# वाहन (vāhana)

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

वाहन (vāhana) is a Sanskrit word meaning the act of making an effort or exertion, drawing, carrying, or conveying, name of a Muni, an army, carrying or conveying, driving. Its 24 recorded definitions are grouped into 6 contexts, among them Vehicle, Conveyance, or Mount, Act of Carrying, Moving, or Guiding, Adjective: Carrying or Driving.

- **Root:** वह् (vah)
- **Etymology:** E. वह् to bear, causal form, or वाह् to endeavour, ल्युट् aff — E. vah to bear, causal form, or vāh to endeavour, lyuṭ aff
- **SLP1:** `vAhana`  **IAST:** vāhana  **Devanagari:** वाहन
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vahana
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/vahana/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** वाहना (vāhanā), वहन (vahana)

## Meanings by context

### Vehicle, Conveyance, or Mount (10 definitions)
- 1. Any vehicle, conveyance, draft animal, carriage, chariot, wagon, horse, or elephant. 2. Riding or driving on or in.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > any vehicle or conveyance or draught-animal, carriage, chariot, waggon, horse, elephant ( cf. Pāṇini (Author) viii, 4, 8 ), AitBr. &c. &c. ( ifc. [ f( आ (ā) ). ] riding or driving on or in) [ ID=192738 ]
- any animal  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > any animal, Kathāsaritsāgara (Title) xxi, 30 [ ID=192739 ]
- oar or sail  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > ‘oar’ or ‘sail’, Rāmāyaṇa (Title) ii, 52, 5. [ ID=192740 ]
- 1. A vehicle or conveyance. 2. Carrying or conveying. 3. Making effort or exertion.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वाह (vāha) न (vāhana) [Printed book page 757 ] वाह (vāha) न (vāhana) n. ( - नं (-naṃ) ) 1 A vehicle, a conveyance of any kind, as a horse, an elephant, a carriage. 2 Carrying, conveying, &c. 3 Marking effort or exertion. E. वह (vaha) to bear, in the causal form, or वाह (vāha) to endeavour, ल्युट् (lyuṭ) aff. [ ID=34645 ]
- 1. A vehicle. 2. Conveying. 3. Endeavor. 4. Deportment.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 679-a ] वाहन (vāhana) ( नं ) ((naṃ)) 1. n. A vehicle of any kind; as horse, carriage, &c. conveying; endeavour; deportment. [ ID=34242 ]
- 1. Bearing or conveying. 2. A vehicle or conveyance. 3. A horse. 4. An elephant.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 657-07 ] वाहन (vāhana) n. 1. Bearing, conveying; 2. a vehicle, a conveyance, Na. xxii.45; 3. a horse, तं वाहन (vāhana) ादवनतोत्तरकायम् (taṃ vāhanādavanatottarakāyam) R. ix.60, i.48; 4. an elephant. [ ID=34598 ]
- 1. A vehicle or conveyance. 2. Carrying or conveying. 3. Making an effort or exertion.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 648-b ] वाहन (vāhana) n. ( - नं (-naṃ) ) 1. A vehicle, a conveyance of any kind, as a horse, an elephant, a carriage. 2. Carrying, conveying, &c. 3. Making effort or Page649-a+ 60 exertion. E. वह् (vah) to bear, causal form, or वाह् (vāh) to endeavour, ल्युट् (lyuṭ) aff. [ ID=36232 ]
- 1. Carrying or bearing. 2. Governing of horses. 3. A vehicle, chariot, horse, or elephant.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 0842-b ] वाहन (vāhana) vāhana, i. e. vah + ana, n. 1. Carrying, Pañc. 253, 13; bearing, 83, 19. 2. Governing (of horses), Nal. 15, 2. 3. A vehicle, Hit. 126, 16; Man. 7, 222; a chariot, Hit. iv. d. 62; a horse, Man. 5, 29; an elephant. — Comp. Dvija-, m, Viṣṇu (having a bird, Garuḍa, as his vehicle), Hariv. 3982. Nara-, adj. drawn by men, epithet and name of Kuvera, MBh. 3, 8358. Ma- hiṣa-, m. Yama. Megha-, m. 1. Indra. 2. Śiva. 3. a proper name, Rājat. 5, 64. Yama-, m. a buffalo. Vāri-, m. a cloud. Śāli-, m. the name of a king. Śikhi(n)-, m. Kārttikeya, the god of war. Śveta-, m. 1. the moon. 2. Arjuna. Hari-, m. 1. Garuḍa. 2. Indra, Indr. 5, 54. Havya-, see s. v. Hotra-, m. a proper name. [ ID=13128 ]
- different riding animals used by warriors in the battlefield  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Vāhanas — different riding animals used by warriors in the battlefield described. Br. IV. 22. 15-18. [ ID=12677 ]
- 1. A beast of burden. 2. A cart.  
  *The Vedic Index of Names and Subjects*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 2-293 ] Vāhana (neut.) in the Brāhmaṇas 1 denotes a ‘beast of burden,’ or occasionally 2 a ‘cart.’ Cf. Rathavāhana. [ Footnote: 1) Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, iv. 9, 4; Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, i. 8, 2, 9; ii. 1, 4, 4; iv. 4, 4, 10.] [ Footnote: 2) Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa, ix. 4, 2, 11.] [ ID=2922 ]

