शुभ्र

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• শুভ্ৰ (Assamese script)
• ᬰᬸᬪ᭄ᬭ (Balinese script)
• শুভ্র (Bengali script)
• 𑰫𑰲𑰥𑰿𑰨 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀰𑀼𑀪𑁆𑀭 (Brahmi script)
• ၐုဘြ (Burmese script)
• શુભ્ર (Gujarati script)
• ਸ਼ੁਭੑਰ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌶𑍁𑌭𑍍𑌰 (Grantha script)
• ꦯꦸꦨꦿ (Javanese script)
• 𑂬𑂳𑂦𑂹𑂩 (Kaithi script)
• ಶುಭ್ರ (Kannada script)
• ឝុភ្រ (Khmer script)
• ຨຸຠ຺ຣ (Lao script)
• ശുഭ്ര (Malayalam script)
• ᡧᡠᢨᡵᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘫𑘳𑘥𑘿𑘨 (Modi script)
• ᠱᠤᠪᠾᠷᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧋𑧔𑧅𑧠𑧈 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐱𑐸𑐨𑑂𑐬 (Newa script)
• ଶୁଭ୍ର (Odia script)
• ꢯꢸꢩ꣄ꢬ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆯𑆶𑆨𑇀𑆫 (Sharada script)
• 𑖫𑖲𑖥𑖿𑖨 (Siddham script)
• ශුභ්‍ර (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩿𑩒𑩳 𑪙𑩼 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚧𑚰𑚡𑚶𑚤 (Takri script)
• ஶுப்⁴ர (Tamil script)
• శుభ్ర (Telugu script)
• ศุภฺร (Thai script)
• ཤུ་བྷྲ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒬𑒳𑒦𑓂𑒩 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨮𑨃𑨡𑩇𑨫 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Aryan *śubʰrás, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćubʰrás, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱubʰ-rós, from *ḱewbʰ- (“beautiful, clean”). Cognate with Old Armenian սուրբ (surb, “pure, holy”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɕubʱ.ɾɐ́/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɕubʱ.ɾɐ/

Adjective

शुभ्र • (śubhrá)

1. bright, radiant, shining
2. beautiful, splendid
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 2.11.4:

     शुभ्रं नु ते शुष्मं वर्धयन्तः शुभ्रं वज्रं बाह्वोर्दधानाः।
     शुभ्रस्त्वमिन्द्र वावृधानो अस्मे दासीर्विशः सूर्येण सह्याः॥

     śubhraṃ nu te śuṣmaṃ vardhayantaḥ śubhraṃ vajraṃ bāhvordadhānāḥ.
     śubhrastvamindra vāvṛdhāno asme dāsīrviśaḥ sūryeṇa sahyāḥ.

     We who add strength to thine own splendid vigour, laying within thine arms the splendid thunder—
     With us mayst thou, O Indra, waxen splendid, with Sūrya overcome the Dāsa races.

3. clear, spotless

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of शुभ्र (śubhrá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	शुभ्रः śubhráḥ	शुभ्रौ / शुभ्रा¹ śubhraú / śubhrā́¹	शुभ्राः / शुभ्रासः¹ śubhrā́ḥ / śubhrā́saḥ¹
Vocative	शुभ्र śúbhra	शुभ्रौ / शुभ्रा¹ śúbhrau / śúbhrā¹	शुभ्राः / शुभ्रासः¹ śúbhrāḥ / śúbhrāsaḥ¹
Accusative	शुभ्रम् śubhrám	शुभ्रौ / शुभ्रा¹ śubhraú / śubhrā́¹	शुभ्रान् śubhrā́n
Instrumental	शुभ्रेण śubhréṇa	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्रैः / शुभ्रेभिः¹ śubhraíḥ / śubhrébhiḥ¹
Dative	शुभ्राय śubhrā́ya	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्रेभ्यः śubhrébhyaḥ
Ablative	शुभ्रात् śubhrā́t	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्रेभ्यः śubhrébhyaḥ
Genitive	शुभ्रस्य śubhrásya	शुभ्रयोः śubhráyoḥ	शुभ्राणाम् śubhrā́ṇām
Locative	शुभ्रे śubhré	शुभ्रयोः śubhráyoḥ	शुभ्रेषु śubhréṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Feminine ā-stem declension of शुभ्रा (śubhrā́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	शुभ्रा śubhrā́	शुभ्रे śubhré	शुभ्राः śubhrā́ḥ
Vocative	शुभ्रे śúbhre	शुभ्रे śúbhre	शुभ्राः śúbhrāḥ
Accusative	शुभ्राम् śubhrā́m	शुभ्रे śubhré	शुभ्राः śubhrā́ḥ
Instrumental	शुभ्रया / शुभ्रा¹ śubhráyā / śubhrā́¹	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्राभिः śubhrā́bhiḥ
Dative	शुभ्रायै śubhrā́yai	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्राभ्यः śubhrā́bhyaḥ
Ablative	शुभ्रायाः / शुभ्रायै² śubhrā́yāḥ / śubhrā́yai²	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्राभ्यः śubhrā́bhyaḥ
Genitive	शुभ्रायाः / शुभ्रायै² śubhrā́yāḥ / śubhrā́yai²	शुभ्रयोः śubhráyoḥ	शुभ्राणाम् śubhrā́ṇām
Locative	शुभ्रायाम् śubhrā́yām	शुभ्रयोः śubhráyoḥ	शुभ्रासु śubhrā́su
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Neuter a-stem declension of शुभ्र (śubhrá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	शुभ्रम् śubhrám	शुभ्रे śubhré	शुभ्राणि / शुभ्रा¹ śubhrā́ṇi / śubhrā́¹
Vocative	शुभ्र śúbhra	शुभ्रे śúbhre	शुभ्राणि / शुभ्रा¹ śúbhrāṇi / śúbhrā¹
Accusative	शुभ्रम् śubhrám	शुभ्रे śubhré	शुभ्राणि / शुभ्रा¹ śubhrā́ṇi / śubhrā́¹
Instrumental	शुभ्रेण śubhréṇa	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्रैः / शुभ्रेभिः¹ śubhraíḥ / śubhrébhiḥ¹
Dative	शुभ्राय śubhrā́ya	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्रेभ्यः śubhrébhyaḥ
Ablative	शुभ्रात् śubhrā́t	शुभ्राभ्याम् śubhrā́bhyām	शुभ्रेभ्यः śubhrébhyaḥ
Genitive	शुभ्रस्य śubhrásya	शुभ्रयोः śubhráyoḥ	शुभ्राणाम् śubhrā́ṇām
Locative	शुभ्रे śubhré	शुभ्रयोः śubhráyoḥ	शुभ्रेषु śubhréṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Borrowed terms

• → Telugu: శుభ్రము (śubhramu)

Descendants

• Dardic:
  • Northwest Pashayi: [script needed] (šulā, “clay”)
• Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀲𑀼𑀩𑁆𑀪 (subbha, “white”)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “शुभ्र”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1084.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 2, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, pages 647; 657-8
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “śubhrá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press