As a deity name
Name 638 of the Narasimha Sahasranāma — Brahmanda Purana / Narasimha Purana, as taught by Sages to Assembly of Devotees
Name 829 of the Narasimha Sahasranāma — Brahmanda Purana / Narasimha Purana, as taught by Sages to Assembly of Devotees
Name 625 of the Shiva Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Sage Tandi to Sage Upamanyu
As a Hindi name
धरना · masculine
picketing, striking; sitting constantly at the door of a person whose attention one is demanding (as that of a debtor, or of one from whom a favour is sought)
धरना
to beat, give a beating; to hold, grip, grab, bear
a Hindi word of Prakrit origin; it is not Sanskrit — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“Etymology tree Sanskrit धरण (dharaṇa) Prakrit 𑀥𑀭𑀡 (dharaṇa) Hindi धरना Inherited from Prakrit 𑀥𑀭𑀡 (dharaṇa), from Sanskrit धरण (dharaṇa, “beating”).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
ifc. holding, bearing, carrying, wearing, possessing, having, keeping (also in memory), sustaining, preserving, observing (cf. aṃśu-, akṣa-, kulaṃ- &c.), &c.
Scripturally attested Verified split — attested membersMultiple readings (6)Why this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "dharāya" is the dative of "dhara" — the same word in a different grammatical case.
Dictionary citations
dhara mf(ā)n. (√ dhṛ) bearing, supporting (scil. the world, said of Kṛṣṇa and Śiva), MBh.
ifc. holding, bearing, carrying, wearing, possessing, having, keeping (also in memory), sustaining, preserving, observing (cf. aṃśu-, akṣa-, kulaṃ- &c.), MBh.; R. &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