नीक्षण

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

ᬦᬷᬓ᭄ᬱᬡ (Balinese script)
নীক্ষণ (Assamese script)
নীক্ষণ (Bengali script)
𑰡𑰱𑰎𑰿𑰬𑰜 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀦𑀻𑀓𑁆𑀱𑀡 (Brahmi script)
𑌨𑍀𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌣 (Grantha script)
નીક્ષણ (Gujarati script)
ਨੀਕੑਸ਼ਣ (Gurmukhi script)
ꦤꦷꦏ꧀ꦰꦟ (Javanese script)
នីក្ឞណ (Khmer script)
ನೀಕ್ಷಣ (Kannada script)
ນີກ຺ຩຓ (Lao script)
നീക്ഷണ (Malayalam script)
𑘡𑘲𑘎𑘿𑘬𑘜 (Modi script)
ᠨᢈᢈᢉᢔᠠᢏᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
ᠨᡳᡳᡬᢢᠠᢏᠠ (Manchu script)
နီက္ၑဏ (Burmese script)
𑧁𑧓𑦮𑧠𑧌𑦼 (Nandinagari script)
𑐣𑐷𑐎𑑂𑐲𑐞 (Newa script)
ନୀକ୍ଷଣ (Oriya script)
ꢥꢷꢒ꣄ꢰꢠ (Saurashtra script)
𑆤𑆵𑆑𑇀𑆰𑆟 (Sharada script)
𑖡𑖱𑖎𑖿𑖬𑖜 (Siddham script)
නීක්ෂණ (Sinhalese script)
నీక్షణ (Telugu script)
นีกฺษณ (Thai script)
ནཱི་ཀྵ་ཎ (Tibetan script)
𑒢𑒲𑒏𑓂𑒭𑒝 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

From the root निक्ष् (nikṣ) +‎ -अन (-ana), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *nayȷ́žʰ- (“to pierce”), with unetymological vowel lengthening. Related to नेक्षण (nekṣaṇa) (attested in Atharvaveda, which has regular guṇation of the root) and cognate to Avestan 𐬥𐬀𐬉𐬰𐬀‎ (naēza, “tip of a needle”). Also compare Persian ‎ (nīš, “lance”), ‎ (“spear”).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /níːk.ʂɐ.ɳɐ/

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈn̪iːk.ʂɐ.ɳɐ/

Noun

नीक्षण • (nī́kṣaṇa) n (Rigvedic)

a long stick, possibly used variously as a spit, a fork and a ladle[1][2][3][4][5]
- c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.162.13:
  यन्नीक्षणं मांस्पचन्या उखाया या पात्राणि यूष्ण आसेचनानि । ऊष्मण्यापिधाना चरूणामङ्काः सूनाः परि भूषन्त्यश्वम् ॥
  yannīkṣaṇaṃ māṃspacanyā ukhāyā yā pātrāṇi yūṣṇa āsecanāni . ūṣmaṇyāpidhānā carūṇāmaṅkāḥ sūnāḥ pari bhūṣantyaśvam .
  The ladle of the meat-cooking cauldron, the vessels out of which the broth is sprinkled, The warming-pots, the covers of the dishes, hooks, carving-boards,-all these attend the Charger.

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of नीक्षण (nī́kṣaṇa)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	नीक्षणम् nī́kṣaṇam	नीक्षणे nī́kṣaṇe	नीक्षणानि / नीक्षणा¹ nī́kṣaṇāni / nī́kṣaṇā¹
Vocative	नीक्षण nī́kṣaṇa	नीक्षणे nī́kṣaṇe	नीक्षणानि / नीक्षणा¹ nī́kṣaṇāni / nī́kṣaṇā¹
Accusative	नीक्षणम् nī́kṣaṇam	नीक्षणे nī́kṣaṇe	नीक्षणानि / नीक्षणा¹ nī́kṣaṇāni / nī́kṣaṇā¹
Instrumental	नीक्षणेन nī́kṣaṇena	नीक्षणाभ्याम् nī́kṣaṇābhyām	नीक्षणैः / नीक्षणेभिः¹ nī́kṣaṇaiḥ / nī́kṣaṇebhiḥ¹
Dative	नीक्षणाय nī́kṣaṇāya	नीक्षणाभ्याम् nī́kṣaṇābhyām	नीक्षणेभ्यः nī́kṣaṇebhyaḥ
Ablative	नीक्षणात् nī́kṣaṇāt	नीक्षणाभ्याम् nī́kṣaṇābhyām	नीक्षणेभ्यः nī́kṣaṇebhyaḥ
Genitive	नीक्षणस्य nī́kṣaṇasya	नीक्षणयोः nī́kṣaṇayoḥ	नीक्षणानाम् nī́kṣaṇānām
Locative	नीक्षणे nī́kṣaṇe	नीक्षणयोः nī́kṣaṇayoḥ	नीक्षणेषु nī́kṣaṇeṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

References

Ralph T. H. Griffith (1896) The Hymns of the Rigveda, page 93: “The trial-fork of the flesh-cooking caldron […] ”
Monier Williams (1899), “नीक्षण”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, OCLC 458052227, page 565.
Ramendra Nath Nandi (2017) An Outline of the Aryan Civilization, Routledge, →ISBN, OCLC 1000596399, →ISBN:
One of the stanzas in this hymn (1.162.13) mentions the cauldron for cooking the meat (māṃspacanyāḥ ukhāyāḥ), the fork for stirring up the meat inside the cauldron (nīkṣaṇa), the vessel for distributing the gravy (yūṣnaḥ āsecanāni), the lid of the cauldron for preventing the escape of the flavour (ūṣmaṇyā apidhānā), and a hooked saucepan for offering some special oblations (carūṇāṃ aṃkāḥ).
Arthur Berriedale Keith; Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1912) Vedic index of names and subjects, volume 1, London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, W. [Published for the Government of India], OCLC 1158200363, page 458: “Nekṣaṇa occurs once in the Atharvaveda, where a ‘spit’ seems to be meant. In the Rigveda Nīkṣaṇa occurs, and must have the same sense; Oldenberg inclines to think that this word refers to the ‘inspection’ of food, to see if it is ready (as from ni-īkṣ, ‘look into’).”
Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890), “नीक्षण”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 934