# उलूक (ulūka)

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

उलूक (ulūka) is a Sanskrit word meaning an owl, an epithet of Indra, name of a sage, of a Naga, of a king of the Ulukas, the name of a people. Its 30 recorded definitions are grouped into 11 contexts, among them The bird owl, Other Puranic/Mythical Figures named Ulūka, Specific or Mythical Owls/Owl Lineages.

- **Root:** वल् (val)
- **Etymology:** E. वल to be strong, ऊकः aff — E. vala to be strong, ūkaḥ aff
- **SLP1:** `ulUka`  **IAST:** ulūka  **Devanagari:** उलूक
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluka
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/uluka/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** ऊलूक (ūlūka)

## Meanings by context

### The bird owl (10 definitions)
- an owl  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 218,3] उलूक (ulūka) m. (√ वल् (val), Uṇādi-sūtra (Title) iv, 41 ), an owl, Ṛg-veda (Title) x, 165, 4; Atharva-veda (Title) vi, 29, 1; VS.; TS.; MBh.; Mn. &c. [ ID=37459 ]
- 1. An owl. 2. An epithet of Indra. 3. A specific people in the plural.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 055-2 ] उलूक (ulūka) úlūka, m. owl; ep. of Indra: pl. N. of a. people. [ ID=4916 ]
- 1. An owl. 2. A name of Indra. 3. A hero of the Mahabharata. 4. A kind of reed.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 163 ] उलूक (ulūka) m. ( - कः (-kaḥ) ) 1 An owl. 2 A name of INDRA. 3 One of the heroes of the Mahābhārata. n. ( - कं (-kaṃ) ) A kind of reed, ( Saccharum cylindricum.) E. वल (vala) to be strong, ऊकः (ūkaḥ) aff. [ ID=7763 ]
- 1. An owl. 2. Indra.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 134-a ] उलूक (ulūka) ( कः ) ((kaḥ)) 1. m. An owl; Indra. [ ID=7176 ]
- 1. An owl. 2. An epithet of Indra.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 147-16 ] उलूक (ulūka) m. 1. An owl, त्यजति मुदमुलूकः प्रीप्तिमांश्चक्रवाकः (tyajati mudamulūkaḥ prīptimāṃścakravākaḥ) Sis. xi.14; 2. an epithet of Indra. [ ID=7096 ]
- 1. An owl. 2. A name of Indra. 3. A hero of the Mahabharata. 4. A kind of reed.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 134-a ] उलूक (ulūka) m. ( - कः (-kaḥ) ) 1. An owl. 2. A name of INDRA. 3. One of the heroes of the Mahabharata. n. ( - कं (-kaṃ) ) A kind of reed, (Saccharum cylindricum.) E. बल् (bal) to be strong, ऊक (ūka) aff. [ ID=7760 ]
- 1. An owl. 2. A name of Indra. 3. A country, its people, and its king.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 0131-b ] उलूक (ulūka) ulūka, m. 1. An owl, Bhartṛ. 2, 89. 2. A name of Indra, Chr. 46, 26. 3. The name of a country, its people ( plur. ), and its king, MBh. 1, 335, etc. Comp. Kumbha-, m. A kind of owl, MBh. 13, 5499. — Cf. Lat. ulula, A.S. and O.H.G. ūla. [ ID=2441 ]
- 1. An owl. 2. An epithet of Indra. 3. The name of a country and its people in the plural.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 093 ] उलूक (ulūka) m. owl; E. of Indra, pl. N. of a country & people. [ ID=6033 ]
- 1. An owl. 2. A country, its people, and their king. 3. A son of Vishvamitra. 4. Shakuni. 5. An epithet of Indra. 6. A king of the Nagas. 7. The reed Saccharum cylindricum.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 0175-a ] उलूक (ulūka) ulūka, as, m. (said to be fr. rt. val ), an owl; N. of a country and people (pl.), and of their king, who appears in the Mahā-bhārata as a hero on the side of the Kurus; a son of Viśvā-mitra; of Śakuni; an epithet of Indra; N. of a king of the Nāgas; ( am ), n., N. of the reed Saccharum Cylindricum; [cf. Lat. ulula; Germ. Eule; Old Germ. uwila, ûla; Eng. owl; Fr. hulotte.] —Ulūka-yātu, us, m., Ved. a demon in the shape of an owl. —Ulūkāśrama (°ka- āś°), as, m. Indra's hermitage. [ ID=12359 ]
- An owl  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 1-102 ] Ulūka is the ordinary word for ‘owl’ from the Rigveda 1 onwards. The bird was noted for its cry, 2 and was deemed the harbinger of ill-fortune ( nairṛta ). 3 Owls were offered at the horse sacrifice to the forest trees, 4 no doubt because they roosted there. [ Footnote: 1) x. 165, 4.] [ Footnote: 2) Rv. loc. cit. ] [ Footnote: 3) Av. vi. 19, 2: Taittirīya Saṃhitā, v. 5, 18, 1; Vājasaneyi Saṃhitā, xxiv. 38.] [ Footnote: 4) Vājasaneyi Samhitā, xxiv. 23; Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā, iii. 14. 4.] [ ID=395 ]

