भानु

Sanskrit

FWOTD – 20 March 2024

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• ভানু (Assamese script)
• ᬪᬵᬦᬸ (Balinese script)
• ভানু (Bengali script)
• 𑰥𑰯𑰡𑰲 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀪𑀸𑀦𑀼 (Brahmi script)
• ဘာနု (Burmese script)
• ભાનુ (Gujarati script)
• ਭਾਨੁ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌭𑌾𑌨𑍁 (Grantha script)
• ꦨꦴꦤꦸ (Javanese script)
• 𑂦𑂰𑂢𑂳 (Kaithi script)
• ಭಾನು (Kannada script)
• ភានុ (Khmer script)
• ຠານຸ (Lao script)
• ഭാനു (Malayalam script)
• ᢨᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠨᡠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘥𑘰𑘡𑘳 (Modi script)
• ᠪᠾᠠᢗᠨᠤ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧅𑧑𑧁𑧔 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐨𑐵𑐣𑐸 (Newa script)
• ଭାନୁ (Odia script)
• ꢩꢵꢥꢸ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆨𑆳𑆤𑆶 (Sharada script)
• 𑖥𑖯𑖡𑖲 (Siddham script)
• භානු (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩳𑩛𑩯𑩒 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚡𑚭𑚝𑚰 (Takri script)
• ப⁴ாநு (Tamil script)
• భాను (Telugu script)
• ภานุ (Thai script)
• བྷཱ་ནུ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒦𑒰𑒢𑒳 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨡𑨊𑨝𑨃 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *bʰaHnúṣ, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bʰaHnúš, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-nú-s, from *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, glow light”), whence भाति (bhā́ti, “to shine”). Cognate with Ancient Greek φῶς (phôs), Latin iubar. By surface analysis, भा (bhā) +‎ -नु (-nu).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /bʱɑː.nú/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /bʱɑː.n̪u/

Noun

भा॒नु • (bhānú) stem, m or f (root भा)

1. ray of light, light
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.92.1:

     ए॒ता उ॒ त्या उ॒षसः॑ के॒तुम॑क्रत॒ पूर्वे॒ अर्धे॒ रज॑सो भा॒नुम॑ञ्जते।
     नि॒ष्कृ॒ण्वा॒ना आयु॑धानीव धृ॒ष्णवः॒ प्रति॒ गावोऽरु॑षीर्यन्ति मा॒तरः॑॥

     etā́ u tyā́ uṣásaḥ ketúmakrata pū́rve árdhe rájaso bhānúmañjate.
     niṣkṛṇvānā́ ā́yudhānīva dhṛṣṇávaḥ práti gā́vóʼruṣīryanti mātáraḥ.

     These divinities of the morning have spread light over the world; they make and manifest the light in the eastern portion of the firmament, brightening all things, like warriors burnishing their weapons; the radiant and progressing mothers of the earth, they travel daily on their course.

2. brightness, splendour
3. appearance
4. the Sun
5. king, prince
6. (feminine) beautiful woman
7. (in the plural) the Ādityas

Declension

Masculine u-stem declension of भा॒नु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	भा॒नुः (bhānúḥ)	भा॒नू (bhānū́)	भा॒नवः॑ (bhānávaḥ)
accusative	भा॒नुम् (bhānúm)	भा॒नू (bhānū́)	भा॒नून् (bhānū́n)
instrumental	भा॒नुना॑ (bhānúnā) भा॒न्वा¹ (bhānvā́¹)	भा॒नुभ्या॑म् (bhānúbhyām)	भा॒नुभिः॑ (bhānúbhiḥ)
dative	भा॒नवे॑ (bhānáve) भा॒न्वे¹ (bhānvé¹)	भा॒नुभ्या॑म् (bhānúbhyām)	भा॒नुभ्यः॑ (bhānúbhyaḥ)
ablative	भा॒नोः (bhānóḥ) भा॒न्वः¹ (bhānváḥ¹)	भा॒नुभ्या॑म् (bhānúbhyām)	भा॒नुभ्यः॑ (bhānúbhyaḥ)
genitive	भा॒नोः (bhānóḥ) भा॒न्वः¹ (bhānváḥ¹)	भा॒न्वोः (bhānvóḥ)	भा॒नू॒नाम् (bhānūnā́m)
locative	भा॒नौ (bhānáu)	भा॒न्वोः (bhānvóḥ)	भा॒नुषु॑ (bhānúṣu)
vocative	भानो॑ (bhā́no)	भानू॑ (bhā́nū)	भान॑वः (bhā́navaḥ)

• ¹Vedic

Feminine u-stem declension of भा॒नु

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	भा॒नुः (bhānúḥ)	भा॒नू (bhānū́)	भा॒नवः॑ (bhānávaḥ)
accusative	भा॒नुम् (bhānúm)	भा॒नू (bhānū́)	भा॒नूः (bhānū́ḥ)
instrumental	भा॒न्वा (bhānvā́)	भा॒नुभ्या॑म् (bhānúbhyām)	भा॒नुभिः॑ (bhānúbhiḥ)
dative	भा॒नवे॑ (bhānáve) भा॒न्वै¹ (bhānvái¹)	भा॒नुभ्या॑म् (bhānúbhyām)	भा॒नुभ्यः॑ (bhānúbhyaḥ)
ablative	भा॒नोः (bhānóḥ) भा॒न्वाः¹ (bhānvā́ḥ¹) भा॒न्वै² (bhānvái²)	भा॒नुभ्या॑म् (bhānúbhyām)	भा॒नुभ्यः॑ (bhānúbhyaḥ)
genitive	भा॒नोः (bhānóḥ) भा॒न्वाः¹ (bhānvā́ḥ¹) भा॒न्वै² (bhānvái²)	भा॒न्वोः (bhānvóḥ)	भा॒नू॒नाम् (bhānūnā́m)
locative	भा॒नौ (bhānáu) भा॒न्वाम्¹ (bhānvā́m¹)	भा॒न्वोः (bhānvóḥ)	भा॒नुषु॑ (bhānúṣu)
vocative	भानो॑ (bhā́no)	भानू॑ (bhā́nū)	भान॑वः (bhā́navaḥ)

• ¹Later Sanskrit
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Related terms

• भानुचन्द्र (bhānucandra, “ray-moon”)

Descendants

• Tamil: பானு (pāṉu)
• Bengali: ভানু (bhanu)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “भानु”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 751/1.