प्रभा

See also: प्रभु

Hindi

Alternative forms

• परभा (parbhā)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit प्रभा (prabhā́). Cognate with Marathi प्रभा (prabhā), Nepali प्रभा (prabhā) and Telugu ప్రభ (prabha).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /pɾə.bʱɑː/, [pɾɐ.bʱäː]

Noun

प्रभा • (prabhā) f (Urdu spelling پِرَبھا)

1. light, brilliance, splendour, lustre

   Synonyms: प्रकाश (prakāś), कांति (kānti), तेज (tej), चमक (camak)

2. personification of light

Declension

Declension of प्रभा (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	प्रभा prabhā	प्रभाएँ prabhāẽ
oblique	प्रभा prabhā	प्रभाओं prabhāõ
vocative	प्रभा prabhā	प्रभाओ prabhāo

Proper noun

प्रभा • (prabhā) f (Urdu spelling پِرَبھا)

1. a female given name, Prabha, from Sanskrit

Further reading

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “प्रभा”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha
• Platts, John T. (1884) “प्रभा”, in A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English, London: W. H. Allen & Co.
• “پِرَبھا”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “प्रभा”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

Marathi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit प्रभा (prabhā́). Cognate with Hindustani پِرَبھا (pirabhā) / प्रभा (prabhā), Nepali प्रभा (prabhā) and Telugu ప్రభ (prabha). First attested as Old Marathi प्रभा (prabhā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾə.bʱa/

Noun

प्रभा • (prabhā) f

1. light, brilliance, splendour, lustre

Further reading

• दाते, यशवंत रामकृष्ण [Date, Yashwant Ramkrishna] (1932-1950) “प्रभा”, in महाराष्ट्र शब्दकोश (mahārāṣṭra śabdakoś) (in Marathi), पुणे [Pune]: महाराष्ट्र कोशमंडळ (mahārāṣṭra kośmaṇḍaḷ).
• Molesworth, James Thomas (1857) “प्रभा”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press

Nepali

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit प्रभा (prabhā́). Cognate with Hindustani پِرَبھا (pirabhā) / प्रभा (prabhā), Marathi प्रभा (prabhā) and Telugu ప్రభ (prabha).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [prʌbä]
• Phonetic Devanagari: प्रबा

Noun

प्रभा • (prabhā)

1. light, brilliance, splendour, lustre

Declension

Declension of प्रभा
	Singular	Plural
nominative	प्रभा [prʌbä]	प्रभाहरू [prʌbä̤ːɾu]
accusative	प्रभालाई [prʌbäläi]	प्रभाहरूलाई [prʌbä̤ːɾuläi]
instrumental/ergative	प्रभाले [prʌbäle]	प्रभाहरूले [prʌbä̤ːɾule]
dative	प्रभालाई [prʌbäläi]	प्रभाहरूलाई [prʌbä̤ːɾuläi]
ablative	प्रभाबाट [prʌbäbäʈʌ]	प्रभाहरूबाट [prʌbä̤ːɾubäʈʌ]
genitive	प्रभाको [prʌbäko]	प्रभाहरूको [prʌbä̤ːɾuko]
locative	प्रभामा [prʌbämä]	प्रभाहरूमा [prʌbä̤ːɾumä]
Notes: -को (-ko) becomes: -का (-kā) when followed by a plural noun. -की (-kī) when followed by a feminine noun.

Further reading

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1931) “प्रभा”, in A comparative and etymological dictionary of the Nepali language, London: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner

Old Marathi

Noun

प्रभा (prabhā) f

1. Devanagari script form of 𑘢𑘿𑘨𑘥𑘰

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• প্ৰভা (Assamese script)
• ᬧ᭄ᬭᬪᬵ (Balinese script)
• প্রভা (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰿𑰨𑰥𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀪𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ပြဘာ (Burmese script)
• પ્રભા (Gujarati script)
• ਪ੍ਰਭਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌭𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦥꦿꦨꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂣𑂹𑂩𑂦𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಪ್ರಭಾ (Kannada script)
• ប្រភា (Khmer script)
• ປ຺ຣຠາ (Lao script)
• പ്രഭാ (Malayalam script)
• ᢒᡵᠠᢨᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘢𑘿𑘨𑘥𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᢒᠷᠠᠪᠾᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧂𑧠𑧈𑧅𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑑂𑐬𑐨𑐵 (Newa script)
• ପ୍ରଭା (Odia script)
• ꢦ꣄ꢬꢩꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑇀𑆫𑆨𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖿𑖨𑖥𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ප්‍රභා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩰 𑪙𑩼𑩳𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚞𑚶𑚤𑚡𑚭 (Takri script)
• ப்ரப⁴ா (Tamil script)
• ప్రభా (Telugu script)
• ปฺรภา (Thai script)
• པྲ་བྷཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑓂𑒩𑒦𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨞𑩇𑨫𑨡𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *pro- + *bʰeh₂-. By surface analysis, प्र- (pra-) +‎ भा (bhā).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɾɐ.bʱɑ́ː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾɐ.bʱɑː/

Noun

प्रभा • (prabhā́) stem, f

1. light, brilliance, radiance, splendour, lustre, luminosity
   • c. 400 BCE, Bhagavad Gītā 7.8:

     रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि शशिसूर्ययोः। प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु॥

     rasoʼhamapsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśisūryayoḥ. praṇavaḥ sarvavedeṣu śabdaḥ khe pauruṣaṃ nṛṣu.

