# शची (śacī)

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

शची (śacī) is a Sanskrit word meaning powerful help or assistance, kindness, favour, grace, skill, dexterity, speech, power of speech, eloquence, the wife of Indra, of the authoress of the Rig-veda. Its 15 recorded definitions are grouped into 7 contexts, among them The Goddess Śacī, wife of Indra, Power, Might, Divine Aid, Speech, Eloquence.

- **Root:** शच् (śac)
- **SLP1:** `SacI`  **IAST:** śacī  **Devanagari:** शची
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shachi
- **Declensions:** 72 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/shachi/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** शाचि (śāci), शचि (śaci)

## Meanings by context

### The Goddess Śacī, wife of Indra (5 definitions)
- the wife of Indra  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of the wife of Indra (derived fr. शची - पति (śacī-pati), q.v. ), Śāṅkhāyana-gṛhya-sūtra (Title); Mahābhārata (Title) &c. [ ID=211711 ]
- of the authoress of the Rig-veda  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of the authoress of Ṛg-veda (Title) x, 159 (having the patr. Paulomi), Anukramaṇikās (Literary category) [ ID=211712 ]
- the wife of Indra  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शची (śacī) [Printed book page 706-08 ] शची (śacī)( चि ) (śacī(ci)) f. Name of the wife of Indra, R. iii.13, 23. [ ID=36948 ]
- the queen of Indra, daughter of Puloman and mother of Jayanta  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > शची (śacī) [Printed book page 180-2 ] Śacī, the queen of Indra, daughter of Puloman and mother of Jayanta. § 71 (Ādivaṃśāvatāraṇap.): I, 61, 2274 ( iva Mahendreṇa ).—§ 132 (Aṃśāvat.): I, 67, 2791 (Draupadī was born from a portion of Ś.).—§ 222 (Tapatyup.): I, 173, 6631 ( yathā Śacyā Marutpatiḥ ).—§ 266 (Śakrasabhāv.): II, 7, 286 ( Mahendrāṇyā, in the palace of Indra).—§ 270 (Brahmasabhāv.): II, 10, 459 (in the palace of Brahmán). —§ 338 (Indralokābhigamanap.): III, 46, 1854 ( yathendrāṇī, C. has Saśī ), 1862 ( yathā ).—§ 344 (Nalop.): III, 53, 2082 ( iva ).—§ 345 (do.): III, 57, 2233 ( Śacyeva Balavṛtrahā ).— § 391 (Ṛṣyaśṛṅga): III, 113, 10092 ( yathā Śacī Vajra- dharasya ).—§ 394 (Arjuna Kārtavīrya): III, 115, 10141 ( °sahayaṃ Vāsavaṃ; S°, C.).—§ 443 (Nivātakavaca- yuddhap.): III, 168, 12003 ( °sahayaḥ, sc. Indra).—§ 555 c (Indravijaya): V, 11, 360 ( Ś. says to Bṛhaspati : “You always say, O brahman, that I have got on my person all the auspicious marks, being the favourite queen of the divine king; Page181-a+ 61 that I am chaste, devoted to my lord, and destined never to become a widow”); 12, 389, 390; 13, 423 ( devī ); 14, 440; 15, 446.—§ 561 (Yānasandhip.): V, 55, 2198 (in order to gratify Ś. Indra asked Karṇa for his earrings).—§ 564 (Mātalīyop.): V, 104, 3651 ( Vāsavasya Śacīm iva ).—§ 565 (Gālavac.): V, 117, 3967 ( yathā Śacyāñ ca Vāsavaḥ ).—§ 599 (Jayadrathavadhap.): VII, 94 ε, 3452.—§ 615 u (Skanda): IX, 45 γ, 2515 (came to the investiture of Skanda).—§ 717 b (Nārāyaṇīya): XII, 343, VII), ††13214—17.—§ 768 b (Umā- Maheśvarasaṃv.): XIII, 146 γ, 6750 ( Kauśikasya C°ī satī ). Cf. also the following synonyms:— Śakrāṇī : V, 364, 367. Indrāṇī, “queen of Indra”: I, 7351; III, 1854 ( yathā …Śacī ); IV, 259; V, 376, 377, 379, 383, 389 ( Śakrasya mahiṣīṃ priyāṃ ), 392, 395, 399, 406, 429, 432, 438, 440, 454; XII, ††13216. Mahendrāṇī, “queen of the great Indra”: II, 286 ( Śacyā ); III, 1677; V, 547. Paulomī, “daughter of Puloman”: I, 4472 ( Jayantam iva Paulomī ), 8025 (do.); III, 12563 ( Maghavān iva P°yā ), 16570 ( Mahendra iva P°yā ). [ ID=2183 ]
- daughter of Puloma, consort of Indra, and mother of Jayanta  
  *The Purana Index*
  > शची (śacī) [Printed book page 3-367 ] Śacī — a daughter of Puloma, consort of Indra and mother of Jayanta. Br. II. 13. 79; III 6. 23; M. 6. 21; Vā. 68. 22, 24. [ ID=13985 ]

