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Rishi

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Rishi also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...

: ऋषि) denotes the composers of Vedic

Vedic

Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...

hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness

Consciousness

Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...

. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

took shape, as far back as some three thousand years ago.

Many ancient rishis were in fact women, rishikas in sanskrit. According to the late Vedic Sarvanukramani text, there were as many as 20 women among the authors of the Rig Veda, known as rishika. According to modern teachers Deepak Chopra and Swamini Mayatitananda, this number could be as high as 35.

One of the foundational qualities of a ṛṣi is satyavāc (one who speaks truth) when composing Vedic hymns. According to tradition, other sages might falter, but a ṛṣi was believed to speak truth only, because he existed in the Higher World (the unified field of consciousness). Ṛṣis provided knowledge to the world which included the knowledge of Vedas.

Etymology

In Indian tradition, the word has been derived from the two roots 'rsh'. Sanskrit grammarians derive this word from the second root which means (1) 'to go, to move' (- Dhātupāṭha of Pānini, xxviii). V. S. Apte gives this particular meaning and derivation, and Monier-Williams also gives the same, with some qualification.
Another form of this root means (2) '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).

More than a century ago, Monier-Williams tentatively suggested derivation from "to see". Monier-Wiliamss also quotes Hibernian (Irish) form 'arsan' (a sage, a man old in wisdom) and 'arrach' (old, ancient, aged) as related to rishi. In Sanskrit, forms of the root 'rish' become 'arsh-' in many words, e.g., arsh. Monier-Williams also conjectures that the root 'drish' (to see) might have given rise to an obsolete root 'rish' meaning 'to see'.

However, the root has a close Avestan cognate "an ecstatic

Religious ecstasy

Religious ecstasy is an altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness which is frequently accompanied by visions and emotional/intuitive euphoria...

" (see also Yurodivy

Yurodivy

Foolishness for Christ refers to behavior such as giving up all one's worldly possessions upon joining a monastic order. It can also refer to deliberate flouting of society's conventions to serve a religious purpose — particularly of Christianity. The term fools for Christ derives from the writings...

, Vates

Vates

The earliest Latin writers used vātēs to denote "prophets" and soothsayers in general; the word fell into disuse in Latin until it was revived by Virgil...

). Yet, the Indo-European dictionary of Julius Pokorny

Julius Pokorny

Julius Pokorny was an Austrian linguist and scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly Irish, and a supporter of Irish nationalism. He held academic posts in Austrian and German universities.-Life:...

connects the word to a PIE root meaning "rise, protrude", in the sense of "excellent, egregious".

Modern etymological explanations such as by Manfred Mayrhofer

Manfred Mayrhofer

Manfred Mayrhofer is an Indo-Europeanist specialized on Indo-Iranian languages. Mayrhofer is professor emeritus at the University of Vienna. He is noted for his etymological dictionary of Sanskrit....

in his Etymological Dictionary leaves the case open, does not prefer a connection to "pour, flow" (PIE

Pie

A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....

), rather one with German 'rasen' "to be ecstatic, be in a different state of mind" (and perhaps Lithuanian 'aršus').

Other uses

In Carnatic Music

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

, Rishi is the seventh chakra (group) of Melakarta

Melakarta

Melakarta is a collection of fundamental ragas in Carnatic music . Melakarta ragas are parent ragas from which other ragas may be generated. A melakarta raga is sometimes referred as mela, karta or sampurna as well.In Hindustani music the thaat is equivalent of Melakarta...

raga

Raga

A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...

s. 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.

"Seer" of the Vedas

In the Vedas, the word denotes an inspired poet of Ṛgvedic hymns, who alone or with others invokes the deities with poetry. In particular, Ṛṣi refers to the authors of the hymns of the Rigveda

Rigveda

The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...

. Post-Vedic tradition regards the Rishis as "sages" or saint

Saint

A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...

s, constituting a peculiar class of divine human beings in the early mythical system, as distinct from Asura

Asura

-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...

s, Deva

Deva (Hinduism)

' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...

s and mortal men.

The main rishis recorded in the Brahmanas and the Rigveda-Anukramanis include Gritsamada

Gritsamada

Gritsamada is a rishi, credited with most of Mandala 2 of the Rigveda . Grtsamada was a son of Shunahotra of the family of Angiras, but by Indra's will he was transferred to the Bhrigu family.In the plural, the name refers to the clan of Grtsamada, so used in RV 2.4, 19, 39, 41....

, Vishvamitra, Vamadeva

Vamadeva

In Hinduism, Vamadeva is the name of the preserving aspect of the God Siva, one of five aspects of the universe he embodies. On a panchamukha Sivalingam, Vamadeva appears on the right hand side...

, Atri

Atri

This article is about the sage named Attri. See also the gotra named Atri. For the Italian city, see Atri, AbruzzoIn Hinduism, Attri or Atri is a legendary bard and scholar and was one of 9 Prajapatis, and a son of Brahma, said to be ancestor of some Brahmin, Prajapatis, kshatriya and Vaishya...

, Bharadvaja, Vasishta, Angiras, Kaṇva.

