तारक

{ tārakḥ, tāraka (tārakāsura), tāraka }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

TĀRAKA (TĀRAKĀSURA) I   An asura chief (demon). This demon even while he was very young did penance to propitiate Śiva and got a boon to the effect that none other than a son born to Śiva should be able to kill him. He became arrogant with the power of this boon and soon became a terror to the world. Then to kill Tārakāsura Subrahmaṇya was born as the son of Śiva. In the great battle between the devas and the asuras Tāraka was killed by Subrahmaṇya. Tārakāsura was the father of Tārākṣa, Kamalākṣa and Vidyunmālika. (See under Subrahmaṇya). [Śloka 5, Chapter 33, Karṇa Parva] .
TĀRAKA II   Śiva Purāṇa mentions about a Tāraka, son of the minister of Bhadrasena, a King of Kashmir. This Tāraka was the rebirth of a he-fowl. Bhadrasena had a son named Sudharmā. He was the rebirth of a monkey. There is a story regarding how this fowl and the monkey came to be born in Kashmir as above. Once in the village of Nanda there was a prostitute named Mahānandā. Though she was a great devotee of Śiva she was living the life of a prostitute for her livelihood. She was having a monkey and a he-fowl as pets. She would adorn the necks of her pets with the rudrākṣa necklace (rosary) made of berry beads favourite of Śiva and when she sang songs in praise of Śiva those pets danced to the tune. One day a Vaiśya came there. He had a diamond Śiva liṅga with him. Mahānandā felt a great fancy for that and so promised the Vaiśya that if he gave her the diamond liṅga she would remain a faithful wife to him for three days. The Vaiśya agreed and the diamond liṅga was kept in a very secure place That night when both the Vaiśya and Mahānandā were sleeping tired after a hectic amorous sport, the house got fire and the diamond was burst into pieces. The Vaiśya greatly griefstricken by the loss of the diamond, jumped into the fire and committed suicide. Mahānandā faithful to the promise that she would remain his wife for three days started to jump into the fire and abandon her life. At once Śiva appeared before her in person and said thus: “Oh, Mahānandā, do not commit suicide. I came to you disguised as a Vaiśya to test your devotion. You can now ask of me any boon.” With tears of joy running down her cheeks she said she wanted to live with Śiva. So Śiva carried her soul to Kailāsa. Not only that, Śiva blessed the fowl and monkey and said they would be born as devotees of Śiva in their next birth and attain mokṣa at the end of their life on earth. Accordingly the monkey and the fowl were born in Kashmir as Sudharmā and Tāraka.

हिन्दी (hindi) WN

See : तारा, पुतली, तारकासुर, तार, तारक मंत्र

प्राचीन चरित्रकोश

तारक n.  कश्यप एवं दनु का पुत्र ।
तारक II. n.  एक असुर । वज्रांग तथा वारांगी को ब्रह्मदेव के कृपाप्रसाद से यह पुत्र प्राप्त था (वज्रांग देखिये) । इसने पारियात्र पर्वत पर १०,००० वर्षोतक तपस्या की । ब्रह्मदेव ने इससे वर मॉंगने को कहा । इसने अमरत्व मॉंगा । यह मिलना असंभव है, ऐसा मालूम होने पर इसने सात दिन के शिशु के द्वारा मृत्यु होने का वर मॉंगा । इस वर के प्रभाव से उन्मत्त हो कर, इसने इंद्रादि देवों को पराजित किया । शंकर के औरस पुत्र के द्वारा ही तारकासुर की मृत्यु होगी ऐसा देवताओं का संकेत था । इसलिये शंकर ने पार्वती से विवाह किया । उन्हें स्कंद नामक पुत्र हुआ । स्कंद ने उम्र सातवें दिन इसका वध किया [मत्स्य. १३०-१३९,१४६] ; [पद्म. सृ.४२] ; तारेय २ देखिये । इसके तीन पुत्र थे । उनके नामः त्रिपुरोत्पादक-ताराक्ष (तारकाक्ष), कमलाक्ष तथा विद्युन्माली [म.क.२३.३-४] ; [लिंग. १.७१] ।

कोंकणी (Konkani) WN

See : तारकासूर

A dictionary, Marathi and English

tāraka f A flower-tree, Alpinia Allughas. Grah.
That causes to pass over or through; viz. a deliverer, saviour, preserver.
A gourd.

Aryabhushan School Dictionary

a   A deliverer.