     O son of Kuntī, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable oṁ in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man.

   • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 10.85.7:

     कान्तिस्तेज: प्रभा सत्ता चन्द्राग्‍न्यर्कर्क्षविद्युताम्। यत्स्थैर्यं भूभृतां भूमेर्वृत्तिर्गन्धोऽर्थतो भवान्॥

     kāntisteja: prabhā sattā candrāg‍nyarkarkṣavidyutām. yatsthairyaṃ bhūbhṛtāṃ bhūmervṛttirgandhoʼrthato bhavān.

     The glow of the moon, the brilliance of fire, the radiance of the sun, the twinkling of the stars, the flash of lightning, the permanence of mountains and the aroma and sustaining power of the earth — all these are actually you.

2. beautiful appearance
3. sunlight

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:सूर्यकान्ति

   • c. 700 CE – 900 CE, Bhāgavata Purāṇa 4.31.16:

     एतत्पदं तज्जगदात्मनः परं सकृद्विभातं सवितुर्यथा प्रभा। यथासवो जाग्रति सुप्तशक्तयो द्रव्यक्रियाज्ञानभिदाभ्रमात्ययः॥

     etatpadaṃ tajjagadātmanaḥ paraṃ sakṛdvibhātaṃ savituryathā prabhā. yathāsavo jāgrati suptaśaktayo dravyakriyājñānabhidābhramātyayaḥ.

     Just as the sunshine is nondifferent from the sun, the cosmic manifestation is also nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality is therefore all-pervasive within this material creation. When the senses are active, they appear to be part and parcel of the body, but when the body is asleep, their activities are unmanifest. Similarly, the whole cosmic creation appears different and yet nondifferent from the Supreme Person.

4. the shadow of the gnomon on a sundial

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of प्रभा

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	प्रभा (prabhā́)	प्रभे (prabhé)	प्रभाः (prabhā́ḥ)
vocative	प्रभे (prábhe)	प्रभे (prábhe)	प्रभाः (prábhāḥ)
accusative	प्रभाम् (prabhā́m)	प्रभे (prabhé)	प्रभाः (prabhā́ḥ)
instrumental	प्रभया (prabháyā) प्रभा¹ (prabhā́¹)	प्रभाभ्याम् (prabhā́bhyām)	प्रभाभिः (prabhā́bhiḥ)
dative	प्रभायै (prabhā́yai)	प्रभाभ्याम् (prabhā́bhyām)	प्रभाभ्यः (prabhā́bhyaḥ)
ablative	प्रभायाः (prabhā́yāḥ) प्रभायै² (prabhā́yai²)	प्रभाभ्याम् (prabhā́bhyām)	प्रभाभ्यः (prabhā́bhyaḥ)
genitive	प्रभायाः (prabhā́yāḥ) प्रभायै² (prabhā́yai²)	प्रभयोः (prabháyoḥ)	प्रभाणाम् (prabhā́ṇām)
locative	प्रभायाम् (prabhā́yām)	प्रभयोः (prabháyoḥ)	प्रभासु (prabhā́su)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Derived terms

• प्रभाकर (prabhākara)
• प्रभाकीट (prabhākīṭa)
• प्रभाञ्जन (prabhāñjana)
• प्रभातरल (prabhātarala)
• प्रभापल्लवित (prabhāpallavita)
• प्रभाप्ररोह (prabhāpraroha)
• प्रभामय (prabhāmaya)
• प्रभालेपिन् (prabhālepin)
• प्रभावत् (prabhāvat)

Descendants

Terms inherited from प्रभा (prabhā́)

• Pali: pabhā
• Prakrit: 𑀧𑀪𑀸 (pabhā), 𑀧𑀳𑀸 (pahā)
  • Magadhi Prakrit:
    • Assamese: পুৱা (pua)
  • Sauraseni Prakrit:
    • Hindustani:

      Hindi: पोह (poh)

      Urdu: پوہ (poh)

Learned borrowings from प्रभा (prabhā́)

• Bengali: প্রভা (probha)
• Hindustani: prabhā

  Hindi: प्रभा

  Urdu: پِرَبھا (pirabhā)

• Old Marathi: prabhā

  Modi script: 𑘢𑘿𑘨𑘥𑘰

  Devanagari script: प्रभा

  • Marathi: प्रभा (prabhā)
• Nepali: प्रभा (prabhā)
• Old Javanese: prabhā
  • > Javanese: ꦥꦿꦧ (praba) (inherited)
    • → Indonesian: praba
• Odia: ପ୍ରଭା (prabhā)
• Telugu: ప్రభ (prabha)

Root

प्रभा • (prabhā)

1. to shine forth, begin to become light, shine, gleam
2. to appear, seem, look like
3. to illuminate, enlighten

Derived terms

Sanskrit terms belonging to the root प्रभा (0 c, 3 e)

Terms derived from the Sanskrit root प्रभा (9 c, 0 e)

Primary Verbal Forms

• प्रभाति (prabhāti, Present)
• प्रबभौ (prababhau, Perfect)

Non-Finite Forms

• प्रभात (prabhāta, Past Participle)

Derived Nominal Forms

• प्रभा (prabhā́)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “प्रभा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 683, column 3.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “प्रभा”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “प्रभा”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “prabhāˊ”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “prabhā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.