# संघ (saṃgha)

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

संघ (saṃgha) is a Sanskrit word meaning any collection, assemblage, multitude, crowd, or host, a society, association, or community, a clerical community, congregation, or church, the collective body of monks in Buddhism and Jainism, a throng or multitude, a corporation. Its 10 recorded definitions are grouped into 4 contexts, among them General Multitude or Collection, Religious Community or Monastic Order, Linguistic Cross-Reference.

- **Root:** हन् (han)
- **SLP1:** `saMGa`  **IAST:** saṃgha  **Devanagari:** संघ
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangha
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/sangha/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** सङ्घ (saṅgha)

## Meanings by context

### General Multitude or Collection (6 definitions)
- Any collection, assemblage, multitude, crowd, or host.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 1129,3] सं - घ (saṃ-gha) b m. ( fr. सम् (sam) + √ हन् (han) ) ‘close contact or combination’, any collection or assemblage, heap, multitude, quantity, crowd, host, number (generally with gen. pl. or ifc., e.g. मुनि - स् (muni-s) ° (°), ‘a multitude of sages’, BhP.; शत्रु - स् (śatru-s) ° (°), a host of enemies, Rājat. ), MBh.; Kāv. &c. [ ID=228728 ]
- 1. A throng or multitude. 2. A corporation. 3. A community, congregation, or brotherhood. 4. A religious sect among the Jains.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संघ (saṃgha) [Printed book page 328-3 ] संघ (saṃgha) saṃ-gha, m. [combination: √han] throng, multitude ( nearly always with g. or —° ); host of enemies ( rare ); corporation; community, congregation ( B. ); brotherhood, sect ( among the Jains ); incorr. for saṅga: -cārin, a. gregarious; -ghaṭana, n., ā, f. combination, union, with ( —° ); -ghaṭṭa, m. concussion, clashing together, collision, friction; combination, union, with ( in.; rare ); -ghaṭṭana, n. collision, clash; friction; n., ā, f. union; -ghaṭṭa-paṇita, n. wager; -ghātitha, a. numerous; -gharṣa, m. friction; rivalry, emulation, jealousy (regarding, prati, Page329-1 —° ); -gharṣaṇa, n. friction; -gharṣayitṛ, m. rival; -gharṣa-śālin, a. jealous; -gharṣin, a. id., envious; vying with ( —° ); -gha-śas, ad. in great numbers. [ ID=18546 ]
- 1. A multitude, collection, or quantity. 2. A number of people living together.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संघ (saṃgha) [Printed book page 748-01 ] संघ (saṃgha) m. 1. Multitude, collection, quantity, R. xvi.38, 2. a number of people living together. [ ID=39249 ]
- 1. Multitude or flock. 2. Quantity. 3. Inhabitants.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संघ (saṃgha) [Printed book page 0992-b ] संघ (saṃgha) saṃgha, i. e. sam-han, m. 1. Multitude, Indr. 1, 36. 2. Flock, Hariv. 8788. 3. Quantity. 4. Inhabitants, Man. 8, 219. [ ID=15343 ]
- band, company, crowd  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > संघ (saṃgha) [Printed book page 576 ] संघ (saṃgha) m. band, company, crowd. [ ID=34232 ]
- company or crowd  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > संघ (saṃgha) [Printed book page 264-a ] saṃgha, m. (a combination, i. e. ) company, crowd. [ √han + sam, 333, cf. 216. 9 and 402. ] [ ID=4357 ]

### Religious Community or Monastic Order (2 definitions)
- A clerical community, congregation, or church  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a clerical community, congregation, church, Mn.; Sāh. &c. [ ID=228730 ]
- the collective body of monks in Buddhism and Jainism  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ( esp. ) the whole community or collective body or brotherhood of monks (with Buddhists; also applied to a monkish fraternity or sect among Jainas), Buddh.; Sarvad.; Monier-Williams’ Buddhism in its connexion with Brāhmaṇism and Hindūism: and in its contrast with Christianity (Title) 176. [ ID=228731 ]

### Linguistic Cross-Reference (1 definition)
- See samgha.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1122,3] सं - घ (saṃ-gha) a &c. See s.v. [ ID=227433 ]

### Organized Society or Association (1 definition)
- a society, association, or community  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > any number of people living together for a certain purpose, a society, association, company, community [ ID=228729 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

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