# अहम् (aham)

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

अहम् (aham) is a Sanskrit word meaning which see, emulation, competition, or assertion of superiority, egotism, military vaunting, to be referred to self, the object of ahankara. Its 27 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them Egotism, Pride, and Self-Sense (Ahaṃkāra), The Pronoun 'I', Competition, Rivalry, and Self-Assertion.

- **SLP1:** `aham`  **IAST:** aham  **Devanagari:** अहम्
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aham_%28Kashmir_Shaivism%29
- **Declensions:** 72 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/aham/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** अहं (ahaṃ)

## Meanings by context

### Egotism, Pride, and Self-Sense (Ahaṃkāra) (11 definitions)
- which see  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > = अहंकरण (ahaṃkaraṇa), q.v., (hence declinable gen. अहमस् (ahamas), &c.), Bhāgavata-purāṇa (Title) [ ID=21660 ]
- the object of ahankara  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — व्यं (vyaṃ) ) the object of अहंकार (ahaṃkāra)
- 1. Egotism or sense of self. 2. Pride, self-consciousness, or haughtiness. 3. The conception of individuality as an element of creation in Samkhya philosophy.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — कारः (kāraḥ) 1 egotism, sense of self, self-love considered as an अविद्या (avidyā) or spiritual ignorance in Vedānta phil.; Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 2. 71, 7. 4; Manusmṛti 1. 14; Yājñavalkya (Mr. Mandlik’s Edition) 3. 177. 2 pride, self-consciousness, self-conceit, haughtiness. 3 (in Sān. phil. ) the third of the eight producers or elements of creation, i. e. the conceit or conception of individuality, one of the 25 elements; Sāṃkhyakārikā 22, 24, 25; ° वत् (°vat) a. selfish, proud
- proud, self-conceited  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — कारिन् (kārin) a. proud, self-conceited
- 1. Egotistic. 2. Proud or haughty.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — कृत (kṛta) a. 1 egotistic; Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 18. 17. 2 proud, haughty, Yājñavalkya (Mr. Mandlik’s Edition) 3. 151
- egotism, pride  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — कृतिः (kṛtiḥ) f. egotism, high opinion of oneself, pride
- self-conceit  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — प्रत्ययः (pratyayaḥ) [ अहमित्याकारकः प्रत्ययः (pratyayaḥ) (ahamityākārakaḥ pratyayaḥ) ] self-conceit
- self-conceit  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — भद्रं (bhadraṃ) [ अहमेव भद्र इति निर्णयो यत्र (ahameva bhadra iti nirṇayo yatra) ] self-conceit, high opinion of one's own superiority
- pride  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — भावः (bhāvaḥ) 1 pride, egotism; अहंभावावृतो निस्त्रपः (ahaṃbhāvāvṛto nistrapaḥ) Bhāminīvilāsa (Bombay) 4. 10. 2 = ° मति (°mati) q. v
- 1. Spiritual ignorance, self-love, or self-illusion. 2. Conceit, pride, or egotism.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — मतिः (matiḥ) f. 1 self-love or self-illusion regarded as spiritual ignorance (in Vedānta phil. ). 2 conceit, pride, egotism
- proud, haughty  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — वादिन् (vādin) a. speaking only of oneself, proud, haughty; Bhagavadgītā (Bombay) 18. 26

