# गुह (guha)

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

गुह (guha) is a Sanskrit word meaning an epithet of Skanda, an epithet of Shiva, of Vishnu, a king of the Nishadas and friend of Rama, belonging to the writer caste, a swift horse. Its 30 recorded definitions are grouped into 13 contexts, among them The God Skanda/Kārttikeya, The God Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa, A People or Tribe.

- **Roots:** कृ (kṛ), धा (dhā)
- **Etymology:** E. गुह to conceal, affixes अङ् and टाप् — E. guha to conceal, affixes aṅ and ṭāp
- **SLP1:** `guha`  **IAST:** guha  **Devanagari:** गुह
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guha_%28Ramayana%29
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/guha/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** गूह (gūha), गुहा (guhā)

## Meanings by context

### The God Skanda/Kārttikeya (11 definitions)
- an epithet of Skanda  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 360,2] गुह (guha) m. ( g. अश्मा (aśmā) दि (di) ) ‘reared in a secret place’, N. of Skanda (the god; cf. Kārttikeya), Mahābhārata (Title) iii, ix, xiii; Harivaṃśa (Title) 10478; Suśr.; Kum. &c. [ ID=66260 ]
- 1. An epithet of Shiva and of Skanda. 2. A name of a king of Nishada.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 085-3 ] गुह (guha) guh-a, m. ep. of Śiva and of Skanda; N. of a king of Niṣāda : -candra, -sena, m. names of merchants. [ ID=7043 ]
- 1. An epithet of Kartikeya. 2. An epithet of Vishnu. 3. A swift horse. 4. A ruler of Sringavera and friend of Rama. 5. A title for writers. 6. A cave or cavern. 7. A pit or hole in the ground. 8. A plant.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) m. ( - हः (-haḥ) ) 1 A name of KĀRTTIKEYA. 2 A name of VIṢṆU. 3 A swift horse. 4 The name of a Niṣāda, ruler of Sringavera, the friend of RĀMA. 5 A name or title proper to persons of the writer caste. f. ( - हा (-hā) ) 1 A cave, a cavern. 2 A pit, a hole in the ground. 3 A plant, commonly Cākuliya: see सिंहपुच्छी (siṃhapucchī). E. गुह (guha) to conceal, affixes अङ् (aṅ) and टाप् (ṭāp). [ ID=13768 ]
- 1. A name of Kartikeya, Vishnu, or Nishada, or a swift horse. 2. A cave, a pit, or a plant.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 257-a ] गुह (guha) ( हः ) ((haḥ)) 1. m. A name of Kārtikeya, Vishnu or Nishada; a swift horse. f. A cave, a pit; a plant. [ ID=13223 ]
- 1. An epithet of Kartikeya. 2. A horse. 3. Name of a king of Shringavera and friend of Rama.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 247-12 ] गुह (guha) m. 1. An epithet of Kārtikeya, गुह (guha) इवाप्रतिहतशक्तिः (guha ivāpratihataśaktiḥ) Kad., K.S. v.14; 2. a horse; 3. name of a chaṇḍāla king of Śṛingavera, a friend of Rāma. [ ID=12339 ]
- 1. A name of Kartikeya. 2. A name of Vishnu. 3. A swift horse. 4. The Nishada ruler of Sringavera and friend of Rama. 5. A title for persons of the writer caste. 6. A cave or cavern. 7. A pit or hole in the ground. 8. A plant, commonly Chakuliya.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) m. ( - ह (-ha) ) 1. A name of KARTIKEYA. 2. A name of VISHNU. 3. A swift horse. 4. The name of Nishada, ruler of Sringavera, the friend of Page242-b+ 60 RAMA. 5. A name or title proper to persons of the writer caste. f. ( - ह (-ha) ा (-hā) ) 1. A cave, a cavern. 2. A pit, a hole in the ground. 3. A plant, commonly Chakuliya: see सिंहपुच्छी (siṃhapucchī). E. गुह (guha) to conceal, affixes अङ् (aṅ) and टाप (ṭāpa). [ ID=13759 ]
