Sneha: 17 definitions
Introduction
Introduction:
Sneha means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, Marathi, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
Alternative spellings of this word include Sneh.
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana IndexSneha (स्नेह).—The Vaiśya caste of Kuśadvīpa.*
- * Viṣṇu-purāṇa II. 4. 38.

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Vaisheshika (school of philosophy)
Source: Wisdom Library: VaiśeṣikaSneha (स्नेह, “viscosity”) is one of the additional guṇas (‘qualities’) added by Praśastapāda, on top of the seventeen guṇas in the Vaiśeṣika-sūtras. These guṇas are considered as a category of padārtha (“metaphysical correlate”). These padārthas represent everything that exists which can be cognized and named. Together with their subdivisions, they attempt to explain the nature of the universe and the existence of living beings.

Vaisheshika (वैशेषिक, vaiśeṣika) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. Vaisheshika deals with subjects such as logic, epistemology, philosophy and expounds concepts similar to Buddhism in nature
Nyaya (school of philosophy)
Source: Shodhganga: A study of Nyāya-vaiśeṣika categoriesSneha (स्नेह, “viscidity”) or Snehaguṇa refers to one of the twenty-four guṇas (qualities) according to Praśastapāda and all the modern works on Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika.—Sneha (viscidity) is the special quality (guṇa) as it is found only in one substance (dravy). According to Praśastapāda, sneha is oiliness and it is the special quality of ap (water). This quality is nitya in atoms of ap and anitya in composite ones. This quality is regarded as the cause of forming lump of powdered objects. It may be asked here why a special quality sneha is required for such piṇḍībhāva, i.e., the peculiar combination which holds particles of powder together, and why dravatva cannot serve this purpose. To this the Nyāya-Vaiśeṣikas reply that if dravatva can make lumps then melted gold will also form lumps of powder which is not possible. Hence, viscidity (sneha) is regarded as the extra-ordinary cause of forming such lumps. Viśvanātha adds that its abundance in oil helps in combustion.
Nyaya (न्याय, nyaya) refers to a school of Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. The Nyaya philosophy is known for its theories on logic, methodology and epistemology, however, it is closely related with Vaisheshika in terms of metaphysics.
Ayurveda (science of life)
Source: archive.org: Vagbhata’s Ashtanga Hridaya Samhita (first 5 chapters)Sneha (स्नेह) refers to “lubricant”, as mentioned in verse 4.29-31 of the Aṣṭāṅgahṛdayasaṃhitā (Sūtrasthāna) by Vāgbhaṭa.—Accordingly, “[...] If (a patient) has been debilitated by medicine, strengthening (him) gradually by food such as rice, sixty-day-old rice, wheat, mung-beans, meat, and ghee—(which), in combination with cardiac and stomachic remedies, (is) promotive of appetite and digestion—as well as by inunctions, massages, baths, and purgative and lubricant enemas [viz., nirūha-sneha-basti] (is) wholesome. Thus he recovers comfort, intensity of all the fires, faultlessness of intellect, colour, and senses, potency, (and) longness of life”.
Note: nirūha-sneha-basti (“purgative and lubricant enemas”) (ef. I 19.2) has been paraphrased by drag-po ’jam rtsi mas-btaṅ [v.l. gtoṅ] “enemas (made) of strong (and) mild fluids”.

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionarysneha : (m.) affection; love; oil; fat.
Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English DictionarySneha, see sineha. (Page 727)

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Marathi-English dictionary
Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionarysnēha (स्नेह).—m (S) Any oleaginous or unctuous substance; oil, fat, grease. 2 The property of cohesion, cohesiveness. 3 fig. Affection, attachment, fondness, friendship, love. This figurative sense is the popular sense. snēhānta or snēhāvara pāṇī ghālaṇēṃ To extinguish or to damp affection or love.
Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-Englishsnēha (स्नेह).—m Any unctuous substance; cohesi- veness. Fig. Friendship.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionarySneha (स्नेह).—[snih-ghañ]
1) Affection, love, kindness, tender ness; स्नेहदाक्षिण्ययोर्योगात् कमीव प्रतिभाति मे (snehadākṣiṇyayoryogāt kamīva pratibhāti me) V.2.4 (where it has sense 6 also); अस्ति मे सोदरस्नेहोऽप्येतेषु (asti me sodarasneho'pyeteṣu) Ś.1.
2) Oiliness, viscidity, unctuousness, lubricity (one of the 24 Guṇas according to the Vaiśeṣikas)
3) Moisture; तृष्णासंजननं स्नेह एष तेषां पुनर्भवः (tṛṣṇāsaṃjananaṃ sneha eṣa teṣāṃ punarbhavaḥ) Mb.12.218.33.