### Act of Carrying, Moving, or Guiding (5 definitions)
- carrying or conveying  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > वाहन (vāhana) n. the act of drawing, bearing, carrying, conveying, MBh.; R. &c. [ ID=192734 ]
- driving  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > driving, Suśr. [ ID=192735 ]
- riding  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > riding, Kathās. [ ID=192736 ]
- guiding horses  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > guiding (horses), MBh. [ ID=192737 ]
- 1. The act of carrying, bearing, or conveying. 2. The act of driving or governing horses. 3. A vehicle, chariot, carriage, or conveyance of any kind. 4. An animal used for riding or drawing, such as a horse or elephant.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > [Printed book page 0908-b ] 2. vāhana, am, n. the act of carrying, bearing, conveying, conducting; the act of driving or govern- ing (horses); a vehicle, chariot, carriage, a convey- ance of any kind; any animal used in riding or draught, a horse, an elephant; ( as ), m., N. of a Muni; [cf. Old Germ. wagana, ‘a chariot;’ Hib. feun, ‘a chariot.’] [ ID=42102 ]

### Adjective: Carrying or Driving (4 definitions)
- drawing, carrying, or conveying  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > [Printed book page 949,2] 2. वाहन (vāhana) mfn. (for 1. See col. 1) drawing, bearing, carrying, conveying, bringing &c., Kathās.; Rājat. [ ID=192731 ]
- 1. Driving, carrying, or bringing. 2. A vehicle, conveyance, chariot, wagon, or riding animal.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 279-2 ] वाहन (vāhana) vā́h-ana, a. ( fr. cs. of √vah) driving; carrying; bringing; n. animal used for draught or riding; vehicle, conveyance, chariot, waggon; animal ( rare ); drawing, carrying; riding, driving: —° a. riding on, driving in: -tva, n. condition of a vehicle, etc.. [ ID=16428 ]
- 1. Carrying or bringing. 2. A beast of burden, vehicle, ship, or oar. 3. Drawing, carrying, driving, riding, or guiding.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 488 ] वाहन (vāhana) a. carrying, bringing. n. ( m. ) beast of burden or beast for riding; vehicle i.g., waggon ship, oar, sail ( adj. —° riding or going in); n. drawing, carrying, driving, riding, guiding (a horse). [ ID=29060 ]
- 1. A vehicle, team, or beast for riding or carrying burdens. 2. The act of carrying.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 243-a ] vā́hana, a. carrying off; as n. —1. beast of burden, 56 8; beast for riding; team; vehicle; —2. the carrying, 34 13. [ √vah, 1150. 1b.] [ ID=3822 ]

### Effort or Exertion (2 definitions)
- the act of making an effort or exertion  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 949,1] 1. वाहन (vāhana) n. (for 2. See col. 2) the act of making effort, endeavouring, exertion, W. [ ID=192698 ]
- effort or exertion  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 0908-a ] 1. vāhana, am, n. the act of making effort, en- deavouring, exertion. [ ID=42096 ]

### Proper Name (2 definitions)
- Name of a Muni  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > वाहन (vāhana) m. N. of a Muni, Cat. [ ID=192732 ]
- a pupil of Kreta  
  *The Purana Index*
  > वाहन (vāhana) [Printed book page 3-211 ] Vāhana — a pupil of Kṛta. Br. II. 35. 51. [ ID=12676 ]

### An Army (1 definition)
- an army  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2B) [Printed book page 949,2] वाहना (vāhanā) ( आ (ā) ), f. an army, Śiśupāla-vadha (Title) xix, 33 [ ID=192733 ]

## 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; 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.

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