Hotri, Hotṛ, Hotrī: 17 definitions

Introduction:

Hotri means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India, 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.

The Sanskrit term Hotṛ can be transliterated into English as Hotr or Hotri, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English Translation

Hotṛ (होतृ) refers to one of the four classes of Ṛtvijas (Ṛtvik), or “priests participating in the Vedic sacrifices”, as mentioned in the Śivapurāṇa 2.2.27. Accordingly as Brahmā narrated to Nārada:—“[...] once a great sacrifice was started by Dakṣa, [...] In that sacrifice that was being performed in that holy place of Kanakhala, Bhṛgu and other sages were made Ṛtviks by him (Dakṣa). [...] There were eighty-six thousand Ṛtviks in the performance of the sacrifice and sixty-four thousand Udgātṛs. The celestial sages Nārada and others acted as Adhvaryus and Hotṛs. They too were as many. The seven sages (jointly and) severally repeated the Sāman hymns”.

Note: The priests (Ṛtvijas) participating in the Vedic sacrifices are usually four in number. They are Hotṛ, Adhvaryu, Udgātṛ and Brahman corresponding to the four Vedas—Ṛg, Yajus, Sāman and Atharvan respectively.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

Hotṛ (होतृ).—A Pārāvata god.*

  • * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 39. 15.
Purana book cover
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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.

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Dharmashastra (religious law)

Source: Sacred Texts: The Grihya Sutras, Part 2 (SBE30)

Hotṛ (होतृ) refers to the priest associated with the Ṛgveda, according to the Āpastamba-yajña-paribhāṣā-sūtras.—“The Hotṛ-priest performs with the Ṛg-veda. The Udgātṛ-priest with the Sāma-veda. The Adhvaryu-priest with the Yajur-veda. The Brahma-priest with all”. Commentary: “With all” means with the three Vedas, because the Brahma-priest, or superintendent of the whole sacrifice, must be acquainted with the three Vedas. Others would include the Atharva-veda”.

Dharmashastra book cover
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Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.

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Ganitashastra (Mathematics and Algebra)

Source: archive.org: Hindu Mathematics

Hotṛ (होतृ) represents the number 3 (three) in the “word-numeral system” (bhūtasaṃkhyā), which was used in Sanskrit texts dealing with astronomy, mathematics, metrics, as well as in the dates of inscriptions and manuscripts in ancient Indian literature.—A system of expressing numbers by means of words arranged as in the place-value notation was developed and perfected in India in the early centuries of the Christian era. In this system the numerals [e.g., 3—hotṛ] are expressed by names of things, beings or concepts, which, naturally or in accordance with the teaching of the Śāstras, connote numbers.

Ganitashastra book cover
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Ganitashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, gaṇitaśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science of mathematics, algebra, number theory, arithmetic, etc. Closely allied with astronomy, both were commonly taught and studied in universities, even since the 1st millennium BCE. Ganita-shastra also includes ritualistic math-books such as the Shulba-sutras.

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General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: archive.org: Vedic index of Names and Subjects

Hotṛ (होतृ) is the name of one of the oldest and most important priests of the Vedic ritual. The word must be derived from hu, ‘sacrifice’, as was held by Aurṇavābha; this indicates a time when the Hotṛ was at once sacrificer (the later Adhvaryu) and singer. But the functions were already clearly divided in the Rigveda, where the Hotṛ’s chief duty was the recitation of the Śastras. He was also in the older period often the Purohita of the king, an office later filled by the Brahman priest.

Source: WikiPedia: Hinduism

The hotṛ was the reciter of invocations and litanies. These could consist of single verses (ṛca), strophes (triples called tṛca or pairs called pragātha), or entire hymns (sukta), drawn from the ṛgveda. As each phase of the ritual required an invocation, the hotṛ had a leading or presiding role.

The older references uniformly indicate the hotṛ as the presiding priest, with perhaps only the adhvaryu as his assistant in the earliest times. The phrase "seven hotars" is found more than once in the Rgveda. RV 2.1.2 enumerates them as the hotṛ, potṛ, neṣṭṛ, agnīdh, prashāstṛ (meaning the maitrāvaruna), adhvaryu and brahman (meaning the brāhmanācchamsin).