- 1. An epithet of Skanda, the god of war. 2. An epithet of Shiva. 3. The name of a people.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 0268-b ] गुह (guha) guh + a, m. 1. A name of Skanda, the god of war, MBh. 13, 4093. 2. A name of Śiva, MBh. 13, 1263. 3. pl. The name of a people, MBh. 12, 7559. [ ID=4520 ]
- 1. An epithet of Skanda and Shiva. 2. A cave, pit, mine, or the heart.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 155 ] गुह (guha) m. E. of Skanda & Śiva. f. गुह (guha) ा (guhā) = prec. + cave, pit, mine, fig. the heart. Instr. गुह (guha) ा (guhā) in secret, secretly; w. कृ (kṛ) & धा (dhā) conceal, remove. [ ID=9616 ]
- 1. A name of Skanda or Karttikeya, the god of war. 2. An epithet of Shiva or Vishnu. 3. A king of the Nishadas and friend of Rama. 4. A title proper to persons of the writer caste. 5. A swift horse.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 0294-a ] Guha, as, m. a N. of Skanda or Kārttikeya, the god of war (as reared in a secret place); an epithet of Śiva; of Viṣṇu; N. of a king of the Niṣādas, a friend of Rāma; a N. or title proper to persons of the writer-caste; a horse, a swift horse; ( ās ), m. pl., N. of a people in the south of India. —Guha-gupta, as, m., N. of a Bodhi-sattva. —Guha-candra, as, m., N. of a merchant. —Guha-deva, as, m., N. of a teacher. —Guha-rāja, as, m. a peculiar form or construction of a temple. —Guha-śiva, as, m., N. of a king of Kaliṅga. —Guha-ṣaṣṭhī, f. the sixth day in the former half of Mārgaśīrṣa. —Guha-sena, as, m., N. of a merchant. [ ID=17550 ]
- Skanda  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 313-2 ] Guha 1 = Skanda, q.v. [ ID=4274 ]
- An epithet of the war god Kartikeya  
  *The Purana Index*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 1-539 ] Guha (I) — (God Subrahmaṇya, Senāpati) a son of Ambikā (Pārvati) was born as Sāmba, son of Kṛṣṇa. Tīrtha sacred to, in the Sarasvatī visited by Vidura. 1 Guha is said to hve shot arrows at Krauñca hill. 2 Fought with Tāraka in the Devāsura war and with Pradyumna at Śonitapura. 3 Relieved Mucukunda defending Heaven. 4 With peacock as riding animal, defended Tripurāri's chariot; birth of, in a Śaravana, as a baby of seven days killed Asura Tāraka. 5 Weapon Śakti. 6 Page1-540+ 25 [ Footnote: 1) Bhā. III. 1. 22. and 30. Br. III. 24. 4; IV. 30. 104; Vā. 30. 315; 39. 55, 41. 40; Vi. V. 33. 26.] [ Footnote: 2) Bhā. V. 20. 19.] [ Footnote: 3) Ib. VIII. 10. 28; X. 63. 7.] [ Footnote: 4) Ib. 51. 16.] [ Footnote: 5) M. 133. 64; 140. 40; 146. 10-11; 266. 42.] [ Footnote: 6) Vi. III. 2. 12.] [ ID=4256 ]

### The God Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa (3 definitions)
- of Vishnu  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of Viṣṇu, W. [ ID=66262 ]
- Krishna  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Guha 2 = Kṛṣṇa: XII, 1507. [ ID=4275 ]
- Vishnu  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Guha 4 = Viṣṇu (1000 names). [ ID=4277 ]

