सिन्धु

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• সিন্ধু (Assamese script)
• ᬲᬶᬦ᭄ᬥᬸ (Balinese script)
• সিন্ধু (Bengali script)
• 𑰭𑰰𑰡𑰿𑰠𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀲𑀺𑀦𑁆𑀥𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• သိန္ဓု (Burmese script)
• સિન્ધુ (Gujarati script)
• ਸਿਨ੍ਧੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌸𑌿𑌨𑍍𑌧𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦱꦶꦤ꧀ꦣꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂮𑂱𑂢𑂹𑂡𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಸಿನ್ಧು (Kannada script)
• សិន្ធុ (Khmer script)
• ສິນ຺ຘຸ (Lao script)
• സിന്ധു (Malayalam script)
• ᠰᡳᠨᢡᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘭𑘱𑘡𑘿𑘠𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠰᠢᠨᢑᠾᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧍𑧒𑧁𑧠𑧀𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐳𑐶𑐣𑑂𑐢𑐸 (Newa script)
• ସିନ୍ଧୁ (Odia script)
• ꢱꢶꢥ꣄ꢤꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆱𑆴𑆤𑇀𑆣𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖭𑖰𑖡𑖿𑖠𑖲 (Siddham script)
• සින්‍ධු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑪁𑩑𑩯 𑪙𑩮𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚨𑚮𑚝𑚶𑚜𑚰 (Takri script)
• ஸிந்து⁴ (Tamil script)
• సిన్ధు (Telugu script)
• สินฺธุ (Thai script)
• སི་ནྡྷུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒮𑒱𑒢𑓂𑒡𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨰𑨁𑨝𑩇𑨜𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Aryan *síndʰuṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *síndʰuš, possibly borrowed from the BMAC substrate. Alternatively, from सेधति (sédhati, “to go, move”), but that does not explain the voiced nasal.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /sín.dʱu/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈs̪in̪.d̪ʱu/

Noun

सिन्धु • (síndhu) stem, m or f

1. a river, stream (especially the Indus, and in this sense said to be the only river regarded as masculine gender; compare सिन्धुनदी (sindhunadī) (RV. etc.)
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.32.12:

     अश्व्यो॒ वारो॑ अभव॒स्तदि॑न्द्र सृ॒के यत्त्वा॑ प्र॒त्यह॑न्दे॒व एक॑:।
     अज॑यो॒ गा अज॑यः शूर॒ सोम॒मवा॑सृज॒: सर्त॑वे स॒प्त सिन्धू॑न्॥

     áśvyo vā́ro abhavastádindra sṛké yáttvā pratyáhandevá éka:.
     ájayo gā́ ájayaḥ śūra sómamávāsṛja: sártave saptá síndhūn.

     When the single resplendent Vṛtra returned the blow which had been inflicted, Indra by your thunderbolt, you became furious like a horse's tail.
     You have rescued the kine; you have won, Hero, the Soma juice; you have let loose the Seven Rivers to flow.

2. (Vedic religion), the river Indus personified as a goddess.
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.75.6:

     तृ॒ष्टाम॑या प्रथ॒मं यात॑वे स॒जूः सु॒सर्त्वा॑ र॒सया॑ श्वे॒त्या त्या।
     त्वं सि॑न्धो॒ कुभ॑या गोम॒तीं क्रुमुं॑ मेह॒त्न्वा स॒रथं॒ याभि॒रीय॑से॥

     tṛṣṭā́mayā prathamáṃ yā́tave sajū́ḥ susártvā rasáyā śvetyā́ tyā́.
     tváṃ sindho kúbhayā gomatī́ṃ krúmuṃ mehatnvā́ saráthaṃ yā́bhirī́yase.

     You, Sindhu, in order to reach the swift-moving Gomatī, have united, yourself first with the Tṛṣṭāmā; (now be united) with the Susartu, the Rasā, the Śveti, the Kubha, and the Mehatnu, inconjunction with which streams you do advance.

