# ताण्डव (tāṇḍava)

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

ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) is a Sanskrit word meaning a tribrach, saccharum procerum, a sort of grass, frenzied dancing, particularly the dance of Shiva, a type of grass, in prosody, a foot of three short syllables. Its 10 recorded definitions are grouped into 4 contexts, among them Polysemous: Dance, Grass, Prosody, Vigorous/Frantic Dance (especially Śiva's), A type of grass (Saccharum procerum).

- **Etymology:** E. तण्डु the name of the Muni, by whom the style of dancing was first taught, affix अण्; or तडि to beat, and अव aff — E. taṇḍu the name of the Muni, by whom the style of dancing was first taught, affix aṇ; or taḍi to beat, and ava aff
- **SLP1:** `tARqava`  **IAST:** tāṇḍava  **Devanagari:** ताण्डव
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandava
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/tandava/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Polysemous: Dance, Grass, Prosody (4 definitions)
- 1. Frenzied dancing, particularly the dance of Shiva. 2. A type of grass. 3. In prosody, a foot of three short syllables.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) [Printed book page 371 ] ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) mn. ( - वः - वं (-vaḥ-vaṃ) ) 1 Dancing, especially with violent gesticulation, and particularly applied to the frantic dance of the god ŚIVA, and his votaries. 2 A sort of grass, ( Saccharum procerum.) m. ( - बः (-baḥ) ) In prosody, a tribrach or foot of three short syllables. E. तण्डु (taṇḍu) the name of the Muni, by whom the style of dancing was first taught, affix अण् (aṇ); or तडि (taḍi) to beat, and अव (ava) aff. [ ID=17261 ]
- 1. Dancing with violent gesticulation. 2. A grass. 3. A tribrach.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) [Printed book page 328-a ] ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) ( वः - वं ) ((vaḥ-vaṃ)) 1. m. n. Dancing especially with violent gesticulation; a grass. m. A tribrach. [ ID=16732 ]
- 1. Vigorous or frantic dancing, particularly the dance of Shiva. 2. A type of grass. 3. A prosodic foot of three short syllables.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) [Printed book page 308-b ] ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) mn. ( - वः (-vaḥ)- वं (-vaḥ-vaṃ) ) 1. Dancing, especially with violent gesticulation, and particularly applied to the frantic dance of the god SIVA, and his votaries. 2. A sort of grass, (Saccharum procerum.) m. ( - वः (-vaḥ) ) In prosody, a tribrach or foot of three sort syllables. E. तण्डु (taṇḍu) the name of the Muni, by whom the style of dancing was first taught, affix अण्, (aṇ,) or तडि (taḍi) to beat, and अव (ava) aff. [ ID=17244 ]
- 1. Dancing, especially with violent gesticulation, and particularly applied to the frantic dance of the god Shiva. 2. A tribrach or foot of three short syllables. 3. A sort of grass.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) [Printed book page 0368-b ] ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) tāṇḍava, as, am, m. n. dancing, especially with violent gesticulation, and particularly applied to the frantic dance of the god Śiva and his votaries; (in prosody) a tribrach or foot of three short syllables; a sort of grass, Saccharum Procerum. —Tāṇḍava-tālika, as, m. an epithet of Nandin the door-keeper of Śiva. —Tāṇḍava-priya, as, m. an epithet of Śiva (‘fond of the Tāṇḍava dance’). —Tāṇḍava-brāhmaṇa, perhaps a wrong reading for tāṇḍaka-brāhmaṇa. [ ID=20693 ]

### Vigorous/Frantic Dance (especially Śiva's) (4 definitions)
- a frantic dance, especially with violent gesticulation, such as the dance of Shiva  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 441,3] ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) m. n. ( g. अर्धर्चा (ardharcā) दि (di); fr. तण्डु (taṇḍu) ?) dancing ( esp. with violent gesticulation), frantic dance (of Śiva and his votaries), Mālatīm.; Kathās.; Bhāgavata-purāṇa (Title) x; MatsyaP.; Rājat. &c. ( cf. Religious Thought and Life in India, also called ’Brāhmanism and Hindūism,’ by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) p. 84 ) [ ID=83747 ]
- frantic dance  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) [Printed book page 108-1 ] ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) tāṇḍava, n. (?) frantic dance; i-ta, pp. dancing, fluttering. [ ID=8493 ]
- Frantic dancing  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) [Printed book page 0359-b ] ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) tāṇḍava, m. and n. Frantic dancing, Caurap. 7; Rājan. 5, 380. [ ID=5801 ]
- a wild dance, especially of the god Shiva  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) [Printed book page 200 ] ताण्डव (tāṇḍava) s. a wild dance, esp. of the god Śiva. [ ID=12151 ]

### A type of grass (Saccharum procerum) (1 definition)
- Saccharum procerum  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Saccharum procerum, L. [ ID=83747.2 ]

### Prosodic Term (a tribrach) (1 definition)
- a tribrach  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in prosody) a tribrach [ ID=83747.1 ]

## Sources

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