anabhimlāta varṇa

 Anabhimlāta varṇa (अनभिम्लातवर्ण) refers to a quality of unfaded, undiminished brightness or resplendence, often used in the Vedic context to describe something radiant or unsullied.

Etymology and Composition

The term anabhimlāta varṇa is a tatpurusha compound in Sanskrit:

• anabhimlāta (अनभिम्लात): “not faded” or “unwithered” ( 

  2

  )
• varṇa (वर्ण): can mean “color,” “hue,” or “appearance”
  Combined, anabhimlāta-varṇa literally means “of unfaded or 
• undiminished color/brightness” ( 

  2

  ).
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  4 Sources
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Usage in Vedic Texts

This compound occurs in the Ṛgveda (2.35.13) in the phrase:

सो अपां नपादनभिम्लातवर्णः

Here, it describes something resplendent, shining, or of fresh, 

undiminished hue ( 

Wisdom Library+2

). In Vedic literature, it is

used metaphorically for divinities, sacred waters, or other objects 

possessing vivid, unsullied luster.

Connotations and Interpretation

• Brightness and Resplendence: Emphasizes vibrant, unfading 
• appearance.
• Purity and Permanence: Suggests that the color or brightness
• is unaltered by time or decay.
• Epithets in Vedic Hymns: Often applied to Apānnapāt or other 
• deities to convey glory and brilliance.

In summary, anabhimlāta varṇa conveys a sense of enduring, 

vivid brilliance, both in literal color and metaphorical radiance

in Sanskrit literature and Vedic hymns ( 

Wisdom Library+2

).