As a deity name
Name 99 of the Gopal Sahasranāma — Sammohana Tantra, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
Name 565 of the Krishna Sahasranāma — Mahabharata / Padma Purana, as taught by Sages and Devotees
Name 528 of the Shiva Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Sage Tandi to Sage Upamanyu
Name 231 of the Surya Sahasranāma — Bhavishya Purana, as taught by Lord Brahma / Sages
As a Hindi name
No reading on this path — this spelling has no entry in our Hindi sources, and no near neighbour is attested there either. We say so rather than invent one.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
being at the beginning, first, primitive, &c.
Scripturally attested Verified split — attested membersMultiple readings (10)Why this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "ādyāya" is the dative of "ādya" — the same word in a different grammatical case.
Dictionary citations
1. ādya mf(ā)n. [Pāṇ. iv, 3, 54] being at the beginning, first, primitive, KātyŚr.; Hit.; Śak. &c.
ifc. (= ˚ādi, q.v.), Mn. i, 50, 63, &c.
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
Sources contain errors and engines have limits; every claim above carries its citation so you can verify it. This is guidance about names and their sources — not religious or astrological consultation. How we work · Our sources