Seven Rishis (the Saptarshi

Saptarshi

The Saptarishi are the seven rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never actually enumerate these rishis by name, though later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. They are regarded in the Vedas as the patriarchs of the...

) are often mentioned in the Brahmana

Brahmana

The Brāhmaṇas are part of the Hindu śruti literature. They are commentaries on the four Vedas, detailing the proper performance of rituals....

s and later works as typical representatives of the pre-historic or mythical period; in Shatapatha Brahmana

Shatapatha Brahmana

The Shatapatha Brahmana is one of the prose texts describing the Vedic ritual, associated with the Shukla Yajurveda. It survives in two recensions, Madhyandina and Kanva , with the former having the eponymous 100 adhyayas,7624 kandikas in 14 books, and the latter 104 adhyayas,6806 kandikas in 17...

14.5.2.6 (Brhad Aranyaka Upanisad), their names are Uddālaka Āruni (also called Gautama), Bharadvaja, Vishvamitra, Jamadagni

Jamadagni

Jamadagni is one of the Saptarishis in the seventh, i.e. the present Manvantara. He was a descendant of the sage Bhrigu, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma, the God of Creation...

, Vasishtha, Kashyapa, and Atri

Atri

. Daksha, Bhrigu and Nārada were also added to the saptarshis s in Āshvalāyana-Shrauta-Sutra, where these ten principals were created by the first Manu (Svāyambhuva Manu) for producing everyone else.

In Mahabharata

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

12, on the other hand, there is the post-Vedic list of Marici

Marishi-Ten

In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Marici is known as the goddess of the heavens, goddess of light, and a solar deity. Also known elsewhere as , Marisha-Ten , and Mólìzhītiān Púsà . She is believed to be one of the Twenty Heaven Celestials...

, Atri

Atri

, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulastya

Pulastya

Pulatsya was one of the ten Prajapati or mind-born sons of Brahma, and one of the Saptarishis in the first Manvantara....

and Vasishtha. 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, there are other classifications of sages. In descending order of precedence, they are Brahmarshi

Brahmarshi

In Hinduism, a Brahmarshi is a member of the highest class of Rishis , especially those credited with the composition of the hymns collected in the Rigveda....

, Maharshi, Rajarshi

Rajarshi

Rajarshi or Rajarishi is, in Hinduism and Hindu mythology, a royal saint and rishi.-Order:A Rajarshi is a king who turned into a royal sage, or Rajarshi...

. Deva, Param, Shruta and Kānda are added in Manusmriti iv-94 and xi-236 and in two dramas of Kālidasa.

The Chaturvarga-Chintāmani of Hemādri puts '' at the seventh place in the eightfold division of Brāhmanas. Amarakosha

Amarakosha

The Amarakosha from amara "immortal" and kosha "treasure, casket, pail, collection, dictionary", also Namalinganushasana from nama-linga-anu-shasana "instruction concerning nouns and gender") is a thesaurus of Sanskrit written by the Jain or Buddhist scholar Amarasimha...

(the famous Sanskrit synonym lexicon compiled by Amarasimha) mentions seven types of s : Shrutarshi, Kāndarshi, Paramarshi, Maharshi, Rājarshi, Brahmarshi and Devarshi. Amarakosha strictly distinguishes Rishi from other types of sages, such as sanyāsi, , parivrājaka, tapasvi, muni, brahmachāri, yati, etc.

Female Rishis (Rishikas)

Notable are several rishikas, female contributors to the composition of the Vedic scriptures.

The Rig Veda mentions Romasha, Lopamudra

Lopamudra

Lopamudra was an ancient Indian female philosopher. She was the wife of the sage Agastya. Together with her husband she is credited with spreading the fame of the Lalita sahasranama . She is also called Kaushitaki and Varaprada...

, Apala, Kadru

Kadru

In the mythology of India, Kadru , is usually the daughter of Daksha, wife of Kashyapa, and the mother of the Nagas. This is according to the Mahabharata ....

, Visvavara, Ghosha, Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, Yami

Yami

In Vedic beliefs, Yamī is the first woman, along with her twin brother, Yama. The Rig Veda, in the tenth Mandala, contains a hymn in which they sing to each other. They were children of Surya, the Sun god, in his form as Vivasvat, and his wife Saranya. She is also known as Yamuna. Another name for...

, Indrani, Savitri, and Devajami.

The Sama Veda adds Nodha, Akrishtabhasha, Sikatanivavari and Gaupayana.

Astronomy

In Hindu astronomy

Hindu astronomy

Historical Indian astronomy develops as a discipline of Vedanga or one of the "auxiliary disciplines" associated with the study of the Vedas.The oldest extant text of astronomy is the treatise by Lagadha, dated to the Mauryan era ....

, the Sapta (seven rishis) form the constellation of Ursa Major

Ursa Major

Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...

, which are distinct from Dhruva

Dhruva

In the Hindu mythology, Dhruva is a devotee of the god Vishnu, who blessed to attain the position of the polar star, also known as Dhruva in Sanskrit. Dhruva was the son of Uttānapāda...

(Polaris).