# करुणा (karuṇā)

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

करुणा (karuṇā) is a Sanskrit word meaning mournful, miserable, lamenting, compassionate, mournfully, woefully, or pitifully, the pathetic sentiment in poetry, citrus Decumana, a Buddha. Its 18 recorded definitions are grouped into 8 contexts, among them Pity, Compassion, Tenderness, Mournful, Lamenting, Distressed, Names of Specific Plants.

- **Roots:** 1. कृ (1. kṛ), 1. कॄ (1. kṝ)
- **SLP1:** `karuRA`  **IAST:** karuṇā  **Devanagari:** करुणा
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karu%E1%B9%87%C4%81
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/karuna/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** करुण (karuṇa)

## Meanings by context

### Pity, Compassion, Tenderness (6 definitions)
- compassionate  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > compassionate, BhP. [ ID=44558 ]
- pity, compassion  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 255,3] करुणा (karuṇā) ( आ (ā) ), f. pity, compassion, BhP.; Ragh.; Pañcat. &c. [ ID=44564 ]
- Compassion, pity, tenderness  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > करुणा (karuṇā) [Printed book page 0381-a ] करुणा (karuṇā) Compassion, pity, tenderness; प्रायः सर्वो भवति (prāyaḥ sarvo bhavati) करुणा (karuṇā) वृत्तिरार्द्रांतरात्मा (karuṇāvṛttirārdrāṃtarātmā) Meghadūta (Bombay) 93; so सकरुण (sakaruṇa) kind; अकरुण (akaruṇa) unkind
- very kind  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — पर, - मय (para, -maya) a. very kind
- Tender, pitiable, or exciting compassion  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > करुण (karuṇa) ा (karuṇā) [Printed book page 170-04 ] करुण (karuṇa) (I) a. (f. णा (ṇā) ) Tender, pitiable, exciting compassion, विकलकरुण (karuṇa) ैरार्यचरितैः (vikalakaruṇairāryacaritaiḥ) Ut. i. [ ID=8379.1 ]
- Compassion, pity  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > [Printed book page 170-05 ] करुणा (karuṇā) f. Compassion, pity, करुणा (karuṇā) विमुखेन मृत्युना (karuṇāvimukhena mṛtyunā) R. viii.67, Megh. ii.30. [ ID=8383 ]

### Mournful, Lamenting, Distressed (3 definitions)
- mournful, miserable, lamenting  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 255,2] करुण (karuṇa) mf( आ (ā) )n. (√ 1. कॄ (kṝ), Uṇādi-sūtra (Title) iii, 53; but in some of its meanings fr. √ 1. कृ (kṛ) ), mournful, miserable, lamenting, MBh.; Daś. &c. [ ID=44557 ]
- mournfully, woefully, or pitifully  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1C) [Printed book page 255,3] करुणम् (karuṇam) ( अम् (am) ), ind. mournfully, woefully, pitifully, in distress, MBh.; Pañcat.; Vet. &c. [ ID=44559 ]
- a piteous wail  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > — स्वनः - ध्वनिः (svanaḥ -dhvaniḥ) a cry of distress, a piteous tone, wail. [ ID=10359 ]

### Names of Specific Plants (2 definitions)
- Citrus Decumana  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Citrus Decumana, L. [ ID=44561 ]
- a particular plant  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 255,3] करुणी (karuṇī) ( ई (ī) ), f. a particular plant, L. [ ID=44568 ]

### Pathetic Sentiment (Karuṇa Rasa) (2 definitions)
- the pathetic sentiment in poetry  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 255,3] करुण (karuṇa) ( अस् (as) ), m. ‘causing pity or compassion’, one of the Rasas or sentiments of a poem, the pathetic sentiment, Sāh. &c. [ ID=44560 ]
- the sentiment of compassion  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the sentiment of compassion ( cf. above), L. [ ID=44566 ]

### Proper Name or Title of Beings (2 definitions)
- a Buddha  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a Buddha, L. [ ID=44562 ]
- Name of an Asura  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of an Asura, Hariv. [ ID=44563 ]

### A Specific Musical Tone (1 definition)
- a particular musical tone  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a particular tone (in mus. ) [ ID=44567 ]

### Action, Sacred Deed (1 definition)
- an action or holy work  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > करुण (karuṇa) ( अम् (am) ), n. an action, holy work, Ṛg-veda (Title) i, 100, 7; Atharva-veda (Title) xii, 3, 47; Taittirīya-saṃhitā (Title) i. [ ID=44569 ]

### Compassion in Religious/Philosophical Practice (1 definition)
- one of the four Brahma-viharas  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > one of the four Brahma-vihāras ( Buddh. ) [ ID=44565 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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