# रचना (racanā)

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

रचना (racanā) is a Sanskrit word meaning making, arranging, or composing, arrangement or management, accomplishment or performance, preparation, production, or fabrication, a literary work or composition, style. Its 18 recorded definitions are grouped into 7 contexts, among them General Act of Creation, Arrangement, or Preparation, Invention or Mental/Artificial Creation, Literary Work or Style.

- **Etymology:** E. रच to make, to manufacture, aff. युच् — E. raca to make, to manufacture, aff. yuc
- **SLP1:** `racanA`  **IAST:** racanā  **Devanagari:** रचना
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racan%C4%81
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/rachana/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** रचन (racana)

## Meanings by context

### General Act of Creation, Arrangement, or Preparation (8 definitions)
- making, arranging, or composing  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 860,3] रचन (racana) n. the act of making, forming, arranging, preparing, composing, Kāv. [ ID=173267 ]
- 1. Arrangement or management. 2. Accomplishment or performance. 3. Preparation, production, or fabrication.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > mostly f( आ (ā) ). arrangement, disposition, management, accomplishment, performance, preparation, production, fabrication, MBh.; Kāv. &c. [ ID=173268 ]
- stringing flowers or garlands  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > stringing flowers or garlands, W. (often ifc. with concrete meaning, e.g. निवास - रचना (nivāsa-racanā), a building, Mṛcch.; गीति - रचना (gīti-racanā), a song, Rājat.; कूट - रचना (kūṭa-racanā), an artifice, trick, Kathās.; accord. to L. also = परि - स्पन्द (pari-spanda) or परि - स्यन्द (pari-syanda), प्रति - यत्न (prati-yatna), ग्रन्थन (granthana), गुम्फ (gumpha), व्यूह (vyūha), निवेश (niveśa), स्थिति (sthiti); also = पाश (pāśa), भार (bhāra) &c., abundance, quantity ifc. after a word meaning ‘hair’; cf. Pāṇini (Author) ii, 3, 44, Sch. ) [ ID=173277 ]
- 1. Orderly arrangement or disposition. 2. Decorating or dressing the hair. 3. Weaving wreaths, chaplets, or stringing flowers. 4. Military array or the arrangement of troops. 5. Literary composition in verse or prose. 6. Suspending decorative garlands at doors on festival occasions. 7. Making or preparing anything.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > रच (raca) ना (racanā) [Printed book page 693 ] रच (raca) ना (racanā) f. ( - ना (-nā) ) 1 Orderly and becoming arrangement or disposition in general. 2 Decoration or dressing of the hair. 3 Stringing flowers, &c., weaving wreaths, chaplets, or similar decorations. 4 Military array, the arrangement of troops. 5 Literary composition, whether in verse or prose. 6 Suspending garlands, &c. at the doors of a house or building on festival occasions. 7 Making or preparing any thing. E. रच (raca) to make, to manufacture, aff. युच् (yuc). [ ID=31776 ]
- 1. Orderly arrangement. 2. Preparation. 3. Composition. 4. Decoration. 5. Military array.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > रचना (racanā) [Printed book page 620-a ] रचना (racanā) ( ना ) ((nā)) 1. f. Orderly arrangement; preparation; composition; decoration; military array. [ ID=31341 ]
- 1. Arrangement, disposition, or preparation. 2. Performance or accomplishment. 3. A literary composition. 4. Dressing the hair. 5. An array or arrangement of troops. 6. A mental creation or artificial image.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > रचना (racanā) [Printed book page 603-02 ] रचना (racanā) f. 1. Arrangement, disposition, preparation, ततः प्रविशति संगीतरचना (racanā) यां कृतायां राजा (tataḥ praviśati saṃgītaracanāyāṃ kṛtāyāṃ rājā) Mal. ii.; 2. performance, accomplishment, सन्मंगलोपचाराणां सैवादिरचना (racanā) ऽभवत् (sanmaṃgalopacārāṇāṃ saivādiracanā'bhavat) R. x.77; 3. a literary production, a composition, S.D. 422; 4. dressing the hair; 5. an arrangement of troops, an array; 6. a creation of the mind, an artificial image. [ ID=31689.1 ]
- 1. Orderly arrangement. 2. Hair decoration. 3. Weaving wreaths or stringing flowers. 4. Military array of troops. 5. Literary composition in verse or prose. 6. Suspending festival garlands at a doorway. 7. Making or preparing anything.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > रचना (racanā) [Printed book page 595-a ] रचना (racanā) f. ( - ना (-nā) ) 1. Orderly and becoming arrangement or disposition in general. 2. Decoration or dressing of hair. 3. Stringing flowers, &c., weaving wreaths, chaplets, or similar decorations. 4. Military array, arrangement of troops. 5. Literary composition, whether in verse or prose. 6. Suspending garlands, &c. at the doors of a house or building on festival occasions. 7. Making or preparing any thing. E. रच् (rac) to make, to manufacture, aff. युच् । (yuc.) [ ID=33066 ]
- 1. Making or work. 2. Orderly arrangement. 3. Dressing of the hair. 4. Stringing flowers or suspending garlands. 5. Arrangement of troops. 6. Composition or literary composition.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > रचना (racanā) [Printed book page 0754-a ] रचना (racanā) rac + anā, f. 1. Making, work, Lass. 83, 4; Kathās. 26, 283 ( kanaka-, f. Being made, built, of gold.) 2. Orderly arrangement. 3. Dressing Page0754-b+ 43 of the hair. 4. Stringing flowers. 5. Suspending garlands. 6. The arrange- ment of troops, Pañc. 9, 23. 7. Com- position, Rājat. 5, 380; literary com- position. — Comp. Kūṭa-, f. a trap, Pañc. ii. d. 86. Keśa-, f. dressing of the hair, Ṛt. 4, 15. Pakṣa-, f. win- ning friends, Daśak. in Chr. 185, 21. Paṭa-, f. art of making cloth, Pañc. 132, 24. Vacana-, f. eloquence, Pañc. 68, 5. Vihita-durga-racana, adj. having ordered the building of a for- tress, Pañc. 148, 7. Vyūha-, f. arrange- ment of troops, Pañc. 9, 22. [ ID=11921 ]