4) Grease, fat, any unctuous substance.
5) Oil; निर्विष्टविषयस्नेहः स दशान्तमुपेयिवान् (nirviṣṭaviṣayasnehaḥ sa daśāntamupeyivān) R.12.1; Pt.1.82 (where the word has sense 1 also), 221; R.4.75.
6) Any fluid of the body, such as semen.
Derivable forms: snehaḥ (स्नेहः).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English DictionarySneha (स्नेह).—m.
(-haḥ) 1. Affection, kindness. 2. Oil, unguent, grease, any unetuous or greasy substance. 3. Oiliness, lubricity, viscidity, (one of the twenty-four Gunas of the Vaiśeshikas.) 4. Moisture. 5. A fluid of the body. E. ṣṇih to be unctuous, &c., aff. ghañ .
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Benfey Sanskrit-English DictionarySneha (स्नेह).—i. e. snih + a, m. 1. Oil, [Raghuvaṃśa, (ed. Stenzler.)] 4, 75; unguent, grease, [Meghadūta, (ed. Gildemeister.)] 93; [Rāmāyaṇa] 2, 64, 68. 2. Moisture, the corporeal fluids, [Mānavadharmaśāstra] 12, 120. 3. Oiliness, viscidity, Bhāṣāp. 4; 86. 4. Affection, love, [Pañcatantra] ii. [distich] 178; [Meghadūta, (ed. Gildemeister.)] 111 (plur., read snehān āhuḥ).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English DictionarySneha (स्नेह).—[masculine] stickiness; oil, grease, a fluid of the body; attachment, love, friendship for ([locative], [genetive], or —°).
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary1) Sneha (स्नेह):—[from snih] a m. (or n. [gana] ardharcādi; ifc. f(ā). ) oiliness, unctuousness, fattiness, greasiness, lubricity, viscidity (also as one of the 24 Guṇas of the Vaiśeṣika branch of the Nyāya [philosophy]), [Suśruta; Yājñavalkya; Tarkasaṃgraha; Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha] ([Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams 69])
2) [v.s. ...] oil, grease, fat, any oleaginous substance, an unguent, [Śāṅkhāyana-brāhmaṇa] etc. etc.
3) [v.s. ...] smoothness, glossiness, [Varāha-mihira’s Bṛhat-saṃhitā]
4) [v.s. ...] blandness, tenderness, love, attachment to, fondness or affection for ([locative case] [genitive case], or [compound]), friendship with (saha), [Maitrī-upaniṣad; Mahābhārata; Kāvya literature] etc.
5) [v.s. ...] moisture, [Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary]
6) [v.s. ...] a fluid of the body, [ib.]
7) [v.s. ...] ([plural]) Name of the Vaiśyas in Kuśa-dvīpa, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa]
8) b etc. See p. 1267, col. 2.
[Sanskrit to German] (Deutsch Wörterbuch)
Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Böhtlingk and Roth Grosses Petersburger WörterbuchSneha (स्नेह):—(von 1. snih) m. n. (dieses nicht zu belegen) gaṇa ardharcādi zu [Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 2, 4, 31.] [Vaijayantī] bei [Mallinātha] zu [Śiśupālavadha 10, 49.] am Ende eines adj. comp. f. ā .
