# अहंकार (ahaṃkāra)

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

अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) is a Sanskrit word meaning conception of one's individuality or self-consciousness, egotism or the thinking of self, pride, haughtiness, selfishness, pride or self-conceit, sense of self, egoism, pride. Its 10 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them Self-Consciousness / Sense of Individuality, Cosmological/Metaphysical Principle (e.g., Sāṅkhya Tattva), Personified Cosmic Entity/Deity.

- **SLP1:** `ahaMkAra`  **IAST:** ahaṃkāra  **Devanagari:** अहंकार
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahamkara
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/ahamkara/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Self-Consciousness / Sense of Individuality (5 definitions)
- conception of one's individuality or self-consciousness  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 124,2] अहं (ahaṃ) — कार (—kāra) m. conception of one's individuality, self-consciousness, Chāndogya-upaniṣad (Title) &c. [ ID=21688 ]
- Egotism or the thinking of self.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the making of self, thinking of self, egotism, Mahābhārata (Title) &c. [ ID=21689 ]
- 1. Self-consciousness. 2. Selfishness. 3. Pride or self-conceit.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) [Printed book page 036-1 ] अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) ahaṃ-kāra, m. self-consciousness; selfishness; self-conceit, pride; -kārya, a. being the object of self-consciousness; -kṛta, pp. self-conscious; haughty; -kṛti, f. = ahaṃ-kāra, -juṣ, a. thinking of oneself only. [ ID=3318 ]
- 1. Egotism. 2. Pride. 3. Self-conceit or arrogance.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) [Printed book page 0067-a ] अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) ahaṃkāra, i. e. aham-kāra, m. 1. Conceiving objects with the notion that they refer to one's own self, egotism, Vedāntas. in Chr. 207, 3. 2. Pride, Rām. 4, 6, 22. 3. Self-con- ceit, Daśak. in Chr. 192, 4; arrogance, Rājat. 5, 234. — Comp. Nis-, adj. free from selfishness, MBh. 15, 882. [ ID=1322 ]
- sense of self, egoism, pride  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) [Printed book page 056 ] अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) m. sense of self, egoism, pride, arrogance; poss. ° रिन् (°rin). [ ID=3903 ]

### Cosmological/Metaphysical Principle (e.g., Sāṅkhya Tattva) (2 definitions)
- the third source of creation in Sankhya philosophy, representing individuality or individualization  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in Sāṅkhya phil. ) the third of the eight producers or sources of creation, viz. the conceit or conception of individuality, individualization [ ID=21691 ]
- one of the tatvas  
  *The Purana Index*
  > अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) [Printed book page 1-140 ] Ahaṃkāra — one of the tatvas; description of. Vā. 103. 38; Vi. I. 2, 36-46. [ ID=1101 ]

### Personified Cosmic Entity/Deity (1 definition)
- an epithet of Parameshthi, Bhutatma Prajapati, and Brahma  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) [Printed book page 024-2 ] Ahaṃkāra : XII, 11575, 11578 ( Parameṣṭhī ), 11601 ( bhūtātmā Prajāpatiḥ ), 13037, etc.; XIII, 7230 (= Brahmán?). [ ID=267 ]

### Pride / Haughtiness / Arrogance (1 definition)
- pride, haughtiness  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > pride, haughtiness, Rāmāyaṇa (Title) &c. [ ID=21690 ]

### Vedānta Philosophical Interpretation (e.g., Self-love as Ignorance) (1 definition)
- 1. Self-love considered as spiritual ignorance. 2. Egotism, pride, or haughtiness. 3. One of the twenty-five elements of creation in the Sankhya philosophy.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अहंकार (ahaṃkāra) [Printed book page 089-29 ] अहम् - कार (aham-kāra) m. 1. self-love considered as spiritual ignorance (in Vedānta phil.), Bg. ii.71, vii.4; 2. egotism, pride, haughtiness; 3. one of the 25 elements of creation (in Sānkhya phil.) [ ID=4580 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; 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