# उपाधि (upādhi)

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

उपाधि (upādhi) is a Sanskrit word meaning a substitute or substitution, an appearance, phantom, or disguise, anything defining more closely, an attribute, title, discriminative appellation, nickname, limitation or qualification. Its 23 recorded definitions are grouped into 8 contexts, among them Deception, Fraud, or Illicit Influence, Virtuous Reflection or Dutiful Contemplation, Substitute or Appearance.

- **Root:** ध्यै (dhyai)
- **Etymology:** E. उप and आङ् before धा to have, affix कि — E. upa and āṅ before dhā to have, affix ki
- **SLP1:** `upADi`  **IAST:** upādhi  **Devanagari:** उपाधि
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upadhi
- **Declensions:** 72 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/upadhi/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** उपधि (upadhi)

## Meanings by context

### Deception, Fraud, or Illicit Influence (5 definitions)
- deception  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > deception, deceit, Mahābhārata (Title) iii, 13017 [ ID=36673.40 ]
- 1. Fraud or dishonesty. 2. Suppression of truth or suggestion of falsehood. 3. Terror, threat, compulsion, or false inducement. 4. The wheel of a carriage.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाधि (upādhi) [Printed book page 138-07 ] उपाधि (upādhi) m. 1. Fraud, dishonesty, अरिषु हि विजयार्थिनः क्षितीशा विदधति सोपधिसंधिदूषणानि (ariṣu hi vijayārthinaḥ kṣitīśā vidadhati sopadhisaṃdhidūṣaṇāni) Kir. i.45; 2. suppression veri, suggestion falsi (in law), M. viii.165; 3. terror, threat, compulsion, false inducement, बलोपधिविनिवृत्तान् व्यवारान्निवर्तयेत् (balopadhivinivṛttān vyavārānnivartayet) Yaj. ii.31; 4. the wheel of a carriage. [ ID=6742 ]
- 1. Fraud, deceit, or deception. 2. A distinguishing property. 3. A limitation or condition. 4. A nickname or title. 5. Virtuous reflection. 6. A man careful to support his family.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > [Printed book page 145-01 ] उपाधि (upādhi) m. 1. Fraud, deceit, deception (Cf. उपधि (upadhi) ); 2. discriminative or distinguishing property, तदुपाधावेवसंकेतः (tadupādhāvevasaṃketaḥ) K.Pr. ii. ( उपाधि (upādhi) is of four kinds, viz, जाति (jāti), गुण (guṇa), क्रिया (kriyā) and संज्ञा (saṃjñā) ); 3. limitation, condition; 4. a nickname, a title, (e.g. भट्टाचार्य (bhaṭṭācārya), महामहोपाध्याय (mahāmahopādhyāya) ); 5. virtuous reflection; 6. a man who is careful to support his family. [ ID=6982 ]
- 1. Deception. 2. A modifying circumstance. 3. A condition supplied to limit a general middle term.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाधि (upādhi) [Printed book page 0129-b ] उपाधि (upādhi) upādhi, i. e. upa-ā-dhā ( cf. nidhi ), m. 1. Deception, Rām. 2, 111, 29. 2. Modifying circumstance, Bhāṣāp. 46. 3. A condition supplied to limit a too general middle term, Bhāṣāp. 13. — Comp. An-, m. natural disposition, Prab. 101, 11 (this country is beautiful naturally and not through any acci- dental circumstance). [ ID=2390 ]
- 1. Deceit, deception, or disguise, including natural forms or properties considered as disguises of the spirit in Vedanta. 2. An attribute, peculiarity, distinguishing property, or indispensable condition. 3. Limitation. 4. A title, discriminative appellation, or nickname. 5. A purpose, occasion, or object. 6. A special cause for a general effect in logic. 7. The natural character of species, quality, or action in rhetoric.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > उपाधि (upādhi) [Printed book page 0171-c ] 1. upā-dhi, is, m. (for 2. see below), deceit, de- ception, disguise (in the Vedānta this is especially applied to certain natural forms or properties, con- sidered as disguises of the spirit); that which more closely defines, a discriminative or distinguishing pro- perty, an attribute, a peculiarity, an indispensable condition; limitation (e. g. an-upādhi-ramaṇīyo deśaḥ, a country beautiful without limitation, i. e. altogether beautiful); a title, a discriminative appella- tion, a nickname; a purpose, an occasion, an object; (in logic) a special cause for a general effect; (in rhetoric) the natural character of species, quality or action. Upādhi-tas, ind. in consequence of a pe- culiarity. (At the end of a compound the affix ka may be added to upādhi, e. g. asty-upādhika, having ‘is’ as an attribute.) [ ID=12127 ]

