Sanskrit is an ancient South Asian language that is part of the Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-European languages. It originated in South Asia after the vernacular had spread as far northwest as the end of the Bronze Age.
Sanskrit is the mother of many languages currently used in India. Sanskrit is spoken by around 2 million people around the world.
Learning a new language is said to be like a spiritual journey in which we discover another culture. Learning the ancient Indian language Sanskrit and knowing about its beauty is an added benefit.
Sanskrit Words with Meanings
Following is the list of beautiful Sanskrit words with meanings:
- Ahimsa: Nonviolence non harm
- Ananda: Bliss; the highest state of being
- Asana: Seat; posture
- Ashtanga: The eight limbed, eight part. Holistic practice of yoga
- Avidya: Ignorance; the absence of knowledge
- Abhay: meaning “without fear or fearless”.
- Achintya: means “something which is beyond comprehensible”. Vedas reveal Lord Shiva was also known as Achintya.
- Aparna: refers to the Goddess Parvati. Aparna Sen is a famous Bengali actress and filmmaker.
- Aarti: meaning “hymns sung in honor of God with lamps in hand”. In Hindu tradition Gods and Goddess are worshipped in this procedure.
- Ananya: meaning “graceful, gracious and inexhaustible”. Ananya is a popular Sanskrit baby name in the Hindu culture.
- Adhrit: meaning “who doesn’t require support of others”. This name refers to Lord Vishnu.
- Akhil: meaning “sun, king, whole”. Akhil is a common name in India.
- Alok: meaning “someone who transcends the worlds”. This name is a direct reference to Lord Shiva.
- Ananth: meaning “one which is endless”. Ananth is another name of Lord Vishnu.
- Aniket: meaning “Lord of homelessness and lord of the world”. This is another name of Lord Shiva.
- Ashutosh: meaning “someone who is constantly happy and content”. This is another name for Lord Shiva.
- Bhairav: meaning “someone who is formidable in nature and has vanquished all his fears”. ‘Bhairav and Kaal-Bhairav’ are different avatars of Lord Shiva.
- Bhakti: Unwavering devotion; faith without question
- Bhavya: meaning “splendid or grand”. This is another name for Goddess Parvati.
- Brahma nadi: Central energetic channel inside each being connecting human experience to universal consciousness
- Bharat: refers to the brother of Lord Ram. It is assumed that Bharat, the Hindi word for India, is taken from this name.
- Citta: The emotional or feeling component of mind
- Chiranjeev: means “immortal”. Lord Shiva is known by this name.
- Chaitra: meaning “the beginning”. Chaitra refers to the first month of the Indian calendar.
- Diya: meaning “lamp”. Diya is an ancient Sanskrit name. Baby names like Diya are common in India
- Devanagari: The left to right ancient script
- Dhyana: Meditation
- Drishti: Vision beyond the literal
- Darshan: meaning “Vision”. Darshan is also the name of a God in Hindu mythology.
- Deepak: meaning “a lamp shining brightly”.
- Esha: meaning “pure”. Esha refers to the Goddess Parvati.
- Gauri: refers to Goddess Durga or Goddess Parvati.
- Guru: Spiritual teacher
- Gaurav: meaning “honorable, respectful and pride”. Sanskrit baby boy names like Gaurav are famous in India.
- Garud: meaning “bird king”. This falcon bird from mythology is the carrier of Lord Vishnu.
- Girish: meaning “lord of mountains and the lord of speech”. This refers to Lord Shiva.
- Gopal: meaning “the cowherd or the protector of cows”. This is also another name of Lord Krishna who is an Avatar of Lord Vishnu.
- Govind: meaning “one who protects and guards cows”. Govinda refers to Lord Vishnu.
- Gyanendra: meaning “knowledgeable”. ‘Gyan’ means “knowledge”, so someone who possesses knowledge is known as ‘Gyanendra’
- Hemang: means “having a shimmery body”. This name refers to Lord Vishnu.
- Hema: refers to Goddess Laxmi the Hindu Goddess of Wealth. Hema is a cool Sanskrit baby name.
- Hima: means “snow”.
- Ila: means “the Earth”. Ila is a popular name in India.
- Ira: refers to the Goddess of Learning, Saraswati. Ira is a famous and popular name in India.
- Ishwari: meaning “powerful or a Goddess”.
- Indrani: refers to the wife of Lord Indra. Lord Indra was the King of the Hindu Gods.