### Invention or Mental/Artificial Creation (2 definitions)
- contrivance, invention  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > contrivance, invention, Kathās.; BhP. [ ID=173273 ]
- an artificial image created by the mind  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a creation of the mind, artificial image, Jaim. [ ID=173274 ]

### Literary Work or Style (2 definitions)
- a literary work or composition  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 861,1] a literary production, work, composition, VarBṛS.; Sāh. [ ID=173269 ]
- style  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > style, Sāh. [ ID=173270 ]

### Personal Adornment or Grooming (2 definitions)
- wearing a garment  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > putting on, wearing (of a garment), Mṛcch. [ ID=173271 ]
- dressing the hair  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > dressing the hair ( cf. केश - र् (keśa-r) ° (°) ), L. [ ID=173276 ]

### Proper Name (2 definitions)
- the wife of Tvashtri  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2B) [Printed book page 861,1] रचना (racanā) f. N. of the wife of Tvaṣṭṛ, BhP. [ ID=173278 ]
- a Daitya lady and queen of Tvashta  
  *The Purana Index*
  > रचना (racanā) [Printed book page 3-044 ] Racanā — a Daitya lady and queen of Tvaṣṭa. Bhā. VI. 6. 44. [ ID=11397 ]

### Military Array (1 definition)
- array of troops  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > arrangement (of troops), array, Pañcat. [ ID=173272 ]

### Specific Act of Crafting (1 definition)
- fixing the feathers on an arrow  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > fixing the feathers on an arrow, L. [ ID=173275 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; 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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