# वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha)

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

वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) is a Sanskrit word meaning a class of supernatural beings, Bassia Latifolia or Butea Frondosa, relating to a Vanaprastha, a Hindu hermit or anchorite who lives in the woods, the Bassia latifolia tree, the Palasha tree. Its 17 recorded definitions are grouped into 5 contexts, among them A Hermit or Ascetic (Vānaprastha Person), Relating to a Hermit or the Hermit's State, The Vānaprastha Stage of Life (Āśrama).

- **Etymology:** E. वन a wood, अण् aff., वान a solitude in the woods, &c., प्रस्थ who goes forth to, from स्था to stay, with प्र prefix, and क aff — E. vana a wood, aṇ aff., vāna a solitude in the woods, &c., prastha who goes forth to, from sthā to stay, with pra prefix, and ka aff
- **SLP1:** `vAnaprasTa`  **IAST:** vānaprastha  **Devanagari:** वानप्रस्थ
- **Declensions:** 48 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/vanaprastha/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### A Hermit or Ascetic (Vānaprastha Person) (11 definitions)
- A hermit or anchorite in the third stage of life living as an ascetic in the woods.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 940,3] वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) m. ( fr. वन - प्रस्थ (vana-prastha) ) a Brāhman in the third stage of life (who has passed through the stages of student and householder and has abandoned his house and family for an ascetic life in the woods; see आश्रम (āśrama) ), hermit, anchorite (mentioned by Megasthenes under the name ὑλόβιοι ), Āpast.; Mn.; MBh. &c., Religious Thought and Life in India, also called ’Brāhmanism and Hindūism,’ by Sir M. Monier-Williams (Title) 362 [ ID=190836 ]
- 1. A Brahmin in the third stage of life who has retired to the forest as a hermit. 2. Relating to the forest hermit or the third stage of life. 3. The forest life or third stage of a Brahmin's life.  
  *Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 277-1 ] वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) vāna-prastha, m. (betaking oneself to forest-uplands; vanaprastha), Brāhman of the third order ( who has retired from domestic life to the forest ), hermit; a. relating to the forest hermit; m. ( sc. āśrama) third stage of a Brāhmanʼs life, forest life; -prasth-ya, n. condition of a hermit. [ ID=16272 ]
- 1. A hermit or anchorite living in the woods for meditation after being a student and householder. 2. The Bassia latifolia tree. 3. The Palasa tree.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वान (vāna) प्र (pra) स्थ (prastha) (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 751 ] वान (vāna) प्र (pra) स्थ (prastha) (vānaprastha) m. ( - स्थः (-sthaḥ) ) 1 The Brahman of the third order, who has passed through the conditions of student and householder, and has left his house and family for lonely meditation in woods and wilds; the hermit, the anchoret. 2 A tree, ( Bassia latifolia.) 3 The Palāśa tree, ( Butea frondosa.) E. वन (vana) a wood, अण् (aṇ) aff., वान (vāna) a solitude in the woods, &c., प्र (pra) स्थ (prastha) who goes forth to, from स्था (sthā) to stay, with प्र (pra) prefix, and क (ka) aff. [ ID=34366 ]
- 1. A hermit or a brahmin of the third order. 2. The Palasha tree. 3. Bassia latifolia.  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 673-a ] वान - प्रस्थ (vāna-prastha) ( स्थः ) ((sthaḥ)) 1. m. A brāhman of the 3rd order; a hermit; the Palās tree; and Bassia latifolia, [ ID=33958 ]
- 1. A Brahmana in the third stage of life. 2. A hermit. 3. The Palasha tree.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 652-39 ] वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) m. 1. A Brāhmaṇa in the third order of his life, Yaj. ii.137; 2. a hermit in general; 3. the Palāśa tree. [ ID=34313 ]
- 1. A hermit or anchorite living in the woods for meditation. 2. A tree. 3. The palasha tree.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वान (vāna) प्र (pra) स्थ (prastha) (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 644-a ] वान (vāna) प्र (pra) स्थ (prastha) (vānaprastha) m. ( - स्थः (-sthaḥ) ) 1. The Brāhmana of the third order, who has passed through the conditions of student and householder, and has left his house and family for lonely meditation in woods and wilds; the hermit, the anchoret. 2. A tree, (Bassia latifolia.) 3. The Palāsha-tree, (Butea frondosa.) E. वन (vana) a wood, अण् (aṇ) aff., वान (vāna) a solitude in the woods, &c., प्र (pra) स्थ (prastha) who goes forth to, from स्था (sthā) to stay, with प्र (pra) prefix, and क (ka) aff. [ ID=35935 ]
- 1. A hermit living in the woods. 2. The name of two particular trees.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 0835-b ] वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) vānaprastha, i. e. vana-pra -stha + a, m. 1. The Brāhmaṇa of the third order, who lives in woods, a hermit, Man. 6, 87. 2. The name of two particular trees. [ ID=13016 ]
- a hermit or anchorite belonging to the third order of life  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 484 ] 1 वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) m. a Brahman of the third order, hermit, anchorite. [ ID=28795 ]
- A hermit or a Brahman living in the woods in the third stage of life.  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 242-a ] vānaprastha, m. a Brahman of the third order, who has passed through the stages of student and householder ( see āśrama ) and dwells in the woods, 65 3 N.; hermit. [ vanaprastha: for mg, cf. ἐρημίτης, Eng. hermit, and ἐρημία, ‘solitude, desert.’] [ ID=3794 ]
- 1. A Hindu hermit or anchorite who lives in the woods. 2. A class of supernatural beings. 3. The Bassia latifolia tree. 4. The Palasha tree.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 0903-a ] Vānaprastha, as, m. (fr. vana-prastha ), a Brāhman of the third order who has passed through the stages of student and householder and has left his house and family for the woods, (see āśrama ); a hermit, anchorite; a class of supernatural beings; the tree Bassia Latifolia; the Palāśa tree, Butea Frondosa. —Vānaprastha-dharma, as, m. the law or duty of a Vānaprastha. —Vānaprasthāśrama (°tha-āś°), as, am, m. n. the Āśrama or order of a Vānaprastha. [ ID=41858 ]
- 1. A hermit or ascetic suited for funeral feasts. 2. Living in the forest on roots and fruits, wearing tree bark and skins, bathing morning and evening, and performing fire sacrifices. 3. The third stage of life.  
  *The Purana Index*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) [Printed book page 3-189 ] Vānaprastha (I) — a sādhu: fit for Śrāddha feeding; 1 duties of: living on fruits and roots; clothing with skins and barks of trees; bathing morning and evening; performance of homa; life in forest; 2 the third order of life. 3 [ Footnote: 1) Br. II. 32. 26; III. 7. 317; 9. 70; 15. 16 and 35.] [ Footnote: 2) Vā. 8. 176; Vi. III. 9. 18-23. M. 225. 3.] [ Footnote: 3) Vi. II. 1. 30.] [ ID=12521 ]

