Vishalakshi, Viśālākṣī, Vishala-akshi, Viśālākṣi: 12 definitions
Introduction:
Vishalakshi means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, 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 terms Viśālākṣī and Viśālākṣi can be transliterated into English as Visalaksi or Vishalakshi, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Shaktism (Shakta philosophy)
Source: Wisdom Library: ŚāktismViśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी):—Name of one of the goddesses to be worshipped during Āvaraṇapūjā (“Worship of the Circuit of Goddesses”), according to the Durgāpūjātattva (“The truth concerning Durgā’s ritual”). They should be worshipped with either the five upācāras or perfume and flowers.
Her mantra is as follows:
Source: Google Books: Manthanabhairavatantramह्रीं ओं विशालाक्ष्यै नमः
hrīṃ oṃ viśālākṣyai namaḥ
Viśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी) refers to “one having big eyes” and is used to describe Bhadrakālī, according to the second recension of the Yogakhaṇḍa of the Manthānabhairavatantra, a vast sprawling work that belongs to a corpus of Tantric texts concerned with the worship of the goddess Kubjikā.—Accordingly, as Bhadrakālī said to Śrīkaṇṭha: “I am Dakṣa’s daughter, born as Bhadrakālikā. O Vyāsa, Śrīkaṇṭha! Śaṃkara! (I am) beautiful and have big eyes [i.e., Viśālākṣī]. A great, divine and supreme Command was born on Himavat’s mountain. Dakṣa's daughter, who desired you, in (her) eighth birth, abandoning Māyā, (her) true nature was revealed”.
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.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Wisdom Library: Varāha-purāṇaViśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी) is the name of a beautiful damsel (kanyā), with black curly hair and red lips, according to the Varāhapurāṇa chapter 92. Viśālākṣī (and other innumerable ladies) arose out of the agitation of Vaiṣṇavī while she was doing penance at Viśālā. For these young women, Vaiṣṇavī created the city Devīpura, containing numerous mansions with golden balconies, crystal stairs and water fountains, with jewelled windows and gardens.
Vaiṣṇavī is the form of Trikalā having a red body representing the energy of Viṣṇu. Trikalā is the name of a Goddess born from the combined looks of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara (Śiva).
The Varāhapurāṇa is categorised as a Mahāpurāṇa, and was originally composed of 24,000 metrical verses, possibly originating from before the 10th century. It is composed of two parts and Sūta is the main narrator.
Source: archive.org: Puranic EncyclopediaViśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी).—An attendant of Subrahmaṇya. (Mahābhārata Śalya Parva, Chapter 46, Stanza 3).
Source: archive.org: Shiva Purana - English TranslationViśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी) refers to “she who has wide eyes” and is used to describe Pārvatī, according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.3.12.—Accordingly, after Himācala (i.e., Himālaya) brought his daughter (Pārvatī) before Śiva: “Then Śiva looked at her in the first flush of her youth. Her complexion resembled the full blown blue lotus petals. Her face appeared as the full moon. Her auspicious dress and features were the repositories of all graceful charms. Her neck had the shape of the conch-shell. Her eyes were wide [i.e., viśālākṣī] and her ears shone exquisitely. On either side, her long-rounded arms resembling a lotus-stalk shone beautifully. [...]”.
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexViśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी).—The Goddess at Benares.*
- * Matsya-purāṇa 13. 26; 185. 38.
Viśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी) refers to the name of a Lady mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. IX.45.3). Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Viśālākṣī) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.
Source: Shodhganga: The saurapurana - a critical studyViśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी) the name of a Tīrtha (holy places) situated at Vārāṇasī, according to the 10th century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various Upapurāṇas depicting Śaivism.—Vārāṇasī has remained a place dear to Śiva. It is supposed to be a place of mokṣa for all living creatures. There are many sacred places and innumerable liṅgas which are even unknown to Brahmā, so says the Saurapurāṇa. [...] The temple of Viśālākṣī is an important tīrtha in Vārāṇasī. Vyāsa in course of his pilgrimage visited Viśālākṣī, the consort of Śiva and propitiated her with a stotra found in the Saurapurāṇa. It is on the bank of Gaṅgā. A person who, after a bath in Gaṅgā visits goddess Viśālākṣī gains the finest result of ten thousand aśvamedha sacrifices. The Saurapurāṇa also states that four things are very rare in Vārāṇasī. These are Viśālākṣī, Gaṅgā, Viśveśvara Śiva and devotion to Paśupati.
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.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Nighantu (Synonyms and Characteristics of Drugs and technical terms)
Source: WorldCat: Rāj nighaṇṭuViśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी) is another name for Nāgadantī, a medicinal plant possibly identified with Croton oblongifolius Roxb., synonym of Chrozophora tinctoria or “dyer's croton” from the Euphorbiaceae or “sphurge” family of flowering plant, according to verse 5.86-88 of the 13th-century Raj Nighantu or Rājanighaṇṭu. The fifth chapter (parpaṭādi-varga) of this book enumerates sixty varieties of smaller plants (kṣudra-kṣupa). Together with the names Viśālākṣī and Nāgadantī, there are a total of fifteen Sanskrit synonyms identified for this plant.
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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Viśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी):—[from viśālākṣa > viśāla] f. Tiaridium Indicum, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
2) [v.s. ...] a form of Durgā, [Catalogue(s)] (kṣī-māhātmya n. Name of [work])
3) [v.s. ...] m. Name of one of the Mātṛs attendant on Skanda, [Mahābhārata]
4) [v.s. ...] of a Yoginī, [Hemādri’s Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi]
5) [v.s. ...] of a daughter of Śāṇḍilya, [Catalogue(s)]
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
Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionaryViśālākṣī (विशालाक्षी):—(a and nf) large-eyed; a woman having large eyes.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpusViśālākṣi (ವಿಶಾಲಾಕ್ಷಿ):—[noun] a woman having large eyes.
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: Akshi, Vishala.
Starts with: Vishalakshimahatmya.
Full-text: Vishalakshimahatmya, Vicalatci, Uttaramnaya, Upadamsha, Nagadanti, Hemamalaka, Varanasi.
Relevant text
Search found 19 books and stories containing Vishalakshi, Viśālākṣī, Vishala-akshi, Viśālākṣi, Visalaksi, Viśāla-akṣī, Viśāla-akṣi, Visala-aksi, Viśalākṣi; (plurals include: Vishalakshis, Viśālākṣīs, akshis, Viśālākṣis, Visalaksis, akṣīs, akṣis, aksis, Viśalākṣis). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)
Text 7.73 < [Chapter 7 - Literary Faults]
The Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 70 - Establishment of the Deities < [Section 2 - Uttarārdha]
Chapter 60 - Greatness of Maṅgalā < [Section 1 - Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya]
Chapter 61 - Greatness of Lalitomāviśālākṣī (Lalitomā-viśālākṣī) < [Section 1 - Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya]
Significance of the Moon in Ancient Civilizations (by Radhakrishnan. P)
The Garuda Purana (by Manmatha Nath Dutt)
Chapter CXX - The Rambha Trtiya Vratam < [Brihaspati (Nitisara) Samhita]
List of Mahabharata people and places (by Laxman Burdak)
Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)