बन्धु

Pali

Alternative scripts

बन्धु m

Declension table of "बन्धु" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	बन्धु (bandhu)	बन्धवो (bandhavo) or बन्धू (bandhū)
Accusative (second)	बन्धुं (bandhuṃ)	बन्धवो (bandhavo) or बन्धू (bandhū)
Instrumental (third)	बन्धुना (bandhunā)	बन्धूहि (bandhūhi) or बन्धूभि (bandhūbhi)
Dative (fourth)	बन्धुस्स (bandhussa) or बन्धुनो (bandhuno)	बन्धूनं (bandhūnaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	बन्धुस्मा (bandhusmā) or बन्धुम्हा (bandhumhā)	बन्धूहि (bandhūhi) or बन्धूभि (bandhūbhi)
Genitive (sixth)	बन्धुस्स (bandhussa) or बन्धुनो (bandhuno)	बन्धूनं (bandhūnaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	बन्धुस्मिं (bandhusmiṃ) or बन्धुम्हि (bandhumhi)	बन्धूसु (bandhūsu)
Vocative (calling)	बन्धु (bandhu)	बन्धवे (bandhave) or बन्धवो (bandhavo)

From the root बन्ध् (bandh, “to bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind, tie”). Ancient Greek πενθερός (pentherós, “father-in-law”) is a particularly close cognate semantically.^[1]

बन्धु॑ • (bándhu) stem, m

connection, relation, association, bond
- c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.154.5:
  तद॑स्य प्रि॒यम॒भि पाथो॑ अश्यां॒ नरो॒ यत्र॑ देव॒यवो॒ मद॑न्ति।
  उ॒रु॒क्र॒मस्य॒ स हि बन्धु॑र्इ॒त्था विष्णोः॑ प॒दे प॑र॒मे मध्व॒ उत्सः॑॥
  tádasya priyámabhí pā́tho aśyāṃ náro yátra devayávo mádanti.
  urukramásya sá hí bándhuritthā́ víṣṇoḥ padé paramé mádhva útsaḥ.
  Might I reach that dear cattle-pen of his, where men seeking the gods find elation, for exactly that is the bond to the wide-striding one: the wellspring of mead in the highest step of Viṣṇu.
kinship, kindred
a kinsman, relative, kindred
(law) a cognate kinsman in a remote degree, one subsequent in right of inheritance to the सगोत्र

Masculine u-stem declension of बन्धु॑
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	बन्धुः॑ (bándhuḥ)	बन्धू॑ (bándhū)	बन्ध॑वः (bándhavaḥ)
accusative	बन्धु॑म् (bándhum)	बन्धू॑ (bándhū)	बन्धू॑न् (bándhūn)
instrumental	बन्धु॑ना (bándhunā) बन्ध्वा॑¹ (bándhvā¹)	बन्धु॑भ्याम् (bándhubhyām)	बन्धु॑भिः (bándhubhiḥ)
dative	बन्ध॑वे (bándhave)	बन्धु॑भ्याम् (bándhubhyām)	बन्धु॑भ्यः (bándhubhyaḥ)
ablative	बन्धोः॑ (bándhoḥ)	बन्धु॑भ्याम् (bándhubhyām)	बन्धु॑भ्यः (bándhubhyaḥ)
genitive	बन्धोः॑ (bándhoḥ)	बन्ध्वोः॑ (bándhvoḥ)	बन्धू॑नाम् (bándhūnām)
locative	बन्धौ॑ (bándhau)	बन्ध्वोः॑ (bándhvoḥ)	बन्धु॑षु (bándhuṣu)
vocative	बन्धो॑ (bándho)	बन्धू॑ (bándhū)	बन्ध॑वः (bándhavaḥ)

^ Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), “bándhu-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 208