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Meaning, evidence and context

Concepts A–Z

512 concepts, each with a definition, word origins, a brief epistemology and source links. Hover or focus a dotted term to preview it. Tap once for the preview, then follow the entry.

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Subject

18 terms

A
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Ardra →

Also: Ārdrā · Aardra · आर्द्रा

The 6th lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit ārdrā, feminine of ārdra.

Ārdra has senses involving moisture and freshness, with figurative extensions toward tenderness and feeling; ārdrā is the feminine mansion name.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The lexical senses are supported by recorded Sanskrit usage; the deity comes from ritual tradition, while the tear is documented in the cited modern lesson. These layers support cultural interpretation without establishing emotional temperament or future distress.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Ashlesha →

Also: Aslesha · Āśleṣā · Ashresha · Āśreṣā · आश्लेषा

The 9th lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit āśleṣā, related to ā-śliṣ and āśleṣa.

The verb ā-śliṣ expresses clinging or embracing; āśleṣa names contact and entwining, with āśleṣā used for the mansion. The variant Āśreṣā is also attested. Neither form literally means that a person is deceptive or venomous.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The embracing vocabulary and name variants have lexical support; the hymn supplies its ritual identity. The serpent emblem is documented in modern teaching. Moral labels attached to people are additional claims, not conclusions established by those sources.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Ashwini →

Also: Aswini · Aśvinī · Ashvayuj · Aśvayuj · अश्विनी

The 1st lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit feminine aśvinī, from the aśva / aśvin word family.

Aśva denotes a horse; aśvin describes possession of horses or a horseman, and aśvinī is its feminine form and a mansion name.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The dictionary records the horse-related forms; the hymn identifies a ritual deity. Those attestations establish a linguistic and cultural association, not healing ability in a person whose Moon occupies this sector.

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B
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Bharani →

Also: Bharaṇī · भरणी

The 2nd lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit bharaṇī, feminine of bharaṇa.

The dictionary places bharaṇī with bharaṇa, an action or quality of bearing and maintaining; the nearby bhara family derives from bhṛ. This supports a bearing sense, including carrying in the womb, without making reproduction the name’s sole meaning.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The lexical record supports bearing and an anatomical emblem; its deity identity comes from ritual literature. A traditional emblem does not establish reproductive status, moral worth or an inevitable life event.

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D
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Dhanishta →

Also: Dhanishtha · Dhanistha · Dhaniṣṭhā · Shravishtha · Śraviṣṭhā · धनिष्ठा

The 23rd lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit dhaniṣṭhā, the feminine form of a superlative meaning very wealthy.

Vaidya relates dhaniṣṭha to dhan-in / dhanavat, wealthy. Monier-Williams calls Dhaniṣṭhā a later name for Śraviṣṭhā. Splitting it into 'wealth' plus 'desired' is not the analysis followed here.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

Historical lexicons attest the wealthy-word family, an earlier name and drum imagery. Turning those associations into a person's income, talents or fate requires claims the lexical evidence does not establish.

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K
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Krittika →

Also: Krttika · Kṛttikā · Krittikas · कृत्तिका

The 3rd lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit kṛttikā, grouped with the cutting root kṛt.

Monier-Williams places kṛttikā under the kṛt family for cutting and identifies the Kṛttikās as the Pleiades. “Cutters” is a concise interpretive rendering of that connection; the historical name also denotes the mythic group, not merely an adjective.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The dictionary attests the Pleiades name and flame or blade representations; the hymn pairs the mansion with Agni. These are historical associations. They do not make every person or interval in this sector destructive or purifying.

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M
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Mrigashira →

Also: Mrigashirsha · Mrigashiras · Mṛgaśīrṣa · Mṛgaśiras · Mṛgaśirā · मृगशीर्ष

The 5th lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit compound mṛga + śiras or śīrṣa.

Mṛga denotes a wild animal, especially a deer or antelope; śiras and śīrṣa denote the head. The dictionary records Mṛgaśiras, Mṛgaśirā and Mṛgaśīrṣa as forms of the mansion name, explaining the range of English spellings.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The compound’s components and animal-head representation are attested in the dictionary; its deity identity is named in the hymn. Curiosity is an interpretive use of that imagery, not a measured trait that follows from a Moon longitude.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Mula →

Also: Mūla · Moola · मूल

The 19th lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit mūla, a root or foundation.

The dictionary records both the plant root and an underlying base or source. These attested senses support root imagery; a more remote derivation of the word is not asserted here.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The root meaning and deity association are textual evidence. Describing a person as destructive or destined for suffering would be an additional, unsupported inference.

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P
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Punarvasu →

Also: Punarvasū · पुनर्वसु

The 7th lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit compound punar + vasu.

Punar contributes repetition or return. The dictionary glosses the compound in terms of restoring goods, with vasu carrying the wealth or goods sense.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The compound is lexically attested and the hymn supplies the deity identity. A quiver is documented as a modern teaching emblem. These records justify attribution of the name and symbols, but do not promise that losses will be reversed.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Purva Ashadha →

Also: Purva Ashada · Poorva Ashadha · Purvashadha · Pūrvāṣāḍhā · पूर्वाषाढा

The 20th lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit pūrva, earlier, with aṣāḍhā, the paired mansion name.