### Relating to a Hermit or the Hermit's State (2 definitions)
- relating to a Vanaprastha  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) mfn. relating to a Vānaprastha [ ID=190839 ]
- 1. Relating to a hermit. 2. The third stage of a Brahman's life.  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > 2 वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) a. relating to a hermit; m. the third stage of a Brahman's life (also ° प्रस्थ्य (°prasthya) n. ). [ ID=28796 ]

### The Vānaprastha Stage of Life (Āśrama) (2 definitions)
- the third stage of a Brahmin's life, or living in the forest  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > वानप्रस्थ (vānaprastha) m. ( scil. आश्रम (āśrama) ) the third stage of a Brāhman's life, forest-life, MBh.; R.; Hariv. [ ID=190840 ]
- the third stage of life in Hindu tradition  
  *The Purana Index*
  > Vānaprastha (II) — the third āśrama; 1 adopted by Yayāti after Pūru's coronation; living on fruits and roots and always in peace, having conquered his mind and anger, was engaged for 1,000 years in offering oblations to Pitṛs and Devas and in fire rites and entertaining guests; performed penance feeding on water alone for 3 years, on air for a year, in the midst of fire for another year and standing on one leg for six months; reached heaven. 2 [ Footnote: 1) Vā. 59. 25; 104. 23.] [ Footnote: 2) M. 35. 1-2, 13-17; 40. 1, 4 and 7.] [ ID=12522 ]

### A Class of Supernatural Beings (1 definition)
- a class of supernatural beings  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > a class of supernatural beings, MW. [ ID=190837 ]

### A Name for Specific Trees (1 definition)
- Bassia Latifolia or Butea Frondosa  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > Bassia Latifolia or Butea Frondosa, L. [ ID=190838 ]

## 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; 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