ग्रावन्

Sanskrit

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂wō (“heavy stone”). Cognate with English quern, Old Irish brao.

It has been suggested that the word used in the Rigveda is unrelated to the sense "stone" and rather refers to a human person, meaning "praiser, singer", possibly deriving from the root गॄ (gṝ).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡɾɑ́ː.ʋɐn/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾɑː.ʋɐn̪/

Noun

ग्रावन् • (grā́van) stem, m

1. (Rigvedic) (traditional translation) a stone for pressing out the Soma juice
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.108.11:

     dūrám ita paṇayo várīya úd gā́vo yantu minatī́r ṛténa
     bṛ́haspátir yā́ ávindan nígūḷhāḥ sómo grā́vāṇa ṛ́ṣayaś ca víprāḥ

     Hence, far away, ye Paṇis! Let the cattle lowing come forth as holy Law commandeth,
     Kine which Brhaspati, and Soma, Ṛsis, sages, and pressing-stones have found when hidden.

2. a stone or rock
3. a mountain
4. a cloud

Declension

Masculine an-stem declension of ग्रावन् (grā́van)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ग्रावा grā́vā	ग्रावाणौ / ग्रावाणा¹ grā́vāṇau / grā́vāṇā¹	ग्रावाणः grā́vāṇaḥ
Vocative	ग्रावन् grā́van	ग्रावाणौ / ग्रावाणा¹ grā́vāṇau / grā́vāṇā¹	ग्रावाणः grā́vāṇaḥ
Accusative	ग्रावाणम् grā́vāṇam	ग्रावाणौ / ग्रावाणा¹ grā́vāṇau / grā́vāṇā¹	ग्रौणः graúṇaḥ
Instrumental	ग्रौणा graúṇā	ग्रावभ्याम् grā́vabhyām	ग्रावभिः grā́vabhiḥ
Dative	ग्रौणे graúṇe	ग्रावभ्याम् grā́vabhyām	ग्रावभ्यः grā́vabhyaḥ
Ablative	ग्रौणः graúṇaḥ	ग्रावभ्याम् grā́vabhyām	ग्रावभ्यः grā́vabhyaḥ
Genitive	ग्रौणः graúṇaḥ	ग्रौणोः graúṇoḥ	ग्रौणाम् graúṇām
Locative	ग्रौणि / ग्रावणि / ग्रावन्¹ graúṇi / grā́vaṇi / grā́van¹	ग्रौणोः graúṇoḥ	ग्रावसु grā́vasu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Odia: ଗ୍ରାବ (grabô)
• Tamil: கிராவணம் (kirāvaṇam), சிராவணம் (cirāvaṇam)
• Telugu: గ్రావము (grāvamu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “ग्रावन्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 374.