antyaka

 

In Sanskrit, antyaka means a man of the lowest tribe

or caste, closely related to the term antyaja.

Direct meaning

• Antyaka (अन्त्यक) is defined as “a man of the lowest tribe” according to
• multiple Sanskrit lexicons

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• It is grammatically a masculine noun (m.).
• Wisdom Library notes that antyaka is equivalent to antaya and is used
• in Hindu and Sanskrit contexts to denote someone belonging to
• the lowest social group

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Relation to antyaja

• The entry explicitly says: “A man of the lowest tribe. See antyaja”

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• Antyaja is a broader term referring to people of low or outcaste status, 
• including several specific groups listed in Dharmaśāstra texts

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• Thus, antyaka is essentially a variant or synonym of antyaja.
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Etymology and formation

• Formed from antya (“last, lowest”) + the suffix -ka, giving the sense
• “one belonging to the lowest (group)”

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Context of usage

• Appears in traditional Sanskrit lexicons such as those of Amarasiṃha, 
• Halāyudha, and Hemacandra

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• Used in Hindu social and ritual texts to denote individuals outside or
• at the bottom of the varṇa system.
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