Paisaci
Encyclopedia
Paisaci, also known as Paisachi, or Paishachi, is an extinct language
of classical India
, mentioned as a medium of debate and literary expression in various Theravada
Buddhist sources, and in Prakrit
and Sanskrit
grammars of antiquity. It is not known to what extent this was a vernacular
or an artificial literary language, comparable to Pāli
.
The Sanskrit etymology
of the name of the language (suggesting that it means "spoken by demons") is deemed by modern scholars to be either jocular or simply false. As with most languages, the name seems to be devolved from a toponym associated with the origin or homeland of the language. In works of Sanskrit poetics such as Daṇḍin
's Kavyadarsha
, it is also known by the name of Bhutabhasha.
There are no extant works in this language today, and the only work attributed to be in Paisaci is the Brihat-katha (The Large Story), a large collection of stories written in the 5th century BC. It is known of through its adaptation in Sanskrit
as the Katha-Saritsagara
in the 11th century by Somadeva. One of the famous series of stories in this work is the Vikram and Vetaal
series. Talking of its existence, Pollock writes:
Historian Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade
claims that some of the old works like Krista Purana, Krishnadas Shamas Mahabharat composed in Konkani language
reveal that modern Konkani might be a successor of Paishachi.
Extinct language
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers., or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication...
of classical India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, mentioned as a medium of debate and literary expression in various Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
Buddhist sources, and in Prakrit
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
and Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
grammars of antiquity. It is not known to what extent this was a vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
or an artificial literary language, comparable to Pāli
Pali language
Pāli is a Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is best known as the language of many of the earliest extant Buddhist scriptures, as collected in the Pāi Canon or Tipitaka, and as the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism.-Etymology of the name:The word Pali itself...
.
The Sanskrit etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of the name of the language (suggesting that it means "spoken by demons") is deemed by modern scholars to be either jocular or simply false. As with most languages, the name seems to be devolved from a toponym associated with the origin or homeland of the language. In works of Sanskrit poetics such as Daṇḍin
Dandin
Dandin can refer to:* Daṇḍin, 6th-7th century Sanskrit writer* The Dandin Group, a wireless internet thinktank* Dandin the Sword Carrier, a character appearing in Mariel of Redwall and The Bellmaker, two books from the fictional Redwall series by Brian Jacques....
's Kavyadarsha
Kavyadarsha
The Kavyadarsha by Dandin is the earliest surviving systematic treatment of poetics in Sanskrit. This work is divided into 3 paricchedas in most of the printed editions, except one, where the third chapter of the other editions is further divided into two. Most of the printed editions have 660...
, it is also known by the name of Bhutabhasha.
There are no extant works in this language today, and the only work attributed to be in Paisaci is the Brihat-katha (The Large Story), a large collection of stories written in the 5th century BC. It is known of through its adaptation in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
as the Katha-Saritsagara
Kathasaritsagara
Kathasaritsagara is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales as retold by a Saivite Brahmin named Somadeva....
in the 11th century by Somadeva. One of the famous series of stories in this work is the Vikram and Vetaal
Baital Pachisi
Baital Pachisi or Vetala Panchavimshati , is a collection of tales and legends within a frame story, from India. It was originally written in Sanskrit....
series. Talking of its existence, Pollock writes:
Historian Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade
Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade
Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade , popularly known as Itihasacharya Rajwade, was an eminent historian, scholar, writer, commentator and orator from Maharashtra...
claims that some of the old works like Krista Purana, Krishnadas Shamas Mahabharat composed in Konkani language
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
reveal that modern Konkani might be a successor of Paishachi.