3. flood, waters (also in the sky) (RV., AV.)
4. ocean, sea (RV. etc.)
5. a symbolical term for the number 4; compare समुद्र (samudra) (Gaṇit.)
6. name of Varuṇa (as god of the ocean) (MW.)
7. the moisture of the lips (Kum.)
8. water ejected from an elephant's trunk (= वमथु (vamathu)) (L.)
9. the exudation from an elephant's temples (L.)
10. the country around the Indus (commonly called Sindh; in plural: "the inhabitants of Sindh") (MBh., Kāv.)
11. name of Vishnu (RV., MBh.)
12. white or refined borax (= श्वेतटण्कण (śvetaṭaṅkaṇa)) (L.)
13. (music) a particular राग (rāga) (Saṃgītas.)

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of सिन्धु (síndhu)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	सिन्धुः síndhuḥ	सिन्धू síndhū	सिन्धवः síndhavaḥ
Vocative	सिन्धो síndho	सिन्धू síndhū	सिन्धवः síndhavaḥ
Accusative	सिन्धुम् síndhum	सिन्धू síndhū	सिन्धून् síndhūn
Instrumental	सिन्धुना / सिन्ध्वा¹ síndhunā / síndhvā¹	सिन्धुभ्याम् síndhubhyām	सिन्धुभिः síndhubhiḥ
Dative	सिन्धवे síndhave	सिन्धुभ्याम् síndhubhyām	सिन्धुभ्यः síndhubhyaḥ
Ablative	सिन्धोः síndhoḥ	सिन्धुभ्याम् síndhubhyām	सिन्धुभ्यः síndhubhyaḥ
Genitive	सिन्धोः síndhoḥ	सिन्ध्वोः síndhvoḥ	सिन्धूनाम् síndhūnām
Locative	सिन्धौ síndhau	सिन्ध्वोः síndhvoḥ	सिन्धुषु síndhuṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Feminine u-stem declension of सिन्धु (síndhu)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	सिन्धुः síndhuḥ	सिन्धू síndhū	सिन्धवः síndhavaḥ
Vocative	सिन्धो síndho	सिन्धू síndhū	सिन्धवः síndhavaḥ
Accusative	सिन्धुम् síndhum	सिन्धू síndhū	सिन्धूः síndhūḥ
Instrumental	सिन्ध्वा síndhvā	सिन्धुभ्याम् síndhubhyām	सिन्धुभिः síndhubhiḥ
Dative	सिन्धवे / सिन्ध्वै¹ síndhave / síndhvai¹	सिन्धुभ्याम् síndhubhyām	सिन्धुभ्यः síndhubhyaḥ
Ablative	सिन्धोः / सिन्ध्वाः¹ / सिन्ध्वै² síndhoḥ / síndhvāḥ¹ / síndhvai²	सिन्धुभ्याम् síndhubhyām	सिन्धुभ्यः síndhubhyaḥ
Genitive	सिन्धोः / सिन्ध्वाः¹ / सिन्ध्वै² síndhoḥ / síndhvāḥ¹ / síndhvai²	सिन्ध्वोः síndhvoḥ	सिन्धूनाम् síndhūnām
Locative	सिन्धौ / सिन्ध्वाम्¹ síndhau / síndhvām¹	सिन्ध्वोः síndhvoḥ	सिन्धुषु síndhuṣu
Notes	¹Later Sanskrit ²Brāhmaṇas

Derived terms

• सैन्धव (saindhava)

Descendants

• → Bengali: সিন্ধু (śindhu) (learned)
• → Burmese: သိန္ဓု (sindhu.) (learned)
• → Hindustani: (learned)

  Hindi: सिंधु (sindhu)

  Urdu: سِنْدھ (sindh)

• → Tamil: சிந்து (cintu) (learned)
• → Telugu: సింధు (sindhu) (learned)
• → Kannada: ಸಿಂಧು (sindhu) (learned)
• → Malayalam: സിന്ധു (sindhu), ചിന്തു (cintu) (learned)
• → Thai: สินธุ (sǐn-tú) (learned)
• → Tibetan: སིནྡུ (sindu) (learned)
• → English: Sindhu (learned)
• Old Persian: 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 (h-i-du-u-š)

(see there for further descendants)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “सिन्धु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1217.