### The Pronoun 'I' (8 definitions)
- I  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 124,2] अहम् (aham) nom. sg., ‘I’, Ṛg-veda (Title) &c. [ ID=21659 ]
- I  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहम् (aham) [Printed book page 0217-c ] अहम् (aham) pron. ( Nom. Sing. of अस्मद् (asmad) ). I [ cf. Zend azem; L. ego; Germ. ich.]
- I  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहम् (aham) [Printed book page 036-2 ] अहम् (aham) ahám, prn. I: so'ham, I here; I being such; -ahamikā, f. claim of precedence; -uttará, n., ( m ) -pūrvikā, f., ( m ) -prathamikā, f. id. [ ID=3324 ]
- I  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहम् (aham) [Printed book page 089-29 ] अहम् (aham) ————————- (nom. sing. of the first personal pronoun.) [ ID=4577 ]
- I  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहम् (aham) [Printed book page 0067-a ] अहम् (aham) aham (see asmad ). Former part of many compound words, imply- ing the first person, e. g. ahaṃkāra, see above; aham-pūrva, see pūrva. [ ID=1326 ]
- I  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहम् (aham) [Printed book page 057 ] अहम् (aham) ( pron. ) I; सोऽहम् (so'ham) I here. [ ID=3913 ]
- I  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > अहम् (aham) [Printed book page 124-a ] ahám [ 491], pron. I. [ cf. ἐγώ, Lat. ego, AS. ic, Eng. I: see 491 and ma etc. ] [ ID=543 ]
- I  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > अहम् (aham) [Printed book page 0109-a ] अहम् (aham) aham, nom. sing. ‘I.’ The supposed base of this 1st personal pronoun is asmad, q. v. [cf. Zend azem; Gr. ἐγών, ἐγώ, ἱών; Lat. ego; Goth. ik; Mod. Germ. ich; Lith. asz; Slav. az; Cambro- brit. ym; Bret. am, em]. [ ID=7741 ]

### Competition, Rivalry, and Self-Assertion (4 definitions)
- 1. Emulation, competition, or assertion of superiority. 2. Egotism. 3. Military vaunting.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — अहमिका (ahamikā) [ अहमहं शब्दोऽस्त्यत्र वीप्सायां द्वित्वं ठन् न (ahamahaṃ śabdo'styatra vīpsāyāṃ dvitvaṃ ṭhan na) टिलोपः (ṭilopaḥ) Pāṇini’s Aṣṭādhyāyī II. 1. 72 ] 1 emulation, competition, assertion of superiority; अहमहमिका तु सा स्यात्परस्परं यो (ahamahamikā tu sā syātparasparaṃ yo) भवत्यहंकारः (bhavatyahaṃkāraḥ) Ak.; अहमहमिकया (ahamahamikayā) प्रणामलालसानां (praṇāmalālasānāṃ) Kādambarī (Bombay) 14, 81; अहमहमिकया (ahamahamikayā) ( pb ) मधुकरकुलैरनुबध्यमानं (madhukarakulairanubadhyamānaṃ) 139, Mahāvīracarita (Borooah’s Edition), 6. 54. 2 egotism. 3 military vaunting
- desirous of being first  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — पूर्व (pūrva) a. desirous of being first
- 1. Emulation or competition. 2. Bragging or vaunting.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — पूर्विका, - प्रथमिका (pūrvikā, -prathamikā) [ अहं पूर्वोऽहं पूर्व (ahaṃ pūrvo'haṃ pūrva) इत्यभिधानं यत्र (ityabhidhānaṃ yatra) ] 1 the running forward of soldiers with emulation; (hence) emulation, competition; जवादहंपूर्विकया यियासुभिः (javādahaṃpūrvikayā yiyāsubhiḥ) Kirātārjunīya 14. 32. 2 bragging, vaunting
- claiming superiority for oneself  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — श्रेयस् (śreyas) or ° सं (°saṃ) n. claiming superiority for oneself; अहंश्रेयसे विवदमानाः (ahaṃśreyase vivadamānāḥ) Śat. Br

### Personal Agency, Self-Reference, or Self-Benefit (3 definitions)
- to be referred to self  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — कर्तव्य (kartavya) a. to be referred to self. (
- that which is to be done by oneself  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — कार्यं (kāryaṃ) that which is to be done by oneself, personal business or object
- gaining for oneself  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — सन (sana) a. Ved. gaining for oneself. [ ID=5676 ]

### Etymology of 'I' (1 definition)
- I  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > अहम् (aham) [ Zd. azem; Gk. ἐγώ; Goth. ik; Mod. Germ. ich; Lith. asz; Slav. az ]. [ ID=21660.05 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); 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