### Other Puranic/Mythical Figures named Ulūka (5 definitions)
- 1. The son of Bala and a righteous person. 2. The father of Vajranabha.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 1-244 ] Ulūka (I) — the son of Bala, and a righteous person; Father of Vajranābha. Br. III. 63. 205. [ ID=1932 ]
- a son of Hiranyaksha  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Ulūka (II) — a son of Hiraṇyākṣa. M. 6. 14. [ ID=1933 ]
- a son of Sahishnu  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Ulūka (III) — a son of Sahiṣṇu of the 26th dvapara. Vā. 23. 213. [ ID=1934 ]
- 1. A son of Somasharma. 2. An avatar of the Lord.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Ulūka (IV) — a son of Somaśarma; an avatār of the Lord. Vā. 23. 216. [ ID=1935 ]
- a Vidyadhara chief in the Venumanta hill  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Ulūka (V) — a Vidyādhara chief in the Veṇumanta hill. Vā. 39. 38. [ ID=1936 ]

### Specific or Mythical Owls/Owl Lineages (3 definitions)
- the primeval owl  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1B) [Printed book page 218,3] उलूकी (ulūkī) f. N. of the primeval owl, Harivaṃśa (Title) 222; VP. [ ID=37465 ]
- owl  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > *ulūka, pl. ( °āḥ ) (“owls”). § 126 (Aṃśāvat.): I, 66, 2621 (the offspring of Kākī). Cf. Prāvārakarṇa. [ ID=11134 ]
- son of Bhasi and an owl in the lineage of Tamra  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Ulūkas — son of Bhāsi, owls as children of Śukī; 1 of Tāmrā line. 2 Page1-245+ 27 [ Footnote: 1) Br. III. 7. 455; M. 6. 31; 237. 12; 240. 18.] [ Footnote: 2) Vi. I. 21. 16.] [ ID=1937 ]

### King of the Ulūkas (2 definitions)
- of a king of the Ulukas  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a king of the Ulūkas [ ID=37463 ]
- an epithet of Brihanta  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Ulūka 4 (“king of the Ulūkas”?) = Bṛhanta(?): II, 1019 ( °sahitaḥ, sc. Arjuna). [ ID=11132 ]

### Name of a Nāga (2 definitions)
- of a Naga  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a Nāga, Suparṇ. [ ID=37462 ]
- A Naga or Yaksha  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > [Printed book page 688-2 ] Ulūka 2, a Nāga(?) (according to Nīl. a Yakṣa). § 46 (Garuḍa): I, 32 α, 1489 ( °-Śvasanābhyāṃ, had an encounter with Garuḍa). [ ID=11130 ]

### Name of a People/Country (2 definitions)
- The name of a people.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a people, MBh.; Hariv. [ ID=37464 ]
- a people  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Ulūka 5, pl. ( °āḥ ), a people. § 279 (Arjuna): II, 27, 1014 ( °vāsinaṃ…Bṛhantaṃ, in the north), 1020 ( uttarān, vanquished by Arjuna). [ ID=11133 ]

### Name of a Sage/Rishi (2 definitions)
- Name of a sage.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > of a Muni (in the VāyuP. enumerated together with Kaṇāda, but perhaps identical with him, as the Vaiśeṣika system is called Aulūkya-darśana in the Sarvad. ) [ ID=37461 ]
- 1. One or more sages. 2. A son of Vishvamitra.  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > Ulūka 3, one or more ṛṣis. § 573 (Ambopākhyānap.): V, 186, 7353 ( °āśrame ).—§ 637 (Rājadh.): XII, 47 η, 1598 ( paramo vipraḥ, among those who surrounded Bhīṣma).— § 721 b (Viśvāmitrop.): XIII, 4 β, 250 (son of Viśvāmitra). [ ID=11131 ]

