# महावाक्य (mahāvākya)

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

महावाक्य (mahāvākya) is a Sanskrit word meaning any long continuous literary work, a principal sentence or proposition, a sacred utterance of the Upanishads, an Upanishad, great speech, either a literary work or chief sentence, any continuous composition or literary work. Its 6 recorded definitions are grouped into 4 contexts, among them Broad Enumerative Definitions, Literary Work / Continuous Composition, Principal/Sacred Vedantic Utterance.

- **SLP1:** `mahAvAkya`  **IAST:** mahāvākya  **Devanagari:** महावाक्य
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/mahavakya/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Broad Enumerative Definitions (3 definitions)
- 1. Any literary work. 2. A long sentence. 3. A principal sentence in Vedanta philosophy.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > महावाक्य (mahāvākya) [Printed book page 560-08 ] महा - वाक्य (mahā-vākya) n. 1. any continuous composition, any literary work; 2. a long sentence; 3. a principal sentence, e.g. तत्त्वमसि (tattvamasi), अहं ब्रह्मास्मि (ahaṃ brahmāsmi) (in Vedānta phil.). [ ID=29653 ]
- 1. Any continuous composition or literary work. 2. A long sentence. 3. A principal sentence.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > महावाक्य (mahāvākya) [Printed book page 559-a ] महावाक्य (mahāvākya) n. ( - क्यं (-kyaṃ) ) 1. Any continuous composition, any literary work. 2. A long sentence. 3. A principal sentence. [ ID=31019 ]
- great speech, either a literary work or chief sentence  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > महावाक्य (mahāvākya) [Printed book page 403 ] महावाक्य (mahāvākya) n. great speech, i.e. either literary work or chief sentence. [ ID=24341 ]

### Literary Work / Continuous Composition (1 definition)
- any long continuous literary work  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 800,2] महा (mahā) — वाक्य (—vākya) n. any long continuous composition or literary wk. ( - त्व (-tva) n. ), Sāhitya-darpaṇa (Title) [ ID=160728 ]

### Principal/Sacred Vedantic Utterance (1 definition)
- 1. A principal sentence or proposition. 2. A sacred utterance of the Upanishads.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a principal sentence, gr° proposition, N. of 12 sacred utterances of the Upaniṣads ( e.g. तत् त्वम् असि (tat tvam asi), अहम् ब्रह्मा (aham brahmā) स्मि (smi) &c., esp. of the mystic words तत्त्वम् (tattvam) and ओम् (om) ), Vedāntasāra (Title); Catalogue(s) [Cologne Addition] (Title) [ ID=160729 ]

### Proper Name of an Upanishad (1 definition)
- an Upanishad  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of an Upaniṣad [ ID=160730 ]

## Sources

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

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