# संसार (saṃsāra)

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

संसार (saṃsāra) is a Sanskrit word meaning wandering through or undergoing transmigration, the circuit of mundane existence and transmigration, the world and secular life, secular life or worldly illusion, the world, the habitation of mortals, the world or mundane existence. Its 14 recorded definitions are grouped into 3 contexts, among them Cycle of Existence, Transmigration, Worldly Life, Lexicographical and Etymological Notes, Saṃsāra in Puranic Descriptions.

- **Root:** सृ (sṛ)
- **Etymology:** E. सम् together, (mankind,) सृ to go, aff. घञ् । — E. sam together, (mankind,) sṛ to go, aff. ghañ
- **SLP1:** `saMsAra`  **IAST:** saṃsāra  **Devanagari:** संसार
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/samsara/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Cycle of Existence, Transmigration, Worldly Life (10 definitions)
- wandering through or undergoing transmigration  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1119,2] सं - सार (saṃ-sāra) b m. going or wandering through, undergoing transmigration, MaitrUp. [ ID=226857 ]
- 1. The circuit of mundane existence and transmigration. 2. The world and secular life.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > course, passage, passing through a succession of states, circuit of mundane existence, transmigration, metempsychosis, the world, secular life, worldly illusion ( आ संसारात् (ā saṃsārāt), ‘from the beginning of the world’), Up.; Mn.; MBh. &c. [ ID=226858 ]
- 1. The world, the habitation of mortals. 2. Mundane existence.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 876 ] संसार (saṃsāra) m. ( - रः (-raḥ) ) 1 The world, the habitation of mortals. 2 Mundane existence. E. सम् (sam) together, (mankind,) सृ (sṛ) to go, aff. ख (kha). [ ID=39776 ]
- The world or mundane existence  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 796-b ] सं - सार (saṃ-sāra) ( रः ) ((raḥ)) 1. m. The world; mundane existence. [ ID=39453 ]
- 1. Course or passage. 2. The world and mundane existence. 3. A succession of births and existences. 4. Transmigration. 5. Worldly illusion. 6. Secular life and worldly pursuits.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 742-20 ] संसार (saṃsāra) m. 1. Course, passage; 2. the course or circuit of mundane existence, the world, असारं संसार (saṃsāra) ं परिमुषितरत्नं त्रिभुवनम् (asāraṃ saṃsāraṃ parimuṣitaratnaṃ tribhuvanam) M.M. v.; 3. a succession of births or existences, e.g. संसार (saṃsāra) ेषु विचित्रेशु पच्यमानाः स्वकर्मभिः (saṃsāreṣu vicitreśu pacyamānāḥ svakarmabhiḥ) or परिवर्तिनि संसार (saṃsāra) े मृतः को वा न जायते (parivartini saṃsāre mṛtaḥ ko vā na jāyate) Hit. i.; 4. transmigration, meta-empsychosis; 5. worldly illusion; 6. secular life, worldly pursuit, कंसारिरपि संसार (saṃsāra) वासनाबद्धशृंखलाम् (kaṃsārirapi saṃsāravāsanābaddhaśṛṃkhalām) Git.G. iii. [ ID=39076 ]
- 1. The world. 2. Mundane existence. 3. A succession of births and deaths. 4. Transmigration. 5. Worldly illusion. 6. Secular life. 7. A course or passage.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 746-a ] संसार (saṃsāra) m. ( - रः (-raḥ) ) 1. The world, the habitation of mortals. 2. Mundane existence. 3. A succession of births or existences. 4. Transmigration, metempsychosis. 5. Wordly illusion. 6. Secular life. 7. Course, passage. E. सम् (sam) together, (mankind,) सृ (sṛ) to go, aff. घञ् । (ghañ.) [ ID=41746 ]
- 1. Transmigration. 2. Mundane existence. 3. The world.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 0985-b ] संसार (saṃsāra) saṃsāra, i. e. sam-sṛ + a, m. 1. Transmigration, Man. 12, 40. 2. Mundane existence, Pañc. 165, 17. 3. The world, Hit. pr. d. 14, M.M. — Comp. Ā-, adj. always changing, Kathās. 5, 103. °ram, adv. till the end of the world, Rājat. 5, 119. [ ID=15235 ]
- 1. Transmigration or the cycle of existence. 2. Life in general.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 570 ] संसार (saṃsāra) m. wandering, esp. from one existence into another, metempsychosis, transmigration, the cycle of existence; life i.g. [ ID=33908 ]
- the migration of the soul through repeated existences, or the cycle of worldly life  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 263-a ] saṃsāra, m. the wandering of the soul from one existence to another, metempsychosis; transmigration, 66 18; the cycle or round of existence, 18 1. [ √sṛ + sam. ] [ ID=4330 ]
- 1. The course or circuit of worldly existence, transmigration, or the world. 2. Secular life or worldly illusion.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > Saṃ-sāra, as, m. course, passage, passing through a succession of states, course or circuit of mundane existence, transmigration, metempsychosis, the world, secular life, worldly illusion. —Saṃsāra-gamana, am, n. passing from one state of existence to another or from one body to another, transmigration, metem- psychosis. —Saṃsāra-guru, us, m. ‘the Guru of the world,’ epithet of Kāma (god of love). —Saṃ- sāra-maṇḍala, am, n. the circle of the world. —Saṃsāra-mārga, as, m. the road of the world, the course or stage of mundane affairs, the world; the vulva. —Saṃsāra-mokṣaṇa, as, ī, am, libe- rating or emancipating from worldly existence; ( am ), n. emancipation from the world. —Saṃ- sāra-samudra or saṃsāra-sāgara, as, m. the ocean-like world. [ ID=48152 ]

### Lexicographical and Etymological Notes (3 definitions)
- See the root sṛ below.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 1119,2] सं - (saṃ-) सार (saṃ-sāra) a &c. See सं - (saṃ-) √ सृ (√sṛ) below. [ ID=226809 ]
- wrong reading for samchara  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 1119,3] w.r. for सं - चार (saṃ-cāra), Bhartṛ. [ ID=226859 ]
- See under saṃ-sṛ  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 1040-c ] संसार (saṃsāra) saṃ-sāra, &c. See under saṃ-sṛ. [ ID=48136 ]

### Saṃsāra in Puranic Descriptions (1 definition)
- compared to an ocean, representing the evils of family life and worldly existence  
  *The Purana Index*
  > संसार (saṃsāra) [Printed book page 3-550 ] Saṃsāra — compared to an ocean; the evils of family life as explained by the king of mountains; the necessity of children, the difficulty and anxiety in procuring good hus- bands for daughters, etc; 1 the duhham of, explained. 2 [ Footnote: 1) M. 55. 27; 154. 145-174; Vā. 101. 195-204.] [ Footnote: 2) Vi. VI. 5. 10-56.] [ ID=15502 ]

## 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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