रजस्

Hindi

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁regʷ-

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *h₁régʷos

Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hráǰas

Proto-Indo-Aryan *Hráȷ́as

Sanskrit रजस् (rajas)lbor.

Hindi रजस्

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit रजस् (rajas). Doublet of रय (ray). Related to निरा (nirā).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /ɾə.d͡ʒəs/, [ɾɐ.d͡ʒɐs]

Noun

रजस् • (rajas) m

1. dust, dirt, pollen
2. (Hinduism) rajas, one of the three gunas in Hindu philosophy, representing things that are active, excitable, or passionate.

   Synonym: रज (raj)

   Coordinate terms: सत्त्व (sattva), तमस (tamas)

3. (euphemistic) menstrual blood, menstrual fluid

   Synonyms: आर्तव (ārtav), कुसुम (kusum), ऋतु (ŕtu)

Declension

Declension of रजस् (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	रजस् rajas	रजस् rajas
oblique	रजस् rajas	रजसों rajasõ
vocative	रजस् rajas	रजसो rajaso

References

• Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975), “रजस्”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. “Sea of Hindi words”] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 4108
• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “रजस्”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 852

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• rajas (Latin script)
• 𑀭𑀚𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• রজস্ (Bengali script)
• රජස් (Sinhalese script)
• ရဇသ် or ရၹသ် (Burmese script)
• รชสฺ or ระชัส (Thai script)
• ᩁᨩᩈ᩺ (Tai Tham script)
• ຣຊສ຺ or ຣະຊັສ (Lao script)
• រជស៑ (Khmer script)
• 𑄢𑄎𑄥𑄴 (Chakma script)

Noun

रजस् n or m

1. Devanagari script form of rajas (“dust”)

Declension

Declension table of "रजस्" (neuter)

Case / Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	रजो (rajo) or रजं (rajaṃ)	रजानि (rajāni)
Accusative (second)	रजो (rajo) or रजं (rajaṃ)	रजानि (rajāni)
Instrumental (third)	रजसा (rajasā) or रजेन (rajena)	रजेहि (rajehi) or रजेभि (rajebhi)
Dative (fourth)	रजसो (rajaso) or रजस्स (rajassa)	रजानं (rajānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	रजसा (rajasā) or रजस्मा (rajasmā) or रजम्हा (rajamhā) or रजा (rajā)	रजेहि (rajehi) or रजेभि (rajebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	रजसो (rajaso) or रजस्स (rajassa)	रजानं (rajānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	रजसि (rajasi) or रजस्मिं (rajasmiṃ) or रजम्हि (rajamhi) or रजे (raje)	रजेसु (rajesu)
Vocative (calling)	रजो (rajo) or रज (raja) or रजं (rajaṃ) or रजा (rajā)	रजानि (rajāni)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ৰজস্ (Assamese script)
• ᬭᬚᬲ᭄ (Balinese script)
• রজস্ (Bengali script)
• 𑰨𑰕𑰭𑰿 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀭𑀚𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• ရဇသ် (Burmese script)
• રજસ્ (Gujarati script)
• ਰਜਸ੍ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌰𑌜𑌸𑍍 (Grantha script)
• ꦫꦗꦱ꧀ (Javanese script)
• 𑂩𑂔𑂮𑂹 (Kaithi script)
• ರಜಸ್ (Kannada script)
• រជស៑ (Khmer script)
• ຣຊສ຺ (Lao script)
• രജസ് (Malayalam script)
• ᡵᠠᡯᠠᠰ᠌ (Manchu script)
• 𑘨𑘕𑘭𑘿 (Modi script)
• ᠷᠠᠽᠠᠰ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧈𑦵𑧍𑧠 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐬𑐖𑐳𑑂 (Newa script)
• ରଜସ୍ (Odia script)
• ꢬꢙꢱ꣄ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆫𑆘𑆱𑇀 (Sharada script)
• 𑖨𑖕𑖭𑖿 (Siddham script)
• රජස් (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩼𑩣𑪁 𑪙 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚤𑚑𑚨𑚶 (Takri script)
• ரஜஸ் (Tamil script)
• రజస్ (Telugu script)
• รชสฺ (Thai script)
• ར་ཛ་ས྄ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒩𑒖𑒮𑓂 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨫𑨥𑨰𑨴 (Zanabazar Square script)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɾɐ́.d͡ʑɐs/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɾɐ.d͡ʑɐs̪/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵos. Cognate with Younger Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬰𐬀𐬵 (razah, “region”). The Sanskrit root is ऋज् (ṛj).

Traditionally considered to have the same origin as 'Etymology 2'.

