# प्रलय (pralaya)

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

प्रलय (pralaya) is a Sanskrit word meaning dissolution or destruction, death, setting of the stars, having done sleeping, cause of dissolution, fainting or loss of consciousness. Its 20 recorded definitions are grouped into 10 contexts, among them Cosmic Destruction / End of World, Etymological/Referential Information, Cause of Dissolution.

- **Root:** ली (lī)
- **Etymology:** E. प्र before ली to destroy, aff. अच् — E. pra before lī to destroy, aff. ac
- **SLP1:** `pralaya`  **IAST:** pralaya  **Devanagari:** प्रलय
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pralaya
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/pralaya/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** प्रलयः (pralayaḥ)

## Meanings by context

### Cosmic Destruction / End of World (10 definitions)
- the destruction of the entire world at the end of a cosmic age  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ( esp. ) the destruction of the whole world, at the end of a Kalpa ( s.v. ), ṢaḍvBr.; ChUp.; Śaṃk.; MBh.; Kāv. &c. [ ID=136600 ]
- 1. The destruction of the world at the end of a kalpa. 2. Death, destruction, or annihilation. 3. Fainting or loss of consciousness.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्र (pra) लय (pralaya) [Printed book page 578 ] प्र (pra) लय (pralaya) m. ( - यः (-yaḥ) ) 1 The end of a Kalpa, or destruction of the world. 2 Death, dying, loss, destruction, dissolution, annihilation. 3 Fainting, syncope, loss of sense or consciousness. E. प्र (pra) before ली (lī) to destroy, aff. अच् (ac). [ ID=26638 ]
- 1. The destruction of the world or end of a Kalpa. 2. Death. 3. Annihilation. 4. Fainting.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रलय (pralaya) [Printed book page 518-a ] प्र - लय (pra-laya) ( यः ) ((yaḥ)) 1. m. The end of a Kalpa, destruction of the world; death; annihilation; fainting. [ ID=26131 ]
- 1. Destruction or annihilation. 2. The destruction of the world at the end of an eon. 3. Death. 4. Loss of consciousness. 5. The mystic syllable om.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रलय (pralaya) [Printed book page 477-18 ] प्रलय (pralaya) m. 1. Destruction, annihilation; 2. any extensive destruction; 3. the destruction of the whole world at the end of a kalpa, K.S. ii.6, Bg. vii.6; 4. death, यदा सवे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलय (pralaya) ं याति देहभृत् (yadā save pravṛddhe tu pralayaṃ yāti dehabhṛt) Bg. xiv.14; 5. loss of consciousness considered as one of the 33 subordinate feelings (in rhetoric); 8. the mystic syllable om. [ ID=24790 ]
- 1. The destruction of the world or the end of a Kalpa. 2. Death or annihilation. 3. Fainting or loss of consciousness. 4. The mystic syllable Om.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्र (pra) लय (pralaya) [Printed book page 494-a ] प्र (pra) लय (pralaya) m. ( - यः (-yaḥ) ) The end of a Kalpa, or destruction of the world. 2. Death, dying, loss, destruction, dissolution, annihilation. 3. Fainting, syncope, loss of sense or consciousness, considered as one of the thirty-three subordinate feelings, (in Rhetoric.) 4. The mystic Syllable “Om.” E. प्र (pra) before, ली (lī) to destroy, aff. अच् । (ac.) [ ID=27303 ]
- 1. Dissolution or destruction. 2. End. 3. Death. 4. The destruction of the world.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रलय (pralaya) [Printed book page 0605-b ] प्रलय (pralaya) pralaya, i. e. pra-lī + a, m. 1. Dissolution, 2. Destruction, Utt. Rāmac. 83, 10; Hit. ii. d. 175. 3. End, Pañc. 265, 11. 4. Death. 5. The destruction of the world, Hit. 47, 18. — Comp. Mahā-, m. 1. a destruction of the world occurring after every period of 4, 320,000,000 years. 2. a total destruction of the universe. [ ID=9834 ]
- dissolution or destruction, especially of the universe  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रलय (pralaya) [Printed book page 344 ] प्रलय (pralaya) m. dissolution, destruction, esp. of the universe; ° घन (°ghana) m. & ° दहन (°dahana) m. the cloud and the fire causing the end of the world. [ ID=20873 ]
- 1. Dissolution. 2. Dissolution of the universe.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > प्रलय (pralaya) [Printed book page 196-b ] pralaya, m. dissolution; esp. dissolution of the universe. [ √lī + pra. ] [ ID=2773 ]
- 1. Dissolution, destruction, or annihilation. 2. The destruction of the world at the end of a Kalpa. 3. Extensive devastation. 4. Death. 5. Fainting or loss of consciousness. 6. An epithet of the mystic syllable om.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > Pra-laya, as, m. dissolution, destruction, annihi- lation, reabsorption; the destruction of the whole world at the end of a Kalpa or period of 432, 000, 000 years [cf. kalpa ]; any extensive destruction or de- vastation; death, dying; fainting, syncope, loss of sense or consciousness; an epithet of the mystic syllable om. —Pralaya-kāla, as, m. the period of the destruction of the world at the end of a Kalpa, the time of universal destruction. —Pralaya-jala- dhara-dhvāna, as, m. the rumbling or muttering of clouds at the dissolution of the world. —Pralaya- tā, f. or pralaya-tva, am, n. dissolution. —Pra- laya-dahana, am, n. the fire at the destruction of the world. —Pralaya-sthiti-sarga, ās, m. pl. de- struction, preservation, and creation (of the world). Page0641-b+ 75 —Pralayodaya (°ya-ud°), au, m. du. dissolution and creation. [ ID=32696 ]
- 1. The universal deluge or destruction. 2. Destruction at the end of a Kalpa or the day of Brahma, and at the end of the life of Brahma.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > प्रलय (pralaya) [Printed book page 2-429 ] Pralaya — the deluge: destruction; after Manvantaras; 1 two kinds — one at the end of a Kalpa or the day of Brahmā and the other at the end of the life of Brahmā. 2 [ Footnote: 1) M. 2. 22; 142. 36.] [ Footnote: 2) Vi. VI. 1. 3.] [ ID=8655 ]

