अaThe first letter of the alphabet; अक्षंराणामकारोऽस्मि Bg.1.33.
The first letter of the alphabet; अक्षंराणामकारोऽस्मि Bg.1.33.
Derived forms and compounds
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-अः
- [अवति, अतति सातत्येन तिष्ठतीति वा; अव्-अत् वा, ड Tv.]
- Name of Viṣṇu, the first of the three sounds constituting the sacred syllable ओम्; अकारो विष्णुरुद्दिष्ट उकारस्तु महेश्वरः । मकारस्तु स्मृतो ब्रह्मा प्रणवस्तु त्रयात्मकः ॥ For more explanations of the three syllables अ, उ, म् see ओम्.
- Name of Śiva, Brahmā, Vāyu, or Vaiśvānara. [अः कृष्णः शंकरो ब्रह्मा शक्रः सोमोऽनिलोऽनलः । सूर्यः प्राणो यमः कालो वसन्तः प्रणवः सुखी ॥ Enm. अः स्याद् ब्रह्मणि विष्ण्वीशकूर्माणङ्करणेषु च। गौरवेऽन्तःपुरे हेतौ भूषणेऽङ्घ्रावुमेज्ययोः ॥ Nm. अः शिखायां सिद्धमन्त्रे प्रग्राहेऽर्के रथार्वणि । चक्रे कुक्कुटमूर्ध्नीन्दुबिम्बे ब्रह्मेशविष्णुषु ॥ Tbe same. Thus अः means Kṛiṣṇa, Śiva, Brahmā, Indra, Soma, Vāyu, Agni, the Sun, the life-breath, Yama, Kāla, Vasanta, Praṇava, a happy man, a tortoise, a courtyard, a battle, greatness, a female apartment in a palace, an object or a cause, an ornament, a foot, Umā, sacrifice, a flame, a particularly efficacious mantra, reins, the horse of chariot, a wheel, the head of a cock, the disc of the moon]; Indeclinable
- A Prefix corresponding to Latin in, English in or un, Greek a or an, and joined to nouns, adjectives, indeclinables (or rarely even to verbs) as a substitute for the negative particle ऩञ्, and changed to अन् before vowels (except in the word अ-ऋणिन्). The senses of न usually enumerated are six(a) सादृश्य 'likeness' or 'resemblance', अब्राह्मणः one like a Brāhmaṇa (wearing the sacred thread etc.), but not a Brāhmaṇa; a Kṣatriya, or a Vaiśya; अनिक्षुः a reed appearing like इक्षु, but not a true इक्षु. (b) अभाव 'absence', 'negation', 'want', 'privation'; अज्ञानम् absence of knowledge, ignorance; अक्रोधः, अनङ्गः, अकण्टकः, अघटः etc. (c) अन्यत्व 'difference' or 'distinction'; अपटः not a cloth, something different from, or other than, a cloth. (d) अल्पता 'smallness', 'diminution', used as a diminutive particle; अनुदरा having a slender waist (कृशोदरी or तनुमध्यमा). (e) अप्राशस्त्य 'badness', 'unfitness', having a depreciative sense; अकालः wrong or improper time; अकार्यम् not fit to be done, improper, unworthy, bad act. (f) विरोध 'opposition', 'contrariety'; अनीतिः the opposite of morality; immorality; असित not white, black; असुर not a god, a demon etc. These senses are put together in the following verse: तत्सादृश्यमभावश्च तदन्यत्वं तदल्पता । अप्राशस्त्यं विरोधश्च ऩञर्थाः षट् प्रकीर्तिताः ॥ See न also. With verbal derivatives, such as gerunds, infinitives, participles, it has usually the sense of 'not'; अदग्ध्वा not having burnt; अपश्यन् not seeing; so असकृत् not once; अमृषा, अकस्मात् etc. Sometimes in बहुव्रीहि अ does not affect the sense of the second member: अ-पश्चिम that which has no last, id est, that is best, topmost; Exempli gratia, for example विपश्चितामपश्चिमः Compare also R.19.1. अनुत्तम having no superior, unsurpassed, most excellent: (for examples see these words).
- An interjection of (a) Pity (ah !) अ अवद्यं ParasmaipadaI.1.14 Sk. (b) Reproach, censure (fie, shame); अपचसि त्वं जाल्म ParasmaipadaVI.3.73 Vārt. See अकरणि, अजीवनि also. (c) Used in addressing; अ अनन्त. (d) It is also used as a particle of prohibition.
- The augment prefixed to the root in the formation of the Imperfect, Aorist and Conditional Tenses. Name B. The application of this privative prefix is practically unlimited; to give every possible case would almost amount to a dictionary itself. No attempt will, therefore, be made to give every possible combination of this prefix with a following word; only such words as require a special explanation, or such as most frequently occur in literature and enter into compounds with other words, will be given; others will be found self-explaining when the English 'in', 'un', or 'not', is substituted for अ or अन् before the meaning of the second word, or the sense may be expressed by 'less', 'free from', 'devoid or destitute of' etc.; अकथ्य unspeakable; अदर्प without pride, or freedom from pride; अप्रगल्भ not bold; अभग unfortunate; अवित्त destitute of wealth etc. In many cases such compounds will be found explained under the second member. Most compounds beginning with अ or अन् are either Tatpuruṣa or Bahuvrīhi (to be determined by the sense) and should be so dissolved.
Source: ApteApte entry
