प्रज्ञा

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• প্ৰজ্ঞা (Assamese script)
• ᬧ᭄ᬭᬚ᭄ᬜᬵ (Balinese script)
• প্রজ্ঞা (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰿𑰨𑰕𑰿𑰗𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀚𑁆𑀜𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ပြဇ္ဉာ (Burmese script)
• પ્રજ્ઞા (Gujarati script)
• ਪ੍ਰਜ੍ਞਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌜𑍍𑌞𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦥꦿꦘꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂣𑂹𑂩𑂔𑂹𑂖𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಪ್ರಜ್ಞಾ (Kannada script)
• ប្រជ្ញា (Khmer script)
• ປ຺ຣຊ຺ຎາ (Lao script)
• പ്രജ്ഞാ (Malayalam script)
• ᢒᡵᠠᡯᠨᡳᠶᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘢𑘿𑘨𑘕𑘿𑘗𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᢒᠷᠠᠽᡛᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧂𑧠𑧈𑦵𑧠𑦷𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑑂𑐬𑐖𑑂𑐘𑐵 (Newa script)
• ପ୍ରଜ୍ଞା (Odia script)
• ꢦ꣄ꢬꢙ꣄ꢛꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑇀𑆫𑆘𑇀𑆚𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖿𑖨𑖕𑖿𑖗𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ප්‍රඥා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩰 𑪙𑩼𑩣 𑪙𑩥𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚞𑚶𑚤𑚑𑚶𑚓𑚭 (Takri script)
• ப்ரஜ்ஞா (Tamil script)
• ప్రజ్ఞా (Telugu script)
• ปฺรชฺญา (Thai script)
• པྲ་ཛྙཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑓂𑒩𑒖𑓂𑒘𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨞𑩇𑨫𑨥𑩇𑨓𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *per-

Proto-Indo-European *pró

Proto-Indo-European *pro-

Proto-Indo-Iranian *pra-

Sanskrit प्र- (pra-)

Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-

Sanskrit ज्ञा (jñā)

Sanskrit प्रज्ञा (prajñā)

From प्र- (pra-, “towards, pro-”) +‎ ज्ञा (√jñā, “to know”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɾɐd͡ʑ.ɲɑ́ː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾɐd͡ʑ.ɲɑː/

Noun

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā́) stem, f

1. wisdom, intelligence, knowledge, judgement (ŚBr.)
2. plan, method (ŚBr., ŚāṅkhŚr.)
3. a clever or sensible woman (W.)
4. Wisdom personified as a goddess, Saraswati (L.)
5. one of the enumerated शक्ति (śakti, “energy”)
6. (Buddhism) transcendental wisdom (MWB.)
7. the energy of Adi-Buddha (MWB.)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of प्रज्ञा (prajñā́)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	प्रज्ञा prajñā́	प्रज्ञे prajñé	प्रज्ञाः prajñā́ḥ
Vocative	प्रज्ञे prájñe	प्रज्ञे prájñe	प्रज्ञाः prájñāḥ
Accusative	प्रज्ञाम् prajñā́m	प्रज्ञे prajñé	प्रज्ञाः prajñā́ḥ
Instrumental	प्रज्ञया / प्रज्ञा¹ prajñáyā / prajñā́¹	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् prajñā́bhyām	प्रज्ञाभिः prajñā́bhiḥ
Dative	प्रज्ञायै prajñā́yai	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् prajñā́bhyām	प्रज्ञाभ्यः prajñā́bhyaḥ
Ablative	प्रज्ञायाः / प्रज्ञायै² prajñā́yāḥ / prajñā́yai²	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् prajñā́bhyām	प्रज्ञाभ्यः prajñā́bhyaḥ
Genitive	प्रज्ञायाः / प्रज्ञायै² prajñā́yāḥ / prajñā́yai²	प्रज्ञयोः prajñáyoḥ	प्रज्ञानाम् prajñā́nām
Locative	प्रज्ञायाम् prajñā́yām	प्रज्ञयोः prajñáyoḥ	प्रज्ञासु prajñā́su
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• Pali: paññā
  • → Burmese: ပညာ (pa.nya)
  • → Lao: ປັນຍາ (pan nyā)
  • → Lü: ᦔᧃᦍᦱ (ṗanyaa)
  • → Middle Chinese: 般若 (MC paen nyaeX)
    • Mandarin: 般若 (bōrě)
    • Cantonese: 般若 (bo1 je5, but3 je5)
    • Hakka: 般若 (pat-ngiâ)
    • Min Nan: 般若 (poa̍t-jiá, poa̍t-ché, pat-jé)
    • → Japanese: 般若(はんにゃ) (hannya)
    • → Korean: 반야(般若) (banya)
    • → Vietnamese: bát nhã (般若)
  • → Mon: ပညာ (pɔnɲa)
  • → Old Khmer:
    • Khmer: បញ្ញា (paññaa)
  • → Shan: ပိင်ႇၺႃႇ (pìng nyàa)
  • → Thai: ปัญญา (bpan-yaa)
• → Sinhalese: ප්‍රඥ්ඥාව (pragngnāwa)

Adjective

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā)

1. feminine nominative singular of प्रज्ञ (prajña)

Root

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā)

1. to know, understand (esp. a way or mode of action), discern, distinguish, know about, be acquainted with
2. to find out, discover, perceive, learn

Derived terms

• प्रजानाति (prajānāti)
• प्रज्ञापयति (prajñāpayati)
• प्रज्ञित (prajñita)

 

Descendants

• Prakrit: *𑀧𑀡𑁆𑀡𑀺𑀢 (*paṇṇita)
  • ⇒ Sanskrit: पण्डित (paṇḍita)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “प्रज्ञा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 0659/1-2.