Sanskrit dictionary (beta)

Derived forms and compounds

• -अः

  1. [अवति, अतति सातत्येन तिष्ठतीति वा; अव्-अत् वा, ड Tv.]
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. 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).
  5. 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.
  6. 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.