मह्

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• মহ্ (Assamese script)
• ᬫᬳ᭄ (Balinese script)
• মহ্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰦𑰮𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀫𑀳𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• မဟ် (Burmese script)
• મહ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਮਹ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌮𑌹𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦩꦲ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂧𑂯𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ಮಹ್ (Kannada script)
• មហ៑ (Khmer script)
• ມຫ຺ (Lao script)
• മഹ് (Malayalam script)
• ᠮᠠᡥ (Manchu script)
• 𑘦𑘮𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠮᠠᠾ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧆𑧎𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐩𑐴𑑂 (Newa script)
• ମହ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢪꢲ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆩𑆲𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖦𑖮𑖿 (Siddham script)
• මහ් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩴𑪂 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚢𑚩𑚶 (Takri script)
• மஹ் (Tamil script)
• మహ్ (Telugu script)
• มหฺ (Thai script)
• མ་ཧ྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒧𑒯𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨢𑨱𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /mɐ́ɦ/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /mɐɦ/

Adjective

मह् • (máh) stem

1. (Rigvedic) great, strong, powerful, mighty, sublime
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.100.1:

     स यो वृषा वृष्ण्येभिः समोका महो दिवः पृथिव्याश्च सम्राट् । सतीनसत्वा हव्यो भरेषु मरुत्वान्नो भवत्विन्द्र ऊती ॥

     sa yo vṛṣā vṛṣṇyebhiḥ samokā maho divaḥ pṛthivyāśca samrāṭ. satīnasatvā havyo bhareṣu marutvānno bhavatvindra ūtī.

     May he who hath his home with strength, the Mighty, the King supreme of earth and spacious heaven, Lord of true power, to he invoked in battles, may Indra, girt by Maruts, be our succour.

   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 8.70.9:

     उदू षु णो वसो महे मृशस्व शूर राधसे । उदू षु मह्यै मघवन्मघत्तय उदिन्द्र श्रवसे महे ॥

     udū ṣu ṇo vaso mahe mṛśasva śūra rādhase. udū ṣu mahyai maghavanmaghattaya udindra śravase mahe.

     O Vasu, O thou Hero, raise us up to ample opulence. Raise us to gain of mighty wealth, O Maghavan, O Indra, to sublime renown.

   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 5.41.15:

     पदेपदे मे जरिमा नि धायि वरूत्री वा शक्रा या पायुभिश्च । सिषक्तु माता मही रसा नः स्मत्सूरिभिर्ऋजुहस्त ऋजुवनिः ॥

     padepade me jarimā ni dhāyi varūtrī vā śakrā yā pāyubhiśca. siṣaktu mātā mahī rasā naḥ smatsūribhirṛjuhasta ṛjuvaniḥ.

     Duly to each one hath my laud been offered. Strong be Varutri with her powers to succour. May the great Mother Rasā here befriend us, straight-handed, with the princes, striving forward.

Declension

Whether the nominative singular was मट् (máṭ) or मक् (mák) is unclear. Below given with -ट् (-ṭ):

Masculine root-stem declension of मह् (máh)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मट् máṭ	महौ / महा¹ máhau / máhā¹	महः máhaḥ
Vocative	मट् máṭ	महौ / महा¹ máhau / máhā¹	महः máhaḥ
Accusative	महम् máham	महौ / महा¹ máhau / máhā¹	महः maháḥ
Instrumental	महा mahā́	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भिः maḍbhíḥ
Dative	महे mahé	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भ्यः maḍbhyáḥ
Ablative	महः maháḥ	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भ्यः maḍbhyáḥ
Genitive	महः maháḥ	महोः mahóḥ	महाम् mahā́m
Locative	महि mahí	महोः mahóḥ	मट्सु maṭsú
Notes	¹Vedic

Feminine root-stem declension of मह् (máh)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मट् máṭ	महौ / महा¹ máhau / máhā¹	महः máhaḥ
Vocative	मट् máṭ	महौ / महा¹ máhau / máhā¹	महः máhaḥ
Accusative	महम् máham	महौ / महा¹ máhau / máhā¹	महः maháḥ
Instrumental	महा mahā́	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भिः maḍbhíḥ
Dative	महे mahé	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भ्यः maḍbhyáḥ
Ablative	महः maháḥ	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भ्यः maḍbhyáḥ
Genitive	महः maháḥ	महोः mahóḥ	महाम् mahā́m
Locative	महि mahí	महोः mahóḥ	मट्सु maṭsú
Notes	¹Vedic

Feminine ī-stem declension of मही (mahī́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मही mahī́	मह्यौ / मही¹ mahyaù / mahī́¹	मह्यः / महीः¹ mahyàḥ / mahī́ḥ¹
Vocative	महि máhi	मह्यौ / मही¹ máhyau / máhī¹	मह्यः / महीः¹ máhyaḥ / máhīḥ¹
Accusative	महीम् mahī́m	मह्यौ / मही¹ mahyaù / mahī́¹	महीः mahī́ḥ
Instrumental	मह्या mahyā́	महीभ्याम् mahī́bhyām	महीभिः mahī́bhiḥ
Dative	मह्यै mahyaí	महीभ्याम् mahī́bhyām	महीभ्यः mahī́bhyaḥ
Ablative	मह्याः / मह्यै² mahyā́ḥ / mahyaí²	महीभ्याम् mahī́bhyām	महीभ्यः mahī́bhyaḥ
Genitive	मह्याः / मह्यै² mahyā́ḥ / mahyaí²	मह्योः mahyóḥ	महीनाम् mahī́nām
Locative	मह्याम् mahyā́m	मह्योः mahyóḥ	महीषु mahī́ṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Neuter root-stem declension of मह् (máh)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	मट् máṭ	मही mahī́	मंहि máṃhi
Vocative	मट् máṭ	मही máhī	मंहि máṃhi
Accusative	मट् máṭ	मही mahī́	महः maháḥ
Instrumental	महा mahā́	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भिः maḍbhíḥ
Dative	महे mahé	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भ्यः maḍbhyáḥ
Ablative	महः maháḥ	मड्भ्याम् maḍbhyā́m	मड्भ्यः maḍbhyáḥ
Genitive	महः maháḥ	महोः mahóḥ	महाम् mahā́m
Locative	महि mahí	महोः mahóḥ	मट्सु maṭsú

Root

मह् • (mah)

1. to elate; gladden; exalt; arouse; excite
2. to magnify; esteem highly; honour; revere
3. to rejoice; delight in (with instrumental or accusative cases)
4. to give; bestow

Derived terms

• Verbal derivations:
  • महति (mahati, class 1, active voice, present), महते (mahate, class 1, middle voice, present)
  • महयति (mahayati, class 10, active voice, present), महयते (mahayate, class 10, middle voice, present)
  • मह्यते (mahyate, passive voice, present)
  • महिष्यति (mahiṣyati, active voice, future)
  • महित्वा (mahitvā, gerund)
• मह (mahá)
• महत् (mahát)
• महन् (mahán)
• महस् (máhas)
• महनीय (mahanīya)
• महित (mahita)
• महिष (mahiṣá)
• मह्य (mahya)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899) “मह्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 794, column 1.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2024) “mah”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890) “मह्”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 1246
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893) “मह्”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 220