गन्धर्व

Sanskrit

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

(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.
(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.
a sage, religious man
horse
Synonym: अश्व (áśva)
- c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 3
a male given name

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of गन्धर्व
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	गन्धर्वः (gandharváḥ)	गन्धर्वौ (gandharvaú) गन्धर्वा¹ (gandharvā́¹)	गन्धर्वाः (gandharvā́ḥ) गन्धर्वासः¹ (gandharvā́saḥ¹)
vocative	गन्धर्व (gándharva)	गन्धर्वौ (gándharvau) गन्धर्वा¹ (gándharvā¹)	गन्धर्वाः (gándharvāḥ) गन्धर्वासः¹ (gándharvāsaḥ¹)
accusative	गन्धर्वम् (gandharvám)	गन्धर्वौ (gandharvaú) गन्धर्वा¹ (gandharvā́¹)	गन्धर्वान् (gandharvā́n)
instrumental	गन्धर्वेण (gandharvéṇa)	गन्धर्वाभ्याम् (gandharvā́bhyām)	गन्धर्वैः (gandharvaíḥ) गन्धर्वेभिः¹ (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)

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