शम्बर

{ śambara }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

ŚAMBARA I   An asura.
1) General.
Various Purāṇas refer to this leader of the asuras as having played a prominent part in the dev- āsura war. After many such wars he was killed by Śiva.
2) Śambara's magic power.
He possessed marvellous magic powers. Once while fighting with him, the Devas were non-plussed by his magical powers, and they hid themselves in a forest. Śambara was pleased and he roamed about freely without any fear and burnt the palaces of the protectors of the world. The Devas left their homes and disappeared in disguise. The Devas began killing those whom Śambara had appointed as army-chieftains. To counter this attack by the Devas, he created three powerful asuras by his powers of magic. The three asuras called Dama, Vyāla and Ghaṭa began killing the warriors of the Devas, and the Devas told Brahmā at Satyaloka about the depredations of the asura. Brahmā encouraged them for further fighting, and the three asuras were killed and Śambara ran away and hid himself. [Jñānavāsiṣṭha Sthitiprakaraṇam] .
3) Śambara in Ṛgveda.
There are various references to Śambara in the Ṛgveda. He was King of the Dasyus. He had mastery over hundred cities. The forts and trenches in those cities were very strong. The forts are referred to as Aśvamayī, Āyasī, Śatabhujī etc. in the Ṛgveda. The chief enemies of the Aryans were the race of people called Paṇis in the city. There is a hint about the killing of Śambara in [Sūkta 17, Anuvāka 8, Maṇḍala 1 of the Ṛgveda] .
4) Other information.
(i) Śambara was Kaśyapaprajāpati's son by his wife Danu.
(ii) Daśaratha had, at the request of the Devas defeated Śambara in a war fought in Devaloka. (See under Daśaratha, Para 5).
(iii) Indra, on another occasion, defeated Śambara. [Ādi Parva, Chapter 137, Verse 43] .
ŚAMBARA II   An asura. He was the son of Hiraṇyākṣa and brother of Śakuni, Dvimūrdhā, Śaṅku and Ārya. [Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 17] . Śambara, who was a great adept in magic, was killed in the company of his wife Māyāvatī, by Pradyumna, the son of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (See under Pradyumna).

हिन्दी (hindi) WN

   See : शंबर

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

शम्बर  m.  m. N. of a demon (in, [RV.] often mentioned with शुष्ण, अर्बुद, पिप्रु &c.; he is the chief enemy of दिवो-दास अतिथिग्व, for whose deliverance he was thrown down a mountain and slain by इन्द्र; in epic and later poetry he is also a foe of the god of love), [RV.] &c. &c.
   a cloud, [Naigh. i, 10]
   a weapon, [Sāy.] on [RV. i, 112, 14]
   war, fight, [L.]
   a kind of deer, [Vās.]; [Bhpr.]
   a fish or a kind of fish, [L.]
    Terminalia Arunja, [L.]
    Symplocos Racemosa, [L.]
   a mountain in general or a partic. mountain, [L.]
   best, excellent, [L.]
चित्रक   = , [L.]
    N. of of a जिन, [L.]
शम्बरण   of a king, [Vās.] ( v.l. for and सं-वरण)
शम्बरसिद्धि   of a juggler (also called ), [Ratnâv.]
शम्बर  n.  n. water, [Naigh. i, 12] (but, [Sāh.] censures the use of शम्बर in this sense)
   power, might, [Naigh. ii, 9]
सं-वर   sorcery, magic, [Kathās.] (printed )

ROOTS:

सं वर

   any vow or a partic. vow (with Buddhists), [L.]
   wealth, [L.]
   ( pl.) the fastnesses of शम्बर, [RV.]

The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

शम्बर [śambara] a.  a. [शम्ब् अरच्] Best, excellent.
   राः N. of a demon slain by Pradyumna, q. v.
   A mountain.
   A kind of deer.
   A Jina.
  N. N. of the trees चित्रक, लोध्र and अर्जुन.
   A kind of fish.
   War.
   रम् Water; किं विलम्बसे ... शम्बरानयने Cholachampū [p. 26.]
   A cloud.
   Wealth.
   A rite or religious observance. -Comp.
-अरिः, सूदनः   epithets of Pradyumna or the god of love.
-असुरः   the demon Śambara.

Shabda-Sagara

शम्बर  n.  ( -रं)
   1. Water.
   2. A religious observance.
   3. Wealth.
  m.  ( -रः) 1. A Daitya.
   2. A sort of deer.
   3. A mountain.
   4. A fish in gener- al.
   5. War.
   6. Best, excellent.
   7. A Bauddha.
  f.  ( -री)
   1. A drug or medicinal plant, (Anthericum tuberosum.)
   2. A female juggler.
    E. शम्ब् to accumulate, अरन् aff.; or श happiness, वृ to choose, aff. अप्; also read शंवर and सम्बर or संवर .

ROOTS:

शम्ब् अरन् श वृ अप्; शंवर सम्बर संवर .