रक्षस्
Sanskrit
Alternative scripts
Alternative scripts
- ৰক্ষস্ (Assamese script)
- ᬭᬓ᭄ᬱᬲ᭄ (Balinese script)
- রক্ষস্ (Bengali script)
- 𑰨𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰭𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
- 𑀭𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
- ရက္ၑသ် (Burmese script)
- રક્ષસ્ (Gujarati script)
- ਰਕ੍ਸ਼ਸ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
- 𑌰𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌸𑍍 (Grantha script)
- ꦫꦏ꧀ꦰꦱ꧀ (Javanese script)
- 𑂩𑂍𑂹𑂭𑂮𑂹 (Kaithi script)
- ರಕ್ಷಸ್ (Kannada script)
- រក្ឞស៑ (Khmer script)
- ຣກ຺ຩສ຺ (Lao script)
- രക്ഷസ് (Malayalam script)
- ᡵᠠᡬᢢᠠᠰ᠌ (Manchu script)
- 𑘨𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘭𑘿 (Modi script)
- ᠷᠠᢉᢔᠠᠰ (Mongolian script)
- 𑧈𑦮𑧠𑧌𑧍𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
- 𑐬𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐳𑑂 (Newa script)
- ରକ୍ଷସ୍ (Odia script)
- ꢬꢒ꣄ꢰꢱ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
- 𑆫𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆱𑇀 (Sharada script)
- 𑖨𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖭𑖿 (Siddham script)
- රක්ෂස් (Sinhalese script)
- 𑩼𑩜 𑪙𑪀𑪁 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
- 𑚤𑚊𑚶𑚨𑚶 (Takri script)
- ரக்ஷஸ் (Tamil script)
- రక్షస్ (Telugu script)
- รกฺษสฺ (Thai script)
- ར་ཀྵ་ས྄ (Tibetan script)
- 𑒩𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒮𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
- 𑨫𑨋𑩇𑨯𑨰𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-Iranian *(H)ráćšas, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂rétḱ-os (“destruction”), with secure cognates only within Indo-Iranian. Cognate with Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬱𐬀𐬵 (rašah), Persian رشیدن (rašīdan, “to pour out, spill, shed”). The traditional comparison with Ancient Greek ἐρέχθω (erékhthō, “to rend, jerk, break”) is rejected by Mayrhofer and Lubotsky, among others, for formal and semantic reasons.[1][2]
Folk etymologies in Hindu texts attempt to tie the sense "demon" to the root रक्ष् (rakṣ, “to protect”), as demons are supposed to be warded off using religious incantations or rituals.
Pronunciation
- (Vedic) IPA(key): /ɾɐ́k.ʂɐs/
- (Classical Sanskrit) IPA(key): /ɾɐk.ʂɐs̪/
Noun
रक्षस् • (rákṣas) stem, n
Declension
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | रक्षः (rákṣaḥ) | रक्षसी (rákṣasī) | रक्षांसि (rákṣāṃsi) |
| accusative | रक्षः (rákṣaḥ) | रक्षसी (rákṣasī) | रक्षांसि (rákṣāṃsi) |
| instrumental | रक्षसा (rákṣasā) | रक्षोभ्याम् (rákṣobhyām) | रक्षोभिः (rákṣobhiḥ) |
| dative | रक्षसे (rákṣase) | रक्षोभ्याम् (rákṣobhyām) | रक्षोभ्यः (rákṣobhyaḥ) |
| ablative | रक्षसः (rákṣasaḥ) | रक्षोभ्याम् (rákṣobhyām) | रक्षोभ्यः (rákṣobhyaḥ) |
| genitive | रक्षसः (rákṣasaḥ) | रक्षसोः (rákṣasoḥ) | रक्षसाम् (rákṣasām) |
| locative | रक्षसि (rákṣasi) | रक्षसोः (rákṣasoḥ) | रक्षःसु (rákṣaḥsu) |
| vocative | रक्षः (rákṣaḥ) | रक्षसी (rákṣasī) | रक्षांसि (rákṣāṃsi) |
Descendants
- Pali: rakkha
Noun
रक्षस् • (rákṣas or rakṣás) stem, m or n
Declension
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | रक्षाः (rakṣā́ḥ) | रक्षसौ (rakṣásau) रक्षसा¹ (rakṣásā¹) |
रक्षसः (rakṣásaḥ) रक्षाः¹ (rakṣā́ḥ¹) |
| accusative | रक्षसम् (rakṣásam) रक्षाम्¹ (rakṣā́m¹) |
रक्षसौ (rakṣásau) रक्षसा¹ (rakṣásā¹) |
रक्षसः (rakṣásaḥ) रक्षाः¹ (rakṣā́ḥ¹) |
| instrumental | रक्षसा (rakṣásā) | रक्षोभ्याम् (rakṣóbhyām) | रक्षोभिः (rakṣóbhiḥ) |
| dative | रक्षसे (rakṣáse) | रक्षोभ्याम् (rakṣóbhyām) | रक्षोभ्यः (rakṣóbhyaḥ) |
| ablative | रक्षसः (rakṣásaḥ) | रक्षोभ्याम् (rakṣóbhyām) | रक्षोभ्यः (rakṣóbhyaḥ) |
| genitive | रक्षसः (rakṣásaḥ) | रक्षसोः (rakṣásoḥ) | रक्षसाम् (rakṣásām) |
| locative | रक्षसि (rakṣási) | रक्षसोः (rakṣásoḥ) | रक्षःसु (rakṣáḥsu) |
| vocative | रक्षः (rákṣaḥ) | रक्षसौ (rákṣasau) रक्षसा¹ (rákṣasā¹) |
रक्षसः (rákṣasaḥ) रक्षाः¹ (rákṣāḥ¹) |
- ¹Vedic
Derived terms
- राक्षस (rākṣasa)
Descendants
- Pali: rakkha
- Marathi: लांस (lāusa)
References
- ^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “rákṣas-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan][1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 423
- ^ Lubotsky, Alexander (2011) “ráks·as-”, in The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University, pages 407-8
Further reading
- Monier Williams (1899) “रक्षस्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 860/1.