मराठी पर्यायी शब्दकोश

वि.  उद्धारक , तारणारा , तारून नेणारा , संरक्षक .

मराठी (Marathi) WN

See : रक्षक, तारक मंत्र

महाराष्ट्र शब्दकोश

 स्त्री. एक फूलझाड .
 पु. भोपळा ( ह्याच्या साहाय्याने ताफे , तरी तरंगत असतात , म्हणून ); सांगड . गोपीकुच हेचि तारक घेऊन । मीनकेतन पोहतसे । - ह १७ . ५३ . - वि . रक्षण करणारा ; संकटांतून पार पडणार ; तारणारा ; उद्धार करणारा . [ सं . ]

मराठी वाक्संप्रदाय - वाक्यप्रचार

तारकमंत्र
वाराणसी काशी क्षेत्रांत मरणकाळी शिवदूत येऊन मंत्र उपदेश (कानांत) करतात त्‍यामुळे मुक्ति मिळते अशी धार्मिक भावना आहे. असा तारक मंत्राचा उपदेश होतो म्‍हणून त्‍या क्षेत्रास मरणार्‍या प्रत्‍येक इसमाचा उजवा कान वर असतो म्‍हणतात. काश्यां तु मरणान्मुक्तिः।

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

तारक  mfn.  mf( इका [ [Pāṇ. 7-3, 45], Vārtt. 6] [R. ii])n. causing or enabling to pass or go over, carrying over, rescuing, liberating, saving, [MBh. xii] ( शिव), [JābālUp.]; [ŚivaP.] &c. (a particular prayer, ब्रह्मन्)
°क   belonging to the stars, [VS. xxiv, 10] ()
तारक  m.  m. a helmsman, [L.]
N. of a दैत्य (conquered by इन्द्र with the assistance of स्कन्द), [MBh. vi ff.] ( pl. the children of that दैत्य, viii, 1553), xiii, [Hariv.]; [Kum.] &c.
of an enemy of विष्णु, [L.]
of a friend of सीमन्त, [BrahmôttKh. xxx]
तारक  n.  m. n. a float, raft, [L.]
तारक  n.  n. a star, [MBh. v, 5390]; [Gīt. vii, 24]
the pupil of the eye, [L.]
the eye, [L.]
a metre of 4 x 13 syllables

The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

तारकः [tārakḥ]  N. N. of a demon killed by Kārtikeya. [He was the son of Vajrāṅga and Varāṅgī. He propitiated the god Brahmadeva by means of his penance on the Pāriyātra mountain, and asked as a boon that he should not be killed by any one except a child seven days old. On the strength of this boon be began to oppress the gods who were obliged to go to Brahmā and ask his assistance in the destruction of the demon (see Ku.2). But they were told that the offspring of Śiva could alone vanquish him. Afterwards Kārtikeya was born, and he slew the demon on the seventh day of his birth]. -Comp.
-अरिः, -जित्, -रिपुः, -वैरिन्, -सूदन  m. m. an epithet of Kārtikeya; जेयस्तारकसूदनो युधि करक्रीडत्कुठारस्य च [P. R.4.16.] (For other senses, see under तॄ).
तारक [tāraka] a.  a. (-रिका f.) [तॄ-णिच् ण्वुल्]
Carrying over.
Protecting, preserving, rescuing.
Helping another through a difficulty.
कः A pilot, helmsman.
A deliverer, saviour.
 N. N. of Śiva.
-कः, -कम्   -कः,
-कम्   A boat, raft. (also f.)
The pupil of the eye; संदधे दृशमुदग्रतारकाम् [R.11.69.]
The eye.
A star; शान्तर्क्ष- ग्रहतारकम् [Bhāg.1.3.1;] see तारका.

Shabda-Sagara

तारक  mfn.  ( -कः-का-कं)
1. A protector, a preserver.
2. One who causes or enables to pass or go over.
 n.  ( -कं)
1. The eye.
2. A Mantra, a formula addressed to Rama, as Ramaya namah.
 nf.  ( -कं-का)
1. The pupil of the eye.
2. A star.
 mn.  ( -कः-कं) A float or raft.
 m.  ( -कः) A pilot, a helmsman or steersman.
2. The man of a demon or evil spirit destroyed by KARTIKEYA.
E. तॄ to pass or cause to pass, and णिच् and ण्वुल् affixes; or कन् added to the preceding.

ROOTS:

तॄ णिच् ण्वुल् कन्