### A People or Tribe (2 definitions)
- A people in the south of India  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > गुह (guha) m. pl. N. of a people in the south of India, Mahābhārata (Title) xii, 7559 [ ID=66266 ]
- a people  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Guha, pl. ( °āḥ ), a people. § 664 (Mokṣadh.): XII, 207 η, 7559 (among the barbarous people of the south). [ ID=4278 ]

### Rulers of Kalinga & other regions (2 definitions)
- the ruler of the kingdoms of Kalinga, Mahisha, and Mahendranilaya  
  *The Purana Index*
  > [Printed book page 1-540 ] Guha (II) — the ruler of kingdoms Kalinga, Mahiṣa, Mahendranilaya, etc. Br. III. 74. 198; Vā. 99. 386. [ ID=4257 ]
- rule over Kalinga, Mahisha, and Mahendra hill regions  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Guhas — rule over Kalinga, Māhiṣa, and Mahendra hill regions. Vi. IV. 24. 65. [ ID=4258 ]

### Specific Plant Names (2 definitions)
- Hemionitis cordifolia  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Hemionitis cordifolia, Suśruta (Title) i, 19, 27; v, 7, 1 ( cf. प्रति - ग् (prati-g) ° (°) ) [ ID=66269 ]
- Desmodium gangeticum  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Desmodium gangeticum, L. [ ID=66270 ]

### The God Śiva (2 definitions)
- an epithet of Shiva  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of Śiva, Mahābhārata (Title) xiii, 1263 [ ID=66261 ]
- Shiva  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Guha 3 = Śiva (1000 names 2 ). [ ID=4276 ]

### Verbal Root 'to cover/conceal' (2 definitions)
- To cover or wear.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 294 ] गुह (guha) r. 1st cl. ( ऊ (ū) ) गुह (guha) ू (guhū) ( गुह (guha) ति (guhati) ) To cover, to cover as with clothes, to wear. [ ID=13767 ]
- To cover or wear.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > गुह (guha) [Printed book page 242-a ] गुह (guha) r. 1st cl. ( ऊ ) गुह (guha) ू ( गुह (guha) ति ) ((ū)guhū(guhati)) To cover, to cover as with clothes. to wear. [ ID=13758 ]

### A Horse (1 definition)
- a swift horse  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a horse (‘a swift horse’, W. ), L. [ ID=66265 ]

### Adverb meaning Secretly (1 definition)
- in a hiding-place, in secret  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > गुहा (guhā) ind. ( 3. गुहा (guhā) ), Ved. instr. in a hiding-place, in secret, secretly (opposed to आविस् (āvis), and especially with √ धा (dhā), नि - (ni-) √ धा (dhā) (√dhā), √ कृ (kṛ), ‘to conceal, remove’), RV.; AV.; Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa (Title) xi, xiii. [ ID=66271 ]

### Cave, Hiding Place, Pit (1 definition)
- A hiding place, cave, or cavern  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2B) [Printed book page 360,3] 2. गुहा (guhā), f. (gaṇas वृषा (vṛṣā) दि (di) and भिदा (bhidā) दि (di) ) a hiding-place, cave, cavern, Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā (Title) xxx, 16; Taittirīya-brāhmaṇa (Title) i; MBh. &c. ( ifc. f( आ (ā) )., Hemādri’s Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi (Title) i, 7 and 10 ) [ ID=66267 ]

### King Guha of the Niṣādas (1 definition)
- a king of the Nishadas and friend of Rama  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a king of the Niṣādas (friend of Rāma), Rāmāyaṇa (Title) i f., vi; Mahāvīra-caritra (Title) iv, 60/7 [ ID=66263 ]

### Name/Title for Writer Caste (1 definition)
- belonging to the writer caste  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. belonging to persons of the writer caste, W. [ ID=66264 ]

### The Heart (figurative) (1 definition)
- the heart  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ( fig. ) the heart, Śvetāśvatara-upaniṣad (Title) iii, 20; Mahābhārata (Title) xii; Bhāgavata-purāṇa (Title) ii, 9, 24 [ ID=66268 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; 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; 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.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546