vā

1. vā ind. or (excluded, like the Lat. ve , from the first place in a sentence, and generally immediately following, rarely and only m.c. preceding, the word to which it refers), RV. &c. &c. (often used in disjunctive sentences; vāvā, ‘either’ — ‘or’, ‘on the one side’ — ‘on the other’; navā — vā or na — vā, ‘neither’ — ‘nor’; vānavā, ‘either not’ — ‘or’; yadivāvā, ‘whether’ — ‘or’; in a sentence containing more than two members vā is nearly always repeated, although if a negative is in the first clause it need not be so repeated; vā is sometimes interchangeable with ca and api, and is frequently combined with other particles, esp. with atha, aTo , uta, kim, yad, yadi, q.v. [ e.g. athavā, ‘or else’]; it is also sometimes used as an expletive)

(after a rel. or interr. ) possibly, perhaps, I dare say, MBh. ; Kāv. &c. ( e.g. kiM vA Sakuntale ty asya mAtur AKyA , ‘is his mother's name perhaps Śakuntalā ?’, Śak. vii, 20/21 ; kovā or kevā followed by a negative may in such cases be translated by ‘every one, all’ e.g. ke vA na syuH pariBava-padaM nizPalA ram-Ba-yatnAH , ‘everybody whose efforts are fruitless is an object of contempt’, Megh. 55 ).

2. vā cl. 2. P. ( Dhātup. xxiv, 42 ) vāti ( pf. vavau, Br. ; MBh. &c.; aor. avāsīt, Br. ; fut. vāsyati, Megh. ; inf. vātum, Hariv. ), to blow (as the wind), RV. &c. &c.; to procure or bestow anything ( acc. ) by blowing, RV. i, 89, 4 ; to blow towards or upon ( acc. ), MBh. xii, 2798 ; to emit an odour, be diffused (as perfume), ŚBr. ; to smell ( trans. ), Vikr. iv, 41 ( v.l. ); to hurt, injure, Vop. : Caus. vāpayati, see nirvā and cf. vājaya: Desid. vivāsati See √ 1. van.