# अम्बिका (ambikā)

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

अम्बिका (ambikā) is a Sanskrit word meaning mother, a good woman as a term of respect, a sister of Rudra, an epithet of Parvati, the wife of Rudra Ugraretas, one of the female domestic deities of the Jainas. Its 21 recorded definitions are grouped into 11 contexts, among them Mother, a term of respect, Mother of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Mahābhārata character), The Goddess Pārvatī.

- **SLP1:** `ambikA`  **IAST:** ambikā  **Devanagari:** अम्बिका
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambika_%28Mahabharata%29
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/ambika/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** अंबिका (aṃbikā), अम्बिक (ambika)

## Meanings by context

### Mother, a term of respect (6 definitions)
- 1. Mother. 2. A good woman as a term of respect.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 83,2] अम्बिका (ambikā) f. ( voc. अम्बिके (ambike) ), mother, good woman (as a term of respect), Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā (Title) & Taittirīya-saṃhitā (Title) ( cf. Pāṇini (Author) vi, 1, 118 ), Pāṇini (Author) vii, 3, 107 Comm. ( voc. ° क (°ka) े (°ke) ) & Kāśikā-vṛtti (Title) (in Veda voc. optionally ° क (°ka) and ° क (°ka) े (°ke) ) [ ID=14461 ]
- 1. A mother. 2. A name of Parvati. 3. The mother of Dhritarashtra. 4. A female domestic deity of the Jainas. 5. A medicinal plant.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अम्बिका (kā) (ambikā) [Printed book page 062 ] अम्बिका (kā) (ambikā) f. ( का (kā) ) 1 A mother. 2 A name of PĀRVATĪ. 3 The mother of DHṚTARĀṢṬRA. 4 One of the female domestic deities of the Jainas. 5 A medicinal plant. See कटुकी (kaṭukī). E. अम्बा (ambā) a mother, and कन् (kan) affix; like a mother. Page63 [ ID=2955 ]
- mother  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अम्बिका (ambikā) [Printed book page 049-a ] अम्बिका (ambikā) ( का ) ((kā)) 1. f. Idem. [ ID=2449 ]
- 1. A mother. 2. A name of Parvati. 3. The name of a wife of Vichitravirya.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अम्बिका (ambikā) [Printed book page 058-18 ] अम्बिका (ambikā) f. 1. A mother (also used as a term of respect; for instance, the brother-in-law of the king, kneeling before Vasantasenā and making profession of his love, is made to say in Mrich. ‘ अत्तिके अम्बिके सुणु मम विण्णत्तिम् (attike ambike suṇu mama viṇṇattim) ’; 2. a name of Pārvatī, आशीर्भिरेधयामासुः पुरःपाकाभिराम्बिकाम् (āśīrbhiredhayāmāsuḥ puraḥpākābhirāmbikām) K.S. vi.90; 3. the name of a wife of Vichitravīrya. (See App. II.) [ ID=3037 ]
- 1. A mother. 2. A name of Parvati. 3. The mother of Dhritarashtra. 4. A female domestic deity of the Jainas. 5. A medicinal plant.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अम्बिका (ambikā) [Printed book page 052-a ] अम्बिका (ambikā) f. ( - का (-kā) ) 1. A mother. 2. A name of PĀRVATĪ. 3. The mother of DHṚTARĀSHṬRA. 4. One of the female. domestic deities of the Jainas. 5. A medicinal plant. See कटुकी (kaṭukī). E. अम्बा (ambā) a mother, and कन् (kan) affix; like a mother. [ ID=2953 ]
- 1. A mother or a respectful term for a good woman. 2. The plant Wrightia antidysenterica. 3. A sister of Rudra. 4. Parvati, the wife of Shiva. 5. The wife of Rudra Ugraretas. 6. A female domestic deity of the Jainas. 7. The daughter of the king of Kashi, wife of Vichitra-virya, and mother of Dhritarashtra. 8. A place in Bengal.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > अम्बिका (ambikā) [Printed book page 0077-c ] Ambikā, f. mother, good woman (as a term of respect); N. of the plant Wrightia Antidysenterica; a sister of Rudra; N. of Pārvatī, the wife of Śiva; the wife of Rudra Ugraretas; one of the female domestic deities of the Jainas; daughter of a king of Kāśi, wife of Vicitra-vīrya, and mother of Dhṛta- rāṣṭra; N. of a place in Bengal. —Ambikā-pati, is, m., N. of Śiva. —Ambikā-putra, as, m., N. of Dhṛta-rāṣṭra. [ ID=5566 ]

