# अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/abhyanga

अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) is a Sanskrit word meaning rubbing with unctuous substances, unguent, rubbing the body with oil or ointment, an ointment or liniment, rubbing the body with oil or inunction, an oily ointment or liniment. Its 9 recorded definitions are grouped into 3 contexts, among them Act of Anointing/Rubbing with Oil, Multiple Meanings (Act, Substance, Collyrium, Oil Sediment), Unguent/Anointing Substance.

- **SLP1:** `aByaNga`  **IAST:** abhyaṅga  **Devanagari:** अभ्यङ्ग
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhyanga
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/abhyanga/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Act of Anointing/Rubbing with Oil (5 definitions)
- rubbing with unctuous substances  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 75,2] अभ्य् - अङ्ग (abhy-aṅga) m. rubbing with unctuous substances, inunction, Manu-smṛti (Title) ii, 178, &c. [ ID=13162 ]
- Rubbing the body with an unctuous substance  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) [Printed book page 044-b ] अभ्य _ ङ्ग (abhya_ṅga) ( ङ्गः ) ((ṅgaḥ)) 1. m. Rubbing the body with an unctuous substance. [ ID=2208 ]
- Unction  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) [Printed book page 0042-b ] अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) abhyaṅga, i. e. abi-añj + a, m. Unction, Man. 2, 178. [ ID=862 ]
- Smearing, anointing, or ointment.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) [Printed book page 036 ] अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) m. smearing, unction, unguent. [ ID=2443 ]
- 1. Rubbing the body with oil or ointment. 2. An ointment or liniment.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) [Printed book page 0071-a ] Abhy-aṅga, as, m. rubbing with unctuous sub- stances, smearing the body with oil, inunction; un- guent, liniment. [ ID=5088 ]

