rishi

According to Indian tradition, the word may be derived from two different meanings of the root 'rsh' ({{IAST|ṛṣ}}). Sanskrit grammarianscf. Commentary on Unadi-Sutra,{{author needed}}{{year needed|date=October 2017}} iv, 119 derive this word from the second meaning: "to go, to move".Dhātupāṭha of Pānini, xxviii). V. S. Apte V. S. ApteV. S. Apte (Sanskrit-Hindi Kosh, 1890, reprint 1997 by Motilāl Banārasidās Publishers, Delhi) gives this particular meaning and derivation, and Monier-Williams{{Citation

| last =Monier-Williams

| first =Monier

| author-link =Monier Monier-Williams

| year =1899

| title =A Sanskrit-English Dictionary

| place =Delhi

| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass

| url =http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/ebooks/mw/

| page = 226

}} also gives the same, with some qualification.

Another form of this root means "to flow, to move near by flowing". (All the meanings and derivations cited above are based upon Sanskrit English Dictionary of Monier-Williams). Monier-Williams also quotes Tārānātha who compiled the great (Sanskrit-to-Sanskrit) dictionary named "ṛṣati jñānena saṃsāra-pāram" (i.e., "one who reaches beyond this mundane world by means of spiritual knowledge").

Before Monier-Williams' work was published, Yāska suggested it came from "drish" and quotes Aupamanyava to support his opinion.

However, the root has a close Avestan cognate ərəšišYasna 31.5; cf. 40.4 "an ecstatic" (see also Yurodivy, Vates). Yet the Indo-European dictionary of Julius Pokorny connects the word to a PIE root {{PIE|*h₃er-s}} meaning "rise, protrude", in the sense of "excellent" and thus cognate with Ṛta and right and Asha. In Sanskrit, forms of the root rish become arsh- in many words, (e.g., arsh)

Modern etymological explanations such as by Manfred Mayrhofer in his Etymological DictionaryEtymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen, Heidelberg 1986, I 261 leave the case open, and do not prefer a connection to {{IAST|ṛṣ}} "pour, flow" (PIE {{PIE|*h₁ers}}), rather one with German rasen "to be ecstatic, be in a different state of mind" (and perhaps Lithuanian aršus).

File:Rishi.jpg

In the Vedas, the word denotes an inspired poet of Vedic hymns. In particular, Ṛṣi refers to the authors of the hymns of the Rigveda. Some of the earliest lists of Rishi are found in Jaiminiya Brahmana verse 2.218 and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad verse 2.2.4.Justin McDaniel (2013), This Hindu holy man is a Thai Buddhist, South East Asia Research, Volume 21, Number 2, page 309, 303-321

Post-Vedic tradition regards the Rishis as "sages" or saints, constituting a peculiar class of divine human beings in the early mythical system, as distinct from Asuras, Devas and mortal men. Swami Vivekananda described "Rishi"s as Mantra-drashtas or "the seers of thought". He told— "The truth came to the Rishis of India — the Mantra-drashtâs, the seers of thought — and will come to all Rishis in the future, not to talkers, not to book-swallowers, not to scholars, not to philologists, but to seers of thought."{{cite web|title=Swami Vivekananda on Rishis|url=http://www.swamivivekanandaquotes.org/2014/03/swami-vivekanandas-quotes-on-rishis-and-sages.html|publisher=Swami Vivekananda Quotes|access-date=12 April 2014|archive-date=19 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619214211/http://www.swamivivekanandaquotes.org/2014/03/swami-vivekanandas-quotes-on-rishis-and-sages.html|url-status=dead}}

The Rig Veda mentions female rishikas such as Romasha, Lopamudra, Apala, Kadru, Visvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Yami, Indrani, Savitri and Devayani.{{Cite web |date=2015-08-10 |title=Rshikäs of the Rgveda Blog by Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati |url=http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/masters/philosophy/rshik-s-of-the-rgveda-214571 |access-date=2024-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810021917/http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/masters/philosophy/rshik-s-of-the-rgveda-214571 |archive-date=10 August 2015 }} The Sama Veda adds Nodha, Akrishtabhasha, Sikatanivavari and Gaupayana.

In Mahabharata 12, on the other hand, there is the post-Vedic list of Marīci, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya and Vashista. The Mahābhārata list explicitly refers to the saptarshis of the first manvantara and not to those of the present manvantara. Each manvantara had a unique set of saptarshi. In Harivamsha 417ff, the names of the Rishis of each manvantara are enumerated.

In addition to the Sapta{{IAST|rṣi}}, there are other classifications of sages. In descending order of precedence, they are Brahmarshi, Maharshi, Rajarshi. Deva{{IAST|rṣi}}, Param{{IAST|rṣi}}, Shruta{{IAST|rṣi}} and Kānda{{IAST|rṣi}} are added in Manusmriti iv-94 and xi-236 and in two dramas of Kālidasa.

The Chaturvarga-Chintāmani of Hemādri puts '{{IAST|riṣi}}' at the seventh place in the eightfold division of Brāhmanas. AmarakoshaAmarakosha (2.7.41–42) (the famous Sanskrit synonym lexicon compiled by Amarasimha) mentions seven types of {{IAST|riṣi}}s : Shrutarshi, Kāndarshi, Paramarshi, Maharshi, Rājarshi, Brahmarshi and Devarshi. Amarakosha strictly distinguishes Rishi from other types of sages, such as sanyāsi, {{IAST|bhikṣu}}, parivrājaka, tapasvi, muni, brahmachāri, yati, etc.

