As a deity name
Name 531 of the Narasimha Sahasranāma — Brahmanda Purana / Narasimha Purana, as taught by Sages to Assembly of Devotees
Name 907 of the Shiva Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Sage Tandi to Sage Upamanyu
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
a month or the 12th part of the Hindū year (there are 4 kinds of months, viz. the solar, saura; the natural, sāvana; the stellar, nākṣatra, and the lunar, cāndra; the latter, which…
Scripturally attested Verified split — attested membersMultiple readings (4)Why this matches what you typed
M1 · same meaning "māsāya" is the dative of "māsa" — the same word in a different grammatical case.
M3 · meaning shifts "māsa" is derived from "mās" with the aṇ/añ suffix — a related word whose meaning shifts, so both meanings are shown.
1. mās n. = māṃs, flesh, meat, RV.
2. mās m. (√ 3. mā; pl. instr. mādbhis, RV.; loc. māssu, PañcavBr., māsu, TS.) the moon, RV. (cf. candra- and sūrya-mās)
māsa m. (or n., Siddh.) the moon (see pūrṇa-m˚)
a month or the 12th part of the Hindū year (there are 4 kinds of months, viz. the solar, saura; the natural, sāvana; the stellar, nākṣatra, and the lunar, cāndra; the latter, which is the most usual and consists of 30 Tithis, being itself of two kinds as reckoned from the new or full moon, cf. IW. 179; for the names of the months see ib. 173 n. 3), RV. &c. &c. (māsam, for a month; māsam ekam, for one month; māsena, in the course of a month; māse, in a m˚ = after the lapse of a m˚)
Related forms
Dictionary citations
māsa m. (or n., Siddh.) the moon (see pūrṇa-m˚)
a month or the 12th part of the Hindū year (there are 4 kinds of months, viz. the solar, saura; the natural, sāvana; the stellar, nākṣatra, and the lunar, cāndra; the latter, which is the most usual and consists of 30 Tithis, being itself of two kinds as reckoned from the new or full moon, cf. IW. 179; for the names of the months see ib. 173 n. 3), RV. &c. &c. (māsam, for a month; māsam ekam, for one month; māsena, in the course of a month; māse, in a m˚ = after the lapse of a m˚)
1. mās n. = māṃs, flesh, meat, RV.
2. mās m. (√ 3. mā; pl. instr. mādbhis, RV.; loc. māssu, PañcavBr., māsu, TS.) the moon, RV. (cf. candra- and sūrya-mās)
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