गन्धर्व

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *g(ʰ)andʰarwás ~ *g(ʰ)andʰarbʰás, ultimately likely from a BMAC substrate. Cognate with Younger Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬧𐬛𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬡𐬀 (gaṇdərəβa), 𐬔𐬀𐬧𐬛𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬡𐬀 (gaṇdarəβa). Compare also Ancient Greek Κένταυρος (Kéntauros), to which it is often likened.

Pronunciation

Noun

गन्धर्व • (gandharvá) stemm

  1. (Hinduism, Buddhism) a gandharva (one of a class of male heavenly beings, famed singers and guardians of soma)
    • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.86.36:
      स॒प्त स्वसा॑रो अ॒भि मा॒तरः॒ शिशुं॒ नवं॑ जज्ञा॒नं जेन्यं॑ विप॒श्चित॑म् ।
      अ॒पां ग॑न्ध॒र्वं दि॒व्यं नृ॒चक्ष॑सं॒ सोमं॒ विश्व॑स्य॒ भुव॑नस्य रा॒जसे॑ ॥
      saptá svásāro abhí mātáraḥ śíśuṃ návaṃ jajñānáṃ jényaṃ vipaścítam.
      apā́ṃ gandharváṃ divyáṃ nṛcákṣasaṃ sómaṃ víśvasya bhúvanasya rājáse.
      The Sisters Seven, the Mothers, stand around the Babe, the noble, new-born Infant, skilled in holy song,
      Gandharva of the floods, divine, beholding men, Soma, that he may reign as King of all the world.
  2. (figurative) a skilled singer, bard
    • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.11.20:
      नटनर्तकगन्धर्वाः सूत मागध वन्दिनः ।
      गायन्ति चोत्तमश्लोक चरितानि अद्‍भुतानि च ॥
      naṭanartakagandharvāḥ sūta māgadha vandinaḥ.
      gāyanti cottamaśloka caritāni ad‍bhutāni ca.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
  3. a sage, religious man
  4. horse
    Synonym: अश्व (áśva)
  5. a male given name

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of गन्धर्व
singular dual plural
nominative गन्धर्वः (gandharváḥ) गन्धर्वौ (gandharvaú)
गन्धर्वा¹ (gandharvā́¹)
गन्धर्वाः (gandharvā́ḥ)
गन्धर्वासः¹ (gandharvā́saḥ¹)
accusative गन्धर्वम् (gandharvám) गन्धर्वौ (gandharvaú)
गन्धर्वा¹ (gandharvā́¹)
गन्धर्वान् (gandharvā́n)
instrumental गन्धर्वेण (gandharvéṇa) गन्धर्वाभ्याम् (gandharvā́bhyām) गन्धर्वैः (gandharvaíḥ)
गन्धर्वेभिः¹ (gandharvébhiḥ¹)
dative गन्धर्वाय (gandharvā́ya) गन्धर्वाभ्याम् (gandharvā́bhyām) गन्धर्वेभ्यः (gandharvébhyaḥ)
ablative गन्धर्वात् (gandharvā́t) गन्धर्वाभ्याम् (gandharvā́bhyām) गन्धर्वेभ्यः (gandharvébhyaḥ)
genitive गन्धर्वस्य (gandharvásya) गन्धर्वयोः (gandharváyoḥ) गन्धर्वाणाम् (gandharvā́ṇām)
locative गन्धर्वे (gandharvé) गन्धर्वयोः (gandharváyoḥ) गन्धर्वेषु (gandharvéṣu)
vocative गन्धर्व (gándharva) गन्धर्वौ (gándharvau)
गन्धर्वा¹ (gándharvā¹)
गन्धर्वाः (gándharvāḥ)
गन्धर्वासः¹ (gándharvāsaḥ¹)
  • ¹Vedic

Derived terms

  • गान्धर्व (gāndharvá)

Descendants

  • Pali: gandhabba
  • Prakrit: 𑀕𑀁𑀥𑀯𑁆𑀯 (gaṃdhavva)
  • Old Javanese: gandharwa
    • Javanese: ꦒꦤ꧀ꦢꦂꦮ (gandarwa)
    • Balinese: ᬕᬦ᭄ᬥᬃᬯ᭄ᬯ (gandarwa)

References