avashyak

Avashyak is an adjective used in Hindi and related languages to mean necessary or essential. It describes something that must be present, done, or provided for a purpose to be fulfilled. In everyday usage, it applies to tasks, conditions, or items that are required, such as avashyak suvidha (essential facilities) or avashyak vastu (necessary item). The term can be used in both formal and informal contexts, and its sense ranges from practical necessity to inevitability in a given situation. In some contexts, avashyak overlaps with synonyms like zaroori (necessary) or anivary (obligatory), but it is generally less forceful than anivārya (mandatory).

Etymology: Avashyak derives from Sanskrit avāśyaka or avāśya (आवश्यक), meaning “needed” or “required.” The form has been adopted into Hindi as आवश्‍यक/आवश्यक and is also used in other South Asian languages such as Nepali with the same meaning.

Usage notes: In formal writing, avashyak often conveys essential quality or necessity, while anivārya is used for explicit obligation. In everyday speech, zaroori is a common synonym. Common phrases include avashyak niyam (essential rules) and avashyak upchar (necessary remedy). The nuance remains one of indispensability rather than mere preference.