### Mother of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (Mahābhārata character) (3 definitions)
- the daughter of the king of Kashi, wife of Vicitravīrya, and mother of Dhritarashtra  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a daughter of the king of Kāśi (wife of Vicitravīrya, and mother of Dhṛtarāṣṭra), Mahābhārata (Title) &c. ( cf. अम्बालिका (ambālikā) ) [ ID=14467 ]
- 1. Mother. 2. The goddess Durga. 3. The name of a princess.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अम्बिका (ambikā) [Printed book page 038 ] अम्बिका (ambikā) f. the same; N. of a princess. [ ID=2647 ]
- sister of Ambalika  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > अम्बिका (ambikā) [Printed book page 031-1 ] Ambikā 1, sister of Ambālikā (q.v.). § 156 (Pūruvaṃś.): I, 95, 3804 ( Ambikāmbālike Kauśalyātmaje Kāśirāja- duhitarau ).—§ 167 (Vicitravīryoparama): I, 102, 4137.— § 171 (Vicitravīryasutotp.): I, 106, 4277.—§ 196 (Vyāsa): I, 128, 4973, 4975.—§ 573 (Ambop.): V, 173, 5951, 5952 ( madhyamā ); 175, 5990; 176, 6068. Cf. Kausalyā. [ ID=426 ]

### The Goddess Pārvatī (3 definitions)
- An epithet of Parvati  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of Pārvatī (the wife of Śiva), Harivaṃśa (Title); Yājñavalkya (Author) &c. [ ID=14464 ]
- the wife of Rudra Ugraretas  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of the wife of Rudra Ugraretas, Bhāgavata-purāṇa (Title) [ ID=14465 ]
- 1. An epithet of Parvati. 2. The mother of Dhritarashtra.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अम्बिका (ambikā) [Printed book page 026-1 ] अम्बिका (ambikā) ambikā, f. N. of Pārvatī; N. of Dhṛta-rāṣṭraʼs mother; -pati, m. Rudra or Śiva. [ ID=2466 ]

### A Mātṛkā (divine mother) (2 definitions)
- one of the mothers in Skanda's retinue  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of one of the mothers in Skanda's retinue, Mahābhārata (Title) ix, 2630 [ ID=14466 ]
- a mother goddess  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Ambikā 3, a mātṛ. § 615 u (Skanda): IX, 46 θ, 2630 (enumeration).—§ 770 (Ānuśāsanik.): XIII, 151 ε, 7106 ( Skandaś cāmbikayā saha; among those the recital of whose names cleanses from all sins). [ ID=428 ]

### A Jaina deity (1 definition)
- one of the female domestic deities of the Jainas  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > one of the female domestic deities of the Jainas, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=14468 ]

### A medicinal plant (1 definition)
- the plant Wrightia antidysenterica  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the plant Wrightia Antidysenterica. [ ID=14471 ]

### A place name (1 definition)
- a place in Bengal  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a place in Bengal, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=14469 ]

### An Apsaras (1 definition)
- an Apsaras  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Ambikā 2, an Apsaras. § 191 (Pāṇḍavotp.): I, 123, 4818 (among the Apsarases who danced and sang at the birth of Arjuna). [ ID=427 ]

### Name of river(s) (1 definition)
- two rivers  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of two rivers, Hemādri’s Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi (Title) [ ID=14470 ]

### Sister of Rudra (1 definition)
- a sister of Rudra  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a sister of Rudra, Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā (Title); Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title) [ ID=14463 ]

### The harvest season (1 definition)
- an epithet applied to the harvest as the most productive season  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 83,3] a N. applied to the harvest (as the most productive season), Kāṭhaka (Literary category) [ ID=14462 ]

## Sources

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