The term Rishi found mentions throughout the Buddhist texts. In Pali, they are known as "Isi"s. A Rishi can also be called a Buddha, Paccekabuddha, Arhat or monk of high rank. In Buddhist Pali literature, Buddha is called many times as "Mahesi"(Pali; Sanskrit: Maharṣi; meaning the greatest sage).{{Cite web|last=www.wisdomlib.org|date=2014-08-03|title=Maheshi, Mahesi, Māheśī, Maheśī: 4 definitions|url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/maheshi|access-date=2021-04-12|website=www.wisdomlib.org}} The Isigili Sutta in Pali Canon, mentions the name of Five hundred Rishis (Paccekabuddhas). The Buddhist text, Mahamayuri Tantra, written during 1–3rd centuries CE, mentions Rishis throughout Jambudvipa (modern day India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal) and invokes them for the protection of the Buddhadharma.[https://mahamayurividyarajni.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/mahamayuri/ Translated into English by Cheng Yew Chung based on Amoghavajra’s Chinese Translation (Taisho Volume 19, Number 982) ]

Many Jatakas also mentions various Rishis. The Naḷinikā Jātaka (Jā 526) introduces a past life of the Buddha, a Rishi(Isi), living alone in the Himālayas. His son, who was also a Rishi, was named Isisiṅga (Pali; Sanskrit:Ṛṣyaśṛṅga). The Agastya Jataka (Sanskrit; Pali: Akitta Jataka) story, mentions Bodhisattva, named Agastya(Sanskrit; Pali: Akkhata) as Rishi.

Most medieval era Hindu temples of Java, Indonesia show Rishi Agastya statues or reliefs, usually guarding the southern side of Shaivite temples. Some examples include Candi Sambisari and the Prambanan temple near Yogyakarta.Maud Girard-Geslan et al (1997), Art of Southeast Asia, Harry Abrams, Paris, page 350

File:2013 Wat Suan Tan 02.jpg]]

Ruesi (Sanskrit: ṛṣi, {{langx|km|តាឥសី}}, {{langx|th|ฤๅษี}}, {{langx|lo|ລືສີ}}) is a hermit sage, the equivalent of Rishi in India. In Myanmar, there are some known as ရေသ့ Rase.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}} Rishi Akkhata (Pali; Sanskrit: Agastya), known as Phra Reusi Akkhot in Thailand, is an important Ruesi in Southeast Asia, as in the Buddhist Jataka scriptures, this Ruesi is mentioned as the bodhisatta and practiced his ascetism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Veneration of Ruesis is a notable practice in Southeast Asian Buddhism. The name "Rishi" (pronounced "ruesi") is also the basis of one of the letters of the Thai alphabet, so reu-si ({{langx|th|ษ ฤๅษี}}).

Rishi is also a male given name, and less commonly a Brahmin last name.

In Carnatic music, "Rishi" is the seventh chakra (group) of Melakarta ragas. The names of chakras are based on the numbers associated with each name. In this case, there are seven rishis and hence the 7th chakra is "Rishi".South Indian Music Book III, by Prof. P Sambamoorthy, Published 1973, The Indian Music Publishing HouseRagas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications

The descendant families of these Rishis, refer to their ancestral lineage through their family "gotra". This is a common practice among the Brahmin sects of the current Hindu society.

{{col div|colwidth=15em}}

• Devarishi
• Saptarishi
• Rishi Panchami
• Rishikas
• Sadhu
• Rishabha (Hinduism)
• Rishabhanatha
• Pravaras
• Sramana
• Apaurusheyatva
• Yogi / Yogini
• Kavi
• Vidyadhara
• Weizza
• Xian

{{colend}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{Citation

| last =Apte

| first =Vaman Shivram

| year =1965

| title =The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

| edition =Fourth Revised and Enlarged

| place =New Delhi

| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass

| isbn =978-81-208-0567-5

}}

• {{Citation

| last =Apte

| first =Vaman Shivram

| year =1966

| title =Sanskrit-Hindi {{IAST|Koṣa}}

| edition =Reprint 1997

| place =New Delhi

| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass

}}

• {{Citation

| last=Chopra

| first=Deepak

| year=2006

| title=Life After Death: The Burden of Proof

| place=Boston

| publisher=Harmony Books

| edition=first

}}

• {{Citation

| last=Kosambi

| first=D. D.

| year=1956

| title=An Introduction to the Study of Indian History

| place=Bombay

| publisher=Popular Prakashan Pvt Ltd, 35c Tardeo Road, Popular Press Bldg, Bombay-400034

| edition=Second

}}

• {{Citation

| last=Śāstri

| first=Hargovind

| year=1978

| title={{IAST|Amarkoṣa}} with Hindi commentary

| place=Vārānasi

| publisher=Chowkhambā Sanskrit Series Office

}}

• [http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/masters/philosophy/rshik-s-of-the-rgveda-214571 Rishikas of the Rigveda]

• {{Wiktionary-inline}}
• {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Rishis of Hindu mythology}}

{{Rigveda}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Titles and occupations in Hinduism

Category:Thai folklore