- Indira: refers to Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth.
- Japa: Repetitive chanting
- Janaki: meaning “daughter of Janak”. Janaki refers to Sita, wife of Lord Ram and daughter of King Janak.
- Jaya: meaning “victory”. Previously the Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’ was known as ‘Jaya’.
- Jyoti: means “flame”. Jyoti can be a nice baby girl name.
- Jnana: Knowledge; deep understanding
- Kosha: Sheath; covering of the soul
- Kundalini: A coil of energy when awakened is approximated to rise up from the base of the spine
- Kaushal: meaning “clever”. Sanskrit baby boy names like these are found in abundance in Hindu culture.
- Lokesh: means “the king of the world”. Lokesh Rahul is a famous Indian cricketer
- Lalita: means “a beautiful woman”.
- Madanah: means “the God of love”. ‘Madan’ or ‘Madanah’ is often referred to for the Lord Shiva.
- Madhav: means “the husband of Goddess Mahalakshmi”. ‘Madhav’ means Lord Vishnu.
- Madhusudan: means “the one who has killed the demon Madhu”. This name refers to Lord Vishnu. Michael Madhusudan Dutta was a famous Bengali poet
- Mahadeva: meaning “the great divine, the lord who is above everyone else”. ‘Mahadev’ is the other name of Lord Shiva.
- Manik: means “jewel”. Baby boy names like Manik can also be used as nicknames.
- Mantra: An intentional grouping of Sanskrit words believed to have spiritual powers
- Mandala: An area to establish the sacred space for ritual
- Mudra: Symbolic gesture or hand position
- Namaste: A gesture of touching the palms together usually at the center of one’s chest or at the third eye point between the eyebrows to honor the divine in one another
- Nirodhah: Restrictions; taming; discipline
- Niyama: A set of practices that allow us to open towards self-purification
- Nilakanth: meaning “blue throat”.
- Om (aum): The sacred sound of everything; universe
- Paarth: means “king of the Earth”. Paarth is another name of Arjun, one of the Pandavas of the epic ‘Mahabharata’.
- Parnika: meaning ‘ a small leaf’. This is another name of goddess parvati
- Prajna: Highest consciousness, highest awareness
- Prana: The force of life
- Pranayama: Conscious control and direction of breathing, which contains powerful vital energy
- Pratyahara: With-drawl from the physical senses
- Paarthiv:means “son of Earth or the Prince of Earth”. Lord Vishnu is often referred to as ‘Paarthiv’.
- Param: meaning “supreme being” which refers to Lord Shiva. This is cool Sanskrit baby boy name.
- Pashupati: meaning “the Lord of all living beings and animals”. Lord Shiva is called ‘Pashupati’.
- Prathamesh: refers to Lord Ganesha. This is an ancient baby boy name.
- Rajeev: meaning “blue colored Lotus”. ‘Rajeev’ is a very common baby boy name in India.
- Rudra: refers to the God of Storms and the most fearsome form of Lord Shiva.
- Radha: refers to the lover of Lord Krishna. The love tale of Lord Krishna and Radha is very famous in the Hindu tradition.
- Rashmi: meaning “ray of light, moonlight, sunlight”. Rashmi is a popular name in India.
- Samadhi: A state of complete union through meditation or death
- Samskara: Our developed habits, impressions
- Satya: Truthfulness in everyday life
- Shakti: Power; divine feminine energy of creating
- Sutra: Thread; string; a spiritual teaching within the fabric of many teachings
- Sarvajit: means “someone who has conquered all”. This can be a lovely name for your baby.
- Shambhu: meaning “the source of happiness and the abode of Lord Shiva”. Shambhu is another name of Lord Shiva.
- Trilokpati: meaning “the master of the three words”. It refers to Lord Shiva.
- Tapas: Austerity; heat building
- Viveka: Clear sight
- Vinay: meaning “good manners and humble”. Vinay is an ancient Sanskrit baby boy name.
- Virendra: meaning “warrior or warrior King”. Sanskrit baby boy names like these are very popular.
- Yama: A set of practices that allow us to practice moral restraint toward liberation
- Yantra: A geometric diagram to invoke spiritual awakening
- Yoga: Yoke; bind; union
We hope that this extensive list will give you a nice introduction to the world’s oldest language.
It is important to note that knowledge of Sanskrit will prove to be a major advantage if you are planning to learn other Indian languages, such as Bengali and Hindi.
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