anālamba

 Anālamba (अनालम्ब) in Sanskrit means “without support” or “unsupported,” and it is used in literary, philosophical, and religious contexts to denote lack of support, despondency, or being without a prop or perch.

Meaning and Etymology

The term anālamba is a compound of an (negation) and ālamba 

(support, prop). Therefore, it literally translates to “without support” or

“unsupported”

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 . In this sense, it conveys 

despondency, heart-brokenness, or a lack of aid in both literal

and metaphorical contexts 

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Usage in Literature and Religious Texts

• In Sanskrit epics, such as the Rāmāyaṇa and Śiśupālavadha, 
• anālamba describes situations or persons without support or help,
• often depicting emotional or social desolation 

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• In Hinduism, the Mahābhārata refers to places or sacred entities
• metaphorically connected with the concept of support and efficacy, 
• such as a sacred pool called Anālamba, where bathing is considered 
• spiritually beneficial 

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Related Concepts

• Ālamba (आलम्ब), the positive form, means support, prop, or 
• something to depend on. Its contrast, anālamba, emphasizes 
• absence of support, which can apply physically (as an unsecured 
• object), psychologically (emotional despondency), or metaphysically
• (lack of spiritual or doctrinal support) 

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• It is also used in poetic contexts to describe musical instruments, 
• such as Śiva’s lute being referred to as anālambī, emphasizing its
• independence or distinctness 

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Summary

In Sanskrit, anālamba broadly describes:

Literal: Something unsupported or without a physical prop.

Metaphorical: Emotional or social desolation, despondency.

Literary & Religious: Applied in poetic, epic, or devotional literature 

to signify lack of support, either materially or spiritually.

Examples:

• अनालम्बा कथंकारम कीर्तिर्द्यामधिरोहति — 
• “The action or fame rises without support” 

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Thus, anālamba conveys the notion of absence, independence, or 

vulnerability across physical, emotional, and 

spiritual dimensions

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