# आकाश (ākāśa)

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

आकाश (ākāśa) is a Sanskrit word meaning an open space, ether, sky, or atmosphere, brahma as identical with ether, words spoken in the air, light or clearness, free space or vacuity. Its 18 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them Ether as a Fundamental Element or Philosophical Substance, Proper Name or Deity, Open Space, Sky, or Atmosphere.

- **Root:** काश् (kāś)
- **Etymology:** E. आङ् and काशृ to shine, घञ् affix; every where shining; Ākāśa is the subtle and ethereal fluid, supposed to fill and pervade the universe, and to be the peculiar vehicle of life and sound — E. āṅ and kāśṛ to shine, ghañ affix; every where shining; Ākāśa is the subtle and ethereal fluid, supposed to fill and pervade the universe, and to be the peculiar vehicle of life and sound
- **SLP1:** `AkASa`  **IAST:** ākāśa  **Devanagari:** आकाश
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akasha
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/akasha/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** आकष (ākaṣa)

## Meanings by context

### Ether as a Fundamental Element or Philosophical Substance (10 definitions)
- ether, sky, or atmosphere  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 127,1] the ether, sky or atmosphere, Naighaṇṭuka, commented on by Yāska (subtitle); Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title); Manu-smṛti (Title) &c. [ ID=22104 ]
- the subtle and ethereal fluid pervading the universe and serving as the vehicle of sound  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > आ - काश (ā-kāśa) n. (in philos. ) the subtle and ethereal fluid (supposed to fill and pervade the universe and to be the peculiar vehicle of life and of sound), Vedāntasāra (Title) &c. [ ID=22105 ]
- Clear space, sky, ether  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 036-a3 ] आकाश (ākāśa) ā-kāś-á, m. n. clear space, sky; ether as the subtlest element : lc. behind the scenes ( of what is said to or by some one off the stage ): -ga, a. moving in the air; m. bird; -gaṅgā, f. the aerial Ganges; -gata, pp. coming from the air ( voice ); -cārin, a. moving in the air; m. bird; -deśa, m. region of the air; -patha, m. path in the air; -pathika, m. wanderer in the sky, ep. of the sun; -bhāṣita, n. fictitious conversation of a person on the stage with an absent one; -yāna, n. passage through the air; vartman, n. sleeping in the open air; -saṃcārin, m. bird; -īśa, a. ruling the air only (= quite helpless). [ ID=3380 ]
- 1. The fifth element, aether, sky, or atmosphere. 2. Brahma as identical with aether. 3. Space or vacuity.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 103 ] आकाश (ākāśa) mn. ( - शः - शं (-śaḥ-śaṃ) ) 1 The fifth element, aether, the sky or atmosphere. 2 Brahma as identical with aether. 3 Space, vacuity. E. आङ् (āṅ) and काशृ (kāśṛ) to shine, घञ् (ghañ) affix; every where shining; Ākāśa is the subtle and ethereal fluid, supposed to fill and pervade the universe, and to be the peculiar vehicle of life and sound. [ ID=4953 ]
- 1. Sky, atmosphere, or ether. 2. Space.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 081-a ] आ - काश (ā-kāśa) ( शः - शं ) ((śaḥ-śaṃ)) 1. m. n. Sky, atmosphere, æther; space; Brahm. [ ID=4321 ]
- 1. Light or clearness. 2. Vacuity. 3. Sky or atmosphere. 4. Ether as the fifth element. 5. Atmosphere as one of the nine substances. 6. Brahman as identical with ether. 7. Space or place.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 092-05 ] आकाश (ākāśa) m.n. 1. Light, clearness; 2. vacuity; 3. sky, atmosphere; 4. æther or atmosphere considered as the fifth element (See under अप् (ap) ); 5. atmosphere considered as one of the nine substances ( द्रव्य (dravya) ) by the Vaiśeshikas. As such, it is the substratum of the quality ‘sound’ ( शब्द (śabda); hence we have अथात्मनः शब्द (śabda) गुणं गुणज्ञः पदम् (athātmanaḥ śabdaguṇaṃ guṇajñaḥ padam) (i.e. आकाश (ākāśa) म् (ākāśam) ) विमानेन विगाहमानः (vimānena vigāhamānaḥ) R. xiii.1 and श्रुतिविषय गुणा या स्थिता व्याप्य विश्वम् (śrutiviṣaya guṇā yā sthitā vyāpya viśvam) Sak. i.; 6. Brahman (n.) as identical with æther, एतस्मिन्नु खल्वक्षरे हार्ग्याकाश ओतश्च प्रोतश्च (etasminnu khalvakṣare hārgyākāśa otaśca protaśca) Br.A.; 7. place, भवनाकाशमजायताम्बुराशिः (bhavanākāśamajāyatāmburāśiḥ) Bh.V. i.165. ( आकाश (ākāśa) े (ākāśe) (loc. sing.) ‘in the air,’ often occurs as a stage-direction in plays when a character on the stage asks some question to a character not on the stage and listens to a supposed speech in answer to it. The term is thus explained by Bharata- दूरस्थाभाषणं यत्स्यादशरीरनिवेदनम् । परोक्षान्तरितं वाक्यं तदाकाशे निगद्यते ॥ (dūrasthābhāṣaṇaṃ yatsyādaśarīranivedanam. parokṣāntaritaṃ vākyaṃ tadākāśe nigadyate..) e.g. ( परिक्रम्यावलोक्य च (parikramyāvalokya ca) ) ( आकाश (ākāśa) े (ākāśe) ) प्रियंवदं कस्येदमुशीरानुलेपनं मृणालवन्ति च नलिनीपत्राणि नीयन्ते (priyaṃvadaṃ kasyedamuśīrānulepanaṃ mṛṇālavanti ca nalinīpatrāṇi nīyante) ( श्रुतिमभिनीय (śrutimabhinīya) ) किं ब्रवीषि (kiṃ bravīṣi) &c. Sak. iii. or ( आकाश (ākāśa) े (ākāśe) ) युधिष्ठिर युधिष्ठिर (yudhiṣṭhira yudhiṣṭhira) … … सर्वं तदेकपद एव कथं निरस्तम् (sarvaṃ tadekapada eva kathaṃ nirastam) Ve. iii. or ( दृष्ट्वा आकाश (ākāśa) े (ākāśe) (dṛṣṭvā ākāśe) ) विहंगिके अपि श्वश्रूजनपादवन्दनं कृत्वा प्रतिनिवृत्ता भानुमती (vihaṃgike api śvaśrūjanapādavandanaṃ kṛtvā pratinivṛttā bhānumatī) ( कर्णं दत्वा (karṇaṃ datvā) ) किं कथयसि (kiṃ kathayasi) &c. Ve. ii.) [ ID=4662 ]
- 1. The sky, atmosphere, or ether. 2. Brahma. 3. Space or emptiness.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 084-b ] आकाश (ākāśa) mn. ( - शः - शं (-śaḥ-śaṃ) ) 1. The fifth element, æther, the sky or atmosphere. 2. Brahma as identical with æther. 3. Space, vacuity. E. आङ् (āṅ) and काशृ (kāśṛ) to shine, घञ् (ghañ) affix; every where shining; Akash is the subtle and æthereal fluid, supposed to fill and pervade the universe, and to be the peculiar vehicle of life and sound. [ ID=4951 ]
- 1. Ether. 2. The sky. 3. The open air.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 0068-b ] आकाश (ākāśa) ā-kāś + a, m. 1. The fifth element, æther, Man. 1, 75. 2. Sky. Page0069-a+ 41 Pañc. 47, 14. 3. The open air, Man. 3, 90; Nal. 14, 10. 4. The loc. sing. śe denotes in dramatic language that which is spoken off the stage, Mṛcch. 32, 18. — Comp. Nis-, adj. filled, Rām. 5, 64, 24. [ ID=1356 ]
- open space or the sky, especially the atmosphere as the fifth element  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 058 ] आकाश (ākāśa) m. n. free or open space, sky; esp. the atmosphere or sky as the fifth element. ° शे (°śe) behind the scene or into the air ( d. ). [ ID=3972 ]
- 1. Light or clearness. 2. Free space or vacuity. 3. The ether, sky, or atmosphere considered as the fifth element. 4. Brahma as identical with ether.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 0111-a ] Ā-kāśa, as, am, m. n. (in Ved. m.) light, clear- ness; a free space, vacuity; the ether, the sky or atmosphere considered as the fifth element; Brahma as identical with ether. Ākāśa is the subtle and ethereal fluid, supposed to fill and pervade the uni- verse and to be the peculiar vehicle of life and of sound. Ākāśe, ind. in the air; a stage direction implying something said by or to a person out of sight. —Ākāśa-kakṣā, f. the horizon, ‘girdle of the sky.’ —Ākāśa-ga, as, ā, am, going through the atmosphere. —Ākāśa-garbha, as, m., N. of a Bodhi- sattva. —Ākāśa-camasa, as, m. the moon, (‘a cup Page0111-b+ 75 or vessel with ether.’) —Ākāśa-ja, as, ā, am, pro- duced in the sky. —Ākāśa-jananin, ī, m. a loop- hole, a casement, an embrasure. —Ākāśa-dīpa or ākāśa-pradīpa, as, m. a lamp or torch lighted in honour of Lakṣmī or Viṣṇu and elevated on a pole in the air at the Dīvāli (Dīpāli) festival, in the month Kārttika; a beacon, a lantern on a pole. —Ākāśa- pratiṣṭhita, as, m., N. of a Buddha. —Ākāśa- buddha-lakṣa, as, m. (in theatrical language) fixing the gaze on some object out of sight of the audience. —Ākāśa-bhāṣita, am, n. (in dramatic language) speaking outside or off the stage; a supposed speech, which is replied to as if it had been spoken; a voice or sound in the air. —Ākāśa-maṇḍala, am, n. the celestial sphere; the atmosphere. —Ākāśa-maya, as, ī, am, consisting of ether. —Ākāśa-māṃsī, f. the plant Nardostachys Jaṭāmāṃsī. —Ākāśa-mūlī, f. the aquatic plant Pistia Stratiotes. —Ākāśa-yāna, am, n. a heavenly car, one moving through the air. —Ākāśa- rakṣin, ī, m. a warder, a watchman on the outer battlements. —Ākāśa-vat, ān, atī, at, filling a cer- tain place, spacious, extensive. —Ākāśa-vartman, a, n. the atmosphere, the firmament, the air. —Ākāśa- vallī, f. a sort of creeper, a parasite, Cassyta Filiformis. —Ākāśa-vāṇī, f. a voice from heaven; m., N. of the author of a Hanumat-stotra. —Ākāśa-salila, am, n. rain. —Ākāśa-stha, as, ā, am, abiding in the sky, aerial. —Ākāśa-sphaṭika, as, m. a kind of crystal supposed to be formed in the atmosphere. It is of two kinds, Sūrya-kānta and Candra-kānta, q. v. —Ākāśānantyāyatana (°śa-anantya-āy°), am, n. abode of infinity or of infinite space; N. of a world with Buddhists. —Ākāśeśa (°śa-īś°), as, m. epithet of Indra, as ruler of the firmament; (in law) any helpless person, as a child, a woman, a pauper or in- valid (who has no other possession than the air). [ ID=7880 ]

