# दुर्गा (durgā)

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

दुर्गा (durgā) is a Sanskrit word meaning difficult of access, impassable, or unattainable, bdellium, an Asura slain by the goddess Durga, several men, especially the commentator on Yaska's Nirukta, a citadel or stronghold, rough ground, difficulty, danger, or distress. Its 18 recorded definitions are grouped into 8 contexts, among them The Goddess Durgā, Name of a River, Specific Natural Entities (Flora/Fauna/Resin).

- **Root:** गम् (gam)
- **SLP1:** `durgA`  **IAST:** durgā  **Devanagari:** दुर्गा
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/durga/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** दुर्ग (durga)

## Meanings by context

### The Goddess Durgā (6 definitions)
- See Durga  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 485,2] दुर् (dur) — गा (—gā) a See दुर् (dur) गा (durgā) ( p. 487). [ ID=93876 ]
- See Durga.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2B) [Printed book page 487,2] दुर्गा (durgā) b f. See दुर्गा (durgā) [ ID=94427 ]
- An epithet of the daughter of Himavat and wife of Shiva, also known as Uma and Parvati  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ‘the inaccessible or terrific goddess’, N. of the daughter of Himavat and wife of Śiva (also called Umā, Pārvatī &c., and mother of Kārttikeya and Gaṇeśa cf. - पूजा (-pūjā) ), Taittirīya-āraṇyaka (Title) x, 2, 3 ( द् (d) ° उर्गा देवी (°urgā devī) ), MBh. &c. [ ID=94472 ]
- an epithet of Parvati, wife of Shiva  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > दुर्गा (durgā) [Printed book page 335-20 ] दुर् - गा (dur-gā) f. an epithet of Pārvatī, wife of Śiva. [ ID=17116 ]
- a goddess, identical with Uma  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > दुर्गा (durgā) [Printed book page 274-1 ] Durgā 1, a goddess, the same as Umā (q.v.). § 549 f (Pāṇḍava- praveśap.): Yudhiṣṭhira praises D. (supreme goddess of the universe, born of Yaśodā and rejoicing in the boons bestowed upon her by Nārāyaṇa; she sprang from the race of the cowherd Nanda, terrified Kaṃsa, destroyed the Asuras, and ascended to the sky when dashed [by Kaṃsa] on a stony platform; she was the sister of Vāsudeva, etc.) with the hymn IV, vv. 184—203: IV, 6, 178, 198 (etymology), 203.— [§ 549 (Pāṇḍavapraveśap.): IV, 6, 204 ( Devī, i.e. Durgā, then showed herself to Yudhiṣṭhira and promised him victory).]—§ 576 (Bhagavadgītāp.): VI, 23, 793 ( °stotraṃ ), 803 (Arjuna praised D. with the hymn VI, vv. 796—808; the goddess then showed herself to Arjuna and promised him victory).—For the names occurring in the two hymns v. the synonyms enumerated under the heading Umā. [ ID=3768 ]
- 1. A name of Yogamaya. 2. A female divine energy or shakti.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > दुर्गा (durgā) [Printed book page 2-100 ] Durgā (I) — one of the names of Yogamāya propitiated by Devakī and others for Kṛṣṇa's safe return from the cave of Jāmbavān; 1 worship of; 2 a Śakti; 3 worshipped in the grahabali: Icon of. 4 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. X. 2. 11; 56. 35.] [ Footnote: 2) Ib. XI. 27. 29.] [ Footnote: 3) Br. III. 32. 24, 48 and 59; IV. 19. 81; 39. 57.; 44. 76.] [ Footnote: 4) M. 93. 16; 260. 55-66.] [ ID=6069 ]

### Name of a River (3 definitions)
- the name of two rivers  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of two rivers, Mahābhārata (Title) vi, 337 [ ID=94471 ]
- name of two rivers  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Durgā 2, name of two rivers. § 574 (Jambūkh.): VI, 9 λ, 337, 341. [ ID=3769 ]
- a river originating from the Vindhya mountains  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Durgā (II) — a R. originating from the Vindhya Moun- tains. Br. II. 16. 33; Vā. 45. 103. [ ID=6070 ]

### Specific Natural Entities (Flora/Fauna/Resin) (3 definitions)
- bdellium  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > दुर्ग (durga) m. bdellium, L. [ ID=94424 ]
- the indigo plant or Clitoria Ternatea  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 487,2] दुर्गा (durgā) c f. (of ° ग (°ga), q.v. ) the Indigo plant or Clitoria Ternatea, L. [ ID=94469 ]
- a singing bird  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a singing bird (= श्यामा (śyāmā) ), L. [ ID=94470 ]

### Impassable Quality or Difficulty/Danger (2 definitions)
- difficult of access, impassable, or unattainable  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 487,2] दुर् (dur) ग (durga) b mfn. ( 2. दुर् (dur) and √ गम् (gam) ) difficult of access or approach, impassable, unattainable, AV.; Mn.; MBh. &c. [ ID=94423 ]
- Rough ground, difficulty, danger, or distress.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > rough ground, roughness, difficulty, danger, distress, RV.; AV.; Mn.; MBh. &c. [ ID=94429 ]

### A Fortification or Difficult Place (1 definition)
- 1. A difficult or narrow passage or a place difficult of access. 2. A citadel or stronghold.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > दुर्ग (durga) n. ( m. only Pañcatantra (Title) v, 76; B n. ) a difficult or narrow passage, a place difficult of access, citadel, stronghold ( cf. अब् - (ab-), गिरि - (giri-) &c.) [ ID=94428 ]

### Component in Compound Names (1 definition)
- also used as an abbreviation for names like Durga-gupta and Durga-dasa  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > also abridged for दुर्ग - गुप्त (durga-gupta), दुर्गा - दास (durgā-dāsa) &c. (see below) [ ID=94426 ]

### Name of Female Individuals (non-deity) (1 definition)
- 1. of a princess  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a princess, Rājataraṃgiṇī (Title) iv, 659, and of other women. [ ID=94473 ]

### Name of Male Individuals or an Asura (1 definition)
- 1. An Asura slain by the goddess Durga. 2. Several men, especially the commentator on Yaska's Nirukta.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of an Asura (supposed to have been slain by the goddess Durgā, SkandaP. ) and of sev. men ( g. नडा (naḍā) दि (di), Pāṇini (Author) iv, 1, 99 ), esp. of the commentator on Yāska's Nirukta [ ID=94425 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; 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