रक्षस्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৰক্ষস্ (Assamese script)
• ᬭᬓ᭄ᬱᬲ᭄ (Balinese script)
• রক্ষস্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰨𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰭𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀭𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• ရက္ၑသ် (Burmese script)
• રક્ષસ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਰਕ੍ਸ਼ਸ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌰𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌸𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦫꦏ꧀ꦰꦱ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂩𑂍𑂹𑂭𑂮𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ರಕ್ಷಸ್ (Kannada script)
• រក្ឞស៑ (Khmer script)
• ຣກ຺ຩສ຺ (Lao script)
• രക്ഷസ് (Malayalam script)
• ᡵᠠᡬᢢᠠᠰ᠌ (Manchu script)
• 𑘨𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘭𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠷᠠᢉᢔᠠᠰ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧈𑦮𑧠𑧌𑧍𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐬𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐳𑑂 (Newa script)
• ରକ୍ଷସ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢬꢒ꣄ꢰꢱ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆫𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆱𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖨𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖭𑖿 (Siddham script)
• රක්‍ෂස් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩼𑩜 𑪙𑪀𑪁 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚤𑚊𑚶𑚨𑚶 (Takri script)
• ரக்ஷஸ் (Tamil script)
• రక్షస్ (Telugu script)
• รกฺษสฺ (Thai script)
• ར་ཀྵ་ས྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒩𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒮𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨫𑨋𑩇𑨯𑨰𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *(H)ráćšas, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂rétḱ-os (“destruction”), with secure cognates only within Indo-Iranian. Cognate with Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬱𐬀𐬵 (rašah), Persian رشیدن (rašīdan, “to pour out, spill, shed”). The traditional comparison with Ancient Greek ἐρέχθω (erékhthō, “to rend, jerk, break”) is rejected by Mayrhofer and Lubotsky, among others, for formal and semantic reasons.

Folk etymologies in Hindu texts attempt to tie the sense "demon" to the root रक्ष् (rakṣ, “to protect”), as demons are supposed to be warded off using religious incantations or rituals.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɾɐ́k.ʂɐs/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈɾɐk.ʂɐs̪/

Noun

रक्षस् • (rákṣas) stem, n

1. harm, injury, damage
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda

Declension

Neuter as-stem declension of रक्षस् (rákṣas)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	रक्षः rákṣaḥ	रक्षसी rákṣasī	रक्षांसि rákṣāṃsi
Vocative	रक्षः rákṣaḥ	रक्षसी rákṣasī	रक्षांसि rákṣāṃsi
Accusative	रक्षः rákṣaḥ	रक्षसी rákṣasī	रक्षांसि rákṣāṃsi
Instrumental	रक्षसा rákṣasā	रक्षोभ्याम् rákṣobhyām	रक्षोभिः rákṣobhiḥ
Dative	रक्षसे rákṣase	रक्षोभ्याम् rákṣobhyām	रक्षोभ्यः rákṣobhyaḥ
Ablative	रक्षसः rákṣasaḥ	रक्षोभ्याम् rákṣobhyām	रक्षोभ्यः rákṣobhyaḥ
Genitive	रक्षसः rákṣasaḥ	रक्षसोः rákṣasoḥ	रक्षसाम् rákṣasām
Locative	रक्षसि rákṣasi	रक्षसोः rákṣasoḥ	रक्षःसु rákṣaḥsu

Descendants

• Pali: rakkha

Noun

रक्षस् • (rákṣas or rakṣás) stem, m or n

1. an evil being; a demon, fiend, monster
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.83.2:

     वि वृक्षान्हन्त्युत हन्ति रक्षसो विश्वं बिभाय भुवनं महावधात् ।

     vi vṛkṣānhantyuta hanti rakṣaso viśvaṃ bibhāya bhuvanaṃ mahāvadhāt.

     He smites the trees apart, he slays the demons: all life fears him who wields the mighty weapon.

Declension

Masculine as-stem declension of रक्षस् (rakṣás)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	रक्षाः rakṣā́ḥ	रक्षसौ / रक्षसा¹ rakṣásau / rakṣásā¹	रक्षसः / रक्षाः¹ rakṣásaḥ / rakṣā́ḥ¹
Vocative	रक्षः rákṣaḥ	रक्षसौ / रक्षसा¹ rákṣasau / rákṣasā¹	रक्षसः / रक्षाः¹ rákṣasaḥ / rákṣāḥ¹
Accusative	रक्षसम् / रक्षाम्¹ rakṣásam / rakṣā́m¹	रक्षसौ / रक्षसा¹ rakṣásau / rakṣásā¹	रक्षसः / रक्षाः¹ rakṣásaḥ / rakṣā́ḥ¹
Instrumental	रक्षसा rakṣásā	रक्षोभ्याम् rakṣóbhyām	रक्षोभिः rakṣóbhiḥ
Dative	रक्षसे rakṣáse	रक्षोभ्याम् rakṣóbhyām	रक्षोभ्यः rakṣóbhyaḥ
Ablative	रक्षसः rakṣásaḥ	रक्षोभ्याम् rakṣóbhyām	रक्षोभ्यः rakṣóbhyaḥ
Genitive	रक्षसः rakṣásaḥ	रक्षसोः rakṣásoḥ	रक्षसाम् rakṣásām
Locative	रक्षसि rakṣási	रक्षसोः rakṣásoḥ	रक्षःसु rakṣáḥsu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

• राक्षस (rākṣasa)

Descendants

• Pali: rakkha
• Marathi: लांस (lāusa)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “रक्षस्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 860/1.