# संवर (saṃvara)

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

संवर (saṃvara) is a Sanskrit word meaning keeping back, stopping, a dam, mound, or bridge, provisions, shutting out the external world, name of two Arhats, restraint or religious observance. Its 16 recorded definitions are grouped into 8 contexts, among them Restraint, Control, or Hindrance, Covering or Concealment, Water.

- **Root:** 1. २ (1. 2)
- **Etymology:** E. सम् before वृ to choose, aff. अप्; more usually derived from शम्ब् or षम्ब् to collect, and then written शम्बर or षम्बर q. v — E. sam before vṛ to choose, aff. ap; more usually derived from śamb or ṣamb to collect, and then written śambara or ṣambara q. v
- **SLP1:** `saMvara`  **IAST:** saṃvara  **Devanagari:** संवर
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samvara
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/samvara/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** संत्वरा (saṃtvarā), संवार (saṃvāra)

## Meanings by context

### Restraint, Control, or Hindrance (4 definitions)
- keeping back, stopping  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1116,1] 1. सं - वर (saṃ-vara) mfn. keeping back, stopping (in काल - स् (kāla-s) ° (°), applied to Viṣṇu), Pañcar. [ ID=226319 ]
- shutting out the external world  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > shutting out the external world (with Jainas one of the 7 or 9 Tattvas), Sarvad. [ ID=226322 ]
- restraint or religious observance  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > सं - वर (saṃ-vara) n. (with Buddhists) restraint, forbearance (or ‘a partic. religious observance’), Kāraṇḍ. [ ID=226324 ]
- 1. Keeping off. 2. A weir or dam.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संवर (saṃvara) [Printed book page 568 ] संवर (saṃvara) a. keeping off; m. weir, dam. [ ID=33792 ]

### Covering or Concealment (3 definitions)
- 1. Covering. 2. Comprehension. 3. Contraction or compression. 4. A causeway, dam, or bridge. 5. A kind of deer.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संवर (saṃvara) [Printed book page 740-20 ] संवर (saṃvara) (I) m. 1. Covering; 2. comprehension; 3. contraction, compression; 4. causeway, dam, bridge; 5. a kind of deer. [ ID=38990 ]
- 1. Concealment. 2. Self-control. 3. A religious observance among Buddhists. 4. Water.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संवर (saṃvara) (II) n. 1. Concealment; 2. self-control; 3. a particular religious observance with Buddhists; 4. water. [ ID=38991 ]
- 1. Covering or concealment. 2. Comprehending or collection. 3. Closing, contraction, or compression. 4. A causeway, dam, mound, or bridge. 5. A kind of deer. 6. A sort of fish. 7. The name of a demon. 8. Restraint, self-control, or forbearance. 9. A particular Buddhist religious observance. 10. Water.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > [Printed book page 1038-b ] Saṃ-vara, as, m. (sometimes written and con- Page1038-c+ 79 founded with sambara ), covering; comprehending, comprehension, collection; closing, contraction, com- pression; a causeway, dam, mound, bridge; a kind of deer ( = śambara ); a sort of fish ( = śambara ); N. of a demon, = śambara; (am), n. covering, con- cealment; restraint, self-control, forbearance; a parti- cular religious observance (with Buddhists); water. [ ID=47997 ]

### Water (3 definitions)
- 1. Water. 2. Self-control. 3. Covering. 4. A demon. 5. Collection. 6. Contraction. 7. A mound or bridge.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संवर (saṃvara) [Printed book page 874 ] संवर (saṃvara) n. ( - रं (-raṃ) ) 1 Water. 2 Self-control. 3 Covering, concealing. m. ( - रः (-raḥ) ) 1 The name of a demon. 2 Collection, comprehension. 3 Contraction, compression. 4 A mound, a bridge, &c. E. सम् (sam) before वृ (vṛ) to choose, aff. अप् (ap), more usually derived from शम्ब (śamba) or षम्ब (ṣamba) to collect, and then written शम्ब (śamba) र (śambara) or सम् (sam) बर (sambara) q. v. [ ID=39687 ]
- 1. Water. 2. Concealing. 3. Self-control. 4. A bridge. 5. Compression. 6. The name of a demon.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संवर (saṃvara) [Printed book page 794-b ] सं - वर (saṃ-vara) ( रं ) ((raṃ)) 1. n. Water; concealing; self-control. m. A bridge; compression; name of a demon. [ ID=39361 ]
- 1. Water. 2. Self-control. 3. Concealment. 4. A particular Buddhist religious observance. 5. The name of a demon. 6. Collection. 7. Contraction. 8. A mound or bridge. 9. Concealing. 10. A kind of deer.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संवर (saṃvara) [Printed book page 744-a ] संवर (saṃvara) n. ( - रं (-raṃ) ) 1. Water. 2. Self-control. 3. Concealment. 4. A particular religious observance with Buddhists. m. ( - रः (-raḥ) ) 1. The name of a demon. 2. Collection, comprehension. 3. Contraction, compression. Page744-b+ 60 4. A mound a bridge, &c. 5. Concealing. 6. A kind of deer. E. सम् (sam) before वृ (vṛ) to choose, aff. अप्; (ap;) more usually derived from शम्ब् (śamb) or षम्ब् (ṣamb) to collect, and then written शम्बर (śambara) or षम्बर (ṣambara) q. v. [ ID=41637 ]

### Etymological or Referential Entry (2 definitions)
- See samvri.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 1114,2] सं - (saṃ-) वर (saṃ-vara) a &c. See सं - (saṃ-) √ 1. 2. वृ (vṛ). [ ID=226080 ]
- See under sam-vri.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > संवर (saṃvara) [Printed book page 1037-a ] संवर (saṃvara) saṃ-vara. See under saṃ-vṛ. [ ID=47894 ]

### Choosing or Election (1 definition)
- Choosing, election, or choice  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1116,2] 2. सं - वर (saṃ-vara) m. choosing, election, choice (of v.l. for स्वयं - वर (svayaṃ-vara) ), Mahābhārata (Title) vii, 6033. [ ID=226367 ]

### Physical Barrier or Structure (1 definition)
- a dam, mound, or bridge  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > सं - वर (saṃ-vara) m. (often written and confounded with शम्बर (śambara) ) a dam, mound, bridge, Bhaṭṭ. [ ID=226320 ]

### Proper Name (1 definition)
- Name of two Arhats  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of two Arhats, L. [ ID=226323 ]

### Provisions or Supplies (1 definition)
- provisions  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > provisions, Divyāv. [ ID=226321 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; 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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