# प्रवचन (pravacana)

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

प्रवचन (pravacana) is a Sanskrit word meaning one who explains or propounds, speaking, talking, recitation, oral instruction, or exposition, announcement or proclamation, excellent speech or eloquence, an expression or term. Its 19 recorded definitions are grouped into 10 contexts, among them Sacred Writings / Scriptures, Announcement / Proclamation / Declaration, Eloquence / Excellent Speech.

- **Etymology:** E. प्र principal, वचन speech — E. pra principal, vacana speech
- **SLP1:** `pravacana`  **IAST:** pravacana  **Devanagari:** प्रवचन
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravacana
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/pravachana/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** प्रावचन (prāvacana), प्रवाचन (pravācana)

## Meanings by context

### Sacred Writings / Scriptures (6 definitions)
- sacred writings  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > sacred writings ( esp. the Brāhmaṇas or the Vedāṅgas), Mn.; MBh.; Hariv. &c. ( cf. Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 145 ) [ ID=136688 ]
- the sacred writings of Buddhists  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the s° w° of Buddhists (ninefold), Dharmasaṃgraha (Title) 62 [ ID=136689 ]
- sacred writings of the Jainas  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > the s° w° of the Jainas, Hemac., Sch. [ ID=136690 ]
- 1. A Veda or scripture. 2. Eloquence or excellent speech. 3. Teaching or expounding.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्र (pra) वचन (vacana) (pravacana) [Printed book page 578 ] प्र (pra) वचन (vacana) (pravacana) n. ( - नं (-naṃ) ) 1 A Veda, scripture. 2 Excellent speech or language, eloquence. 3 Teachinge, expounding. E. प्र (pra) principal, वचन (vacana) speech. [ ID=26652 ]
- 1. A Veda, scripture, or excellent speech. 2. Teaching.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रवचन (pravacana) [Printed book page 518-a ] प्र - वचन (pra-vacana) ( नं ) ((naṃ)) 1. n. A veda, scripture; excellent speech; teaching. [ ID=26146 ]
- 1. A Veda or scripture. 2. Excellent speech, language, or eloquence. 3. Teaching or exposition. 4. Declaration.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्र (pra) वचन (vacana) (pravacana) [Printed book page 494-a ] प्र (pra) वचन (vacana) (pravacana) n. ( - नं (-naṃ) ) 1. A Veda, scripture. 2. Excellent speech or language, eloquence. 3. Teaching, expounding, exposition. 4. Declaration. E. प्र (pra) principal, वचन (vacana) speech. [ ID=27331 ]

### Announcement / Proclamation / Declaration (2 definitions)
- announcement or proclamation  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > announcement, proclamation, Lāṭy. [ ID=136684 ]
- 1. Declaration or announcement. 2. Teaching, expounding, or exposition. 3. Eloquence. 4. A sacred treatise.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रवचन (pravacana) [Printed book page 478-03 ] प्रवचन (pravacana) n. 1. Declaration, announcement; 2. teaching, expounding, exposition; 3. eloquence; 4. a sacred treatise, M. iii.184. [ ID=24812 ]

### Eloquence / Excellent Speech (2 definitions)
- excellent speech or eloquence  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > excellent speech or language, eloquence, W. [ ID=136685 ]
- 1. Eloquence. 2. Teaching. 3. A holy treatise.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रवचन (pravacana) [Printed book page 0605-b ] प्रवचन (pravacana) pra-vac + ana, n. 1. Elo- quence, Hit. ii. d. 26. 2. Teaching. 3. A holy treatise, Man. 3, 184. [ ID=9842 ]

### Expounder / Propounder (Person) (2 definitions)
- one who explains or propounds  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 690,2] प्र - वचन (pra-vacana) m. one who exposes, propounds, BhP. [ ID=136681 ]
- 1. A speaker or teacher. 2. Speaking, announcing, recitation, exposition, or sacred writings, especially the Brahmanas.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > प्रवचन (pravacana) [Printed book page 344 ] प्रवचन (pravacana) m. = प्रवक्तृ (pravaktṛ); n. speaking, announcing, recitation, exposition, sacred writings, esp. the Brahmanas. [ ID=20888 ]

### Teaching / Exposition / Recitation (2 definitions)
- recitation, oral instruction, or exposition  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > recitation, oral instruction, teaching, expounding, exposition, interpretation ( cf. सांख्य - प्रवचन - भाष्य (sāṃkhya-pravacana-bhāṣya) ), ŚBr.; Up.; PārGṛ.; RPrāt. &c. [ ID=136683 ]
- oral instruction or teaching  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > प्रवचन (pravacana) [Printed book page 2-039 ] Pra-vacana means ‘oral instruction,’ ‘teaching,’ in the Śata- patha Brāhmaṇa 1 and later. 2 [ Footnote: 1) xi. 5, 7, 1.] [ Footnote: 2) Taittirīya Upaniṣad, i. 1, 3, 9; Kāṭhaka Upaniṣad, ii. 23; Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, iii. 2, 3, etc.] [ ID=2027 ]

### Comprehensive Overview of Meanings (1 definition)
- 1. Speaking, talking, or declaring. 2. Recitation, instruction, or exposition. 3. Eloquence or excellent speech. 4. A system of doctrines, sacred writings, or scriptures.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > प्रवचन (pravacana) [Printed book page 0641-b ] Pra-vacana, am, n. speaking, talking; declara- tion, announcement, proclamation; recitation, oral instruction, teaching, expounding, exposition, inter- pretation [cf. sāṅkhya-pravacana-bhāṣya ]; ex- cellent speech or language, eloquence; an expression, Page0641-c+ 79 term; a system of doctrines propounded in a treatise or dissertation; sacred writings, especially the Brāh- maṇas; the fundamental doctrine of Buddhists; the sacred writings of the Jainas; pra-vacana is also said to be used as an enclitic after a simple verb, see Gaṇa Gotrādi to Pāṇ. VIII. 1, 27. —Pravacana- paṭu, us, us, u, skilled in speaking, eloquent. [ ID=32721 ]

### Grammatical Usage (Enclitic) (1 definition)
- used as an enclitic after a finite verb  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ( अम् (am), enclitic after a finite verb g. गोत्रा (gotrā) दि (di) ) [ ID=136691 ]

### Linguistic Term / Expression (1 definition)
- an expression or term  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > an expression, term, Nir. [ ID=136686 ]

### Speaking / Talking (General) (1 definition)
- speaking, talking  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > प्र - वचन (pra-vacana) n. speaking, talking, Pañcat. [ ID=136682 ]

### System of Doctrines / Teachings (1 definition)
- a system of doctrines propounded in a treatise or dissertation  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a system of doctrines propounded in a treatise or dissertation [ ID=136687 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; 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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