# आलम्बन (ālambana)

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

आलम्बन (ālambana) is a Sanskrit word meaning depending on or resting upon, hanging from, supporting, sustaining, foundation, base, reason or cause, silent repetition of a prayer. Its 16 recorded definitions are grouped into 6 contexts, among them Support, Dependence, Foundation, Buddhist Concept: Sensory Objects, Cause, Reason.

- **Etymology:** E. आङ् and लवि to go, ल्युट् aff — E. āṅ and lavi to go, lyuṭ aff
- **SLP1:** `Alambana`  **IAST:** ālambana  **Devanagari:** आलम्बन
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%80lambana
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/alambana/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Support, Dependence, Foundation (11 definitions)
- depending on or resting upon  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 153,2] आ - लम्बन (ā-lambana) n. depending on or resting upon [ ID=26736 ]
- hanging from  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > hanging from, Pāṇini (Author) [ ID=26737 ]
- supporting, sustaining  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > supporting, sustaining, Meghadūta (Title) [ ID=26738 ]
- foundation, base  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > foundation, base, Prabodha-candrodaya (Title); Kaṭha-upaniṣad (Title) [ ID=26739 ]
- 1. Depending on, resting upon, or hanging from. 2. The connection of a feeling with its exciting cause. 3. Supporting or sustaining.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आलम्बन (ālambana) [Printed book page 120 ] आलम्बन (ālambana) n. ( - नं (-naṃ) ) 1 Depending on or resting upon, hanging from. 2 The natural and necessary connexion of feeling with the cause by which it is excited. 3 Supporting, sustaining. E. आङ् (āṅ) and लवि (lavi) to go, ल्युट् (lyuṭ) aff. [ ID=5811 ]
- Taking hold of, hanging from, resting on, or support.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आलम्बन (ālambana) [Printed book page 097-b ] आ - लम्बन (ā-lambana) ( नं ) ((naṃ)) 1. n. Idem. [ ID=5192 ]
- 1. Depending on or from 2. Supporting 3. A house 4. A person or thing that gives rise to a sentiment  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आलम्बन (ālambana) [Printed book page 108-12 ] आलम्बन (ālambana) n. 1. The depending on or from; 2. supporting; 3. a house; 4. a person or thing with reference to which a sentiment arises; 5. anything on which, as it were, a sentiment hangs (in rhetoric). There are two causes ( विभाव (vibhāva) ) which give rise to a sentiment, viz., आम्लम्बन (āmlambana) and उद्दीपन (uddīpana). In the karuṇa sentiment, for instance, the person dead is the आलम्बन (ālambana) of the sentiment and the attending circumstances which aggravate sorrow are its उद्दीपन (uddīpana) ानि (uddīpanāni) or feeders. [ ID=5420 ]
- 1. Depending on or resting upon. 2. The connection of feeling with its exciting cause. 3. Supporting or sustaining.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आलम्बन (ālambana) [Printed book page 099-a ] आलम्बन (ālambana) n. ( - नं (-naṃ) ) 1. Depending on or resting upon, hanging from. 2. The natural and necessary connexion of feeling with the cause by which it is excited. 3. Supporting, sustaining. E. आङ् (āṅ) before लबि (labi) to go, ल्युट् (lyuṭ) aff. [ ID=5809 ]
- 1. Supporting. 2. Support.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आलम्बन (ālambana) [Printed book page 0087-a ] आलम्बन (ālambana) ā-lamb + ana, n., 1. Sup- porting, Megh. 4. 2. Support, Pañc. Page0087-b+ 41 i. d. 34. — Comp. Nis-, adj. having no support, Rām. 5, 3, 64. [ ID=1701 ]
- leaning or depending on  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > आलम्बन (ālambana) [Printed book page 067 ] आलम्बन (ālambana) n. leaning or depending on; also = prec. m. [ ID=4591 ]
- 1. Depending or resting upon, or hanging from. 2. Supporting or sustaining. 3. A fundament or base. 4. A reason or cause. 5. The natural connection of a feeling with its exciting cause in rhetoric. 6. Mental exercise practiced by a yogi to realize the gross form of the eternal. 7. Silent repetition of a prayer. 8. The attributes of things corresponding to the five senses, along with the law corresponding to the mind.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > आलम्बन (ālambana) [Printed book page 0130-a ] Ā-lambana, am, n. depending on or resting upon, Page0130-b+ 71 hanging from; supporting, sustaining; fundament, base; reason, cause; (in rhetoric) the natural and necessary connection of feeling with the cause which excites it; the mental exercise practised by the Yogin in endeavouring to realize the gross form of the eternal; silent repetition of a prayer; (with Bud- dhists) the five attributes of things corresponding to the five senses, viz. form, sound, smell, taste, and touch; also dharma or law corresponding to manas. [ ID=9251 ]

### Buddhist Concept: Sensory Objects (1 definition)
- 1. Form, sound, smell, taste, and touch. 2. A mental law or attribute.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (with Buddhists) the five attributes of things (apprehended by or connected with the five senses, viz. form, sound, smell, taste, and touch; also धर्म (dharma) or law belonging to मनस् (manas) ). [ ID=26744 ]

### Cause, Reason (1 definition)
- reason or cause  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > reason, cause [ ID=26740 ]

### Rhetorical Object of Sentiment (1 definition)
- the natural and necessary connection of a sensation with its cause  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in rhetoric) the natural and necessary connection of a sensation with the cause which excites it, Sāhitya-darpaṇa (Title) [ ID=26741 ]

### Silent Prayer/Repetition (1 definition)
- silent repetition of a prayer  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > silent repetition of a prayer [ Horace H. Wilson, author of first Sanskrit-English dictionary in 1819 (Author) ] [ ID=26743 ]

### Yogic Mental Exercise (1 definition)
- mental exercise practiced by a yogin to realize the gross form of the Eternal  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the mental exercise practised by the Yogin in endeavouring to realize the gross form of the Eternal, Viṣṇu-purāṇa (Title) [ ID=26742 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; 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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