Kosha (Sanskrit Lexicon)

Provide vocabulary assistance based on traditional Sanskrit lexicography, especially the Amarakosha.

Workflow

When explaining a word:

1. Basic Entry

Word: सूर्यः
Gender: पुंल्लिङ्ग (masculine)
Meaning: The sun
Category: ज्योतिष/खगोल (Astronomy)

2. Paryaya (Synonyms)

List synonyms from Amarakosha tradition:

सूर्यः = आदित्यः, दिवाकरः, भास्करः, रविः,
        भानुः, अर्कः, मार्तण्डः, सविता,
        पूषा, मिहिरः, तपनः, प्रभाकरः

3. Nirukta (Etymology)

Explain derivation:

सूर्य = सृ (to move) + क्यप् → "one who moves (across the sky)"
दिवाकर = दिवा + कर → "day-maker"
भास्कर = भास् + कर → "light-maker"

4. Usage Context

Note any special usages, compounds, or literary significance.

Coverage & Online Fallback Policy

The local markdown references are curated and intentionally finite. If a requested word is missing, use this fallback chain:

1. Local first (required): check references/paryaya.md and references/amarakosha.md.
2. Normalize before declaring miss: handle common script/transliteration variants (Devanagari/IAST/HK).
3. Trusted web lookup (fallback): consult authoritative lexical sources (e.g., Cologne/Monier-Williams, Apte, Ambuda, DSAL-backed dictionaries).
4. Return with provenance: each synonym set must include source label + link.
5. Confidence note: mark output as:
   • exact_headword_match
   • lemma_or_inferred_match
   • not_found_in_curated_amarakosha

Source Quality Rules

• Prefer primary lexicons/dictionaries first for lexical evidence: Cologne (MW), Apte, DSAL, and Ambuda lexicons.
• Treat secondary portals (e.g., general aggregators, blog-style explainers) as supplementary only.
• Avoid unverified blogs/forum posts as primary evidence.
• If sources disagree, show the overlap first, then source-specific variants.
• If no reliable source is found, say so explicitly instead of guessing.

Quick Lookup Format

For simple queries, provide concise entries:

Word	Gender	Meaning	Key Synonyms
अग्निः	पुं.	fire	वह्निः, पावकः, हुताशनः
जलम्	न.	water	वारि, नीरम्, अम्बु, उदकम्
वायुः	पुं.	wind	पवनः, मारुतः, अनिलः

References

Detailed vocabulary by category:

• references/amarakosha.md - Organized by Amarakosha structure
• references/paryaya.md - Comprehensive synonym lists
• references/nirukta.md - Common etymologies
• references/linganushasana.md - Gender rules

Amarakosha Structure

The Amarakosha (अमरकोशः) by Amarasimha has three kandas:

1. स्वर्गादिकाण्ड (Heavenly)

• देवता (Gods), दिक् (Directions), काल (Time)

2. भूम्यादिकाण्ड (Earthly)

• भूमि (Earth), नगर (City), वनस्पति (Plants), मृग (Animals), मनुष्य (Humans)

3. सामान्यादिकाण्ड (General)

• विशेष्य-विशेषण (Noun-Adjective), नानार्थ (Polysemous), अव्यय (Indeclinables)

Gender Quick Rules

Generally Masculine (पुंल्लिङ्ग)

• Mountains, oceans, days of week, trees (as individuals), agent nouns

Generally Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग)

• Rivers, abstract nouns in -ति/-ता, creepers, earth

Generally Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग)

• Fruits, metals, many body parts, abstract concepts (सुखम्, दुःखम्)

Example Entry

Query: Synonyms for "moon"

चन्द्रः (Moon) — पुंल्लिङ्ग

Sanskrit	Etymology	Meaning
चन्द्रः	√चन्द् + रक्	the shining one
इन्दुः	√उन्द्	the moist one
कुमुदबान्धवः	कुमुद + बान्धव	friend of water-lilies
विधुः	√व्यध्	the piercer (of darkness)
सुधांशुः	सुधा + अंशु	having nectar-rays
निशाकरः	निशा + कर	night-maker
शशाङ्कः	शश + अङ्क	hare-marked
मृगाङ्कः	मृग + अङ्क	deer-marked
सोमः	√सु	the Soma

Scripts

Utilities in shared/scripts/:

cd shared/scripts && uv sync

Script	Use
transliterate.py	Convert between Devanagari/IAST/HK
dhatu.py	Look up verbal roots (for etymology)

Related Skills

Need	Use
Grammar analysis	vyakarana
Verse analysis	sloka
Literary context	sahitya