Hindi

Noun

पद • ‎(pad) m ‎(Urdu spelling پد)

1. foot
2. footstep
3. footprint
4. mark
5. sign
6. home, abode
7. degree, rank
8. office
9. verse, line
10. head, title

Nepali

Noun

पद • ‎(pad)

1. rank
2. post, position

Sanskrit

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *pedóm ‎(“step, footprint”), originally meaning 'trace, bottom', derived from *pṓds ‎(“foot”). Cognates include Ancient Greek πέδον ‎(pédon, “floor, ground”), Hittite 𒁉𒂊𒁕𒀭 ‎(pēdan, “floor, ground; place”), Old Norse fet ‎(“step”) and Old Armenian հետ ‎(het, “footprint, track”).

Noun

पद • ‎(padá) n (rarely m)

1. step, pace, stride
2. footstep, trace, vestige, mark; the foot itself

   पदेन ‎(padena) — on foot

   पदे पदे ‎(pade pade) — at every step, everywhere, on every occasion

   त्रीणि पदानि विष्णो ‎(trīṇi padāni viṣṇoḥ) — the three steps or footprints of Viṣṇu (i.e. the earth, the air, and the sky)

   padaṃ-√dā, padāt padaṃ-√gam or √cal — to make a step move on

   padaṃ-√kṛ, with locative — to set foot in or on, to enter

   with मूर्ध्नि ‎(mūrdhni) — to set the foot upon the head of (genitive) i.e. overcome

   with चित्ते ‎(citte) or हृदये ‎(hṛdaye) — to take possession of any one's heart or mind

   with locative or प्रति ‎(prati) — to have dealings with

   padaṃ ni-√dhā with locative — to set foot in = to make impression upon

   with पदव्याम् ‎(padavyām) — to set the foot on a person's (genitive or in the beginning of a compound) track, to emulate or equal

   padam ni-√bandh with locative — to enter or engage in

   • RV 1.133.2c

   इमं विधन्तो अपां सधस्थे पशुं न नष्टं पदैरनु गमन |

   गुहा चतन्तमुशिजो नमोभिरिछन्तो धीराभ्र्गवो.अविन्दन ||

   imaṃ vidhanto apāṃ sadhasthe paśuṃ na naṣṭaṃ padairanu ghman |

   ghuhā catantamuśijo namobhirichanto dhīrābhṛghavo.avindan ||

   Worshipping, seeking him with adoration like some lost creature followed by its footprints,

   Wise Bhrgus, yearning in their hearts, pursued him, and found him lurking where the floods are gathered.

   • RV 10.46.2b

   अभिव्लग्या चिदद्रिवः शीर्षा यातुमतीनाम |

   छिन्धि वटूरिणा पदा महावटूरिणा पदा ||

   imaṃ vidhanto apāṃ sadhasthe paśuṃ na naṣṭaṃ padairanu ghman |

   chindhi vaṭūriṇā padā mahāvaṭūriṇā padā ||

   O thou who castest forth the stones crushing the sorceresses' heads,

   Break them with thy wide-spreading foot, with thy wide-spreading mighty foot.

3. sign, token, characteristic
4. footing, standpoint
5. position, rank, station, site, abode, home, place

   padam ā-√tan — to spread or extend one's position

   padāt padam bhrāmayitvā — having caused to wander from place to place

   • RV 1.22.20a

   तद विष्णोः परमं पदं सदा पश्यन्ति सूरयः |

   दिवीव चक्षुराततम ||

   tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padaṃ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ |

   divīva cakṣurātatam ||

   The princes evermore behold that loftiest place where Viṣṇu is,

   Laid as it were an eye in heaven.

   • RV 1.146.4a

   धीरासः पदं कवयो नयन्ति नाना हर्दा रक्षमाणा अजुर्यम |

   सिषासन्तः पर्यपश्यन्त सिन्धुमाविरेभ्यो अभवत्सूर्यो नॄ ||

   dhīrāsaḥ padaṃ kavayo nayanti nānā hṛdā rakṣamāṇā ajuryam |

   siṣāsantaḥ paryapaśyanta sindhumāvirebhyo abhavatsūryo nṝn ||

   The prudent sages lead him to his dwelling, guarding with varied skill the Ever-Youthful.

   Longing, they turned their eyes unto the River: to these the Sun of men was manifested.

   • RV 1.159.3d

   ते सूनवः सवपसः सुदंससो मही जज्ञुर्मातरा पूर्वचित्तय |

   सथातुश्च सत्यं जगतश्च धर्मणि पुत्रस्य पाथः पदमद्वयाविनः ||

   te sūnavaḥ svapasaḥ sudaṃsaso mahī jajñurmātarā pūrvacittaye |

   sthātuśca satyaṃ jaghataśca dharmaṇi putrasya pāthaḥ padamadvayāvinaḥ ||

   These Sons of yours well skilled in work, of wondrous power, brought forth to life the two great Mothers first of all.

   To keep the truth of all that stands and all that moves, ye guard the station of your Son who knows no guile.

6. business affair, matter, object or cause of (genitive or compound)
7. pretext
8. part, portion, division
9. (chess) square on a chessboard
10. plot of ground
11. the foot as a measure of length (= 12 or 15 fingers' breadth, or 1/2 or 1/3 or 3/7 of a प्रक्रम ‎(prakrama))
12. ray of light
13. (poetry) a portion of a verse, quarter or line of a stanza
14. a word or an inflected word or the stem of a noun in the middle cases and before some तद्धित ‎(taddhita)s
15. = पदपाठ ‎(pada-pāṭha)
16. common name of the parasmaipada and ātmanepada
17. any one in a set of numbers the sum of which is required
18. a period in an arithmetical progression
19. square root
20. quadrant
21. protection

Declension

Descendants

• Telugu: పదము ‎(padamu)

References

• Sir Monier Monier-Williams (1898) A Sanskrit-English dictionary etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages, Oxford: Clarendon Press, page 0583
• Alexander Lubotsky, A Rgvedic Word Concordance, American Oriental Society, 1997, lemma padá