### A Type of Grass/Reed (1 definition)
- a kind of grass  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > उलूक (ulūka) n. a kind of grass (= उलप (ulapa) ), L. [ ID=37465.1 ]

### Epithet of Indra (1 definition)
- An epithet of Indra  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of Indra, Vām. [ ID=37460 ]

### Etymological/Linguistic Information (1 definition)
- An owl.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [ cf. Lat. ulula; Gk. ὀλ-ολυγ-αία; Old High Germ. ūla; Angl.Sax. ūle; Mod. Germ. Eule; Eng. owl; Fr. hulotte.] [ ID=37465.55 ]

### Mahabharata Character: Son of Śakuni (1 definition)
- The son of Shakuni  
  *Index to the Names in the Mahabharata*
  > उलूक (ulūka) [Printed book page 688-1 ] Ulūka 1, Kaitavya, son of Śakuni. § 11 (Parvasaṅgr.): I, 2, 515 ( °sya preṣaṇaṃ, cf. § 571).—§ 232 (Svayaṃvarap.): I, 186, 7002 ( Kaitavaḥ, came to the svayaṃvara of Draupadī).— § 561 (Yānasandhip.): V, 47 α, 1799; 57, 2254 (Nakula wished to fight U.).—§ 571 (Ulūkadūtāgamanap.): V, 160, 5412 ( Kaitavya ), 5471, 5476, 5484, 5486; 161, 5537, (5540); 162, 5578, 5586, 5588, 5596, 5616, 5621, 5626, 5629 ( Kaitavya ); 163, 5666 ( Kaitavyaṃ ), 5673, 5679, 5683, 5684, 5688 ( Kaitavyaṃ ), 5692, 5693, 5695; 164, 5702 ( U. was sent by Duryodhana as an ambassador to the Pāṇḍavas).—§ 578 (Bhīṣmavadhap.): VI, 45 21, 1747, 1748 (fought with the Cedi king).—§ 582 (do.): VI, 72 ε, 3166 ( Śakunim U°ñ ca…pitāpitrau, attacked by Sahadeva). —§ 583 (do.): VI, 79 μ, 3456 (all. to § 571).—§ 600 (Ghaṭotkacavadhap.): VII, 171, 7715 (son of Śakuni, pierced by Arjuna), 7718.—§ 603 (Nārāyaṇāstramokṣap.): VII, 193 α, 8906.—[§ 604 (Karṇap.): VIII, 7, †208 ( Kaitavyānām adhipaḥ ).]—§ 605 (do.): VIII, 11 ν, 414 (Śakuni and U. in the eyes of the makaravyūha of Karṇa); 25, 993, 994, 995, 998, 1000, 1001, 1004 (encounter with Yudhiṣṭhira).—§ 608 (do.): VIII, 46 γ, 2134 (Śakuni and U. were followed by the Gāndhāras); 48 ο, 2263 (brother of Patatri, PCR.); 54 θθ, 2610; 61, 3078 (attacked by Sahadeva), 3108, 3110, 3115.—§ 609 (Śalyap.): IX, 1 γ, 26 ( Kaitavaḥ, among the slain).—§ 611 (do.): IX, 8 ε, 400; 11 μ, 563 (C. has by error Ū° ); 22, 1157 (encounter with Nakula; Saubalasya sutaṃ, v. 1158); 27 υυ, 1459; 28, 1503, 1528, 1532 (slain by Sahadeva). Page688-b+ 62 Cf. the following synonyms:— Śākuni (“the son of Śakuni”): VIII, 997. Kaitava (“the gambler's son”): I, 7002 ( U° ); V, 5665. Kaitavya (do.): V, 2254 ( U° ), 5412 ( U° ), 5535, 5579, 5582, 5583, 5628, 5629 ( U° ), 5643, 5644, †5651, 5666 ( U° ), 5671, 5688 ( U° ), 5698; IX, 26 ( U°, has been slain), 96, 394. [ ID=11129 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Index to the Names in the Mahabharata; Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; The Purana Index; The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects; 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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