apa nam

 

In Sanskrit, apa‑nam means “to bend away, give way, or bow down 

before,” formed from apa (“away, off”) + the root √nam (“to bend, bow”).

Core meaning

• The term apanam (अपनम्) is glossed as “bend away from, give way to, 
• bow down before”

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• It is explicitly analyzed as apa‑√nam, where:
  • apa = “away, off, aside”
  • √nam = “to bend, bow, incline, submit”

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So apa‑nam expresses the idea of bending away, yielding, or submitting.

Relation to the root √nam

The root √nam (नम्) has a wide semantic range:

• “to bow, bend, incline”
• “to submit, yield”
• “to stoop or sink”
• “to show reverence”

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Adding apa‑ modifies the direction of the action: bowing away, 

giving way, or yielding before someone/something.

Not to be confused with nāma (“name”)

Some results also show nāma / nāman meaning “name”

Wiktionary

 

and nam as “identity” in yogic contexts

Yogapedia

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These are different words and unrelated to apa‑nam.

Summary

• apa‑nam = apa (“away”) + √nam (“to bow, bend”).
• Meaning: to bend away, give way, bow down before, submit.
• It is a verbal expression, not a noun like nāma (“name”).