दुर्भिक्ष

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• দুৰ্ভিক্ষ (Assamese script)
• ᬤᬸᬃᬪᬶᬓ᭄ᬱ (Balinese script)
• দুর্ভিক্ষ (Bengali script)
• 𑰟𑰲𑰨𑰿𑰥𑰰𑰎𑰿𑰬 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀤𑀼𑀭𑁆𑀪𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀱 (Brahmi script)
• ဒုရ်္ဘိက္ၑ (Burmese script)
• દુર્ભિક્ષ (Gujarati script)
• ਦੁਰ੍ਭਿਕ੍ਸ਼ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌦𑍁𑌰𑍍𑌭𑌿𑌕𑍍𑌷 (Grantha script)
• ꦢꦸꦂꦨꦶꦏ꧀ꦰ (Javanese script)
• 𑂠𑂳𑂩𑂹𑂦𑂱𑂍𑂹𑂭 (Kaithi script)
• ದುರ್ಭಿಕ್ಷ (Kannada script)
• ទុភ៌ិក្ឞ (Khmer script)
• ທຸຣ຺ຠິກ຺ຩ (Lao script)
• ദുര്ഭിക്ഷ (Malayalam script)
• ᡩᡠᡵᢨᡳᡬᢢᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘟𑘳𑘨𑘿𑘥𑘱𑘎𑘿𑘬 (Modi script)
• ᢑᠤᠷᠪᠾᠢᢉᢔᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦿𑧔𑧈𑧠𑧅𑧒𑦮𑧠𑧌 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐡𑐸𑐬𑑂𑐨𑐶𑐎𑑂𑐲 (Newa script)
• ଦୁର୍ଭିକ୍ଷ (Odia script)
• ꢣꢸꢬ꣄ꢩꢶꢒ꣄ꢰ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆢𑆶𑆫𑇀𑆨𑆴𑆑𑇀𑆰 (Sharada script)
• 𑖟𑖲𑖨𑖿𑖥𑖰𑖎𑖿𑖬 (Siddham script)
• දුර්‍භික්‍ෂ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩭𑩒𑩼 𑪙𑩳𑩑𑩜 𑪙𑪀 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚛𑚰𑚤𑚶𑚡𑚮𑚊𑚶 (Takri script)
• து³ர்பி⁴க்ஷ (Tamil script)
• దుర్భిక్ష (Telugu script)
• ทุรฺภิกฺษ (Thai script)
• དུ་རྦྷི་ཀྵ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒠𑒳𑒩𑓂𑒦𑒱𑒏𑓂𑒭 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨛𑨃𑨫𑩇𑨡𑨁𑨋𑩇𑨯 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *dews-?

Proto-Indo-European *dus-

Proto-Indo-Iranian *duš-

Sanskrit दुस्- (dus-)

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g-

Sanskrit भज् (bhaj)

Sanskrit भिक्ष् (bhikṣ)

Sanskrit -आ (-ā)

Sanskrit भिक्षा (bhikṣā)

Sanskrit दुर्भिक्ष (durbhikṣa)

From दुस्- (dus-, “bad, difficult”) +‎ भिक्षा (bhikṣā, “alms; means of subsistence”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /duɾ.bʱik.ʂɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /d̪uɾ.bʱik.ʂɐ/

Noun

दुर्भिक्ष • (durbhikṣa) stem, n

1. famine

   Synonym: अकाल (akāla)

   • c. 500 BCE – 100 BCE, Rāmāyaṇa 1.1.90:

     प्रहृष्टमुदितो लोकस् तुष्टः पुष्टस् सुधार्मिकः ।
     निरामयो ह्य् अरोगश् च दुर्भिक्षभयवर्जितः ॥

     prahṛṣṭamudito lokas tuṣṭaḥ puṣṭas sudhārmikaḥ.
     nirāmayo hy arogaś ca durbhikṣabhayavarjitaḥ.

     The world was happy and rejoicing, contended and nourished, righteous, healthy and devoid of disease, and free from fear of famine.

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of दुर्भिक्ष

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	दुर्भिक्षम् (durbhikṣam)	दुर्भिक्षे (durbhikṣe)	दुर्भिक्षाणि (durbhikṣāṇi) दुर्भिक्षा¹ (durbhikṣā¹)
vocative	दुर्भिक्ष (durbhikṣa)	दुर्भिक्षे (durbhikṣe)	दुर्भिक्षाणि (durbhikṣāṇi) दुर्भिक्षा¹ (durbhikṣā¹)
accusative	दुर्भिक्षम् (durbhikṣam)	दुर्भिक्षे (durbhikṣe)	दुर्भिक्षाणि (durbhikṣāṇi) दुर्भिक्षा¹ (durbhikṣā¹)
instrumental	दुर्भिक्षेण (durbhikṣeṇa)	दुर्भिक्षाभ्याम् (durbhikṣābhyām)	दुर्भिक्षैः (durbhikṣaiḥ) दुर्भिक्षेभिः¹ (durbhikṣebhiḥ¹)
dative	दुर्भिक्षाय (durbhikṣāya)	दुर्भिक्षाभ्याम् (durbhikṣābhyām)	दुर्भिक्षेभ्यः (durbhikṣebhyaḥ)
ablative	दुर्भिक्षात् (durbhikṣāt)	दुर्भिक्षाभ्याम् (durbhikṣābhyām)	दुर्भिक्षेभ्यः (durbhikṣebhyaḥ)
genitive	दुर्भिक्षस्य (durbhikṣasya)	दुर्भिक्षयोः (durbhikṣayoḥ)	दुर्भिक्षाणाम् (durbhikṣāṇām)
locative	दुर्भिक्षे (durbhikṣe)	दुर्भिक्षयोः (durbhikṣayoḥ)	दुर्भिक्षेषु (durbhikṣeṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• Pali: dubbhikkha
• Prakrit: 𑀤𑀼𑀩𑁆𑀪𑀺𑀓𑁆𑀔 (dubbhikkha)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “दुर्भिक्ष”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 486, column 2.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “durbhikṣa”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “durbhikṣa”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 368