# कौस्तुभ (kaustubha)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/kaustubha

कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) is a Sanskrit word meaning a manner of joining the fingers, name of a plant or disease, a kind of oil, name of a work, a kind of mustard oil, the jewel of Krishna suspended on his breast. Its 15 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them The divine jewel of Vishnu/Krishna, A hand gesture (Mudra), A plant/substance (syn. Kimtughna).

- **Etymology:** E. कुस्तुभ a name of VIṢṆU or KṚṢṆA, and अण् aff — E. kustubha a name of VIṢṆU or KṚṢṆA, and aṇ aff
- **SLP1:** `kOstuBa`  **IAST:** kaustubha  **Devanagari:** कौस्तुभ
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaustubha
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/kaustubha/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### The divine jewel of Vishnu/Krishna (11 definitions)
- a celebrated jewel obtained at the churning of the ocean and worn on the breast of Vishnu  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 318,3] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) m. n. ( cf. कुस्त् (kust) ° (°) ), N. of a celebrated jewel (obtained with thirteen other precious things at the churning of the ocean and suspended on the breast of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu), Mahābhārata (Title); Harivaṃśa (Title); Rāmāyaṇa (Title) &c. [ ID=57583 ]
- A mythical jewel produced at the churning of the ocean and worn as an ornament by Vishnu.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 076-1 ] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) kaustubha, m. n. jewel produced at the churning of the ocean, an ornament of Viṣṇu; -bhṛt, m. ep. of Viṣṇu. [ ID=6415 ]
- The jewel of Krishna suspended on his breast  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 255 ] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) m. ( - भः (-bhaḥ) ) The jewel of KṚṢṆA suspended on his breast. E. कुस्तुभ (kustubha) a name of VIṢṆU or KṚṢṆA, and अण् (aṇ) aff. [ ID=11914 ]
- The jewel of Krishna suspended on his breast  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 219-a ] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) ( भः ) ((bhaḥ)) 1. m. The jewel of Krish- na suspended on his breast. [ ID=11366 ]
- Name of a celebrated gem obtained at the churning of the ocean and worn by Vishnu  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 213-22 ] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) m. Name of a celebrated gem obtained at the churning of the ocean and worn by Vishṇu, सकौस्तुभ (kaustubha) ं ह्रेपयतीव कृष्णम् (sakaustubhaṃ hrepayatīva kṛṣṇam) R. vi.9, x.10. [ ID=10608 ]
- The jewel of Krishna suspended on his breast  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 210-a ] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) m. ( - भः (-bhaḥ) ) The jewel of KṚṢṆA suspended on his breast. E. कुस्तुभ (kustubha) a name of VISHNU or KṚṢṆA, and अण् (aṇ) aff. [ ID=11908 ]
- A jewel worn by Vishnu  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 0224-b ] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) kaustubha, i. e. ku-stubh + a, m. and n. A jewel worn by Viṣṇu, Rām. 1, 45, 39. — Comp. Sa -kirīṭa-kaustubha, adj. with a diadem and the jewel of Viṣṇu, Pañc. 44, 15. [ ID=3902 ]
- a celebrated jewel, the ornament of Vishnu  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 135 ] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) m. n. N. of a celebrated jewel, the ornament of Viṣṇu. [ ID=8594 ]
- 1. A celebrated jewel worn on the breast of Krishna, obtained during the churning of the ocean. 2. A manner of joining the fingers. 3. A kind of mustard oil.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 0259-a ] कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) kaustubha, as, m. (fr. kustubha ? ), N. of a celebrated jewel obtained with thirteen other precious things at the churning of the ocean and suspended on the breast of Kṛṣṇa; a manner of joining the fingers; ( am ), n. a kind of oil (sarṣa- podbhava). —Kaustubha-lakṣaṇa, as, or kau- stubha-lakṣaka, as, m. or kaustubha-vakṣas, ās, m. a N. of Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. [ ID=16114 ]
- the jewel of Krishna  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 403-1 ] Kaustubha, the jewel of Kṛṣṇa (Viṣṇu). § 28 (Amṛta- manthana): I, 18, 1147 ( maṇir divyaḥ, emerged when the gods churned the milky ocean).—§ 521 (Draupadīharaṇap.): III, 263, 15533 ( °bhūṣaṇa, sc. Kṛṣṇa).—§ 562 (Bhaga- vadyānap.): V, 94, 3343 ( maṇiṃ, worn by Kṛṣṇa).— § 564 (Mātalīyop.): V, 102, 3613 ( maṇiratnaṃ, arose at the churning of the [milky] ocean).—§ 608 (Karṇap.): VIII, 46, 2181 ( atyarthaṃ bhrājate Kṛṣṇe K°s tu maṇis tataḥ ); 76, †3855 ( urasi —sc. Kṛṣṇa's— K°ñ ca jājvalya- mānaṃ ).—§ 637 (Rājadh.): XII, 45 ε, 1546 ( °enorasisthena maṇinābhirājitaṃ, sc. Kṛṣṇa). Cf. Kirīṭa-Kaustubhadhara. [ ID=5650 ]
- 1. The jewel of Hari. 2. A precious gem obtained from the churning of the ocean of milk.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) [Printed book page 1-476 ] Kaustubha — of Hari; 1 the festival that came out of the churning of the milk ocean. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. II. 2. 10; VIII. 4. 19; X. 3. 9; XI. 14. 40; 27. 27; XII. 11. 10.] [ Footnote: 2) Br. IV. 9. 73; M. 250. 4; 251. 3.] [ ID=3738 ]

### A hand gesture (Mudra) (1 definition)
- a manner of joining the fingers  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) m. a manner of joining the fingers, Tantrasāra (Title) [ ID=57584 ]

### A plant/substance (syn. Kimtughna) (1 definition)
- name of a plant or disease  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > = किंतुघ्न (kiṃtughna), Atharva-veda (Title); Jyotiṣa (Literary category) [ ID=57585 ]

### A type of oil (1 definition)
- a kind of oil  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > कौस्तुभ (kaustubha) n. a kind of oil ( सर्षपो (sarṣapo) द्भव (dbhava) ), Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra (Title) i, 8, 37, Sch. [ ID=57586 ]

### Name of a literary work (1 definition)
- Name of a work  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of wk. [ ID=57587 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546