1) Klebrigkeit, Adhäsion: pṛthivyabguṇabhūyiṣṭhaḥ snehaḥ [Suśruta 1, 152, 21. 154, 15.] [TARKAS. 3.] cūrṇādipiṇḍībhāvaheturguṇaḥ sneho jalamātravṛttiḥ [18.] abdhātuḥ snehaṃ rasaṃ ca janayati [SARVADARŚANAS. 21, 5. 106, 18.] [Bhāṣāpariccheda 4. 86.] Glätte (auch in übertr. Bed.) [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 3, 77.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 68, 1.] snehaḥ pañcasu lakṣyo vāgjihvādantanetranakhasaṃsthaḥṃ [101. 69, 5.] pañca adj. [Rāmāyaṇa 5, 32, 14.] sanfter Glanz [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 30, 2. 72, 2.] a adj. [The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa 14, 6, 8, 8.] —
2) klebriger und geschmeidiger Stoff: Oel, Fett [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa 3, 3, 462.] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 417.] [Anekārthasaṃgraha 2, 605.] [Medinīkoṣa Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 12.] [Śāṅkhāyana’s Brāhmaṇa 17, 5.] [Yāska’s Nirukta 6, 19.] [MAITRYUP. 6, 36.] [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 5, 24. fg.] phalasaṃbhava [?6, 13. 12, 120. Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 1, 169. 2, 245. NṚS. TĀP. Upakośā in Weber’s Indische Studien 9, 94. Mahābhārata 1, 5934. 13, 3173. Rāmāyaṇa 2, 64, 68. 5, 49, 12.] snehākta [Suśruta 2, 233, 18.] snehābhyakta [1, 118, 11. 230, 4. 5. 7. 286, 4.] sātmya [2, 177, 18. 1, 230, 1.] sthāvara vegetabilisches Fett (darunter das Sesamöl das beste) [184, 7. 2, 174, 10.] jaṅgama thierisches (am besten Rindsschmalz) [9.] [CARAKA 1, 13.] snehasāro yaṃ puruṣaḥ prāṇāśca snehabhūyiṣṭhāḥ snehasādhyāśca bhavanti [Suśruta 2, 174, 5. 1, 159, 12.] [Meghadūta 93.] [Spr. (II) 4945.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 7, 4. 16, 20. 41, 8. 46, 27. 48. 85. 83, 1.] [BṚH. 5, 18.] [Mārkāṇḍeyapurāṇa 35, 1.] [Rājataraṅgiṇī 1, 260.] uddhṛta adj. [Manu’s Gesetzbuch 4, 62.] asthi sasneham [5, 87.] a adj. [Yājñavalkya’s Gesetzbuch 1, 169] [?(MĀRR. Pāṇini’s acht Bücher 35, 2). Raghuvaṃśa 4, 75.] In der Medicin: Fettmittel, angewandt als Trank, Salbe, Klystier u. s. w.; davon handeln [CARAKA 1, 13.] [Suśruta 2, 174, 4. fgg.] sarve snehā vātamupaghnanti [175, 6.] kaṣāya [7.] pāka [176, 11.] pāna [177, 1.] rūkṣasya snehanaṃ snehairatisnigdhasya rūkṣaṇam [180, 21. 235, 20.] vyāpad [1, 179, 3.] dviṣ, nitya [CARAKA 1,13.] [Śārṅgadhara SAṂH.][?2,9,1.3,1,1.Oxforder Handschriften 304,b,20. 28. 311,b,19.] —
3) Anhänglichkeit, Zuneigung, Liebe zu (loc., gen. oder im comp. vorangehend), freundschaftliches Verhältniss mit (saha) [Amarakoṣa 1, 1, 7, 27.] [Trikāṇḍaśeṣa] [Hemacandra’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi 1377.] [Hemacandra’s Anekārthasaṃgraha] [Medinīkoṣa] [Halāyudha 4, 21. 5, 29.] [MAITRYUP. 3, 5.] [Mahābhārata 1, 5895. 5944. 6138. 3, 16768.] baddha [12, 4263.] vāsaṃ varjayet [?14, 1286. Rāmāyaṇa 1, 1, 25. 28, 30. 2, 21, 38. 26, 31. 29, 2. 50, 27. 89, 7. 90, 9. 3, 51, 10. KĀM. NĪTIS. 17, 8. Meghadūta 12. 111 (pl.). Raghuvaṃśa 1, 70. Śākuntala 53, 10. 58, 4. 81. 84. 92. Spr. (II) 259. 1686 (pl.). 1929. 2540.] darśane sparśane vāpi śravaṇe bhāṣaṇe pi vā . yatra dravatyantaraṅgaṃ sa sneha iti kathyate .. [2718.] na cāpatyasamaḥ snehaḥ [?3690. 4883. 5298. fg. (Gegens.] krodha). [5401. 6630. 7244. 7246. 7268.] [Varāhamihira’s Bṛhajjātaka S. 78, 3.] atyantaviruddhānām [?97, 12. BṚH. 8, 17. Kathāsaritsāgara 11, 18. 14, 41 (pl.). 15, 23. 18, 197. 225. 247. 249. 44, 64.] vairasnehayoḥ [Rājataraṅgiṇī 4, 108.] vismayasnehayoḥ [?577. Dhūrtasamāgama 76, 4. Bhāgavatapurāṇa 1, 6, 6. 2, 1, 31. Pañcatantra I, 1. Hitopadeśa 17, 14. 33, 12. Vetālapañcaviṃśati in Lassen’s Anthologie (III) 9, 17.] tayā saha vacanāni vadati [20, 2.] [SARVADARŚANAS. 6, 17. 18, 19.] kastena saha tava snehaḥ [Pañcatantra 207, 5.] [Hitopadeśa 20, 19. 24, 1. ed. JOHNS. 1469.] ccheda [Spr. (II) 7242.] baddha adj. [Kathāsaritsāgara 3, 17.] vigatasnehasauhṛda adj. [Mahābhārata 1, 7727.] sa adj. [12, 5186.] mayi manaḥ saṃbhṛtasneham [Meghadūta 92.] mit abl. : tasmātsnehaṃ na lipseta mitrebhyo dhanasaṃcayāt [Spr. (II) 6158.] rajju das Hängen des Herzens am Leibgurt [5660.] bandha [2998.] kaṭuka adj. (jihvā) Bitteres mögend [7412.] —
2)
3) [Raghuvaṃśa 12, 1.] [Śiśupālavadha 10, 49.] [Spr. (II) 4334. 7245.] [Kathāsaritsāgara 18, 370.] [Rājataraṅgiṇī 6, 272.] —
4) pl. Bez. der Vaiśya in Kuśadvīpa [Viṣṇupurāṇa 2, 4, 39.] — Vgl. asthi, dvija, niḥ, prati, phala, mastaka, māṃsa, vṛkṣa, sa, snaihika .
