धनुष्
dhanuṣ
In Sanskrit, to bow is represented by धनुष् (dhanuṣ).
Meaning: to bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 'धनुष्' (dhanuṣ) refers to the physical object of a bow (weapon), नमस् (namas) is the term used for the gesture of bowing or salutation. Furthermore, if you are referring to the physical weapon used for shooting arrows, you should use धनु, चाप or धनुष् depending on the context, as धनुष् can also denote the physical object.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
dhanuṣ
Did you know?
- In classical Sanskrit poetry, describing a bow as 'curved' is often a coded way to describe the beauty of a woman's eyebrows, which are compared to a well-crafted bow.
- Certain yoga postures, such as 'Dhanurasana', are named after धनुष् (dhanuṣ) because the body is shaped like a bow to stretch the spine.
- In ancient Indian astronomy, the zodiac sign Sagittarius is called धनु (dhanu), meaning 'the bow'. This links the weapon's shape directly to the celestial mapping of the stars.
Example conversation
Aryan and Ananya look at an old bow.
- अनन्या Ananyaआर्य, पश्य, एतत् धनुः।Ārya, paśya, etad dhanuḥ.Aryan, look, this is a bow.
- आर्यन Aryanआम्, अनन्ये, एतत् धनुः अतीव दृढम्।Ām, Ananye, etad dhanur atīva dṛḍham.Yes, Ananya, this bow is very strong.
- अनन्या Ananyaकिं त्वं धनुषा बाणं क्षेप्तुं शक्नोषि?Kiṃ tvaṃ dhanuṣā bāṇaṃ kṣeptuṃ śaknoṣi?Can you shoot an arrow with the bow?
- आर्यन Aryanआम्, अहं शक्नोमि।Ām, ahaṃ śaknomi.Yes, I can.
