What does the word ‘Shilajit’ actually mean? There is actually no alternative scientific word or western translation for the word ‘Shilajit’. It literally is what it is. There are many names by which it is called, in different languages such as Bitumen in English; Giraja, Shilaras, Shilajatu, Silajatu and Adrija in Sanskrit, Hajar-Ul-Musa in Arabic and Brag Zhun in Tibetan. The name Shilajit is however by far the most popular name worldwide.

The Hindi word for Shilajit is शिलाजीत.

Splitting this into two parts we get शिला and जीत. These translate as Shila and Jit (or Jeet).

शिला (Shila) means Rock.

जीत (Jeet) means Win.

So a literal translation from Hindi to English of ‘Shilajit’ is ‘Rock Win’.

In Hindi, Shilajit or शिलाजीत, this is heard as ‘Winner of Rock’.

The full name of शिलाजीत is ‘Conqueror of Mountains and Destroyer of Weakness’. You may have heard this phrase before, and now the origin should be clear; it is the fully expanded essence and literal meaning of the Hindi word for Shilajit.