उपानह्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• উপানহ্ (Assamese script)
• ᬉᬧᬵᬦᬳ᭄ (Balinese script)
• উপানহ্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰄𑰢𑰯𑰡𑰮𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀉𑀧𑀸𑀦𑀳𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• ဥပါနဟ် (Burmese script)
• ઉપાનહ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਉਪਾਨਹ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌉𑌪𑌾𑌨𑌹𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦈꦥꦴꦤꦲ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂇𑂣𑂰𑂢𑂯𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಉಪಾನಹ್ (Kannada script)
• ឧបានហ៑ (Khmer script)
• ອຸປານຫ຺ (Lao script)
• ഉപാനഹ് (Malayalam script)
• ᡠᢒᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠨᠠᡥ (Manchu script)
• 𑘄𑘢𑘰𑘡𑘮𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠤᢒᠠᢗᠨᠠᠾ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦤𑧂𑧑𑧁𑧎𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐄𑐥𑐵𑐣𑐴𑑂 (Newa script)
• ଉପାନହ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢆꢦꢵꢥꢲ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆇𑆥𑆳𑆤𑆲𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖄𑖢𑖯𑖡𑖮𑖿 (Siddham script)
• උපානහ් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩐𑩒𑩰𑩛𑩯𑪂 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚄𑚞𑚭𑚝𑚩𑚶 (Takri script)
• உபாநஹ் (Tamil script)
• ఉపానహ్ (Telugu script)
• อุปานหฺ (Thai script)
• ཨུ་པཱ་ན་ཧ྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒅𑒣𑒰𑒢𑒯𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨀𑨃𑨞𑨊𑨝𑨱𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *upó

Sanskrit उप (upa)

Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hnadʰ-

Sanskrit उपानह् (upānah)

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *upaHnádʰ- (“that which is tied below”), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *upa- (“under, below”) +‎ *Hnadʰ- (“to tie, to bind”). By surface analysis, उप (upa, “under, below”) +‎ नह् (nah, “to bind”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬯𐬐𐬀 (naska, “bundle”), 𐬥𐬀𐬜𐬀 (naδa, “headgear”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /u.pɑː.nɐ́ɦ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /u.pɑː.n̪ɐɦ/

Noun

उपानह् • (upānáh) stem, f

1. a shoe, sandal
   • c. 1200 BCE – 800 BCE, Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda (Taittirīya Saṃhitā) V.4.4.4:

     ...मृत्युर् वा एष यद् अग्निः । ब्रह्मण एतद् रूपं यत् कृष्णाजिनम् । कार्ष्णी उपानहाव् उप मुञ्चते ब्रह्मणैव मृत्योर् अन्तर् धत्ते...

     ...mṛtyúr vā́ eṣá yád agníḥ. bráhmaṇa etád rūpáṃ yát kṛṣṇājinám. kā́rṣṇī upānáhāv úpa muñcate bráhmaṇaivá mṛtyór antár dhatte...

     ...the fire [represents] death; the black antelope skin [represents] holy power; he puts on a pair of sandals made of black antelope skin; verily by the holy power he shuts himself away from death...

Declension

The final -ह् (-h) of the root नह् (nah) normally reverts to a dental. In this case, conversion to a retroflex also occurs.

Feminine root-stem declension of उपानह्

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	उपानत् (upānát)	उपानहौ (upānáhau) उपानहा¹ (upānáhā¹)	उपानहः (upānáhaḥ)
vocative	उपानत् (úpānat)	उपानहौ (úpānahau) उपानहा¹ (úpānahā¹)	उपानहः (úpānahaḥ)
accusative	उपानहम् (upānáham)	उपानहौ (upānáhau) उपानहा¹ (upānáhā¹)	उपानहः (upānáhaḥ)
instrumental	उपानहा (upānáhā)	उपानद्भ्याम् (upānádbhyām)	उपानद्भिः (upānádbhiḥ)
dative	उपानहे (upānáhe)	उपानद्भ्याम् (upānádbhyām)	उपानद्भ्यः (upānádbhyaḥ)
ablative	उपानहः (upānáhaḥ)	उपानद्भ्याम् (upānádbhyām)	उपानद्भ्यः (upānádbhyaḥ)
genitive	उपानहः (upānáhaḥ)	उपानहोः (upānáhoḥ)	उपानहाम् (upānáhām)
locative	उपानहि (upānáhi)	उपानहोः (upānáhoḥ)	उपानत्सु (upānátsu)

• ¹Vedic

Feminine root-stem declension of उपानह्

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	उपानट् (upānáṭ)	उपानहौ (upānáhau) उपानहा¹ (upānáhā¹)	उपानहः (upānáhaḥ)
vocative	उपानट् (úpānaṭ)	उपानहौ (úpānahau) उपानहा¹ (úpānahā¹)	उपानहः (úpānahaḥ)
accusative	उपानहम् (upānáham)	उपानहौ (upānáhau) उपानहा¹ (upānáhā¹)	उपानहः (upānáhaḥ)
instrumental	उपानहा (upānáhā)	उपानड्भ्याम् (upānáḍbhyām)	उपानड्भिः (upānáḍbhiḥ)
dative	उपानहे (upānáhe)	उपानड्भ्याम् (upānáḍbhyām)	उपानड्भ्यः (upānáḍbhyaḥ)
ablative	उपानहः (upānáhaḥ)	उपानड्भ्याम् (upānáḍbhyām)	उपानड्भ्यः (upānáḍbhyaḥ)
genitive	उपानहः (upānáhaḥ)	उपानहोः (upānáhoḥ)	उपानहाम् (upānáhām)
locative	उपानहि (upānáhi)	उपानहोः (upānáhoḥ)	उपानट्सु (upānáṭsu)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• उपानह (upānaha)
• चरणोपानह् (caraṇopānah)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Gawar-Bati: پاݨے (pāṇē, “sandals”)
• Pali: upāhanā
• Prakrit: 𑀉𑀯𑀸𑀡𑀳𑀸 (uvāṇahā), 𑀉𑀯𑀸𑀡𑀬𑀸 (uvāṇayā), 𑀉𑀯𑀸𑀳𑀡𑀸 (uvāhaṇā), 𑀧𑀸𑀡𑀳𑀸 (pāṇahā), 𑀧𑀸𑀳𑀡𑀸 (pāhaṇā), 𑀯𑀸𑀳𑀡𑀸 (vāhaṇā), 𑀯𑀸𑀡𑀳𑀸 (vāṇahā)
  • Central:
    • Hindi: पनही (panhī, “shoe”), पनहिया (panhiyā)
  • Eastern:
    • Bhojpuri: पनही (panᵊhī)
    • Middle Bengali: পানই (panoi)
    • Assamese: পানই (panoi)
  • Northwestern:
    • Punjabi: ਪਾਹਣ (pāhaṇ, “shoe”)
  • Southern:
    • Konkani: व्हाण (vhāṇ, “sandal”)
    • Marathi: वहाण (vahāṇ, “sandal”)
    • Sinhalese: වහන (wahana, “sandal, shoe”)
  • Western:
    • Old Gujarati: वाणही (vāṇahī, “shoe, sandal”)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “उपानह्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 213.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “upānah”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “उपानह्”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 472
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “उपानह्”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 54
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “upānáh”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 108