# उपाय (upāya)

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

उपाय (upāya) is a Sanskrit word meaning coming near, approach, arrival, a means, way, or stratagem, joining in or accompanying in singing, approach or arriving, a means, expedient, way, or stratagem, joining in singing. Its 15 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them General Means, Expedient, or Way, Cross-references and Notes, Approach or Arrival.

- **Root:** इ (i)
- **Etymology:** E. उप and आङ् before इण to go, affix घञ् — E. upa and āṅ before iṇa to go, affix ghañ
- **SLP1:** `upAya`  **IAST:** upāya  **Devanagari:** उपाय
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upaya
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/upaya/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** उपाया (upāyā), उपया (upayā), उपय (upaya)

## Meanings by context

### General Means, Expedient, or Way (10 definitions)
- a means, way, or stratagem  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > that by which one reaches one's aim, a means or expedient (of any kind), way, stratagem, craft, artifice, MBh.; Mn.; Yājñ.; Pañcat. &c. [ ID=36913 ]
- 1. Approach. 2. Means or expedient. 3. Stratagem, device, or craft.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाय (upāya) [Printed book page 054-3 ] उपाय (upāya) upa‿aya, m. approach; means; expedient, stratagem, device, craft: in. or -tas, cleverly, craftily; -cintā, f. devising an expedient; -jña, a. fertile in resources; -saṃdarśana-ja, a. arising from the manifestation of successful means. [ ID=4856 ]
- 1. A means, expedient, or way. 2. A means of success against an enemy, such as conciliation, gifts, sowing dissension, or chastisement. 3. Approaching.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उप (upa) ाय (upāya) [Printed book page 160 ] उप (upa) ाय (upāya) m. ( - यः (-yaḥ) ) 1 A means, an expedient, a way. 2 A means of success against an enemy; four are usually enumerated as, sowing dissension, chastisement, conciliation and gifts. 3 Approaching, approach. E. उप (upa) and आङ् (āṅ) before इण (iṇa) to go, affix घञ् (ghañ). [ ID=7618 ]
- Means or a means of success against an enemy  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाय (upāya) [Printed book page 131-b ] उपा _ य (upā_ya) ( यः ) ((yaḥ)) 1. m. Means; a means of success against an enemy. [ ID=7032 ]
- 1. Approach. 2. A means, expedient, or remedy. 3. Beginning. 4. Effort or exertion. 5. A way or mode. 6. Any of the four means of political success against an enemy.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाय (upāya) [Printed book page 145-11 ] उपाय (upāya) m. 1. Approach; 2. a means, an expedient, a remedy, Am.S. 23, M. viii.48; 3. beginning, commencement; 4. effort, exertion, Bg. vi.36; 5. a way, a mode, M. ix.248, x.2; 6. any of the four means of success against an enemy (in civil polity) चतुर्थोपायसाध्ये तु रिपौ सांत्वमपक्रिया (caturthopāyasādhye tu ripau sāṃtvamapakriyā) Sis. ii.54, सामादीनामुपायानां चतुर्णामपि पंडिताः (sāmādīnāmupāyānāṃ caturṇāmapi paṃḍitāḥ) M. viii.109. [ ID=6995 ]
- 1. A means, expedient, or way. 2. A political means for success against an enemy, such as conciliation, gifts, sowing dissension, or chastisement. 3. Approach.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उप (upa) ाय (upāya) [Printed book page 131-b ] उप (upa) ाय (upāya) m. ( - यः (-yaḥ) ) 1. A means, an expedient, a way. 2. A means of success against an enemy; four are usually enumerated, as, sowing dissension, chastisement, conciliation and gifts. 3. Approaching, approach. E. उप (upa) and आङ् (āṅ) before इण् (iṇ) to go, affix घञ् (ghañ). [ ID=7615 ]
- 1. Approach. 2. A means of success. 3. An expedient. 4. Craft.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपाय (upāya) [Printed book page 0130-a ] उपाय (upāya) upāya, i. e. upa-i + a, m. 1. Approach, Bhartṛ. 3, 10. 2. Means of success, Man. 7, 177. 3. An expedient in general, Man. 9, 110. 4. Craft, Böhtl. Ind. Spr. 498. [ ID=2397 ]
- approach, method, means, or stratagem  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > उपा (upā) य (upāya) [Printed book page 092 ] उपा (upā) य (upāya) m. approach, way to or of, means, expedient, stratagem; उपा (upā) ° येन (°yena) & उपा (upā) ° यतस् (°yatas) in a clever way, by stratagem. [ ID=5933 ]
- 1. Approach. 2. A means of reaching an aim. 3. An expedient or stratagem. 4. Advantage.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > उपाय (upāya) [Printed book page 134-a ] upāya, m. approach; that by which one reaches an aim; means; expedient, 39 2; stratagem; advantage, 39 6. [ √i + upa, 1148. 1a: for mg, cf. Eng. to-ward, as an adj. ] [ ID=867 ]
- 1. Approach or arriving. 2. A means, expedient, way, or stratagem. 3. Joining in singing.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > [Printed book page 0172-c ] Upāya, as, m. approaching, approach; that by which one reaches an aim, a means, an expedient, a way, stratagem; a means of success against an enemy (four of which are usually enumerated, sowing dissen- sion, negotiation, bribery, and open attack); joining (in singing &c.). —Upāya-catuṣṭaya, am, n. the four expedients against an enemy; see above. —Upā- ya-cintā, f. devising an expedient, thinking of a re- source. —Upāya-jña, as, ā, am, fertile in expedients, contriving, provident. —Upāya-tas, ind. by some means or expedient. —Upāya-turīya, as, m. a fourth means, punishment. —Upāya-tva, am, n. state of being provided with means. —Upāya-yoga, as, m. application of means or combination of expedients. —Upāyāntara (°ya-an°), am, n. a remedy. [ ID=12221 ]

### Cross-references and Notes (2 definitions)
- See page 215, column 2.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H1) [Printed book page 214,1] उपा (upā) य (ya) a &c. See p. 215, col. 2. [ ID=36744 ]
- See under upe  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > उपाय (upāya) [Printed book page 0172-a ] उपाय (upāya) upāya. See under 1. upe 3rd col. [ ID=12147 ]

### Approach or Arrival (1 definition)
- coming near, approach, arrival  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 215,2] उपा (upā) य (ya) b m. coming near, approach, arrival, Bhartṛ. [ ID=36912 ]

### Joining or Accompanying (1 definition)
- joining in or accompanying in singing  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > joining in or accompanying (in singing), ŚāṅkhŚr. [ ID=36915 ]

### Strategic/Political Means (Caturupāya) (1 definition)
- a means of success against an enemy, specifically sowing dissension, negotiation, bribery, or open assault  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ( esp. ) a means of success against an enemy (four are usually enumerated, sowing dissension, negotiation, bribery, and open assault) [ ID=36914 ]

## 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 (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.

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