Paishaci, Paiśācī, Paishachi: 3 definitions

Introduction:

Paishaci means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, the history of ancient India. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

The Sanskrit term Paiśācī can be transliterated into English as Paisaci or Paishaci, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Alternative spellings of this word include Paishaci.

India history and geography

Source: Singhi Jain Series: Ratnaprabha-suri’s Kuvalayamala-katha (history)

Paisachi refers to one of the four major languages prevalent in ancient India, according to the 8th-century Kuvalayamālā written by Uddyotanasūri, a Prakrit Campū (similar to Kāvya poetry) narrating the love-story between Prince Candrāpīḍa and the Apsaras Kādambarī.—There is a mention of four major languages, namely, Sanskrit, Prakrit, Apabhramsha and Paishachi; and during the 8th century, vast body of Apabhramsha literature appears to have been already produced. The Paishachi language seems to have been represented by the Bṛhatkathā which had survived in its original form upto the time of Uddyotanasūri. This appears to be very probable since the original Paiśācī Bṛhatkathā was known to Kṣemendra who based his Sanskrit version on it.

India history book cover
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The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Paiśācī (पैशाची):—[from paiśāca] f. a present made at a religious ceremony to secure friendly regard, [Horace H. Wilson]

2) [v.s. ...] (in [dramatic language]) a sort of jargon spoken by demons on the stage (cf. piśāca-bhāṣā)

3) [v.s. ...] night, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

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Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

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Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Paiśāci (ಪೈಶಾಚಿ):—

1) [noun] = ಪೈಶಾಚ [paishaca]2 - 1.

2) [noun] the one of the several vernacular, non-Saṃskřta, old Indic languages used in ancient India.

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Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

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