# अधर्म (adharma)

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

अधर्म (adharma) is a Sanskrit word meaning unrighteousness, injustice, or wickedness, demerit, guilt, name of a Prajapati, an attendant of the sun, a Prajapati, son of Brahma and husband of Hinsa or Mrsha, unrighteousness, breach of duty, or injustice. Its 14 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them Abstract: Unrighteousness, Injustice, Demerit, Mythological Figure: Puranic Prajāpati/Son of Brahmā, Feminine Personification (Adharmā).

- **SLP1:** `aDarma`  **IAST:** adharma  **Devanagari:** अधर्म
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adharma
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/adharma/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** अधर्मा (adharmā)

## Meanings by context

### Abstract: Unrighteousness, Injustice, Demerit (8 definitions)
- unrighteousness, injustice, or wickedness  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 20,1] अ - धर्म (a-dharma) m. unrighteousness, injustice, irreligion, wickedness [ ID=4010 ]
- demerit, guilt  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > demerit, guilt [ ID=4011 ]
- Unrighteousness, breach of duty, or injustice.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अधर्म (adharma) [Printed book page 009-3 ] अधर्म (adharma) á-dharma, m. unrighteousness, breach of duty; injustice; -tas, in. unjustly, iniquitously; -jña, a. ignorant of the law, — of justice; -daṇḍana, n. unjust punishment; -bhīru, a. shrinking from wrong; -śaraṇa, a. not based on low. [ ID=989 ]
- 1. Behaviour contrary to religious and civil law. 2. Unrighteousness or injustice.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अधर्म (adharma) [Printed book page 014-10 ] अधर्म (adharma) m. 1. Behaviour contrary to religious and civil law; 2. unrighteousness, injustice. [ ID=876 ]
- unrighteousness, injustice, or demerit  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अधर्म (adharma) [Printed book page 012 ] अधर्म (adharma) m. unrighteousness, injustice, demerit (often personif.). [ ID=844 ]
- 1. Unrighteousness or injustice contrary to religious and legal institutions. 2. Moral demerit causing pain and leading to transmigration. 3. A personified Prajapati son of Brahma.  
  *Goldstücker Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अ (a) धर्म (dharma) (adharma) [Printed book page 052-b ] अ (a) धर्म (dharma) (adharma) Tatpur. 1. m. ( - र्मः (-rmaḥ) ) 1 Unrighteousness, injustice, all behaviour contrary to the Śruti and Smṛti, or religious and legal institutions. 2 (In philosophy.) According to the Nyāya and Vaiśeṣika: moral demerit, the result of doing what is forbidden, the peculiar cause of pain, one of the twenty-four qualities united with substance.--According to the Sāṅkhya, one of the changeable ( वैकृतिक (vaikṛtika) ) dispo- sitions ( भाव (bhāva) ) of the mind, which being the efficient cause, makes the soul migrate into an animal, a deer, a bird, a reptile, a vegetable, a mineral.--According to the Bud- dhistic doctrine it is the consequence of upādāna or exertion of body or speech.--According to the Jainas it is that which causes the soul in general to continue embarrassed with body notwithstanding its capacity for ascent and na- tural tendency to soar. 3 As a personification Adharma oc- curs in the Purāṇas as one of the Prajāpatis or mind-born sons of Brahmā; his wife is Hinsā (mischief) on whom he begot Anṛta (falsehood) and Nikṛti (immorality) or ac- cording to others, Mṛṣā (falsehood) and his children Dam- bha (hypocrisy) and Māyā (deceit) who were adopted by Nirṛti (misfortune).--Adharma is also mentioned as one of the eighteen servants of the sun. 2. f. ( - र्मा (-rmā) ) According to the Śāktas a kalā or part of the original or Mūla-prakṛti and personified as the bride of Mṛtyu or Death. E. अ (a) neg. and धर्म (dharma). [ ID=1806 ]
- unrighteousness  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > अधर्म (adharma) [Printed book page 114-b ] á-dharma, m. unrighteousness. [ ID=144 ]
- 1. Unrighteousness, injustice, irreligion, wickedness, demerit, or guilt. 2. A Prajapati, son of Brahma and husband of Hinsa or Mrsha. 3. An attendant of the sun.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > अधर्म (adharma) [Printed book page 0020-a ] अधर्म (adharma) a-dharma, as, m. unrighteousness, injustice, irreligion, wickedness; demerit, guilt; N. of a Prajāpati, son of Brahmā, husband of Hiṃsā or Mṛṣā; N. of an attendant of the sun; ( ā ), f. un- righteousness personified and represented as the bride of death. —Adharma-cārin, ī, iṇī, i, practising wickedness. —Adharma-tas, ind. unrighteously, un- justly. —Adharma-daṇḍana, am, n. unjust punish- Page0020-b+ 80 ment. —Adharma-maya, as, ī, am, made up of wickedness; downright wicked. —Adharmātman (°ma-āt°), ā, ā, a, having a wicked spirit or dis- position. —Adharmāstikāya (°ma-as°), as, m. the category ( astikāya ) of adharma. [ ID=1112 ]

### Mythological Figure: Puranic Prajāpati/Son of Brahmā (3 definitions)
- Name of a Prajapati  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a Prajāpati (son of Brahmā, husband of Hiṃsā or Mṛṣā) [ ID=4012 ]
- 1. A son of Brahma born from his back, with Mrsha as his wife. 2. A concept characterized by pride, luxury, and intoxication, having Dambha as a son and Maya as a daughter. 3. That which has five branches consisting of vidharma, paradharma, abhasa, upama, and chhala.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > अधर्म (adharma) [Printed book page 1-045 ] Adharma (I) — a son of Brahmā, born of his back. 1 Had for his wife Mrṣā. 2 Three chief characteristics — pride, luxury and intoxication. 3 His son was Dambha and daughter Māyā, both of whom were adopted later on by the Page1-046+ 33 childless Nirṛti. 4 Five branches of: vidharma, paradharma, ābhāsa, upamā, and chala. 5 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. III. 12. 25.] [ Footnote: 2) Ib. IV. 8. 2.] [ Footnote: 3) Ib. I. 17. 24.] [ Footnote: 4) Ib. IV. 8. 2.] [ Footnote: 5) Ib. VII. 15. 12-14.] [ ID=335 ]
- The wife of Adharma, with sons Nikriti and Anrita.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > [Printed book page 1-046 ] Adharma (II) — wife, Himsā; sons Nikṛti, Anṛta. (daughter Nikṛtī- Vi. P. ). Br. II. 9. 63; Vā. 10. 39; Vi. I. 7. 32. [ ID=336 ]

### Feminine Personification (Adharmā) (1 definition)
- unrighteousness  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 20,1] अ - धर्मा (a-dharmā) f. unrighteousness (personified and represented as the bride of death). [ ID=4014 ]

### Mythological Figure: Mahabharata Personification (1 definition)
- injustice  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > अधर्म (adharma) [Printed book page 012-2 ] Adharma (“injustice”). § 125 (Aṃśāv.): I, 66, 2617 (came to existence owing to creatures eating each other from lust of food; husband of Nirṛti, “ruin,” and father of the Nairṛta rakṣases and Bhaya, “fear,” Mahābhaya, “terror,” and Mṛtyu, “death”).—§ 189 (Pāṇḍu): 122, 4755.—§ 641 (Rājadh.): XII, 90, 3388 (husband of Śrī, “luck,” and father of Darpa, “arrogance”), 3390. [ ID=140 ]

### Mythological Role: Attendant of the Sun (1 definition)
- an attendant of the sun  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of an attendant of the sun [ ID=4013 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Goldstücker Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546