### Virtuous Reflection or Dutiful Contemplation (5 definitions)
- reflection on duty, virtuous reflection  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > reflection on duty, virtuous reflection, L. [ ID=36688.1 ]
- 1. Virtuous reflection. 2. A distinguishing property or attribute. 3. Deception or disguise. 4. A title or nickname. 5. Diligence in supporting a family. 6. A purpose, occasion, or object. 7. A special cause for a general effect. 8. The natural character of a species, quality, or action.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उप (upa) ाधि (upādhi) [Printed book page 160 ] उप (upa) ाधि (upādhi) m. ( - धिः (-dhiḥ) ) 1 Virtuous reflection. 2 A discriminative or distinguishing property, an attribute. 3 Deception, disguise. (In the Vedānta this is especially applied to certain natural forms or properties, considered as disguises of the spirit.) 4 A title, a discriminative appellation, a nickname. 5 Careful or diligent for the support of a family, (always masculine, though with a feminine or neuter substantive.) 6 A purpose, an occasion, an object. 7 (In logic,) A special cause for a general effect. 3 (In rhetoric,) The natural character of species, quality, or action. E. उप (upa) and आङ् (āṅ) before धा (dhā) to have, affix कि (ki). [ ID=7612 ]
- 1. Virtuous reflection. 2. Disguise. 3. A title. 4. Labour for a family. 5. An object. 6. A cause put for the effect. 7. A species.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाधि (upādhi) [Printed book page 131-b ] उपा _ धि (upā_dhi) ( धिः ) ((dhiḥ)) 2. m. Virtuous reflection; disguise; a title; labour for a family; object; cause put for the effect; species. [ ID=7026 ]
- 1. Virtuous reflection. 2. A distinguishing property or attribute. 3. Deception or disguise. 4. A title, nickname, or distinctive appellation. 5. Diligence in supporting a family. 6. A purpose, occasion, or object. 7. A special cause for a general effect. 8. The natural character of a species, quality, or action.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उप (upa) ाधि (upādhi) [Printed book page 131-b ] उप (upa) ाधि (upādhi) m. ( - धिः (-dhiḥ) ) 1. Virtuous reflection. 2. A discriminative or distinguishing property, an attribute. 3. Deception, disguise. (In the Vadanta this is especially applied to certain natural forms or properties, considered as disguises of the spirit.) 4. A title, a discriminative appellation, a nickname. 5. Careful or diligent for the support of a family, (always masculine, though with a feminine or neuter substantive.) 6. A purpose, an occasion, an object. 7. (In logic,) A special cause for a general effect. 8. (In rhetoric,) The natural character of species, quality, or action. E. उप (upa) and आङ् (āṅ) before धा (dhā) to have, aff. कि (ki). [ ID=7609 ]
- 1. Reflection on duty or virtuous reflection. 2. A man who is careful to support his family.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > उपाधि (upādhi) 2. upā-dhi, is, m. (fr. rt. dhyai with upa-ā ), reflection on duty; virtuous reflection; a man who is careful to support his family. (For 1. see under upā-dhā above.) [ ID=12129 ]

### Substitute or Appearance (4 definitions)
- A substitute or substitution  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 213,2] 1. उपा (upā) - धि (-dhi) m. (for 2. See s.v. ) that which is put in the place of another thing, a substitute, substitution, R. [ ID=36673 ]
- an appearance, phantom, or disguise  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > anything which may be taken for or has the mere name or appearance of another thing, appearance, phantom, disguise (said to be applied to certain forms or properties considered as disguises of the spirit, W. ), Prab.; Bhāṣāp.; Sāh. &c. [ ID=36673.05 ]
- 1. Substitution. 2. An epithet. 3. A condition or assumption.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाधि (upādhi) [Printed book page 054-2 ] उपाधि (upādhi) upa‿ā-dhi, m. substitution; all that comes under the head of ( —° ); epithet; condition, assumption; that which conditions. [ ID=4849 ]
- 1. A substitution or substitute. 2. A supposition, postulate, or cause.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाधि (upādhi) [Printed book page 092 ] उपाधि (upādhi) m. substitution, substitute; supposition, postulate, cause. [ ID=5926 ]

### Attribute or Defining Feature (3 definitions)
- anything defining more closely  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > anything defining more closely, a peculiarity [ ID=36673.10 ]
- an attribute  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > an attribute ( अस्त्य् - उपा (asty-upā) धि (dhi), having, ‘is’ as an attribute) [ ID=36673.15 ]
- title, discriminative appellation, nickname  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > title, discriminative appellation, nickname [ ID=36673.20 ]

### Limitation or Condition (3 definitions)
- limitation or qualification  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > limitation, qualification ( e.g. अन् - उपा (an-upā) धि - रामणीय (dhi-rāmaṇīya), beautiful without limitation i.e. altogether beautiful) [ ID=36673.25 ]
- a qualifying term added to a too general middle term  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (in log. ) a qualifying term added to a too general middle term to prevent ativyāpti [ ID=36673.30 ]
- 1. supposition 2. condition 3. postulate  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > that which is placed under, supposition, condition, postulate, Sarvad.; Vedāntas.; Tarkas.; BhP. &c. [ ID=36673.35 ]

### Diligent Family Supporter (1 definition)
- a man who is careful to support his family  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a man who is careful to support his family, L. [ ID=36688.2 ]

### Purpose, Aim, or Cause (1 definition)
- point of view, aim  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 213,3] 2. उपा (upā) - धि (-dhi) m. (for 1. See col. 2) (√ ध्यै (dhyai) ), point of view, aim, Car. [ ID=36688 ]

### Species or Category (1 definition)
- species  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > species. [ ID=36673.45 ]

## 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; 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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