Vaddhamāṇa
/ˌʋad.dʰəˈmɑː.ɳə/noun
A Pali form of Vardhamāna, a personal name meaning “increasing” or “prospering,” notably associated with Mahāvīra, the founder of Jainism.
Did you know?Vardhamāna was the birth name of Mahāvīra, whose Jain teachings emphasized radical nonviolence, self-discipline, and liberation from karmic bondage.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*werdʰ-
“To grow, increase, or become greater”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
vardhamāna
“Growing, increasing, prospering; also used as a personal name”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Vardhamāna
“The increasing or prosperous one; the birth name of the Jain teacher later known as Mahāvīra”
Middle Indo-Aryan
Pali
Vaddhamāṇa
“A sound-shifted Pali form of Sanskrit Vardhamāna”
Ancient Jain traditions
Prakrit
Vaḍḍhamāṇa
“The name of Mahāvīra, the twenty-fourth Tīrthaṅkara”
Modern English scholarship
English
Vaddhamāṇa / Vardhamāna
“Transliterated forms used in academic and religious writing for Mahāvīra’s name”
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