उपासक (upaasak)

noun A worshipper or devotee -- someone who performs upaasnaa (upaasnaa, worship/devotion), whether of a deity or, by extension, an idea or cause.

Sense 1 : worshipper, devotee (of a deity)

noun, masculine

Synonyms: भक्त (bhakt), पुजारी (pujaarii, performs ritual worship as a role/profession), साधक (saadhak, one pursuing spiritual practice)

Frequency: medium

Cultural Note: This word has a slightly formal, textbook or discourse-y flavor -- you're more likely to meet it in a description of a religious community (like सूर्य के उपासक (soory ke upaasak, 'worshippers of the sun')) or in writing about bhakti traditions than in casual chat, where भक्त (bhakt) is far more common.

Common Mistakes: 1) Learners often reach for पुजारी (pujaarii) as a synonym, but पुजारी (pujaarii) usually implies an official or professional role (like a temple priest), while उपासक (upaasak) simply means someone devoted to worship -- any ordinary devotee can be called this. 2) The feminine form उपासिका (upaasikaa) exists and is used for a female worshipper -- this word does not stay invariant across genders the way some borrowed nouns do.

Sample Sentences:

सूर्य के उपासक सुबह उगते सूरज को जल चढ़ाते हैं। Worshippers of the sun offer water to the rising sun in the morning.

(soory ke upaasak subah ugte sooraj ko jal chadhaate hain।)

यह मंदिर शिव के उपासकों के लिए बहुत पवित्र माना जाता है। This temple is considered very sacred by the worshippers of Shiva.

(yah mandir shiv ke upaaskon ke lie bahut pavitr maanaa jaataa hai।)

प्राचीन काल में अग्नि के उपासक हवन के माध्यम से देवताओं को प्रसन्न करते थे। In ancient times, fire worshippers pleased the gods through fire rituals.

(praachiin kaal men agni ke upaasak havan ke maadhyam se devtaaon ko prasann karte the।)

क्या तुम देवी के उपासक हो? Are you a worshipper of the goddess?

(kyaa tum devii ke upaasak ho?)

उस गाँव के अधिकांश निवासी नाग देवता के उपासक हैं। Most residents of that village are worshippers of the serpent deity.

(us gaanv ke adhikaansh nivaasii naag devtaa ke upaasak hain।)

यदि तुम सच्चे उपासक होते, तो नियमित रूप से पूजा करते। If you were a true worshipper, you would perform worship regularly.

(yadi tum sachche upaasak hote, to niymit roop se poojaa karte।)

बौद्ध ग्रंथों में बुद्ध के उपासकों का वर्णन किया गया है। The worshippers of the Buddha are described in Buddhist texts.

(bauddh granthon men buddh ke upaaskon kaa varnan kiyaa gayaa hai।)

भक्ति आंदोलन के दौरान कृष्ण के उपासकों की संख्या तेज़ी से बढ़ी। During the Bhakti movement, the number of Krishna's worshippers grew rapidly.

(bhakti aandolan ke dauraan krishn ke upaaskon kii sankhyaa tezii se badhii।)

हो सकता है वह भी किसी गुप्त देवता का उपासक हो। It's possible that he too is a worshipper of some secret deity.

(ho saktaa hai vah bhii kisii gupt devtaa kaa upaasak ho।)

इस क्षेत्र के उपासक हर साल एक विशाल मेले का आयोजन करते हैं। The worshippers of this region organize a huge fair every year.

(is kshetr ke upaasak har saal ek vishaal mele kaa aayojan karte hain।)

Sense 2 : devoted follower or adherent (of an idea, ideology, or practice)

noun, masculine Takes का (kaa) to mark what is being devoted to, e.g. अहिंसा के उपासक (ahinsaa ke upaasak, 'devotees/adherents of non-violence').

Synonyms: अनुयायी (anuyaayii), समर्थक (samarthak, supporter, broader/weaker sense)

Frequency: low

Cultural Note: This is the metaphorical extension of the religious sense -- just as English speaks of a 'worshipper of truth' or 'devotee of art,' Hindi extends उपासक (upaasak) beyond gods to abstract ideals like सत्य (saty, truth) or अहिंसा (ahinsaa, non-violence), often in a somewhat elevated or rhetorical register.

Sample Sentences:

गांधी जी सत्य और अहिंसा के उपासक थे। Gandhi was a devotee of truth and non-violence.

(gaandhii jii saty aur ahinsaa ke upaasak the।)

वह कला का सच्चा उपासक है, पैसे की उसे परवाह नहीं। He is a true devotee of art; he doesn't care about money.

(vah kalaa kaa sachchaa upaasak hai, paise kii use parvaah nahiin।)

इस विचारधारा के उपासक देश भर में फैले हुए हैं। Adherents of this ideology are spread across the country.

(is vichaardhaaraa ke upaasak desh bhar men phaile hue hain।)

क्या तुम सचमुच स्वतंत्रता के उपासक हो, या सिर्फ बात करते हो? Are you really a devotee of freedom, or do you just talk about it?

(kyaa tum sachmuch svatantrtaa ke upaasak ho, yaa sirph baat karte ho?)

यदि हम सचमुच न्याय के उपासक होते, तो यह अन्याय कभी न होता। If we were truly devotees of justice, this injustice would never have happened.

(yadi ham sachmuch nyaay ke upaasak hote, to yah anyaay kabhii n hotaa।)

उस युग के लेखक सौंदर्य के उपासक बन गए थे। The writers of that era had become devotees of beauty.

(us yug ke lekhak saundary ke upaasak ban gae the।)

एक सच्चा उपासक बनो, केवल नाम के अनुयायी मत बनो। Be a true devotee, not just a follower in name.

(ek sachchaa upaasak bano, keval naam ke anuyaayii mat bano।)

शायद वह प्रगति का उपासक हो, पर परंपरा का विरोधी नहीं। Perhaps he is a devotee of progress, but not an opponent of tradition.

(shaayad vah pragti kaa upaasak ho, par parampraa kaa virodhii nahiin।)

इस संस्था द्वारा शांति के उपासकों को सम्मानित किया गया। Devotees of peace were honored by this institution.

(is sansthaa dvaaraa shaanti ke upaaskon ko sammaanit kiyaa gayaa।)

Morphology

Noun

(sg.m.direct): उपासक (upaasak)

(sg.m.oblique): उपासक (upaasak)

(pl.m.direct): उपासक (upaasak)

(pl.m.oblique): उपासकों (upaaskon)