गन्धर्व

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• গন্ধৰ্ব (Assamese script)
• ᬕᬦ᭄ᬥᬃᬯ (Balinese script)
• গন্ধর্ব (Bengali script)
• 𑰐𑰡𑰿𑰠𑰨𑰿𑰪 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀕𑀦𑁆𑀥𑀭𑁆𑀯 (Brahmi script)
• ဂန္ဓရွ (Burmese script)
• ગન્ધર્વ (Gujarati script)
• ਗਨ੍ਧਰ੍ਵ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌗𑌨𑍍𑌧𑌰𑍍𑌵 (Grantha script)
• ꦒꦤ꧀ꦣꦂꦮ (Javanese script)
• 𑂏𑂢𑂹𑂡𑂩𑂹𑂫 (Kaithi script)
• ಗನ್ಧರ್ವ (Kannada script)
• គន្ធវ៌ (Khmer script)
• ຄນ຺ຘຣ຺ວ (Lao script)
• ഗന്ധര്വ (Malayalam script)
• ᡤᠠᠨᢡᠠᡵᠣᠸᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘐𑘡𑘿𑘠𑘨𑘿𑘪 (Modi script)
• ᠺᠠᠨᢑᠾᠠᠷᢦ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦰𑧁𑧠𑧀𑧈𑧠𑧊 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐐𑐣𑑂𑐢𑐬𑑂𑐰 (Newa script)
• ଗନ୍ଧର୍ଵ (Odia script)
• ꢔꢥ꣄ꢤꢬ꣄ꢮ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆓𑆤𑇀𑆣𑆫𑇀𑆮 (Sharada script)
• 𑖐𑖡𑖿𑖠𑖨𑖿𑖪 (Siddham script)
• ගන්‍ධර්‍ව (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩞𑩯 𑪙𑩮𑩼 𑪙𑩾 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚌𑚝𑚶𑚜𑚤𑚶𑚦 (Takri script)
• க³ந்த⁴ர்வ (Tamil script)
• గన్ధర్వ (Telugu script)
• คนฺธรฺว (Thai script)
• ག་ནྡྷ་རྭ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒑𑒢𑓂𑒡𑒩𑓂𑒫 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨍𑨝𑩇𑨜𑨫𑩇𑨭 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *gandʰarwás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *g(ʰ)andʰarwás ~ *g(ʰ)andʰarbʰás, ultimately likely from a BMAC substrate. Cognate with Younger Avestan 𐬔𐬀𐬧𐬛𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬡𐬀 (gaṇdər^əβa), 𐬔𐬀𐬧𐬛𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬡𐬀 (gaṇdar^əβa). Compare also Ancient Greek Κένταυρος (Kéntauros), to which it is often likened.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡɐn.dʱɐɾ.ʋɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɡɐn̪ˈd̪ʱɐɾ.ʋɐ/

Noun

गन्धर्व • (gandharvá) stem, m

1. (Hinduism, Buddhism) a gandharva (one of a class of male heavenly beings, famed singers and guardians of soma)
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 9.86.36:

     सप्त स्वसारो अभि मातरः शिशुं नवं जज्ञानं जेन्यं विपश्चितम् ।
     अपां गन्धर्वं दिव्यं नृचक्षसं सोमं विश्वस्य भुवनस्य राजसे ॥

     sapta svasāro abhi mātaraḥ śiśuṃ navaṃ jajñānaṃ jenyaṃ vipaścitam.
     apāṃ gandharvaṃ divyaṃ nṛcakṣasaṃ somaṃ viśvasya bhuvanasya rājase.

     The Sisters Seven, the Mothers, stand around the Babe, the noble, new-born Infant, skilled in holy song,
     Gandharva of the floods, divine, beholding men, Soma, that he may reign as King of all the world.

2. (figurative) a skilled singer, bard
   • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 1.11.20:

     नटनर्तकगन्धर्वाः सूत मागध वन्दिनः ।
     गायन्ति चोत्तमश्लोक चरितानि अद्‍भुतानि च ॥

     naṭanartakagandharvāḥ sūta māgadha vandinaḥ.
     gāyanti cottamaśloka caritāni ad‍bhutāni ca.

3. a sage, religious man
4. horse

   Synonym: अश्व (áśva)

   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 3
5. a male given name

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of गन्धर्व (gandharvá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	गन्धर्वः gandharváḥ	गन्धर्वौ / गन्धर्वा¹ gandharvaú / gandharvā́¹	गन्धर्वाः / गन्धर्वासः¹ gandharvā́ḥ / gandharvā́saḥ¹
Vocative	गन्धर्व gándharva	गन्धर्वौ / गन्धर्वा¹ gándharvau / gándharvā¹	गन्धर्वाः / गन्धर्वासः¹ gándharvāḥ / gándharvāsaḥ¹
Accusative	गन्धर्वम् gandharvám	गन्धर्वौ / गन्धर्वा¹ gandharvaú / gandharvā́¹	गन्धर्वान् gandharvā́n
Instrumental	गन्धर्वेण gandharvéṇa	गन्धर्वाभ्याम् gandharvā́bhyām	गन्धर्वैः / गन्धर्वेभिः¹ gandharvaíḥ / gandharvébhiḥ¹
Dative	गन्धर्वाय gandharvā́ya	गन्धर्वाभ्याम् gandharvā́bhyām	गन्धर्वेभ्यः gandharvébhyaḥ
Ablative	गन्धर्वात् gandharvā́t	गन्धर्वाभ्याम् gandharvā́bhyām	गन्धर्वेभ्यः gandharvébhyaḥ
Genitive	गन्धर्वस्य gandharvásya	गन्धर्वयोः gandharváyoḥ	गन्धर्वाणाम् gandharvā́ṇām
Locative	गन्धर्वे gandharvé	गन्धर्वयोः gandharváyoḥ	गन्धर्वेषु gandharvéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Pali: gandhabba
• Prakrit: 𑀕𑀁𑀥𑀯𑁆𑀯 (gaṃdhavva)
• → Old Javanese: gandharwa
  • Javanese: ꦒꦤ꧀ꦢꦂꦮ (gandarwa)
    • → Indonesian: gêndêruwo
  • → Balinese: ᬕᬦ᭄ᬥᬃᬯ᭄ᬯ (gandarwa)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “गन्धर्व”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 346.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “gandharva”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press