Time

 

Let us now learn how to tell the time in Sanskrit. Because we already know how to count numbers it basically is easy. After all a day has only twenty four hours. And an hour has only sixty minutes. So, if you know how to count till sixty, that's more than enough, when you need numbers while you are telling time!

 

Alright. Let's start with an hour-glass pattern time telling in the first instance.

 

One o'clock would be Ekavaadanam - एकवादनम्।

2 o'clock : Dvivaadanm - द्विवादनम्। 

3 o'clock : Triivaadanm - त्रिवादनम्।

4 o'clock : Chaturvaadanm - चतुर्वादनम्।

5 o'clock : Panchavaadanm - पञ्चवादनम्।

6 o'clock : Shadvaadanm - षड्वादनम्।

7 o'clock : Saptavaadanm - सप्तवादनम्।

8 o'clock : Ashtavaadanm - अष्टवादनम्।

9 o'clock : Navavaadanm - नववादनम्।

10 o'clock : Dashavaadanm - दशवादनम्।

11 o'clock : Ekaadashavaadanm - एकादशवादनम्।

12 o'clock : Dvadashavaadanm -द्वादशवादनम्।

 

 

You now know that it's all about just adding vaadanum after the hour you want. 

 

Now how do we say things like quarter to, quarter past or half past etc. And things like five minutes to an hour or let us say five minutes past an hour.

 

Let us say it is quarter past five. We would say that in Sanskrit sapaada pancha vaadanam. सपाद पञ्चवादनम्।

 

How about half past eleven? that would be saardha ekaadasha vaadanam. सार्ध एकादशवादनम्।

 

And what about quarter to twelve? That is paada oona(or paadona) dvaadasha vaadanam. पदोन द्वादशवादनम्।

 

Five minutes past two o'clock is pancha adhika dvivaadanam. पञ्चाधिक द्विवादनम्।

 

Five minutes to Six is pancha oona shadvaadanam. पञ्च ऊन षड्वादनम्।

 

By the way oona means missing, adhika is in addition, paada is a quarter and saardha means a half.

 

That's about how to tell the time. Have fun!