### Etymological/Referential Information (2 definitions)
- See under pra-lī  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 689,3] प्र - (pra-) लय (pra-laya) a &c. See under प्र - (pra-) √ ली (√lī). [ ID=136574 ]
- See pra-li below  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > प्रलय (pralaya) [Printed book page 0641-a ] प्रलय (pralaya) pra-laya, &c. See pra-lī below. [ ID=32682 ]

### Cause of Dissolution (1 definition)
- cause of dissolution  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > cause of dissolution, Bhag.; Bṛh. [ ID=136603 ]

### Death (1 definition)
- death  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > death [ ID=136599 ]

### End / Termination (of an activity or state) (1 definition)
- having done sleeping  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > end ( संजात - निद्रा - प्र - लय (saṃjāta-nidrā-pra-laya) mfn. having done sleeping, Pañcat. ) [ ID=136602 ]

### Fainting / Loss of Consciousness (1 definition)
- fainting or loss of consciousness  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > fainting, loss of sense or consciousness, Pratāp.; Sāh.; Suśr. [ ID=136604 ]

### General Destruction/Dissolution (1 definition)
- dissolution or destruction  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 689,3] प्र - लय (pra-laya) b m. dissolution, reabsorption, destruction, annihilation [ ID=136598 ]

### Setting of Celestial Bodies (1 definition)
- setting of the stars  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > setting (of the stars), Subh. [ ID=136601 ]

### Sleepiness / Drowsiness (1 definition)
- sleepiness  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > sleepiness, Gal. [ ID=136605 ]

### The Syllable 'Om' (1 definition)
- the syllable om  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of the syllable ओम् (om), AtharvaśUp. [ ID=136606 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; 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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