# निमित्त (nimitta)

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

निमित्त (nimitta) is a Sanskrit word meaning a mark or target, sign or omen, cause, motive, ground, or reason, instrumental or efficient cause, come, arrived, body, physical form. Its 19 recorded definitions are grouped into 6 contexts, among them Multiple Meanings (Cause, Sign, Mark, etc.), Cause, Reason, Occasion, or Instrument, Proper Noun (Deity or Person).

- **Roots:** मा (mā), या (yā)
- **Etymology:** E. नि before मि to measure, क्त affix; also with कन् added निमित्तक — E. ni before mi to measure, kta affix; also with kan added nimittaka
- **SLP1:** `nimitta`  **IAST:** nimitta  **Devanagari:** निमित्त
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimitta
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/nimitta/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Multiple Meanings (Cause, Sign, Mark, etc.) (9 definitions)
- 1. Aim or mark. 2. Sign, token, or omen. 3. Cause, occasion, or motive. 4. Instrument or efficient cause.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 141-2 ] निमित्त (nimitta) ni-mitta, n. aim, mark; sign, token; omen; cause, occasion; motive; instrument, efficient cause; —° a. having — as a cause, caused by: -ṃ yā, be the occasion, bear the blame; ac., in., d. on account of; -tas, ad. by a special cause; -tva, n. causality; -hetu, m. efficient cause: -tva, n. abst. ɴ.. [ ID=10605 ]
- 1. Cause, motive, or instrumental cause. 2. Mark, sign, spot, trace, or token. 3. Omen.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > नि (ni) मि (mi) त्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 469 ] नि (ni) मि (mi) त्त (nimitta) n. ( - त्तं (-ttaṃ) ) 1 Cause, motive, instrumental cause. 2 Mark, sign, spot, trace, token. 3 Omen. E. नि (ni) before मि (mi) to measure, क्त (kta) affix; also with कन् (kan) added नि (ni) मि (mi) त्त (nimitta) क (nimittaka). [ ID=21782 ]
- 1. Cause, mark, or omen. 2. For the sake of.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 418-b ] निमित्त (nimitta) ( त्तं ) ((ttaṃ)) 1. n. Cause; mark; omen. adv. For the sake of. [ ID=21262 ]
- 1. A mark, sign, or token. 2. A target. 3. An omen. 4. A cause or motive. 5. An efficient cause. 6. A pretext.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 381-15 ] निमित्त (nimitta) n. 1. A mark, a sign, a token; 2. a butt, a target, निमित्त (nimitta) ादपराद्धेषोर्धानुष्कस्येन वल्गितम् (nimittādaparāddheṣordhānuṣkasyena valgitam) Sis. ii.27; 3. an omen (good or bad), निमित्त (nimitta) ानि च पश्यामि विपरीतानि केशव (nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava) Bg. i.30, R. i.86, M. vi.50; 4. cause, motive; 5. instrumental or efficient cause, (op. to उपादान (upādāna) ); 6. apparent cause, pretext, निमित्त (nimitta) मात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन् (nimittamātraṃ bhava savyasācin) Bg. xi.33. [ ID=19503 ]
- 1. Cause or motive. 2. Mark, sign, or token. 3. Omen. 4. A target. 5. Pretext.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > नि (ni) मि (mi) त्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 392-a ] नि (ni) मि (mi) त्त (nimitta) n. ( - त्तं (-ttaṃ) ) 1. Cause, motive, instrumental cause. 2. Mark, sign, spot, trace, token. 3. Omen. 4. A butt, a target. 5. Pretext. E. नि (ni) before, मि (mi) to measure, क्त (kta) affix, also with कन् (kan) added नि (ni) मि (mi) त्त (nimitta) क । (nimittaka.) [ ID=21769 ]
- 1. Aim or mark. 2. Sign or omen. 3. Cause or motive. 4. Instrumental cause.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 0475-a ] निमित्त (nimitta) ni-mitta ( vb. mā ), n. 1. Aim, mark, MBh. 5, 3480. 2. Sign, omen, Man. 6, 50; Śāk. 8, 17. 3. Cause, motive, Bhāg. P. 8, 20, 6. 4. Instrumental cause, MBh. 3, 10743 (the cause on which the life of a prince was dependent, cf. 10744 and 10739). 5. °tam acc., °tena instr., °tāya dat., adverbially, On account of, Rām. 2, 48, 28; 90, 12; 30, 1. — Comp. A-, adj. having no motive, Śāk. d. 176. acc. °tam, adv. without a cause, Śāk. d. 45. Atonimitta + m, i. e. atas-, adv. therefore, Nal. 9, 34. Kim-, adj. by what occa- sioned or caused, Bhāg. P. 9, 9, 19. acc. °tam, adv. why, Chr. 80, 47. Ku- tonimitta, i. e. kutas-, adj. by what caused, Rām. 2, 74, 17. Dus-, n. a bad omen, MBh. 2, 818. [ ID=7501 ]
- 1. Mark, aim, sign, or token. 2. Presage or omen. 3. Reason or cause.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 271 ] निमित्त (nimitta) n. mark, aim, sign, token; presage, omen; reason, cause, esp. the efficient cause; in the obl. cases = because or on account of; adj. caused, produced, occasioned by (—°). [ ID=16471 ]
- 1. A mark for shooting at. 2. A sign or token. 3. An occasion or cause.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 182-a ] nimitta, n. mark (for shooting at); sign, token; occasion or cause; -am, -ena, adverbially, because of; tannimittam, -ena, because of this, on account of this. [ ID=2303 ]
- 1. A mark, aim, target, or butt. 2. A sign, token, prognostic, presage, or omen. 3. A cause, motive, reason, or instrumental cause.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 0489-c ] निमित्त (nimitta) ni-mitta, am, n. (probably con- nected with ni-mā above), a mark, an aim; an archer's butt, target; sign, token; prognostic, pre- sage, omen [cf. dur-n° ]; cause, motive, reason, instrumental or efficient cause, (opposed to upā-dāna, the material cause); nimitta is used at the end of a comp. in the sense ‘having as a motive or cause,’ ‘caused or produced by,’ ‘occasioned by,’ e. g. viṣa- nimittā pīḍā, pain caused by poison; ( am acc., ena inst., āya dat., āt abl., asya gen., e loc.), because of, on account of, for the sake of, for the purpose of, through. —Nimitta-kāraṇa, am, n. an instrumental or efficient cause, (especially the Deity considered as the agent in creation.) —Nimitta- kāraṇa-tā, f. the state of being the efficient cause. —Nimitta-kāla, as, m. the period or moment of time which may be regarded as causing any event; any given or specific time. —Nimitta-kṛt, t, m. ‘omen-maker,’ a crow, raven. —Nimitta-jña, as, ā, am, acquainted with omens. —Nimitta-jñāna, am, n. ‘knowledge of causes or signs,’ N. of the fifty- eighth chapter of the Kāma-sūtra by Vātsyāyana. —Nimitta-tas, ind. by or from a special cause or reason. —Nimitta-tā, f. or nimitta-tva, am, n. the state of being a cause, causality, instrumentality. —Nimitta-dharma, as, m. expiation; any occa- sional or special penance, rite, or obligation. —Ni- mitta-nidāna, am, n., N. of a work. —Nimitta- bhūta, as, ā, am, become a cause or reason, being a cause or means. —Nimitta-mātra, am, n. the mere efficient cause or instrument. —Nimitta-vid, t, m. ‘omen-knower,’ an astrologer. —Nimitta- vedhin, ī, inī, i, hitting an aim, piercing the mark. —Nimitta-hetu, us, m. an efficient cause. —Ni- mittahetu-tva, am, n. the being an instrumental Page0490-a+ 77 or efficient cause. —Nimittārtha (°ta-ar°), as, m. the infinitive mood (in grammar). —Nimittāvṛtti (°ta-āv°), is, f. dependance upon a special cause or occasion. —Nimittī-kṛ, cl. 8. P. A. -karoti, -ku- rute, -kartum, to make anything a cause, to use as a cause or means. —Nimittī-bhū, cl. 1. P. -bhavati, -vitum, to become a cause or reason for (with loc.). [ ID=24820 ]