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionarySneha (स्नेह) [Also spelled sneh]:—(nm) love, affection; oil, oily substance; ~[ka] a lubricant; ~[na] lubrication; massaging oil; ~[nīya] see -[yogya; ~baddha] attached, bounded by love/affection; -[pātra] object of love, beloved; -[yogya] lovable; -[joḍanā] to establish bonds of affection/love; —[toḍanā] to break bonds of love.
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See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+65): Snehabaddha, Snehabandha, Snehabasti, Snehabhanda, Snehabhandajivin, Snehabhanga, Snehabhava, Snehabhilashi, Snehabhu, Snehabhumi, Snehabhuyishtha, Snehabhyakta, Snehabija, Snehabuddhi, Snehaccheda, Snehachchheda, Snehacheda, Snehachheda, Snehadvish, Snehagandhamukha.
Ends with (+29): Abhisneha, Anabhisneha, Anusneha, Apatyasneha, Asneha, Asthisneha, Atisneha, Baddhasneha, Bahihsneha, Bhartrisneha, Bhavatsneha, Bijasneha, Catusneha, Dadhisneha, Dvijasneha, Guptasneha, Jatasasneha, Jatasneha, Katusneha, Korada Sneha.
Full-text (+151): Snehapriya, Snehapakva, Snehabhu, Nadisneha, Nihsneha, Snehasha, Mastakasneha, Snehanuvritti, Snehakesarin, Sneharanga, Snehaviddha, Jatasneha, Snehasara, Snehapravritti, Snehavat, Snehapana, Snehasambhasha, Sneharekabhu, Snehabhanga, Snehabhanda.
Relevant text
Search found 34 books and stories containing Sneha, Snēha; (plurals include: Snehas, Snēhas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Sri Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī)
Verse 3.2.78 < [Part 2 - Affection and Service (dāsya-rasa)]
Verse 3.3.106 < [Part 3 - Fraternal Devotion (sakhya-rasa)]
Verse 3.2.167 < [Part 2 - Affection and Service (dāsya-rasa)]
Sushruta Samhita, volume 4: Cikitsasthana (by Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna)
Chapter XXXI - The medicinal use of Sneha (oleaginous substances)
Chapter XXXVI - The injudicious application of the Netra and Vasti
Chapter XXXVII - The treatment with an Anuvasana-vasti and an Uttara-vasti
Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 4: Iatrochemistry (by Bhudeb Mookerjee)
Part 6 - Directions to be followed in nava-jvara < [Chapter II - Fever (jvara)]
Sushruta Samhita, Volume 6: Uttara-tantra (by Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna)
Chapter XXIII - Therapeutics of nasal diseases < [Canto I - Shalakya-tantra (ears, eyes, nose, mouth and throat)]
Chapter XVI - Treatment of diseases peculiar to eye-lashes and eye-lids < [Canto I - Shalakya-tantra (ears, eyes, nose, mouth and throat)]
Chapter XLIII - Symptoms and Treatment of Heart-disease (Hridroga) < [Canto III - Kaya-chikitsa-tantra (internal medicine)]
Śrī Hari-bhakti-kalpa-latikā (by Sarasvati Thkura)
Text 8 < [Second Stabaka]
Rasa Jala Nidhi, vol 2: Minerals (uparasa) (by Bhudeb Mookerjee)
Part 5 - Purification of sasyaka < [Chapter V - Uparasa (5-6): Tuttha and Sasyaka (copper sulphate)]