Śiva-purāṇa, Rudrasaṃhitā I)
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionaryGuṇanidhi (गुणनिधि).—a store of virtues.
Derivable forms: guṇanidhiḥ (गुणनिधिः).
Guṇanidhi is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms guṇa and nidhi (निधि).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum1) Guṇanidhi (गुणनिधि) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—son of Śrīnivāsa: Paramātmavinoda alaṃk. W. 1724. He wrote besides: Annapūrṇāstuti. Īśatuṣṭistuti. Gaṇapatistuti. Bhagavatīstuti. Viṣṇustuti. Vyāsastuti. Śivaśikhariṇīstuti.
2) Guṇanidhi (गुणनिधि):—wrote besides Revāstuti, Śivapraṇāmaśikṣāstuti, Sūryastuti.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Guṇanidhi (गुणनिधि):—[=guṇa-nidhi] [from guṇa] m. ‘treasury of good qualities’, an excellent man
2) [v.s. ...] Name of a man, [Skanda-purāṇa]
[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 corpusGuṇanidhi (ಗುಣನಿಧಿ):—[noun] a person of many great virtue or merits.
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: Nidhi, Guna, Niti.
Full-text (+74): Girinathadikshita, Vyasastuti, Paramatmavinoda, Revastuti, Ishatushtistuti, Ganapatistuti, Shivapranamashikshastuti, Karunapara, Karunamaya, Shivashikharinistuti, Bhagavatistuti, Annapurnastuti, Dharmika, Darshanasamarthya, Abuddha, Suryastuti, Sadhusangama, Nata, Sadvidya, Vyasani.
Relevant text
Search found 5 books and stories containing Gunanidhi, Guṇanidhi, Guna-nidhi, Guṇa-nidhi; (plurals include: Gunanidhis, Guṇanidhis, nidhis). 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 3.5.117 < [Chapter 5 - The Pastimes of Nityānanda]
Verse 1.15.35 < [Chapter 15 - Marriage with Śrī Viṣṇupriyā]
Verse 2.23.1 < [Chapter 23 - Wandering about Navadvīpa On the Day the Lord Delivered the Kazi]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 8.13.65 < [Chapter 13 - A Thousand Names of Lord Balarāma]
The Shiva Purana (by J. L. Shastri)
Chapter 17 - The Story of Guṇanidhi < [Section 2.1 - Rudra-saṃhitā (1): Sṛśṭi-khaṇḍa]
Chapter 18 - The Redemption of Guṇanidhi < [Section 2.1 - Rudra-saṃhitā (1): Sṛśṭi-khaṇḍa]
The Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 13 - Gandhavatī and Alakā < [Section 1 - Pūrvārdha]
Chapter 9 - The Regions of Celestial Damsels and of the Sun < [Section 1 - Pūrvārdha]
The Devi Bhagavata Purana (by Swami Vijñanananda)