### Proper Name or Deity (3 definitions)
- space  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 028-1 ] *Ākāśa (“space”). § 543 (Rāmarājyābhiṣeka): III, 291 β, 16554, etc. [ ID=349 ]
- a god to be worshipped in housebuilding  
  *The Purana Index*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 1-143 ] Ākāśa (I) — a god to be worshipped in housebuilding. M. 253. 24; 265. 39. [ ID=1125 ]
- A space or region belonging to Rudra  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Ākāśa (II) — with Dik; a sthāna of Rudra; son, Sarga. Vi. I. 8. 7-11. [ ID=1126 ]

### Open Space, Sky, or Atmosphere (2 definitions)
- an open space  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 126,3] आ (ā)- काश (ā-kāśa) m. ( Ved. ) or (later) n. ( ifc. f( आ (ā) ). ) a free or open space, vacuity, Aitareya-brāhmaṇa (Title); Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title); Mahābhārata (Title) &c. [ ID=22103 ]
- open space, sky  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > आकाश (ākāśa) [Printed book page 124-b ] ākāśá, in Veda, m.; later, n. free or open space; sky. [ prop. ‘outlook, clearness,’ √kāś + ā. ] [ ID=567 ]

### Theatrical Term for Off-Stage Speech (2 definitions)
- words spoken in the air  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > = आकाश - भाषित (ākāśa-bhāṣita) below Comm. on Śakuntalā (Title) [ ID=22107 ]
- in the air  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2C) [Printed book page 127,1] आ - काशे (ā-kāśe) ind. in the air (a stage direction implying something said by or to a person out of sight), Mṛcchakaṭikā (Title); Śakuntalā (Title) &c. [ ID=22108 ]

### Brahman Identified with Ether (1 definition)
- Brahma as identical with ether  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Brahma (as identical with ether), Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=22106 ]

## 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 (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; Vaidya 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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