Source: Oxford Index: Hinduism

hotṛ (Hotar); The name of the chief priest at the Vedic śrauta sacrifice; his main responsibility is to recite the appropriate verses (mantras) from the Ṛg Veda. The term is also used generically to refer to any officiating priest who offers an oblation (homa).

India history and geography

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Indian Epigraphical Glossary

Hotṛ.—(IE 7-1-2), ‘three’. Note: hotṛ is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.

India history book cover
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The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Hotṛ (होतृ).—a. (-trī f.) [हु-तृच् (hu-tṛc)] Sacrificing, offering oblations with fire; बहति विधिहुतं या हविर्या च होत्री (bahati vidhihutaṃ yā haviryā ca hotrī) Ś.1.1. -m.

1) A sacrificial priest, especially one who recites the prayers of the Ṛgveda at a sacrifice; जनकस्य वैदेहस्य होताश्वलो बभूव (janakasya vaidehasya hotāśvalo babhūva).

2) A sacrificer; इति वादिन एवास्य होतुराहुतिसाधनम् (iti vādina evāsya hoturāhutisādhanam) R. 1.82; Manusmṛti 11.36.

3) An epithet of Agni.

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Hotrī (होत्री).—The offerer of oblations, one of the eight forms of Śiva; या हविर्या च होत्री (yā haviryā ca hotrī) Ś.1.1.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Hotṛ (होतृ).—m.

(-tā) 1. A priest who at a sacrifice recites the prayers of the Rig-Veda; one conversant with the Veda. 2. A sacrificer. f. (-trī) Adj. Sacrificing, offering oblation into fire. E. hu to sacrifice, Unadi aff. tṛc .

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Hotṛ (होतृ).—i. e. I. hu + tṛ, m., f. trī, and n. Sacrificing, a sacrificer, [Śākuntala, (ed. Böhtlingk.)] [distich] 1; [Bhartṛhari, (ed. Bohlen.)] 2, 47. Ii. hu, or hve + tṛ (cf. hve), m. A priest who, at sacrifice, recites the hymns of the Rigveda.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Hotṛ (होतृ).—[masculine] offerer, priest, [especially] chief priest, often applied to Agni.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Hotṛ (होतृ):—[from hu] a etc. See p. 1306, col. 1.

2) b m. ([from] √1. hu) an offerer of an oblation or burnt-offering (with fire), sacrificer, priest, ([especially]) a priest who at a sacrifice invokes the gods or recites the Ṛg-veda, a Ṛg-veda pr° (one of the 4 kinds of officiating priest See ṛtvij, p.224; properly the Hotṛ priest has 3 assistants, sometimes called Puruṣas, viz. the Maitrā-varuṇa, Acchā-vāka, and Grāvastut; to these are sometimes added three others, the Brāhmaṇācchaṃsin, Agnīdhra or Agnīdh, and Potṛ, though these last are properly assigned to the Brāhman priest; sometimes the Neṣṭṛ is substituted for the Grāva-stut), [Ṛg-veda] etc. etc.

3) Name of Śiva, [Mahābhārata]

4) mf(trī)n. one who sacrifices ([genitive case] or [compound]), sacrificer, [Manu-smṛti; Mahābhārata etc.]

5) Hotrī (होत्री):—[from hotṛ] See under hotṛ above.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Hotṛ (होतृ):—(tā) 4. m. A priest of the Rig Veda order.

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)

Hotṛ (होतृ) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Hou.

context information

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.

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Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Hotṛ (होतृ):—(nm) see [hotā].

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Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Hōtṛ (ಹೋತೃ):—

1) [noun] an offerer of an oblation in a sacrifice; a sacrificer.

2) [noun] a priest who at a sacrifice invokes the gods or recites the Řg vedic hymns.

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Hōtri (ಹೋತ್ರಿ):—[noun] = ಹೋತೃ - [hotri -] 1.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

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