Sanskrit · संस्कृत

Numbers in Sanskritसंख्या

Sanskrit numbers are the ancestors of number words in many languages — "dvi" and "two", "tri" and "three", "dasha" and "decem". Here is how to count.

  • 1 to 10eka … daśa
  • 100śata
  • 1,000sahasra
Image: Raja Ravi Varma, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

One to ten

  • 1 — एक eka
  • 2 — द्वि dvi
  • 3 — त्रि tri
  • 4 — चतुर् catur
  • 5 — पञ्च pañca
  • 6 — षष् ṣaṣ
  • 7 — सप्त sapta
  • 8 — अष्ट aṣṭa
  • 9 — नव nava
  • 10 — दश daśa

Bigger numbers

  • 11 — एकादश ekādaśa (as in Ekadashi, the 11th day)
  • 12 — द्वादश dvādaśa
  • 20 — विंशति viṃśati
  • 100 — शत śata
  • 108 — अष्टोत्तरशत aṣṭottaraśata
  • 1,000 — सहस्र sahasra (as in Sahasranama, "thousand names")
  • 1,00,000 — लक्ष lakṣa
  • 1,00,00,000 — कोटि koṭi

Numbers in words you already know

  • Ekadashi — the eleventh (ekādaśī) day
  • Panchamrit — five (pañca) nectars
  • Saptapadi — seven (sapta) steps of marriage
  • Navaratri — nine (nava) nights
  • Dashavatara — ten (daśa) avatars
  • Ashtanga — eight (aṣṭa) limbs of yoga
  • Chaturmas — four (catur) months

Frequently asked questions

Why is 108 sacred?

There are many explanations; 108 is the number of beads on a mala and of names in an ashtottara — "aṣṭottaraśata", eight over a hundred.

What does "Sahasranama" mean?

"A thousand (sahasra) names (nāma)".