### Multiple Meanings (Act, Substance, Collyrium, Oil Sediment) (3 definitions)
- 1. Rubbing the body with oil or inunction. 2. An oily ointment or liniment. 3. Applying collyrium to the eyes. 4. Sediment or cake of oil.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) [Printed book page 057 ] अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) m. ( - ङ्गः (-ṅgaḥ) ) 1 Rubbing the body with unctuous substances; smearing the body with oil, inunction. 2 Unguent, liniment, oily application. 3 Applying collyrium to the eyes. 4 Sediment of oil, cake. E. अभि (abhi), and अञ्ज (añja) to anoint, घञ् (ghañ) aff. [ ID=2696 ]
- 1. Rubbing the body with oil or inunction. 2. An unguent or oily application. 3. Applying collyrium to the eyes. 4. Sediment of oil.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) [Printed book page 047-b ] अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) m. ( - ङ्गः (-ṅgaḥ) ) 1. Rubbing the body with unctuous substances; smearing the body with oil, inunction. 2. Unguent, liniment, oily application. 3. Applying collyrium to the eyes. 4. Sediment of oil, oil cake. E. अभि, (abhi,) and अञ्ज (añja) to anoint, घञ् (ghañ) aff. [ ID=2694 ]
- 1. Anointing or smearing the body with oil. 2. An unguent or liniment.  
  *Goldstücker Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) [Printed book page 306-a ] अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) Tatpur. m. ( - ङ्गः (-ṅgaḥ) ) 1 Anointing, in general; e. g. Jai- minīyanyāyam.: ज्योतिष्टोमे श्रूयते दीक्षार्थाभ्यङ्गे (jyotiṣṭome śrūyate dīkṣārthābhyaṅge) … । तत्र (…. tatra) बर्हिषि समूलच्छेदस्याभ्यङ्गे नवनीतस्य पुरोडाशे यथोचितपा - (barhiṣi samūlacchedasyābhyaṅge navanītasya puroḍāśe yathocitapā-) कस्य च विधेयतया सर्वमवशिष्टं स्तावकम् (kasya ca vidheyatayā sarvamavaśiṣṭaṃ stāvakam). See also अभ्यञ्जन (abhyañjana). 2 Rubbing the body with unctuous substances, smearing the body with oil, inunction; e. g. Suśr.: स्नानाभ्यङ्गदिवा - (snānābhyaṅgadivā-) स्वप्नशीतव्यायामयोषितः । न भजेत स्वरोत्सृष्टो यावन्नो बलवा - (svapnaśītavyāyāmayoṣitaḥ. na bhajeta svarotsṛṣṭo yāvanno balavā-) न्भवेत् (nbhavet).-- Raghunandana quotes in the Śuddhitattva (II. p. 132) the following definition ( आयुर्वेदोक्तपारिभाषिकं (āyurvedoktapāribhāṣikaṃ) ) of the word: मूर्ध्नि दत्तं यदा तैलं भवेत्सर्वाङ्गसंगतम् । स्रोतो - (mūrdhni dattaṃ yadā tailaṃ bhavetsarvāṅgasaṃgatam. sroto-) भिस्तर्पयेद्बाहू अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) ः स उदाहृतः । तैलमल्पं यदङ्गेषु न च (bhistarpayedbāhū abhyaṅgaḥ sa udāhṛtaḥ. tailamalpaṃ yadaṅgeṣu na ca) स्याद्वाहुतर्पणम् । सा मार्ष्टिः पृथगभ्यङ्गो मस्तकादौ प्रकीर्तितः (syādvāhutarpaṇam. sā mārṣṭiḥ pṛthagabhyaṅgo mastakādau prakīrtitaḥ) ‘when oil is applied to the head, goes over the whole body and delights with its flood the arms, this is called Abhyanga; but when little oil comes on the body and the arms are not much wetted, such partial inunction of the head &c. is called Mārṣṭi ’. The medicinal effect of this practice is thus briefly described in the Rājanigh.: अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) ो (abhyaṅgo) मार्दवकरः कफवातविनाशनः । धातूनां पुष्टिजननः सुत्वम्वर्ण - (mārdavakaraḥ kaphavātavināśanaḥ. dhātūnāṃ puṣṭijananaḥ sutvamvarṇa-) वलप्रदः । पादाभ्यङ्गोऽथ निद्राकृच्चक्षुषः पादरोगहा । चक्षुषि (valapradaḥ. pādābhyaṅgo'tha nidrākṛccakṣuṣaḥ pādarogahā. cakṣuṣi) प्रतिबद्धे द्वे शिरे पादगते नृणाम् । अतश्चक्षुःप्रसादार्थं पादा - (pratibaddhe dve śire pādagate nṛṇām. ataścakṣuḥprasādārthaṃ pādā-) भ्यङ्गं समाचरेत् (bhyaṅgaṃ samācaret) (comp. also Wise, Hindu syst. of Med. p. 93). A religious student, an anchorite and a widow are for- bidden to anoint themselves; Manu: ( ब्रह्मचारी वर्जयेत् ) ((brahmacārī varjayet)) अभ्यङ्ग (abhyaṅga) मञ्जनं चाक्ष्णोरुपानच्छत्रधारणम् (abhyaṅgamañjanaṃ cākṣṇorupānacchatradhāraṇam) ); Prachetas (as quoted by Raghunand. ): ताम्बूलाभ्यञ्जनं चैव कांस्यपात्रे च भोजनम् । (tāmbūlābhyañjanaṃ caiva kāṃsyapātre ca bhojanam.) यतिश्च ब्रह्मचारी च विधवा च विवर्जयेत् (yatiśca brahmacārī ca vidhavā ca vivarjayet) ). 3 Unguent, lini- ment; e. g. Suśr.: स्फोटजन्मरुजास्रावत्वक्पाकः स्वेदनं ज्वरः । (sphoṭajanmarujāsrāvatvakpākaḥ svedanaṃ jvaraḥ.) दरणं चापि मांसानामभ्यङ्गे विषसंयुते (daraṇaṃ cāpi māṃsānāmabhyaṅge viṣasaṃyute). [ 4 Applying colly- rium to the eyes. 5 Sediment of oil, oil cake ( Wilson )]. See the following. E. अञ्ज् (añj) with अभि, (abhi,) kṛt aff. घञ् (ghañ). [ ID=6655 ]

### Unguent/Anointing Substance (1 definition)
- unguent  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > unguent, Suśruta (Title) &c. [ ID=13163 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Goldstücker Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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