# वल (vala)

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

वल (vala) is a Sanskrit word meaning a cave or cavern, a cloud, a beam or pole, strength, force, or an army, a cave or hollow, a covering. Its 17 recorded definitions are grouped into 8 contexts, among them Cave, Cavern, or Enclosure, An Army or Forces, A Cloud.

- **Root:** 1. वृ (1. vṛ)
- **Etymology:** E. वल to surround, aff. अच्; see बल — E. vala to surround, aff. ac; see bala
- **SLP1:** `vala`  **IAST:** vala  **Devanagari:** वल
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vala_%28Vedic%29
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/vala/declensions.md
- **Other headwords romanised the same way:** वाला (vālā), वाल (vāla)

## Meanings by context

### Cave, Cavern, or Enclosure (5 definitions)
- A cave or cavern.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 927,3] 1. वल (vala) m. ‘enclosure’, a cave, cavern, RV.; AV.; Br. [ ID=188076 ]
- 1. A cave. 2. A demon who withheld heavenly waters from man and was vanquished by Indra.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 272-1 ] वल (vala) val-á, m. [enclosure: √ 1. vṛ] cave ( V. ); personified as a demon withholding the heavenly waters from man; brother of Vṛtra and vanquished by Indra ( often written Bala). [ ID=16052 ]
- 1. A cave or cavern. 2. The name of a demon.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 477 ] वल (vala) m. cave, cavern; N. of a demon ( cf. 2 बल (bala) ). [ ID=28410 ]
- 1. A cave. 2. A demon who shuts up the heavenly waters and is slain by Indra.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 239-a ] valá, m. prop. an encloser, and so —1. (enclosure, i. e. ) cave; —2. personified, Vala, name of a demon who shuts up the heavenly waters to withhold them from man and is slain by Indra, 81 5, 7. [ √1vṛ, ‘enclose.’] [ ID=3734 ]
- 1. A cave or hollow. 2. A covering.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > [Printed book page 1185-a ] Vala; to as, m., Ved. add — (according to B. R.) a cave, hollow; a covering. [ ID=55166 ]

### An Army or Forces (3 definitions)
- An army or forces  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) n. ( - लं (-laṃ) ) An army, forces. E. वल (vala) to surround, aff. अच् (ac); see बल (bala). [ ID=33892 ]
- An army  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) ( लं ) ((laṃ)) 1. n. An army. [ ID=33480 ]
- An army or forces.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 635-b ] वल (vala) n. ( - लं (-laṃ) ) An army, forces. E. वल (vala) ् (val) to surround, aff. कः (kaḥ) see बल । (bala.) [ ID=35424 ]

### A Cloud (2 definitions)
- a cloud  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a cloud, Naighaṇṭuka, commented on by Yāska (subtitle) i, 10 [ ID=188077 ]
- 1. A cloud. 2. A demon fabled to have stolen the gods' cattle and hidden them in a cave. 3. Strength, force, or an army.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 0894-a ] Vala, as, m., Ved. a cloud (according to Naigh. I. 10); N. of an Asura (fabled to have stolen the cows of the gods and to have concealed them in a cave; Indra surrounded the cave with his army and recovered the cattle; in Ṛg-veda X. 68, 9, he is said to have assumed the form of a bull and to have been destroyed by Bṛhas-pati; elsewhere he is identified with a cloud); ( am ), n. strength, force; an army, &c. (see bala ). —Valaṃ-ruja, as, m., Ved. one who breaks the clouds. [ ID=41524 ]

### General Equivalence to 'Bala' (2 definitions)
- See bala.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 0950-c ] वल (vala) See बल (bala). [ ID=25194 ]
- The same as bala.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 645-04 ] वल (vala) n. The same as बल (bala) q.v. [ ID=33856 ]

### Verbal Root Meanings (2 definitions)
- 1. To cover. 2. To move. 3. To surround or enclose. 4. To cherish or maintain.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 741 ] वल (vala) r. 1st cl. ( वल (vala) ते (valate) ) 1 To cover. 2 To move. 3 To surround or enclose. r. 10th cl. ( वालयति (vālayati) ) To cherish or maintain. [ ID=33891 ]
- 1. To cover, move, or surround. 2. To cherish or maintain.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वल (vala) [Printed book page 663-b ] वल (vala) ( ङ ) वल (vala) ते ((ṅa) valate) 1. d. To cover; move; surround. ( क ) वालयति ((ka) vālayati) 10. c. To cherish, maintain. [ ID=33479 ]

### A Beam or Pole (1 definition)
- a beam or pole  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a beam or pole, KātyŚr., Sch. [ ID=188078 ]

### Equivalence to 'vali' (1 definition)
- see shata-vala  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 927,3] 2. वल (vala) = वल (vala) ि (vali) (see शत - वल (vala) (śata-vala) ). [ ID=188089 ]

### The Demon Vala (1 definition)
- An epithet of a demon who was the brother of Vritra and conquered by Indra  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > N. of a demon (brother of Vṛtra, and conquered by Indra; in later language called बल (bala), q.v. ) [ ID=188079 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical 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.

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