निन्दा

Sanskrit

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *h₃neyd- (“criticism, abuse, reviling”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌽𐌴𐌹𐌸 (neiþ, “hatred, spite”), Latvian naids (“hatred”), Ancient Greek ὄνειδος (óneidos, “reproach”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /nin.dɑ́ː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈn̪in̪.d̪ɑː/

Noun

निन्दा • (nindā́) stem, f

1. blame, reproach, censure, reviling
   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 11.8.22:

     निन्दाश्च वा अनिन्दाश्च यच्च हन्तेति नेति च ।
     शरीरं श्रद्धा दक्षिणाश्रद्धा चानु प्राविशन् ॥

     nindāśca vā anindāśca yacca hanteti neti ca .
     śarīraṃ śraddhā dakṣiṇāśraddhā cānu prāviśan .

     Reproaches, freedom from reproach, all blamable, all blameless deeds,
     Bounty, belief, and unbelief entered the body as a home.

2. (Buddhism) one of the eight worldly conditions

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of निन्दा (nindā́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	निन्दा nindā́	निन्दे nindé	निन्दाः nindā́ḥ
Vocative	निन्दे nínde	निन्दे nínde	निन्दाः níndāḥ
Accusative	निन्दाम् nindā́m	निन्दे nindé	निन्दाः nindā́ḥ
Instrumental	निन्दया / निन्दा¹ nindáyā / nindā́¹	निन्दाभ्याम् nindā́bhyām	निन्दाभिः nindā́bhiḥ
Dative	निन्दायै nindā́yai	निन्दाभ्याम् nindā́bhyām	निन्दाभ्यः nindā́bhyaḥ
Ablative	निन्दायाः / निन्दायै² nindā́yāḥ / nindā́yai²	निन्दाभ्याम् nindā́bhyām	निन्दाभ्यः nindā́bhyaḥ
Genitive	निन्दायाः / निन्दायै² nindā́yāḥ / nindā́yai²	निन्दयोः nindáyoḥ	निन्दानाम् nindā́nām
Locative	निन्दायाम् nindā́yām	निन्दयोः nindáyoḥ	निन्दासु nindā́su
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Pali: nindā
• Prakrit: 𑀡𑀺𑀁𑀤𑀸 (ṇiṃdā)
• → Hindi: निंदा (nindā)
• → Marathi: निंदा (nindā)
• → Punjabi: ਨਿੰਦਾ (nindā)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “निन्दा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 549.