# पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya)

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

पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) is a Sanskrit word meaning the conch of Krishna, fire, name of one of the eight minor islands in Jambu-dvipa, a daughter of Asikni, relating to the five races of men, a species of fish. Its 18 recorded definitions are grouped into 11 contexts, among them Adjective: Relating to Five Races, Krishna's Conch (Specific Focus), Lexical Set: Conch, Fire, Shell, Fish.

- **Etymology:** E. पञ्चजन a demon, from whose bones the shell was made, यत् aff — E. pañcajana a demon, from whose bones the shell was made, yat aff
- **SLP1:** `pAYcajanya`  **IAST:** pāñcajanya  **Devanagari:** पाञ्चजन्य
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchajanya
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/panchajanya/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** पांचजन्य (pāṃcajanya), पाञ्चजन्या (pāñcajanyā), पञ्चजन्य (pañcajanya)

## Meanings by context

### Adjective: Relating to Five Races (3 definitions)
- Relating to the five races of men, or containing and extending over them.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3) [Printed book page 614,2] पा (pā) ञ्च (pāñca) — जन्य (—janya) ( पा (pā) ° (°) ), mf( आ (ā) )n. relating to the 5 races of men, containing or extending over them &c., RV. &c., Br.; MBh. [ ID=121204 ]
- relating to or containing the five tribes  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 309 ] पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) a. relating to or containing the five tribes. [ ID=18719 ]
- relating to the five peoples  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 1-514 ] Pāñca-janya, ‘relating to the five peoples.’ See Pañcajanāḥ. [ ID=1759 ]

### Krishna's Conch (Specific Focus) (3 definitions)
- the conch of Krishna  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > पाञ्च (pāñca) — जन्य (—janya) m. N. of Kṛṣṇa's conch taken from the demon Pañca-jana, MBh.; Hariv. &c. [ ID=121204.1 ]
- the conch of Krishna  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 525-1 ] Pāñcajanya 1, the conch of Kṛṣṇa. § 30 b (Samudra): I, 21, 1215 ( °sya jananaṃ, sc. the ocean).—§ 319 (Saubhava- dhop.): III, 14, 633 ( jalajaṃ ).—§ 320 (do.): III, 20, 789 ( śaṅkhapravaraṃ ), 808 ( jalajaṃ ).—§ 561 (Yānasandhip.): V, 48, †1872 ( divyaṃ śaṅkhaṃ ).—§ 570 (Sainyaniryāṇap.): V, 151, 5167 ( °sya nirghoṣaṃ ).—§ 574 (Jambūkh.): VI, 1, 19 (do.).—§ 576 (Bhagavadgītāp.): VI, 25 κ, 844 (blown by Kṛṣṇa).—§ 578 (Bhīṣmavadhap.): VI, 51, 2115 (do.).— § 580 (do.): VI, 59, †2616 ( °sya raveṇa ).—§ 582 (do.): VI, 71, 3120 ( °sya nirghoṣaṃ ).—§ 587 (do.): VI, 112 η, 5211 ( °sya nirghoṣaḥ ).—§ 589 (Droṇābhiṣekap.): VII, 3, 108 ( nadataḥ P°sya ); 11, 401 (v. Pañcajana 1 ).—§ 596 (Pratijñāp.): VII, 73, 2610 (blown by Kṛṣṇa), †2611; 79, 2813 ( °sya nirghoṣaṃ ).—§ 598 (Jayadrathavadhap.): VII, 88, 3141 ( śaṅkhapravaraṃ ).—§ 599 (do.): VII, 90, 3197 ( °svanena ); 100, 3757 (blown by Kṛṣṇa); 103, 3881 (do.); 104, 3902 (do.), 3903; 110, 4169 ( °sya niḥsvanaṃ ); 126, 5130 ( śaṅkhasya nirghoṣaḥ P°sya ); 127, 5163 ( °ravaḥ ); 148, 6450 (blown by Kṛṣṇa).—§ 608 (Karṇap.): VIII, 53, 2584; 76, †3855 ( Kṛṣṇasya…P°ṃ…dvijarā- javarṇaṃ ); 94, 4955 ( °sya nirghoṣaḥ ).—§ 610 (Śalyap.): IX, 4, 203 ( °svanena ).—§ 615 (Gadāyuddhap.): IX, 61, 3458 (blown by Kṛṣṇa).—§ 637 (Rājadh.): XII, 40, 1459 ( °ābhiṣiktaḥ, sc. Yudhiṣṭhira).—§ 793 (Mausalap.): XVII, 2, 49. [ ID=7895 ]
- the conch of Krishna  
  *The Purana Index*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 2-308 ] Pāñcajanya — the conch of Kṛṣṇa, blown by him at the siege of Mathurā by Jarāsandha. Vi. V. 21. 30; Bhā. VIII. 4. 19; X. 50. 24[1-2]; 51 (v) 27; 59. 6; XI. 27. 27. [ ID=7725 ]

