रथेष्ठा

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *HratʰayštáHs (“chariot-fighter; a warrior who fights standing on a chariot”), from *Hrátʰay (locative of *Hrátʰas) + *staH- (“to stand”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬀𐬉𐬱𐬙𐬁 (raθaēštā), Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬚𐬋𐬌𐬱𐬙𐬁 (raθōištā, “warrior”). By surface analysis, रथे (rathe, locative of रथ (ratha, “chariot”)) +‎ स्था (sthā, “to stand”).

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɾɐ.tʰɐjʂ.ʈʰɑ́ː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɾɐ.t̪ʰeːʂ.ʈʰɑː/

रथेष्ठा • (ratheṣṭhā́) stem, m

1. a warrior fighting from a chariot, a chariot-fighter
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.173.5:

     तमु॑ ष्टु॒हीन्द्रं॒ यो ह॒ सत्वा॒ यः शूरो॑ म॒घवा॒ यो र॑थे॒ष्ठाः ।
     प्र॒ती॒चश्चि॒द्योधी॑या॒न्वृष॑ण्वान्वव॒व्रुष॑श्चि॒त्तम॑सो विह॒न्ता ॥

     támu ṣṭuhī́ndraṃ yó ha sátvā yáḥ śū́ro maghávā yó ratheṣṭhā́ḥ.
     pratīcáścidyódhīyānvṛ́ṣaṇvānvavavrúṣaścittámaso vihantā́.

     Praise thou that Indra who is truly mighty, the car-borne Warrior, Maghavan the Hero;
     Stronger in war than those who fight against him, borne by strong steeds, who kills enclosing darkness.

रथेष्ठा • (ratheṣṭhā́) stem

1. standing on a chariot, chariot-borne
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 6.31.2:

     तं पृ॒च्छन्ती॒ वज्र॑हस्तं रथे॒ष्ठाम् इद्रं॒ वेपी॒ वक्व॑री॒ यस्य॒ नू गीः ।
     तु॒वि॒ग्रा॒भं तु॑विकू॒र्मिं र॑भो॒दां गा॒तुम् इ॑षे॒ नक्ष॑ते॒ तुम्र॒म् अच्छ॑ ॥

     táṃ pṛcchántī vájrahastaṃ ratheṣṭhā́m ídraṃ vépī vákvarī yásya nū́ gī́ḥ.
     tuvigrābháṃ tuvikūrmíṃ rabhodā́ṃ gātúm iṣe nákṣate túmram áccha.

     He who for car-borne Indra, armed with thunder, hath a hymn, craving, deeply-piercing, fluent,
     Who sends a song effectual, firmly-grasping, and strength-bestowing, he comes near the mighty.

• Monier Williams (1899) “रथेष्ठा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 457.