# असिक्नी (asiknī)

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

असिक्नी (asiknī) is a Sanskrit word meaning dark, black, dark-coloured or black, the planet Saturn, a poisonous animal, specifically a kind of mouse, the lord of darkness and magic, a descendant of Kashyapa, also named Devala or Asita Devala. Its 34 recorded definitions are grouped into 14 contexts, among them The River Asiknī (Chenab), Young Female Attendant, Asita as a Male Proper Name (Sages/Individuals).

- **Etymology:** E. अ neg. and सित white, because her hair is not whitened by age: क्न is substituted for त, and the affix is ङीप् — E. a neg. and sita white, because her hair is not whitened by age: kna is substituted for ta, and the affix is ṅīp
- **SLP1:** `asiknI`  **IAST:** asiknī  **Devanagari:** असिक्नी
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asikni_%28goddess%29
- **Declensions:** 72 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/asikni/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** असिक्नि (asikni)

## Meanings by context

### The River Asiknī (Chenab) (6 definitions)
- Name of a river in the Punjab  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of the river Akesines (afterwards called Candra-bhāgā) in the Pañjāb, Ṛg-veda (Title) viii, 20, 25 and ( असिक्नी (asiknī) ), x, 75, 5. [ ID=20981 ]
- Name of a river in the Punjab  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 0213-b ] 3 N. of a river in the Punjaub, mentioned along with others in the line इमं मे गंगे यमुने (imaṃ me gaṃge yamune) &c. [ ID=5535 ]
- 1. The night. 2. A river.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 075-b ] असिक्नी (asiknī) ( क्नी ) ((knī)) 3. f. Idem; a river. [ ID=3977 ]
- a river in India  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 094-1 ] Asiknī (a river in Bhāratav.). § 574 (Jambūkh.): VI, 9 λ, 330. [ ID=890 ]
- a river in Bharatavarsha  
  *The Purana Index*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 1-135 ] Asiknī (I) — R. in Bhāratavarṣa. Bhā. V. 19. 18. [ ID=1063 ]
- The Chenab river in the Punjab, known in ancient times as the river Candra-bhāgā and to the Greeks as Akesines.  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 1-047 ] Asiknī (‘black’) is the name in the Rigveda 1 of the river known later as Candra-bhāgā, and to the Greeks as Akesines, now the Chenab in the Punjab. [ Footnote: 1) viii. 20, 25; x. 75, 5; Nirukta, ix. 26. Cf. Zimmer, Altindisches Leben, 12.] [ ID=194 ]

### Young Female Attendant (6 definitions)
- a girl attending in the women's apartments  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 120,3] असिता (asitā) f. a girl attending in the women's apartments (whose hair is not whitened by age), Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=20975 ]
- a girl attending in the women's apartments  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a girl attending in the women's apartments, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=20979 ]
- A young maid-servant of the harem  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 0213-b ] 1 A young maid-servant of the harem. [ ID=5535 ]
- 1. A female attendant in the women's apartments. 2. A river.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अ (a) सिक्न (kna) ी (asiknī) [Printed book page 096 ] अ (a) सिक्न (kna) ी (asiknī) f. ( - क्न (kna) ी (-knī) ) 1 A girl attending upon the inner or women's apartments. 2 A river. E. अ (a) neg. and सित (ta) (sita) white, because her hair is not whitened by age: क्न (kna) is substituted for त (ta), and the affix is ङीप् (ṅīp). [ ID=4600 ]
- A youthful maid-servant of the harem  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 087-14 ] असिक्नी (asiknī) f. A youthfull maid-servant of the harem. [ ID=4430 ]
- 1. A female attendant in the women's apartments. 2. A river.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > अ (a) सिक्न (kna) ी (asiknī) [Printed book page 079-a ] अ (a) सिक्न (kna) ी (asiknī) f. ( - क्न (kna) ी (-knī) ) 1. A girl attending upon the inner or women's apartments. 2. A river. E. अ (a) neg. and सित (sita) white, because her hair is not whitened by age: क्न (kna) is substituted for त, (ta,) and the affix is ङीप् (ṅīp). [ ID=4598 ]

