# मोह (moha)

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

मोह (moha) is a Sanskrit word meaning loss of consciousness, bewilderment, perplexity, or distraction, infatuation, delusion, error, or folly, fainting or a swoon, darkness or delusion of mind, ignorance. Its 18 recorded definitions are grouped into 6 contexts, among them Spiritual/Philosophical Delusion & Ignorance, General Cognitive/Mental Impairment & Error, Personification or Mythological Figure.

- **Roots:** या (yā), 1. मुह् (1. muh), ब्रू (brū), मुह् (muh)
- **SLP1:** `moha`  **IAST:** moha  **Devanagari:** मोह
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moha_%28Buddhism%29
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/moha/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Spiritual/Philosophical Delusion & Ignorance (9 definitions)
- darkness or delusion of mind  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in phil. ) darkness or delusion of mind (preventing the discernment of truth and leading men to believe in the reality of worldly objects) [ ID=168574 ]
- ignorance  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (with Buddhists) ignorance (one of the three roots of vice, Dharmasaṃgraha (Title) 139 ) [ ID=168575 ]
- 1. Loss of consciousness, bewilderment, or swoon. 2. Delusion, infatuation, or folly. 3. Mental delusion preventing discernment of truth. 4. Magical art for confounding an enemy.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 236-2 ] मोह (moha) móh-a, m. [√muh] loss of consciousness, bewilderment; delusion, infatuation; folly, error; delusion of mind preventing discernment of the truth and making men believe in the reality of the world ( phil. ); stupefaction, swoon; magical art for confounding an enemy : -ṃ brū, say anything that leads to error: -ṃ yā, fall into error; ab. through folly or infatuation; mohas tatra na kāryas te, donʼt allow yourself of be confused thereby. [ ID=14550 ]
- 1. Fainting or loss of consciousness. 2. Ignorance or foolishness. 3. Pain or affliction. 4. Error or mistake. 5. Bewilderment or distraction.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 676 ] मोह (moha) m. ( - हः (-haḥ) ) 1 Fainting, loss of consciousness or sense. 2 Ignorance, folly, foolishness; it is applied especially to that spiritual ignorance which leads men to believe in the reality of worldly objects, and to addict themselves to mundane or sensual enjoyment. 3 Pain, affliction. 4 Error, mistake. 5 Bewilderment, distraction. E. मुह (muha) to be ignorant or foolish, aff. घञ् (ghañ). [ ID=31062 ]
- 1. Fainting. 2. Spiritual ignorance. 3. Error. 4. Pain.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 606-a ] मोह (moha) ( हः ) ((haḥ)) 1. m. Fainting; spiritual ignorance; error; pain. [ ID=30615 ]
- 1. Swoon or fainting. 2. Delusion, perplexity, or confusion. 3. Ignorance, folly, or infatuation. 4. Wonder or astonishment. 5. Pain or affliction. 6. A magical art employed to bewilder an enemy. 7. Delusion of mind preventing the discernment of truth.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 587-14 ] मोह (moha) m. 1. Swoon, fainting, वृत्तिं मोह (moha) ेन संस्तंभयतेंद्रियाणाम् (vṛttiṃ mohena saṃstaṃbhayateṃdriyāṇām) K.S. iii.73; 2. delusion, perplexity, confusion, यज्ज्ञात्वा न पुनर्मोह (moha) मेवं यास्यसि पांडवं (yajjñātvā na punarmohamevaṃ yāsyasi pāṃḍavaṃ) Bg. iv.35; 3. ignorance, folly, infatuation, प्रांशुलभ्ये फले मोह (moha) ाद् (prāṃśulabhye phale mohād) (v.l.) उद्बाहुरिव वामनः (udbāhuriva vāmanaḥ) R. i.3; 4. wonder, astonishment; 5. pain, affliction; 6. a magical art employed to bewilder an enemy; 7. delusion of mind which prevents the discernment of truth. [ ID=30994 ]
- 1. Fainting or loss of consciousness. 2. Ignorance or foolishness. 3. Pain or affliction. 4. Error or mistake. 5. Bewilderment or distraction.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 580-a ] मोह (moha) m. ( - हः (-haḥ) ) 1. Fainting, loss of consciousness or sense. 2. Ignorance, folly, foolishness; it is applied especially to that spiritual ignorance which leads men to believe in the reality of worldly objects, and to addict themselves to mundane or sensual enjoyment. 3. Pain, affliction. 4. Error, mistake. 5. Bewilderment, distraction. E. मुह् (muh) to be ignorant or foolish, aff. घञ् । (ghañ.) [ ID=32246 ]
- 1. Unconsciousness, swoon. 2. Bewilderment, perplexity, or confusion. 3. Error, infatuation, or delusion of mind. 4. Ignorance, folly.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 422 ] मोह (moha) m. unconsciousness, bewilderment, perplexity, swoon; error, infatuation, darkness or delusion of mind (ph.), ignorance, folly. [ ID=25450 ]
- 1. Fainting, unconsciousness, or a swoon. 2. Delusion, bewilderment, perplexity, or distraction. 3. Ignorance, folly, foolishness, or infatuation. 4. Error or mistake. 5. Pain or affliction. 6. Wonder or amazement. 7. Mental darkness preventing the discernment of truth. 8. A magical art employed to bewilder an enemy.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 0798-b ] मोह (moha) moha, as, m. (fr. rt. 1. muh ), uncon- sciousness, loss of consciousness, fainting, a swoon; delusion, bewilderment, perplexity, distraction, phrenzy; weakness of intellect, ignorance, folly, foolishness, infatuation; error, mistake, going astray; pain, affliction; wonder, amazement, astonishment; Infatuation (personified as the offspring of Brahmā); (in phil.) darkness or delusion of mind preventing the discernment of truth (leading men to believe in the reality of worldly objects and to addict themselves to mundane or sensual enjoyment); a magical art employed to bewilder an enemy (= mohana); mo- hāt, ind. through ignorance, from folly or infatuation. —Moha-kalila, am, n. a thicket or snare of illu- sion. —Moha-cūḍottara (°ḍa-ut°), am, n., N. of a work. —Moha-jāla, am, n. the net of delusion, the snare or fetters of illusory objects, the fascination of the world. —Moha-nidrā, f. ‘sleep of infatua- tion,’ thoughtless assurance, overweening confidence. Page0798-c+ 79 —Moha-pāśa, as, m. the snare of (wordly) illu- sion. —Moha-mantra, as, m. an infatuating spell, deluding charm. —Moha-maya, as, ī, am, consist- ing of infatuation, leading to delusion, perplexing. —Moha-mudgara, as, m. ‘hammer of ignorance or infatuation,’ N. of a metrical exposition of the Vedānta philosophy; of another work. —Moha- rātri, is, f. ‘night of bewilderment,’ the night when the world is to be destroyed. —Moha-vat, ān, atī, at, possessed of infatuation, infatuated, foolish, igno- rant. —Moha-śāstra, am, n. erroneous or false teaching, false doctrine. —Moha-śūlottara (°la-ut°), am, n., N. of a work. —Mohopamā (°ha-up°), f. ‘error-comparison,’ a rhetorical figure in which there is a confusion of the subject and object of a comparison (e. g. ‘regarding thy face, O dear one, as the moon, I run after the moon as if it were thy face’). [ ID=38125 ]

