baddhvā

 

The Sanskrit word "baddhvā" (बद्ध्वा) generally means

"having bound" or "tied" and is used as an indeclinable 

gerund (absolutive) in classical Sanskrit literature.

Grammatical Usage

• Form: Indeclinable (gerund/absolutive) derived from the 
• root bandh (to bind, tie, or fasten) in Sanskrit grammar 

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• Function: It conveys the action of having tied or having bound 
• something, typically preceding the main verb to describe an 
• action that occurred prior to that verb.
• Prefixing: In later Sanskrit, "baddhvā" can also appear prefixed
• to adjectives or participles; for example, su-baddhvā means 
• "having bound well" 

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Examples in Literature

• Epic Usage: In the Mahābhārata, "baddhvā" is used as a gerund: 
• “atha taṃ snāyupāśena baddhvā sarpam amarṣitaḥ” —
• “then, having bound that serpent with a sinew noose, the 
• enraged hunter brought it before Gautamī” 

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• Purāṇic and Pāñcarātra Texts: In the Pāñcarātra initiation 
• ceremonies, "baddhvā" refers to the "ceremony of binding"
• the initiate, describing the act of spiritually or ritually binding
• the student before the commencement of certain rites 

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• Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Context: It appears in passages describing 
• actions such as tying up objects before performing another
• ritual action, e.g., “tāṅ baddhvā” meaning “after tying (them)” 

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• Other Contexts: In Śyainika-śāstra, it denotes tying horses 
• after hunting: “having tied (baddhvā) the horses in a shady place” 

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Summary

Core meaning: "baddhvā" = having bound, having tied
Grammatical role: Indeclinable gerund describing a completed 

or prior action.
Typical usage: Can refer to physical binding (ropes, nooses, horses)

or ritual/spiritual binding in ceremonies. It frequently appears

in classical Sanskrit texts, epic narratives, purāṇas, and religious 

manuals to convey actions already performed before another event.

This provides a versatile definition that captures both its literal 

and ritualistic senses in Sanskrit literature 

Wisdom Library+3

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