# मूला (mūlā)

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

मूला (mūlā) is a Sanskrit word meaning the root of a plant or tree, the lowest part, foot, or bottom of anything, a radish or the root of various other plants, the edge of the horizon, immediate neighbourhood, basis, foundation, cause, origin, or beginning. Its 25 recorded definitions are grouped into 11 contexts, among them Origin / Basis / Principal / Original, A Plant / Specific Plants / Plant-derived Items, Dual Meaning: Plant and Asterism.

- **Root:** कृ (kṛ)
- **SLP1:** `mUlA`  **IAST:** mūlā  **Devanagari:** मूला
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mula_%28nakshatra%29
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/mula/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** मूल (mūla), मुल (mula)

## Meanings by context

### Origin / Basis / Principal / Original (9 definitions)
- basis, foundation, cause, origin, or beginning  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > basis, foundation, cause, origin, commencement, beginning ( मूलाद् आरभ्य (mūlād ārabhya) or आ मूलात् (mūlāt) (ā mūlāt), from the beg°; मूलात् (mūlāt), from the bottom, thoroughly; मूलं क्रमतश् च (mūlaṃ kramataś ca), right through from beginning, Divyāv. ), Mn.; MBh. &c. ( ibc. = chief, principal, cf. below; ifc. = rooted in, based upon, derived from) [ ID=166328 ]
- a chief or principal city  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a chief or principal city, ib. [ ID=166329 ]
- capital  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > capital (as opp. to ‘interest’), SāmavBr.; Prab. [ ID=166330 ]
- an original text  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > an original text (as opp. to the commentary or gloss), R.; Kathās.; Suśr. [ ID=166331 ]
- a king's original or proper territory  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a king's original or proper territory, Manu-smṛti (Title) vii, 184 [ ID=166332 ]
- a temporary owner  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a temporary (as opp. to the rightful) owner, Manu-smṛti (Title) viii, 202 [ ID=166333 ]
- an old or hereditary servant or a native inhabitant  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > an old or hereditary servant, a native inhabitant, MW. [ ID=166334 ]
- original, first  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > मूल (mūla) mfn. original, first, Cat. [ ID=166343 ]
- own, proper, peculiar  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > = निज (nija), own, proper, peculiar, L. [ ID=166344 ]

### A Plant / Specific Plants / Plant-derived Items (4 definitions)
- a radish or the root of various other plants  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a radish or the root of various other plants ( esp. of Arum Campanulatum, of long pepper, and of Costus Speciosus or Arabicus ), L. [ ID=166325 ]
- herbs for horses or food  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > मूल (mūla) m. herbs for horses, food, Divyāv. [ ID=166339 ]
- Asparagus racemosus  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2B) [Printed book page 826,2] मूला (mūlā) ( आ (ā) ), f. Asparagus Racemosus, L. [ ID=166341 ]
- name of a plant  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मूला (mūlā) [Printed book page 0875-a ] 1 N. of a plant. [ ID=23369 ]

### Dual Meaning: Plant and Asterism (2 definitions)
- 1. A plant. 2. The Mula lunar mansion.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मूला (mūlā) [Printed book page 581-06 ] मूला (mūlā) f. 1. The name of a plant; 2. the asterism Mūlā. [ ID=30612 ]
- 1. The name of a plant. 2. The lunar mansion Mula.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मूला (mūlā) [Printed book page 574-a ] मूला (mūlā) f. ( - ला (-lā) ) 1. The name of a plant. “ शतमूल्याम् ” (“śatamūlyām”) 2. The asterism MŪLA. [ ID=31858 ]

### Proximity / Edge / Side (2 definitions)
- the edge of the horizon  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the edge (of the horizon), Megh. [ ID=166326 ]
- immediate neighbourhood  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > immediate neighbourhood ( मम मूलम् (mama mūlam) = to my side), R. [ ID=166327 ]

### The Asterism Mula (2 definitions)
- the seventeenth or nineteenth lunar mansion  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > मूल (mūla) n. also m. and f( आ (ā) ). N. of the 17th (or 19th) lunar mansion, AV. &c. &c. [ ID=166338 ]
- The asterism Mula  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > मूला (mūlā) [Printed book page 0875-a ] 2 The asterism Mūla. [ ID=23369 ]

### Copse / Thicket (1 definition)
- a thicket or copse  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a copse, thicket, L. [ ID=166337 ]

### Hand Gesture / Specific Position (1 definition)
- a particular position of the fingers  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a partic. position of the fingers (= मूत - बन्ध (mūta-bandha) ), Pañcar. [ ID=166336 ]

### Name of Deity (Sadā-śiva) (1 definition)
- An epithet of Sadashiva  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of Sadā-śiva, Cat. [ ID=166340 ]

### Root / Base / Lowest Part (1 definition)
- 1. The root of a plant or tree. 2. The lowest part, foot, or bottom of anything.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 826,2] मूल (mūla) n. (or m. g. अर्धर्चा (ardharcā) दि (di); ifc. f( आ (ā) or ई (ī) ).; prob. for 3. मूर (mūra) See above) ‘firmly fixed’, a root (of any plant or tree; but also fig. the foot or lowest part or bottom of anything), RV. &c. &c. ( मूल (mūla) ं (mūlaṃ ) √ कृ (√kṛ) or बन्ध् (bandh), to take or strike root) [ ID=166324 ]

### Species of Lizard (Mūlī) (1 definition)
- a species of small house-lizard  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > मूली (mūlī) a ( ई (ī) ), f. a species of small house-lizard, L. [ ID=166342 ]

### Square Root (Mathematical) (1 definition)
- the square root  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the square root, Sūryas. [ ID=166335 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical 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.

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