ऋषि

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit ऋषि (ṛ́ṣi), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *r̥šíš.

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɾɪ.ʂiː/, [ɾɪ.ʃiː]

Noun

ऋषि • (ŕṣi) m (Urdu spelling رشی)

1. rishi, sage

Declension

Declension of ऋषि (masc i-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	ऋषि ŕṣi	ऋषि ŕṣi
oblique	ऋषि ŕṣi	ऋषियों ŕṣiyõ
vocative	ऋषि ŕṣi	ऋषियो ŕṣiyo

Proper noun

ऋषि • (ŕṣi) m (Urdu spelling رشی)

1. a male given name, Rishi, equivalent to English Rishi

   ऋषि सुनक ― ŕṣi sunak ― Rishi Sunak

Declension

Declension of ऋषि (masc i-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	ऋषि ŕṣi	ऋषि ŕṣi
oblique	ऋषि ŕṣi	ऋषियों ŕṣiyõ
vocative	ऋषि ŕṣi	ऋषियो ŕṣiyo

Nepali

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit ऋषि (ṛ́ṣi), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *r̥šíš.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɾisi]
• Phonetic Devanagari: रिसि

Noun

ऋषि • (r̥ṣi) (Hinduism)

1. rishi, sage

Proper noun

ऋषि • (r̥ṣi)

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Rishi

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ঋষি (Assamese script)
• ᬋᬱᬶ (Balinese script)
• ঋষি (Bengali script)
• 𑰆𑰬𑰰 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀋𑀱𑀺 (Brahmi script)
• ၒၑိ (Burmese script)
• ઋષિ (Gujarati script)
• ਰਸ਼ਿ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌋𑌷𑌿 (Grantha script)
• ꦉꦰꦶ (Javanese script)
• 𑂩𑂱𑂭𑂱 (Kaithi script)
• ಋಷಿ (Kannada script)
• ឫឞិ (Khmer script)
• ຣິຩິ (Lao script)
• ഋഷി (Malayalam script)
• ᡵᡳᢢᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘆𑘬𑘱 (Modi script)
• ᠷᠢᢔᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦦𑧌𑧒 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐆𑐲𑐶 (Newa script)
• ଋଷି (Odia script)
• ꢈꢰꢶ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆉𑆰𑆴 (Sharada script)
• 𑖆𑖬𑖰 (Siddham script)
• ඍෂි (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩐𑩙𑪀𑩑 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚮 (Takri script)
• ரிஷி (Tamil script)
• ఋషి (Telugu script)
• ฤษิ (Thai script)
• རྀ་ཥི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒇𑒭𑒱 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨫𑨉𑨯𑨁 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Iranian *r̥šíš. Cognate with Avestan 𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬱𐬌𐬱 (ər^əšiš, “seer”). Probably related to अर्षति (árṣati, “to flow, pour”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ŕ̩.ʂi/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /r̩.ʂi/

Noun

ऋषि • (ṛ́ṣi) stem, m

1. a rishi: a singer of sacred hymns, an inspired poet or sage, any person who alone or with others invokes the deities in rhythmical speech or song of a sacred character
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.31.1:

     त्वम॑ग्ने प्रथ॒मो अङ्गि॑रा॒ ऋषि॑र्दे॒वो दे॒वाना॑मभवः शि॒वः सखा॑।
     तव॑ व्र॒ते क॒वयो॑ विद्म॒नाप॒सोऽजा॑यन्त म॒रुतो॒ भ्राज॑दृष्टयः॥

     tvámagne prathamó áṅgirā ṛ́ṣirdevó devā́nāmabhavaḥ śiváḥ sákhā.
     táva vraté kaváyo vidmanā́pasóʼjāyanta marúto bhrā́jadṛṣṭayaḥ.

     You, Agni, were the first Aṅgiras Ṛṣi, a divinity, you were the auspicious friend of the deities. In your rite the wise, the all-discerning, the bright-weaponed Maruts were engendered.

2. (post-Vedic) rishi: sages from whom a gotra is derived
3. (astronomy) the seven rishis form the constellation Ursa Major
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.82.2:

     वि॒श्वक॑र्मा॒ विम॑ना॒ आद्विहा॑या धा॒ता वि॑धा॒ता प॑र॒मोत सं॒दृक्।
     तेषा॑मि॒ष्टानि॒ समि॒षा म॑दन्ति॒ यत्रा॑ सप्तऋ॒षीन्प॒र एक॑मा॒हुः॥

     viśvákarmā vímanā ā́dvíhāyā dhātā́ vidhātā́ paramótá saṃdṛ́k.
     téṣāmiṣṭā́ni sámiṣā́ madanti yátrā saptaṛṣī́npará ékamāhúḥ.

