Sanskrit for priest

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Harry Spier

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Sep 24, 2023, 5:49:32 PM9/24/23
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Dear list members,
What is the most general sanskrit word for "priest".  Not a priest of a particular kind (household priest, royal priest etc.)  but just  "priest" in general.
Thanks,
Harry Spier

kenp

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Sep 25, 2023, 12:31:17 PM9/25/23
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Sudarshan HS

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Sep 29, 2023, 3:29:10 AM9/29/23
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ಸೋಮವಾರ, ಸೆಪ್ಟೆಂಬರ್ 25, 2023 ರಂದು 03:19:32 ಪೂರ್ವಾಹ್ನ UTC+5:30 ಗಂಟೆಗೆ, Harry Spier ಅವರು ಹೀಗೆ ಬರೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ:
Dear list members,
What is the most general sanskrit word for "priest".  Not a priest of a particular kind (household priest, royal priest etc.)  but just  "priest" in general.

The MW kosha says,
Priest : someone who is authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God

There is no word in Sanskrit for this, as perhaps the concept did not exist in India. Today, the word priest is loosely/inaccurately used to translate पुरोहितः (ritual leader) & for अर्चकः (appointed person to conduct अर्चना on our behalf)।

Regards,
- सुदर्शनः

 

S. Kalyanaraman

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Sep 29, 2023, 6:18:05 AM9/29/23
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Two words. Who is kāru 'poet' ? rašai m. 'priest' (European) < ṛṣi 'inspired singer' (CDIAL 2460)



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kenp

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Sep 29, 2023, 11:00:52 AM9/29/23
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Sathya Narayanan N

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Sep 30, 2023, 1:44:00 AM9/30/23
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Agnimeele purohitam yagnasya

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Nagaraj Paturi

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Sep 30, 2023, 1:49:01 AM9/30/23
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Thanks very much Sudarshan avare, for pointing out these nuances of translation problem. 

On Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 12:59 PM Sudarshan HS <sudar...@gmail.com> wrote:
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Senior Director, IndicA
BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra
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Mahamaho. Subrahmanyam Korada

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Sep 30, 2023, 6:34:31 AM9/30/23
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नमो विद्वद्भ्यः
Sanskrit for Priest --
you cannot have a single equivalent word --

1.पुरोधाः / पुरोहितः -- The one who is put in the forefront of शान्तिक - पौष्टिक etc. अग्निमीळे पुरोहितम् (ऋग्वेदः 1-1) |
2.ऋत्विक् -- ऋतौ / ऋतुं / ऋतुप्रयुक्तः यजति -- ऋत्विक् -- ’ऋत्विग्दधृक्स्रक्.....’ पा 3-2-59 क्विन्नन्तः निपातितः। ’ऋत्विग्वरणम्’ in ग्रहजप etc.
3.अध्वर्युः -- who represents यजुर्वेद in याग
4.उद्गातृ-- who represents सामवेद
5.होता -- who representsऋग्वेद
6. ब्रह्मा -- who represents all वेदs -- सर्वैर्ब्रह्माIn विवाह etc the पुरोहित is called ब्रह्मा
7. ऋत्विजः / याजकाः -- The यज्ञकर्ता offers some amount and selects sixteen persons and they are called ऋत्विजः / याजकाः --
ब्रह्मा -उद्गाता - होता - अध्वर्युः - ब्राह्मणाच्छंसी - प्रस्तोता - मैत्रावरुणः - प्रतिप्रस्थाता - पोता - प्रतिहर्ता - अच्छावाकः - नेष्टा - आग्नीध्रः - सुब्रह्मण्यः - ग्रावस्तुत् - उन्नेता ।

Many such terms, that are pregnant with meaning and are culture-specific cannot be translated -- some foot notes/end notes or
explanation in parenthesis has to be provided.

धन्यो’स्मि
 


Dr.Korada Subrahmanyam
Adju.Professor, Dept of Heritage Science and Technology, IIT, Hyderabad
299 Doyen , Serilingampally, Hyderabad 500 019
Ph:09866110741
Skype Id: Subrahmanyam Korada


On Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 8:30 PM kenp <drk...@gmail.com> wrote:
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Harry Spier

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Sep 30, 2023, 7:31:45 PM9/30/23
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Thank you Sudarshana
You wrote:

Priest : someone who is authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion especially as a mediatory agent between humans and God

There is no word in Sanskrit for this, as perhaps the concept did not exist in India. Today, the word priest is loosely/inaccurately used to translate पुरोहितः (ritual leader) & for अर्चकः (appointed person to conduct अर्चना on our behalf)।

That is what I was trying to find out.  Whether the concept existed.

Harry Spier 
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