Monier-Williams glosses aṣāḍha as not to be overcome. Pūrva distinguishes the earlier member of the pair; it does not promise an early victory.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

A dictionary supports the name, and the cited deity sequence supplies its ritual association. Neither establishes a person's powers of persuasion or likelihood of victory.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Purva Bhadrapada →

Also: Poorva Bhadrapada · Purvabhadrapada · Pūrva Bhādrapadā · Purva Prosthapada · Pūrva Proṣṭhapadā · पूर्वभाद्रपदा

The 25th lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit pūrva, earlier, with bhadra, auspicious, and pada, foot; Bhādrapadā names the pair.

Keep Bhādrapadā distinct from the older Proṣṭhapadā, which Monier-Williams explains through the foot of a stool. A funeral cot is not the literal definition of the modern name used here.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The names and deity lists belong to identifiable textual traditions. The reflection on commitment is original editorial material, not an ancient rule inferred from the mansion's name.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Pushya →

Also: Puṣya · Tishya · Tiṣya · पुष्य

The 8th lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit puṣya, a word with nourishment and flowering senses.

The dictionary records nourishment and a blossom or foremost-part sense under puṣya, and identifies the mansion also called Tiṣya. The short English form Pushya represents ṣ with sh; it does not mean that the distinct name Tiṣya has the same derivation.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The dictionary attests Puṣya and its Tiṣya alias; the hymn supplies a deity association. The udder is a cited teaching emblem. None of these facts by itself supplies the additional rules needed for an auspicious-time judgement.

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R
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Revati →

Also: Revatī · Revathi · रेवती

The 27th lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit revatī, feminine of revat, wealthy or abundant.

The lexicons connect the word with the wealth vocabulary of rayi. Revatī is also used for other proper names; those namesakes are not automatically the mansion's presiding deity.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The wealthy-word family and a guiding deity are historically attested. The gentle transition reading is an original symbolic application, not proof of a person's destiny.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Rohini →

Also: Rohiṇī · रोहिणी

The 4th lunar mansion in the modern Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. Its Sanskrit name also belongs to a historical named asterism; the atlas locates the Moon in an equal sidereal longitude sector.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit rohiṇī, a feminine form associated with rohita, red.

For the mansion, the dictionary explains the name through the reddish appearance of Aldebaran. It also records rohiṇī as a feminine of rohin, associated with growing; that separate lexical connection should not replace the stated colour explanation of the stellar name.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The name’s colour explanation and cart representation are lexically documented; its deity identity is a ritual association. The dictionary’s multiple meanings do not license treating every word related to growth as the origin of this asterism’s name.

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S
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Shatabhisha →

Also: Shatabhishaj · Shatabhishak · Satabhisha · Śatabhiṣaj · Śatabhiṣā · शतभिषा

The 24th lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit śatabhiṣaj, combining śata, hundred, and bhiṣaj, physician; Śatabhiṣā is an attested variant.

The compact 'hundred physicians' rendering is not the only construction: Monier-Williams gives the sense of requiring that many. The name neither promises healing nor establishes an incurable condition.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The old name and deity association document cultural history. The dictionary also repeats historical medical beliefs; recording a word does not validate those beliefs as medicine.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Shravana →

Also: Sravana · Śravaṇa · श्रवण

The 22nd lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit śravaṇa; familiar as hearing or listening, but also a distinct homonymous dictionary headword.

Monier-Williams separates the hearing word from another śravaṇa entry that contains the mansion name and a limping sense. Listening is therefore a familiar association here, not an uncontested derivation of the astronomical name.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The dictionaries preserve distinct word histories and an asterism association. This entry keeps that uncertainty visible instead of turning an attractive listening theme into a certain historical etymology.

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U
Jyotish · lunar mansions

Uttara Ashadha →

Also: Uttara Ashada · Uttarashadha · Uttarashada · Uttarāṣāḍhā · उत्तराषाढा

The 21st lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit uttara, later, with aṣāḍhā, the paired mansion name.

The pair shares the not-to-be-overcome sense of aṣāḍha. Uttara marks the later member; 'later victory' is a symbolic extension rather than the whole word's literal definition.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

The paired name and collective deity are historical attestations. A reading about cooperation is an interpretive use of them, not an observed effect of lunar longitude.

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Jyotish · lunar mansions

Uttara Bhadrapada →

Also: Uttarabhadrapada · Uttara Bhādrapadā · Uttara Prosthapada · Uttara Proṣṭhapadā · उत्तरभाद्रपदा

The 26th lunar mansion in the Ashwini-first 27-division sequence. The atlas uses its name for an equal sidereal longitude sector; historical star groupings are a related but distinct layer.

Word origin, evidence & sources
Word origin · etymology
Sanskrit uttara, later, with bhadra, auspicious, and pada, foot; Bhādrapadā names the pair.

The paired older name Proṣṭhapadā concerns a stool's foot. That furniture association should not replace Bhādrapadā's distinct wording or become an automatic prediction about funerals.

How we know · epistemology
Lexical attestation, ritual tradition and a stated coordinate convention

Dictionary evidence supports the names and the deity's depth imagery. An inner-life reading is an explicitly symbolic use of that evidence, not a finding about a person's mind.

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