भोक्तृ

Sanskrit

FWOTD – 1 March 2022

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ভোক্তৃ (Assamese script)
• ᬪᭀᬓ᭄ᬢᬺ (Balinese script)
• ভোক্তৃ (Bengali script)
• 𑰥𑰺𑰎𑰿𑰝𑰴 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀪𑁄𑀓𑁆𑀢𑀾 (Brahmi script)
• ဘောက္တၖ (Burmese script)
• ભોક્તૃ (Gujarati script)
• ਭੋਕ੍ਤ੍ਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌭𑍋𑌕𑍍𑌤𑍃 (Grantha script)
• ꦨꦺꦴꦏ꧀ꦠꦽ (Javanese script)
• 𑂦𑂷𑂍𑂹𑂞𑃂 (Kaithi script)
• ಭೋಕ್ತೃ (Kannada script)
• ភោក្ត្ឫ (Khmer script)
• ໂຠກ຺ຕ຺ຣິ (Lao script)
• ഭോക്തൃ (Malayalam script)
• ᢨᠣᡬᢠᡵᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘥𑘻𑘎𑘿𑘝𑘵 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠾᠣᠸᠠᢉᢐᠷᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧅𑧜𑦮𑧠𑦽𑧖 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐨𑑀𑐎𑑂𑐟𑐺 (Newa script)
• ଭୋକ୍ତୃ (Odia script)
• ꢩꣂꢒ꣄ꢡꢺ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆨𑆾𑆑𑇀𑆠𑆸 (Sharada script)
• 𑖥𑖺𑖎𑖿𑖝𑖴 (Siddham script)
• භොක‍්තෘ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩳𑩕𑩜 𑪙𑩫𑩙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚡𑚴𑚊𑚶𑚙 (Takri script)
• பே⁴ாக்த்ரி (Tamil script)
• భోక్తృ (Telugu script)
• โภกฺตฺฤ (Thai script)
• བྷོ་ཀྟྲྀ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒦𑒼𑒏𑓂𑒞𑒵 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨡𑨆𑨋𑩇𑨙𑨼𑨉 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From the root भुज् (bhuj, “to eat; enjoy, feel”) +‎ -तृ (-tṛ).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bʱɐwk.tr̩/, [bʱɐwk̚.tr̩]
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /bʱoːk.t̪r̩/, [bʱoːk̚.t̪r̩]

Noun

भोक्तृ • (bhoktṛ) stem, m (feminine भोक्त्री)

1. (also figuratively) eater (one who eats)

   Synonyms: अत्तृ (attṛ), अशितृ (aśitṛ), अश्मन् (aśman), भक्षक (bhakṣaka), खादक (khādaka), खादितृ (khāditṛ)

   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 3.188.25.1:

     पिता पुत्रस्य भोक्ता च पितुः पुत्रस्तथैव च ।

     pitā putrasya bhoktā ca pituḥ putrastathaiva ca.

     A father is the eater of his son, and similarly the son is the food.

   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata 12.136.160.1:

     अहमन्नं भवान् भोक्ता दुर्बलोऽहं भवान् बली ।

     ahamannaṃ bhavān bhoktā durbaloʼhaṃ bhavān balī.

     I am your prey and you are the eater; I am weak, you are mighty.

   • c. 800 CE – 950 CE, Nārāyaṇa, Hitopadeśa 1.54.5:

     अहमन्नं भवान् भोक्ता कथं प्रीतिर्भविष्यति ॥

     ahamannaṃ bhavān bhoktā kathaṃ prītirbhaviṣyati.

     I am your prey and you are the eater; how will there be amity?

2. enjoyer, experiencer; consumer
   • c. 600 BCE – 200 BCE, Caraka, Caraka Saṃhitā 4.1.47.2:

     कर्ता भोक्ता न स पुमानिति केचिद्व्यवस्थिताः ॥

     kartā bhoktā na sa pumāniti kecidvyavasthitāḥ.

     They do not believe in a Self who is the doer and the enjoyer.

   • c. 1000, Somadeva, Kathāsaritsāgara 5.3.226.2:

     भोक्तुर्विद्याधरत्वस्य कारणं गृह्यतामयम् ॥

     bhokturvidyādharatvasya kāraṇaṃ gṛhyatāmayam.

     Take this, which would enable the consumer to obtain the rank of a Vidyādhara.

3. king, ruler, protector

   Synonyms: नृप (nṛpa), अधिपति (adhipati), भूप (bhūpa), भूपति (bhūpati), राजन् (rājan)

   • Inscriptions
4. lover, husband

   Synonyms: प्रणयिन् (praṇayin), दयित (dayita), इष्ट (iṣṭa), रमण (ramaṇa), प्रेष्ठ (preṣṭha), कान्त (kānta), वल्लभ (vallabha)

Declension

Masculine ṛ-stem declension of भोक्तृ

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	भोक्ता (bhoktā)	भोक्तारौ (bhoktārau) भोक्तारा¹ (bhoktārā¹)	भोक्तारः (bhoktāraḥ)
vocative	भोक्तः (bhoktaḥ)	भोक्तारौ (bhoktārau) भोक्तारा¹ (bhoktārā¹)	भोक्तारः (bhoktāraḥ)
accusative	भोक्तारम् (bhoktāram)	भोक्तारौ (bhoktārau) भोक्तारा¹ (bhoktārā¹)	भोक्तॄन् (bhoktṝn)
instrumental	भोक्त्रा (bhoktrā)	भोक्तृभ्याम् (bhoktṛbhyām)	भोक्तृभिः (bhoktṛbhiḥ)
dative	भोक्त्रे (bhoktre)	भोक्तृभ्याम् (bhoktṛbhyām)	भोक्तृभ्यः (bhoktṛbhyaḥ)
ablative	भोक्तुः (bhoktuḥ)	भोक्तृभ्याम् (bhoktṛbhyām)	भोक्तृभ्यः (bhoktṛbhyaḥ)
genitive	भोक्तुः (bhoktuḥ)	भोक्त्रोः (bhoktroḥ)	भोक्तॄणाम् (bhoktṝṇām)
locative	भोक्तरि (bhoktari)	भोक्त्रोः (bhoktroḥ)	भोक्तृषु (bhoktṛṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “भोक्तृ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 760, column 1.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “bhoktṛ”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “भोक्तृ”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 1212