# अहल्या (ahalyā)

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

अहल्या (ahalyā) is a Sanskrit word meaning the wife of Gautama or Sharadvat, the name of an Apsaras, of a lake, unploughed, gautama's wife, the wife of the Rishi Gautama. Its 13 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them Wife of Gautama/Śaradvat, Detailed mythological accounts, A lake.

- **SLP1:** `ahalyA`  **IAST:** ahalyā  **Devanagari:** अहल्या
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahalya
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/ahalya/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** अहल्य (ahalya)

## Meanings by context

### Wife of Gautama/Śaradvat (7 definitions)
- the wife of Gautama or Sharadvat  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 125,1] अ - हल्या (a-halyā) f. N. of the wife of Gautama or Śaradvat, Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title) iii, &c. Mahābhārata (Title) &c. [ ID=21778 ]
- the wife of Gautama or Sharadvat  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहल्या (ahalyā) [Printed book page 036-2 ] अहल्या (ahalyā) áhalyā, f. N. of Gautamaʼs or Śaradvatʼs wife. [ ID=3326 ]
- 1. An Apsara. 2. The wife of Gautama.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहल्या (ahalyā) [Printed book page 079-b ] अ - हल्या (a-halyā) ( ल्या ) ((lyā)) 1. f. Idem; an Apsara; wife of Gautama. [ ID=4235 ]
- The wife of Gautama  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > [Printed book page 090-02 ] अहल्या (ahalyā) f. A Name of the wife of Gautama. (See App. II.) [ ID=4586 ]
- The wife of Gautama  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहल्या (ahalyā) [Printed book page 0067-a ] अहल्या (ahalyā) ahalyā, f. The wife of Gautama, Daśak. in Chr. 182, 10. [ ID=1328 ]
- the wife of Gautama  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहल्या (ahalyā) [Printed book page 057 ] अहल्या (ahalyā) f. N. of the wife of Gautama. [ ID=3919 ]
- Gautama's wife  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > अहल्या (ahalyā) [Printed book page 124-a ] ahalyā, f. Ahalyā, Gautama's wife. [ ID=546 ]

### Detailed mythological accounts (3 definitions)
- The wife of the Rishi Gautama.  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > अहल्या (ahalyā) [Printed book page 024-2 ] Ahalyā, the wife of the Ṛṣi Gautama. § 370 (Tīrthayātrāp.): III, 84, 8087 ( Ahalyāyā hrade ).—§ 555 d (Sainyodyogap.): V, 12, 373 ( ṛṣipatnī ): “ A., of spotless form, the wife of a ṛṣi, was outraged by Indra while her husband was alive.” —§ 717 (Nārāyaṇīya): XII, 343, II), ††13205 (violated by Indra).—§ 784 d (Utaṅka): XIV, 56 ff. (has brought to her Madayantī's earrings by Utaṅka), (1652), (1654), (1659), 1706. [ ID=266 ]
- 1. The daughter of Mudgala, wife of Gautama, and mother of Shatananda. 2. A holy place named in her honor where she performed penance and attained release.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > अहल्या (ahalyā) [Printed book page 1-140 ] Ahalyā (I) — the daughter of Mudgala, the wife of Gau- tama and the mother of Śatānanda. 1 A tīrtham in her honour, as she performed tapas and attained release there. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. IX. 21. 34.] [ Footnote: 2) M. 191. 90-1.] [ ID=1104 ]
- 1. Daughter of Vindhyashva and Menaka, sister of Divodasa, wife of Sharadvat, and mother of Shadananda. 2. Redeemed of her sins by Rama.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Ahalyā (II) — a daughter of Vindhyāśva (Badhyāśva, Vā. P. ) (Haryaśva. Vi. P. ) and Menakā; sister of Divodāsa, and wife of Śaradvat; mother of Śadānanda; 1 redeemed of her sins by Rāma. 2 [ Footnote: 1) M. 50. 7-8; Vā. 99. 201; Vi. IV. 19. 62, 200-2.] [ Footnote: 2) Vi. IV. 4. 91.] [ ID=1105 ]

### A lake (1 definition)
- of a lake  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a lake ( cf. Mahābhārata (Title) iii, 8087 ), Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=21780 ]

### Adjective: unploughed (1 definition)
- Unploughed  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहल्य (ahalya) ा (ahalyā) [Printed book page 090-01 ] अहल्य (ahalya) a. (f. ल्या (lyā) ) Unploughed. [ ID=4585.1 ]

### An Apsaras (1 definition)
- the name of an Apsaras  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of an Apsaras, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=21779 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates 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
