अकूपार

{ akūpāra }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

AKŪPĀRA   
1) General information.
There is a lake in the Himālayas called Indradyumna. Akūpāra is a tortoise living in it. There is also a statement that this is the Ādi- Kūrma (second of the ten incarnations of God). A description of Akūpāra is found in [Chapter 199 of Vana Parva] in Mahābhārata.
2) Cirañjīvī (One who has no death).
When the Pāṇḍavas were in exile in the forests sage Mārkaṇḍeya tells many stories to Dharmaputra to console him in his sad plight. The Pāṇḍavas asked Mārkaṇḍeya whether he knew of anybody living before him. Then the sage said, “In times of old Indradyumna an ascetic King (Rājarṣi) fell down from heaven when he fell short of his accumulated ‘Puṇya’. Sorrowfully he came to me and asked me whether I knew him. I replied in the negative adding that perhaps Prāvīrakarṇa an owl living on the top of the Himālayas might know him since he was older than me. At once Indradyumna became a horse and taking me on its back approached the owl living in the Himālayas. The owl also could not remember Indradyumna but directed him to a stork named Nāḍījaṁgha who was older than the owl. The Ascetic king took me then to the Indradyumna lake where the stork lived. The stork also could not find the identity of Indradyumna. Perhaps he said that a tortoise of name Akūpāra living in that same lake might know him. We then approached the tortoise and enquired whether he knew Indradyumna. The tortoise sat in meditation for some time and then weeping profusely and shaking like a leaf stood bowing respectfully and said, “How can I remain without knowing him? There are several monuments of the useful work done by him here. This very lake is of his making. This came into existence by the march of the cows he gave away to the people”. The moment the tortoise finished speaking a chariot appeared from heaven to take the King away. The King after leaving me and the owl in their proper places ascended to heaven in the chariot.

महाराष्ट्र शब्दकोश

 पु. समुद्र .
खडक .
कांसव ; कूर्मावतार .
सूर्य . [ सं . ]

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

अ-कूपार  mfn.  mfn. unbounded, [RV. v, 39, 2 and x. 109, 1]

ROOTS:

अ कूपार

अ-कूपार  m.  m. the sea, [VS.] &c.

ROOTS:

अ कूपार

tortoise, [BhP.] &c. the mythical tortoise that upholds the world
N. of a man, [PBr.]
N. of an आदित्य, [L.]

The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

अकूपार [akūpāra]   a.
Resulting in good, having a good issue.
Unlimited, unbounded; अकूपारस्य दावने [Rv.5.39.2]
-रः [न कुं पृथ्वीं पिपर्ति; पॄ-अण् बा˚ दीर्घः; न क्वापि पारं पूरणं वा गन्त- व्यदेशो यस्य वा, पृषो.   दीर्घः]
The sea, the receptacle of waters; अकूपारः सलिलो मातरिश्वा [Rv.1.19.1] (समुद्रोऽप्यकूपार उच्यते अकूपारो भवति महापार: Nir.); न ह्यकूपारवत्कूपा वर्धन्ते विधुकान्तिभिः H; अकूपारमिवापारं पारयिष्यामहे कथम् । [Śivabhārata 31.44.]
The sun (आदित्योऽप्यकूपार उच्यते अकूपारो भवति दूरपारः Nir.).
A tortoise in general (न कूपमृच्छति).
King of tortoises sustaining the world.
A stone or rock.

Shabda-Sagara

अकूपार  m.  ( -रः)
1. The sea or ocean.
2. A tortoise.
3. The king of turtles, the tortoise supposed to uphold the world.
4. A stone or rock. अ neg. कू the earth, and पृ to cherish. or अ neg. कू for कुत्सित contemptible, vile, and पार bank, boundary: there are other etymologies, and वृ being substituted for पृ the word is sometimes written अकूवार.