### Lexical Set: Conch, Fire, Shell, Fish (3 definitions)
- 1. Krishna's conch. 2. A name of fire. 3. Any shell. 4. A sort of fish.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 522 ] पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) m. ( - न्यः (-nyaḥ) ) 1 KṚṢṆA'S conch. 2 A name of fire. 3 Any shell. 4 A sort of fish, commonly Garae. E. पञ्चजन (pañcajana) a demon, from whose bones the shell was made, यत् (yat) aff. [ ID=24155 ]
- 1. Krishna's conch. 2. Fire. 3. A shell. 4. A kind of fish.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 466-b ] पाञ्च - जन्य (pāñca-janya) ( न्यः ) ((nyaḥ)) 1. m. Krishna's conch; fire; a shell; kind of fish. [ ID=23629 ]
- 1. Krishna's conch. 2. A name of fire. 3. Any shell. 4. A sort of fish.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 439-a ] पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) m. ( - न्यः (-nyaḥ) ) 1. KRISHṆA'S conch. 2. A name of fire. 3. Any shell. 4. A sort of fish, commonly Garāi. E. पञ्चजन (pañcajana) a demon, from whose bones the shell was made, यत् (yat) aff. [ ID=24209 ]

### Fire (Specific Focus) (2 definitions)
- fire  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > fire, L. [ ID=121204.2 ]
- name of a fire  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Pāñcajanya 2, name of a fire. § 491 (Āṅgirasa): III, 120. 14160 (its origin and offspring). Cf. Tapas. [ ID=7896 ]

### Comprehensive Lexical Entry (1 definition)
- 1. Relating to the five races of men. 2. The conch of Krishna. 3. Fire. 4. A species of fish. 5. An island region. 6. A forest.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 0561-b ] Pāñcajanya, as, ā, am (fr. pañca-jana, q. v.), containing or relating to the five classes or races of men, extending over the five races (Ved.); ( as ), m., N. of the conch of Kṛṣṇa which was taken by him from the demon Pañca-jana, see pañca-jana, p. 522; fire; a species of fish ( = poṭa-gala ); N. of one of the eight Upa-dvīpas in Jambu-dvīpa; ( ā ), f. a patronymic of Asiknī; ( am ), n. (?), N. of a forest. —Pāñcajanya-dhara, as, m. ‘bearing the conch Pāñcajanya,’ an epithet of Kṛṣṇa. [ ID=28680 ]

### Dual Meaning: Adjective (Five Races) & Noun (Krishna's Conch) (1 definition)
- 1. Relating to the five races. 2. Krishna's conch.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 159-1 ] पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) pāñca-jan-ya, a. relating to the five races; m. Kṛṣṇaʼs conch (taken from the demon Pañcajana); -nada, a. prevailing in the Panjāb; m. prince of Pañcanada: pl. the people of Pañcanada; -bhautika, a. consisting of or containing the five elements: with ādānam, n. reception of the five elements; -yajñika, a. belonging or relating to the five sacrifices; -śara, a. ( ī ) belonging to Kāma (the five-arrowed). [ ID=11412 ]

### Dual Meaning: Krishna's Conch & Jambu-dvīpa Part (1 definition)
- 1. Krishna's conch. 2. The name of a part of Jambu-dvipa.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) [Printed book page 0538-a ] पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) pāñcajanya, i. e. pañcan -jana + ya, m. 1. Kṛṣṇa's conch, Bhag. 1, 15. 2. The name of a part of Jambu-dvīpa. [ ID=8567 ]

### Epithet: Pāñcajanya-dhara (1 definition)
- Krishna  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > पाञ्चजन्य (pāñcajanya) धर ( रः ) (dhara (raḥ)) 1. m. Krishna. [ ID=23630 ]

### Fish (Specific Focus) (1 definition)
- a fish or a species of fire  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > fish or a species of f°, L. [ ID=121204.3 ]

### Patronymic: Pāñcajanyā (1 definition)
- a daughter of Asikni  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H3B) [Printed book page 614,2] पाञ्च (pāñca) — जन्या (—janyā) ( आ (ā) ), f. patr. of Asiknī, ib. [ ID=121204.5 ]

### Place Name: Upa-dvīpa (1 definition)
- Name of one of the eight minor islands in Jambu-dvipa  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of one of the 8 Upa-dvīpas in Jambu-dvīpa, BhP. [ ID=121204.4 ]

## 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; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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