Noun

रज॑स् • (rájas) stem, n

1. atmosphere; space between heaven and earth
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.35.2:

     आ कृ॒ष्णेन॒ रज॑सा॒ वर्त॑मानो निवे॒शय॑न्न॒मृतं॒ मर्त्यं॑ च ।
     हि॒र॒ण्यये॑न सवि॒ता रथे॒ना दे॒वो या॑ति॒ भुव॑नानि॒ पश्य॑न् ॥

     ā́ kṛṣṇéna rájasā vártamāno niveśáyannamṛ́taṃ mártyaṃ ca.
     hiraṇyáyena savitā́ ráthenā́ devó yāti bhúvanāni páśyan.

     Advancing throughout the dusky firmament, laying to rest the immortal and the mortal,
     Borne in his golden chariot he cometh, Savitar, the God who looks on every creature.

Declension

Neuter as-stem declension of रज॑स्

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	रजः॑ (rájaḥ)	रज॑सी (rájasī)	रजां॑सि (rájāṃsi)
accusative	रजः॑ (rájaḥ)	रज॑सी (rájasī)	रजां॑सि (rájāṃsi)
instrumental	रज॑सा (rájasā)	रजो॑भ्याम् (rájobhyām)	रजो॑भिः (rájobhiḥ)
dative	रज॑से (rájase)	रजो॑भ्याम् (rájobhyām)	रजो॑भ्यः (rájobhyaḥ)
ablative	रज॑सः (rájasaḥ)	रजो॑भ्याम् (rájobhyām)	रजो॑भ्यः (rájobhyaḥ)
genitive	रज॑सः (rájasaḥ)	रज॑सोः (rájasoḥ)	रज॑साम् (rájasām)
locative	रज॑सि (rájasi)	रज॑सोः (rájasoḥ)	रजः॑सु (rájaḥsu) रज॑स्सु (rájassu)
vocative	रजः॑ (rájaḥ)	रज॑सी (rájasī)	रजां॑सि (rájāṃsi)

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁regʷ-

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *h₁régʷos

Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hráǰas

Proto-Indo-Aryan *Hráȷ́as

Sanskrit रजस्

From Proto-Indo-European *h₁régʷos (“darkness”). Cognate with Ancient Greek Ἔρεβος (Érebos, personification of darkness), Gothic 𐍂𐌹𐌵𐌹𐍃 (riqis, “darkness”).

Noun

रज॑स् • (rájas) stem, n

1. darkness, dimness, anything that obscures vision such as dust, or mist
   1. dirt, impurity
      1. menstrual flow
         • c. 340 BCE, Cāṇakya:

           भस्मना शुध्यते कांस्यं ताम्रमम्लेन शुध्यति ।
           रजसा शुध्यते नारी नदी वेगेन शुध्यति ॥

           bhasmanā śudhyate kāṃsyaṃ tāmramamlena śudhyati.
           rajasā śudhyate nārī nadī vegena śudhyati.

           Brass is cleansed by ash, copper is cleansed by acid.
           The woman is cleansed by the menstrual flow, a river is cleansed by current.

2. (philosophy) one of the three innate qualities described in Hindu philosophy, the tendency that drives energetic passion, the other two being सत्त्व (sattva) and तमस् (tamas)

Declension

Neuter as-stem declension of रज॑स्

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	रजः॑ (rájaḥ)	रज॑सी (rájasī)	रजां॑सि (rájāṃsi)
accusative	रजः॑ (rájaḥ)	रज॑सी (rájasī)	रजां॑सि (rájāṃsi)
instrumental	रज॑सा (rájasā)	रजो॑भ्याम् (rájobhyām)	रजो॑भिः (rájobhiḥ)
dative	रज॑से (rájase)	रजो॑भ्याम् (rájobhyām)	रजो॑भ्यः (rájobhyaḥ)
ablative	रज॑सः (rájasaḥ)	रजो॑भ्याम् (rájobhyām)	रजो॑भ्यः (rájobhyaḥ)
genitive	रज॑सः (rájasaḥ)	रज॑सोः (rájasoḥ)	रज॑साम् (rájasām)
locative	रज॑सि (rájasi)	रज॑सोः (rájasoḥ)	रजः॑सु (rájaḥsu) रज॑स्सु (rájassu)
vocative	रजः॑ (rájaḥ)	रज॑सी (rájasī)	रजां॑सि (rájāṃsi)

Derived terms

• अरजस् (arajas)
• नीरज (nīraja)
• र॒ज॒स (rajasá)
• र॒ज॒स्य॑ (rajasyà)
• रजस्यति (rajasyati)
• रजस्वला (rajasvalā)
• विर॑ज (víraja)

References

• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996), Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 426
• Lubotsky, Alexander (2011), The Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon (in progress) (Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project), Leiden University, page 406
• Monier Williams (1899), “रजस्”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 863, column 2.

Further reading

• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “rajas”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 612
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2026), “rajas”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.