### Asita as a Male Proper Name (Sages/Individuals) (4 definitions)
- a descendant of Kashyapa, also named Devala or Asita Devala  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a descendant of Kaśyapa (composer of Ṛg-veda (Title) ix, 5 - 24 ), named also Devala [ ṚV-anukramaṇikā (Title) ] or Asita Devala [ Mahābhārata (Title); Harivaṃśa (Title) ] [ ID=20968 ]
- The name of a man  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a man (with the patron. Vārṣagaṇa), Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title) xiv [ ID=20969 ]
- of a son of Bharata  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a son of Bharata, Rāmāyaṇa (Title) [ ID=20970 ]
- belonging to a Rishi  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a Ṛṣi, Buddhist literature (Literary category) [ ID=20971 ]

### Asitā/Asiknī as a Female Proper Name (Mythological) (3 definitions)
- an Apsaras  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of an Apsaras, Mahābhārata (Title) i, 4819; Harivaṃśa (Title) 12472 [ ID=20977 ]
- a wife of Daksha  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a wife of Dakṣa, Harivaṃśa (Title) [ ID=20980 ]
- 1. The daughter of Pancajana and wife of Daksha. 2. The mother of the Haryashvas, Shabalashvas, and sixty daughters.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Asiknī (II) — the daughter of Pañcajana (Viraṇa- Vi. P. ) the wife of Dakṣa 1 and the mother of Haryaśvas who were ten thousand in number (five thousand- Vi. P. ) of Śabalāśvas who were also a thousand in number 2 and of sixty daughters. 3 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. VI. 4. 51; Vi. I. 15. 89.] [ Footnote: 2) Bhā. VI. 5. 1, 24; Br. III. 2. 5, 21-30; Vi. I. 15. 90, 97.] [ Footnote: 3) Bhā. VI. 6. 1; Vi. I. 15. 102.] [ ID=1064 ]

### Dark/Harmful Creatures & Related Concepts (3 definitions)
- a poisonous animal, specifically a kind of mouse  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a poisonous animal (said to be a kind of mouse), Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=20966 ]
- a black snake  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ( अस् (as) ), a black snake, Atharva-veda (Title) [ ID=20973 ]
- a mantra that protects against snakes  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a Mantra (saving from snakes), Mahābhārata (Title) i, 2188 [ ID=20974 ]

### Night (3 definitions)
- the night  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 120,3] असिक्नी (asiknī) b f. ‘the dark one’, the night, Ṛg-veda (Title) iv, 17, 15; x, 3, 1 [ ID=20978 ]
- Night  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 0213-b ] 2 Night ( Nir. ). [ ID=5535 ]
- night  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 034-3 ] असिक्नी (asiknī) ásiknī, f. ( of ásita) night. [ ID=3190 ]

### Grammatical or Cross-Referential Definitions (2 definitions)
- dark, black  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 120,3] असिक्नी (asiknī) a Ved. f. of 2. असित (asita), q.v. [ ID=20962 ]
- See asita  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > असिक्नी (asiknī) [Printed book page 0105-c ] असिक्नी (asiknī) asiknī. See 2. asita. [ ID=7542 ]

### Asita as a Mountain Name (1 definition)
- of a mountain  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a mountain, Mahābhārata (Title) iii, 8364; Kathāsaritsāgara (Title) [ ID=20972 ]

### Asita as a Mythological Being (Lord of Darkness) (1 definition)
- the lord of darkness and magic  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of the lord of darkness and magic, Atharva-veda (Title); Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title); Āśvalāyana-śrauta-sūtra (Title) [ ID=20967 ]

### Asita as an Intoxicating Drink (1 definition)
- an intoxicating drink  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a partic. intoxicating drink, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=20981.2 ]

### Asita as the Dark Lunar Fortnight (1 definition)
- the dark half of a lunar month  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 1318,2] असित (asita) (also) the dark half of a lunar month, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=20981.1 ]

### Asita as the Planet Saturn (1 definition)
- the planet Saturn  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > असित (asita) m. the planet Saturn, Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā (Title) [ ID=20965 ]

### Asitā as the Indigo Plant (1 definition)
- the indigo plant  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the indigo plant, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=20976 ]

### The color black or dark (1 definition)
- dark-coloured or black  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > 2. अ (a) सित (sita) (asita) mf( आ (ā); Ved. अ (a) सिक्नी (asiknī) )n. ( सित (sita), ‘white’, appears to have been formed from this word, which is probably original, and not a compound of अ (a) and सित (sita); cf. अ (a) सुर (sura) (asura) and सुर (sura) ), dark-coloured, black, Ṛg-veda (Title) &c. [ ID=20964 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical 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; The Purana Index; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; 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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