Astau (Eight): Meaning and Definition

What does Astau mean in Sanskrit?

Astau is the cardinal number “eight.” It answers the question “how many?” rather than indicating “eighth,” which requires an ordinal form.

Grammatically, astau is a nominative or accusative plural form. Sanskrit numerals from five through nineteen are generally treated as plurals, and the forms for eight do not change according to masculine, feminine, or neuter gender. Traditional grammar also recognizes ashta as an alternative nominative or accusative form.

• Meaning: eight
• Part of speech: cardinal numeral
• Case: nominative or accusative
• Number: plural
• Gender: the same form can be used with all three grammatical genders

How is Astau used in yoga philosophy?

In yoga, astau is best known from Yoga Sutra 2.29. Patanjali names yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, then identifies them as eight limbs. In the continuous Sanskrit text, sound combination changes the ending of astau before the following vowel, so the form is heard and written as astav in that sentence.

Astau contributes the number eight, while the word for limbs supplies the structure being counted. The numeral itself does not mean “eight limbs,” nor does it name a particular school of yoga when used alone.

• Yama: ethical restraints
• Niyama: personal observances
• Asana: posture
• Pranayama: regulation of breath
• Pratyahara: withdrawal or gathering inward of the senses
• Dharana: concentration
• Dhyana: meditation
• Samadhi: meditative absorption

Why are Astau and Ashtanga different forms?

Astau is an independent, inflected form of the number eight. Ashta is the form normally used as the first member of a compound. When ashta combines with anga, meaning limb or component, the adjoining vowels combine and produce Ashtanga, meaning “eight-limbed” or “consisting of eight limbs.”

For this reason, saying that Ashtanga is formed directly from astau plus anga is a useful beginner-level shortcut but is not the most precise grammatical explanation. Astau and ashta come from the same numeral, yet they serve different grammatical functions.

This pattern is not limited to yoga. Sanskrit works can first describe eight components with separate words and then use an Ashtanga compound as the title or classification for the same eight-part system. The Astangahrdaya, an Ayurvedic text, provides a comparable example by referring to eight branches of medicine.

• Astau: an independent inflected form meaning “eight”
• Ashta: the form used independently in some contexts and before another word in many compounds
• Ashtanga: an eight-limbed or eight-part system

How should yoga teachers use Astau accurately?

Use astau when discussing the Sanskrit word for the number eight or when examining its appearance in a Sanskrit sentence. Use Ashtanga when naming an eight-limbed system, including Patanjali’s eightfold framework.

When introducing the term orally, teachers can explain that the familiar English spelling Ashtau represents the retroflex sounds written more precisely in IAST. Students do not need to master Sanskrit grammar to understand the distinction, but recognizing the compound form prevents the two words from being treated as fully interchangeable.

• Translate astau directly as “eight.”
• Do not translate astau by itself as “eight limbs.”
• Explain Ashtanga as the compound term for an eight-limbed or eight-part system.
• In Yoga Sutra 2.29, recognize astau as the word that specifies the number of limbs.