As a deity name
Name 730 of the Shiva Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Sage Tandi to Sage Upamanyu
Name 746 of the Vishnu Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Bhishma to Yudhishthira on his deathbed
As a Hindi name
चल · ćala · s.f.
m. (masc. in S., but fem. in H., in which it is the v.n. of ćalnā, q.v.), Going, departure; dispersion; variation; departure from truth, deception — Platts (1884), digital edition courtesy DSAL, University of Chicago, p. 438
चल · ćal · intj.
Be off! &c — Platts (1884), digital edition courtesy DSAL, University of Chicago, p. 438
चल · masculine
movement; unsteadiness; mobility; variable
चल
moving; trembling; movable, mobile; unsteady, inconstant, fickle; disturbed, confused
Śabdasāgara also records: चंचल । अस्थिर । चलायमान · हिलने डुलनेवाला
a Hindi word, derived from the Sanskrit चल — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“From Sanskrit चल (cala, “moving, trembling; unsteady, perishable; disturbed, confused”).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
cala mf(ā)n. (g. pacādi) moving, trembling, shaking, loose, MBh. &c.
unsteady, fluctuating, perishable, ib.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
(g. pacādi) moving, trembling, shaking, loose, &c.
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (6)Why this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "cala" is the vocative of "calā" — the same word in a different grammatical case.
Dictionary citations
cala mf(ā)n. (g. pacādi) moving, trembling, shaking, loose, MBh. &c.
unsteady, fluctuating, perishable, ib.
disturbed, confused, ib.
cala m. ‘agitation, shaking’, see bhūmi-
wind, L.
calā f. lightning, L.
incense, L.
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