### Power, Might, Divine Aid (4 definitions)
- powerful help or assistance  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 1048,1] शची (śacī) f. the rendering of powerful or mighty help, assistance, aid ( esp. said of the deeds of Indra and the Aśvins, instr. शच्या (śacyā) and शची (śacī) भिस् (śacībhis), often = ‘mightily’ or ‘helpfully’), Ṛg-veda (Title) [ ID=211707 ]
- 1. Might or powerful aid. 2. Favour or grace. 3. Skill. 4. Indra's wife.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शची (śacī) [Printed book page 306-3 ] शची (śacī) śác-ī, f. [√śac] sg. & pl. might, powerful aid ( mostly of Indra or the Aśvins : RV. ); favour, grace ( V. ); skill ( V. ); Indraʼs wife ( C. ); -tīrtha, m. N. of a Tīrtha; -nara, m. N. of a king; ( śácī ) -páti, m. lord of might ( of Indra or the Aśvins; V. ); spouse of Śacī, Indra ( C. ): —° with a word meaning earth = lord; -ramaṇa, m. lover of Śacī, Indra. [ ID=17455 ]
- 1. Might or help. 2. The wife of Indra.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > शची (śacī) [Printed book page 535 ] शची (śacī) f. might or help, personif. as the wife of Indra. [ ID=31659 ]
- 1. Might or help. 2. Shachi, the wife of Indra.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > शची (śacī) [Printed book page 255-a ] śácī, f. —1. might or help ( esp. of the helping deeds of Indra); —2. Śachī or Might, as wife of Indra ( derived from the misunderstood śacī-pati, q. v. ), 2 7. [ √śac, collateral form of śak. ] [ ID=4094 ]

### Speech, Eloquence (2 definitions)
- speech, power of speech, eloquence  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > speech, power of speech, eloquence, Naighaṇṭuka, commented on by Yāska (subtitle) [ ID=211710 ]
- 1. Speech or eloquence. 2. Activity, diligence, or energy. 3. Power, strength, or action. 4. A holy act or devotion. 5. The wife of Indra. 6. The plant Asparagus racemosus. 7. The astronomical period named Vishti.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > शची (śacī) [Printed book page 0989-a ] Śacī, f. speech, power of speech, eloquence ( = vāc, Naigh. I. 11); activity, diligence, energy, skilfulness ( = prajñā, Naigh. III. 9); power, strength, action, exploit, (Sāy. and Naigh. II. 1 = karma ); any holy act, devotion; N. of the wife of Indra, (in the pre- ceding senses chiefly Ved.); the plant Asparagus Racemosus; the astronomical Karaṇa or period named Viṣṭi; Śacī Paulomī is given as the authoress of the hymn Ṛg-veda X. 159. —Śacī-nara, as, m., N. of a king of Kaśmīra. —Śacī-pati, is, m. ‘lord of power,’ or ‘husband of Śacī,’ epithet of Indra; ( ī ), m. du. ‘lords of pious acts,’ epithet of the Aśvins (Ved.) —Śacī-vat, ān, atī, at, Ved. possessing power, strong, (Sāy. = karma-vat ); wise, (Sāy. = prajñā-vat ); ( ān ), m. epithet of Indra, ( śacīvas, voc. c. ‘O powerful one.’) —Śacī-vasu, us, us, u, Ved. rich or abounding in strength, en- riched by holy rites. [ ID=46037 ]

### A type of coitus (1 definition)
- a kind of sexual intercourse  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a kind of coitus, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=211714 ]

### Kindness, Favour, Grace (1 definition)
- kindness, favour, grace  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > kindness, favour, grace, in the same place [Cologne Addition] (Title); Atharva-veda (Title); Aitareya-brāhmaṇa (Title) [ ID=211708 ]

### Skill, Dexterity (1 definition)
- skill, dexterity  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 1048,2] skill, dexterity, Ṛg-veda (Title); Vājasaneyi-saṃhitā (Title) [ ID=211709 ]

### The plant Asparagus Racemosus (1 definition)
- Asparagus Racemosus  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Asparagus Racemosus, Lexicographers, esp. such as Amarasiṃha, Halāyudha, Hemacandra, etc. (Author) [ ID=211713 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); The Purana Index; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546