### General Cognitive/Mental Impairment & Error (4 definitions)
- 1. Loss of consciousness. 2. Bewilderment, perplexity, or distraction. 3. Infatuation, delusion, error, or folly.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 836,1] मोह (moha) m. (√ 1. मुह् (muh); ifc. f( आ (ā) ). ) loss of consciousness, bewilderment, perplexity, distraction, infatuation, delusion, error, folly, AV. &c. &c. ( मोह (moha) म् - (moham-) √ ब्रू (√brū), to say anything that leads to error; मोह (moha) ं - (mohaṃ-) √ या (√yā), to fall into error; मोह (moha) ात् (mohāt) ind. through folly or ignorance) [ ID=168572 ]
- fainting or a swoon  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > fainting, stupefaction, a swoon, MBh.; Kāv. &c. [ ID=168573 ]
- through folly or ignorance  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1C) [Printed book page 836,1] मोहात् (mohāt) ind., through folly or ignorance [ ID=168578.01 ]
- 1. Fainting or loss of consciousness. 2. Bewilderment and distraction. 3. Weakness of intellect. 4. Ignorance, foolishness, and infatuation. 5. Error.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 0727-b ] मोह (moha) moha, i. e. muh + a, m. 1. Fainting, Vikr. 84, 10; loss of con- sciousness, Vikr. d. 8. 2. Bewilder- ment, distraction, Daśak. in Chr. 192, 13; Ṛt. 6, 26. 3. Weakness of in- tellect, Man. 3, 15. 4. Ignorance, foolishness, infatuation, Pañc. i. d. 250; iii. d. 87. 5. Error, Matsyop. 53. [ ID=11606 ]

### Personification or Mythological Figure (2 definitions)
- Infatuation personified  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Infatuation personified (as the offspring of Brahmā), VP. [ ID=168578 ]
- born from the intellect of Brahma  
  *The Purana Index*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 2-742 ] Moha — born from the buddhi of Brahmā. M. 3. 11. [ ID=11095 ]

### A Magical Art (1 definition)
- a magical art employed to bewilder an enemy  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a magical art employed to bewilder an enemy (= मोहन (mohana) ), Cat. [ ID=168576 ]

### Divine Epithet (1 definition)
- an epithet of Shiva  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > मोह (moha) [Printed book page 481-1 ] Moha = Śiva (1000 names 1 ). [ ID=7342 ]

### Wonder or Amazement (1 definition)
- wonder or amazement  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > wonder, amazement, L. [ ID=168577 ]

## 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.

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