     Mighty in mind and power is Visvakarman, Maker, Disposer, and most lofty Presence.
     Their offerings joy in rich juice where they value One, only One, beyond the Seven Ṛṣis.

4. a saint or sanctified sage in general, an ascetic, anchorite
5. the seventh of the eight degrees of Brahmins
6. a hymn or mantra composed by a rishi
7. a veda
8. a symbolical expression for the number seven

Declension

Masculine i-stem declension of ऋषि

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ऋषिः (ṛ́ṣiḥ)	ऋषी (ṛ́ṣī)	ऋषयः (ṛ́ṣayaḥ)
accusative	ऋषिम् (ṛ́ṣim)	ऋषी (ṛ́ṣī)	ऋषीन् (ṛ́ṣīn)
instrumental	ऋषिणा (ṛ́ṣiṇā) ऋष्या¹ (ṛ́ṣyā¹)	ऋषिभ्याम् (ṛ́ṣibhyām)	ऋषिभिः (ṛ́ṣibhiḥ)
dative	ऋषये (ṛ́ṣaye)	ऋषिभ्याम् (ṛ́ṣibhyām)	ऋषिभ्यः (ṛ́ṣibhyaḥ)
ablative	ऋषेः (ṛ́ṣeḥ) ऋष्यः¹ (ṛ́ṣyaḥ¹)	ऋषिभ्याम् (ṛ́ṣibhyām)	ऋषिभ्यः (ṛ́ṣibhyaḥ)
genitive	ऋषेः (ṛ́ṣeḥ) ऋष्यः¹ (ṛ́ṣyaḥ¹)	ऋष्योः (ṛ́ṣyoḥ)	ऋषीणाम् (ṛ́ṣīṇām)
locative	ऋषौ (ṛ́ṣau) ऋषा¹ (ṛ́ṣā¹)	ऋष्योः (ṛ́ṣyoḥ)	ऋषिषु (ṛ́ṣiṣu)
vocative	ऋषे (ṛ́ṣe)	ऋषी (ṛ́ṣī)	ऋषयः (ṛ́ṣayaḥ)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• आर्षेय (ārṣeyá)
• ऋषिक (ṛṣika)
• महर्षि (maharṣí)
• सप्तर्षि (saptarṣí)

Descendants

• → Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀇𑀲𑀺 (isi)
• → Pali: isi
  • → Burmese: ဣသိ (i.si.)
  • → Mon: ဣသိ
  • → Khmer: ឥសី (ʼisəy)
  • → Sinhalese: ඉසි (isi)
  • → Thai: อิสิ (isi)
• → Romani: raśaj, rashaj (Anglicized), rašaj (Pan-Vlax)
  • → Angloromani: rashai
  • → Traveller Norwegian: rasjo
• → Bengali: ঋষি (riśi)
• → Burmese: ရသေ့ (ra.se.)
• → English: rishi (learned)
• → Hindustani:
  • → Hindi: ऋषि (ŕṣi)
  • → Urdu: رشی (riśī)
• → Japanese: リシ (rishi)
• → Kannada: ಋಷಿ (ṛṣi)
• → Lao: ລືສີ (lư̄ sī)
• → Marathi: ऋषी (ruṣī)
• → Nepali: ऋषि (r̥ṣi)
• → Old Javanese: rṣi, rĕsi, rĕsi
  • → Javanese: ꦉꦱꦶ (resi, “hermit”)
  • → Balinese: ᬋᬱᬶ (resi, “rishi; holy man; prophet”)
  • → Malay: resi
    • → Indonesian: rêsi (“sage”)
• → Odia: ଋଷି (r̥ṣi)
• → Old Uyghur: 𐽰𐽰𐽾𐽴𐽶𐽲𐽶 𐽶𐽳𐾁𐾀𐽳𐽴 (ʾʾrzyqy ywltwz /⁠Aržiḳï yultuz⁠/, “Star of Ṛṣi”)⁠
• → Punjabi: ਰਿਸ਼ੀ (riśī), رشی (rśī)
• → Tamil: ரிஷி (riṣi), ருஷி (ruṣi), இருடி (iruṭi) — tadbhava
• → Telugu: ఋషి (r̥ṣi)
• → Thai: ฤๅษี (rʉʉ-sǐi), ฤษี (rʉ́-sǐi), ฤๅษรี — obsolete, ฤาษี (rʉʉ-sǐi) — misspelled
• → Tocharian A: riṣak
• → Tocharian B: rṣāke

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “ऋषि”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 226/3-227/1.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 261