श्मशान

See also: शमशान

Hindi

Alternative forms

• शमशान (śamśān)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit श्मशान (śmaśāná).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ʃmə.ʃɑːn/, [ʃmɐ.ʃä̃ːn]

Noun

श्मशान • (śmaśān) m (Urdu spelling شمشان)

1. crematorium, burning-ghat

   Synonym: मरघट (marghaṭ)

Declension

Declension of श्मशान (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	श्मशान śmaśān	श्मशान śmaśān
oblique	श्मशान śmaśān	श्मशानों śmaśānõ
vocative	श्मशान śmaśān	श्मशानो śmaśāno

Derived terms

• श्मशानवासी (śmaśānvāsī)

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “श्मशान”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• শ্মশান (Assamese script)
• ᬰ᭄ᬫᬰᬵᬦ (Balinese script)
• শ্মশান (Bengali script)
• 𑰫𑰿𑰦𑰫𑰯𑰡 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀰𑁆𑀫𑀰𑀸𑀦 (Brahmi script)
• ၐ္မၐာန (Burmese script)
• શ્મશાન (Gujarati script)
• ਸ਼੍ਮਸ਼ਾਨ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌶𑍍𑌮𑌶𑌾𑌨 (Grantha script)
• ꦯ꧀ꦩꦯꦴꦤ (Javanese script)
• 𑂬𑂹𑂧𑂬𑂰𑂢 (Kaithi script)
• ಶ್ಮಶಾನ (Kannada script)
• ឝ្មឝាន (Khmer script)
• ຨ຺ມຨານ (Lao script)
• ശ്മശാന (Malayalam script)
• ᡧᠮᠠᡧᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠨᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘫𑘿𑘦𑘫𑘰𑘡 (Modi script)
• ᠱᠮᠠᠱᠠᢗᠨᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧋𑧠𑧆𑧋𑧑𑧁 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐱𑑂𑐩𑐱𑐵𑐣 (Newa script)
• ଶ୍ମଶାନ (Odia script)
• ꢯ꣄ꢪꢯꢵꢥ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆯𑇀𑆩𑆯𑆳𑆤 (Sharada script)
• 𑖫𑖿𑖦𑖫𑖯𑖡 (Siddham script)
• ශ‍්මශාන (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩿 𑪙𑩴𑩿𑩛𑩯 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚧𑚶𑚢𑚧𑚭𑚝 (Takri script)
• ஶ்மஶாந (Tamil script)
• శ్మశాన (Telugu script)
• ศฺมศาน (Thai script)
• ཤྨ་ཤཱ་ན (Tibetan script)
• 𑒬𑓂𑒧𑒬𑒰𑒢 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨮𑩇𑨢𑨮𑨊𑨝 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of unclear origin. Theories taking the term as an aphetic derivative of अश्मन् (áśman, “stone, firmament”) or शी (śī, “to lie down”) are semantically and morphologically dubious, as are theories deriving the word from a phrase *श्मशारु रुधत् (śmaśāru rudhat, “the beard will keep off”) or the syllable *शान (śāna) from शा (śā, “to regale, sharpen”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɕmɐ.ɕɑː.nɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɕmɐ.ɕɑː.n̪ɐ/

Noun

श्मशान • (śmaśāná) stem, n

1. cemetery
2. a burial or burning ground
3. an oblation to deceased ancestors

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of श्मशान

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	श्मशानम् (śmaśānám)	श्मशाने (śmaśāné)	श्मशानानि (śmaśānā́ni) श्मशाना¹ (śmaśānā́¹)
vocative	श्मशान (śmáśāna)	श्मशाने (śmáśāne)	श्मशानानि (śmáśānāni) श्मशाना¹ (śmáśānā¹)
accusative	श्मशानम् (śmaśānám)	श्मशाने (śmaśāné)	श्मशानानि (śmaśānā́ni) श्मशाना¹ (śmaśānā́¹)
instrumental	श्मशानेन (śmaśānéna)	श्मशानाभ्याम् (śmaśānā́bhyām)	श्मशानैः (śmaśānaíḥ) श्मशानेभिः¹ (śmaśānébhiḥ¹)
dative	श्मशानाय (śmaśānā́ya)	श्मशानाभ्याम् (śmaśānā́bhyām)	श्मशानेभ्यः (śmaśānébhyaḥ)
ablative	श्मशानात् (śmaśānā́t)	श्मशानाभ्याम् (śmaśānā́bhyām)	श्मशानेभ्यः (śmaśānébhyaḥ)
genitive	श्मशानस्य (śmaśānásya)	श्मशानयोः (śmaśānáyoḥ)	श्मशानानाम् (śmaśānā́nām)
locative	श्मशाने (śmaśāné)	श्मशानयोः (śmaśānáyoḥ)	श्मशानेषु (śmaśānéṣu)

• ¹Vedic

Descendants

• Pali: susāna (see there for further descendants)
• Prakrit: 𑀫𑀲𑀸𑀡 (masāṇa), 𑀫𑀰𑀸𑀡 (maśāṇa) — Māgadhī, 𑀲𑀼𑀲𑀸𑀡 (susāṇa) — Ardhamāgadhī, Jain Māhārāṣṭrī (see there for further descendants)

Borrowed terms

• → Bengali: শ্মশান (śmośan) (learned)
• → Hindustani:
  • Hindi: श्मशान (śmaśān)
  • Urdu: شمشان
• → Malayalam: ശ്മശാനം (śmaśānaṁ)
• → Telugu: శ్మశానము (śmaśānamu)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “श्मशान”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1094/1.
• Apte, Macdonell (2022) “श्मशान”, in Digital Dictionaries of South Asia [Combined Sanskrit Dictionaries]