### Cause, Reason, Occasion, or Instrument (5 definitions)
- Cause, motive, ground, or reason  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > cause, motive, ground, reason, Up.; Kap.; Var.; Mn.; MBh.; Kāv. &c. (in all oblique cases = because of, on account of, cf. Pāṇini (Author) ii, 3, 23; Pat.; mfn. ifc. caused or occasioned by; ° त्तं √ या (°ttaṃ√yā), to be the cause of anything, Kād. ) [ ID=108958 ]
- instrumental or efficient cause  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in phil. ) instrumental or efficient cause ( opp. to उपा (upā) दान (dāna), the operative or material cause), Vedāntas.; Bhāṣāp. [ ID=108959 ]
- come, arrived  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > = आगन्तु (āgantu) [ ID=108960 ]
- body, physical form  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > देह (deha) [ ID=108961 ]
- No definition available.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > पर्वन् (parvan), L. [ ID=108963 ]

### Proper Noun (Deity or Person) (2 definitions)
- an epithet of Shiva  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 518-2 ] Nimitta(ṃ), Nimittastha = Śiva (1000 names 2 ). [ ID=7696 ]
- the son of Dandapani and father of Kshemaka  
  *The Purana Index*
  > निमित्त (nimitta) [Printed book page 2-241 ] Nimitta — the son of Daṇḍapāṇi and father of Kṣemaka. Vi. IV. 21. 15-6. [ ID=7161 ]

### Mark, Target, or Aim (1 definition)
- a mark or target  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 551,1] निमित्त (nimitta) n. (possibly connected with नि - (ni-) √ मा (√mā) above) a butt, mark, target, MBh. [ ID=108956 ]

### Rule, Injunction, or Technical Equivalent (1 definition)
- No definition found  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > आदेश (ādeśa) [ ID=108962 ]

### Sign, Omen, or Token (1 definition)
- sign or omen  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > sign, omen, Mn.; Yājñ.; MBh. &c. ( cf. दुर् - न् (dur-n) ° (°) ) [ ID=108957 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; 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