( sa, निघण्टु, ) is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

term for a traditional collection of words, grouped into thematic categories, often with brief annotations. Such collections share characteristics with glossaries and

thesauri A thesaurus (plural ''thesauri'' or ''thesauruses'') or synonym dictionary is a reference work for finding synonyms and sometimes antonyms of words. They are often used by writers to help find the best word to express an idea: Synonym dictionar ...

, but are not true

lexicon A lexicon is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Koine Greek language, Greek word (), neuter of () ...

s, such as the kośa of Sanskrit literature. Particular collections are also called . While a number of nighantavas devoted to specialized subjects exist, the eponymous Nighantu of the genre is an ancient collection, handed down from

Vedic times The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age in India, Bronze Age and early Iron Age in India, Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (ca. 1300–900 BCE), was composed in ...

. It was the subject of the

Nirukta ''Nirukta'' ( sa, निरुक्त, , "explained, interpreted") is one of the six ancient Vedangas, or ancillary science connected with the Vedas – the scriptures of Hinduism.James Lochtefeld (2002), "Nirukta" in The Illustrated Encyclope ...

, a commentary, together with a treatise on etymology, by Yaska. Technically, Yaska's Nirukta should designate his commentary only, but traditionally the Nighantu has been understood to be included in it.

The Traditional Nighantu

According to Yaska (Nirukta 1.20), the Nighantu was a collection of rare or difficult words gathered by earlier sages for easier understanding of Vedic texts that perhaps they may not have fully understood themselves. The collection comprises five ''adhyāya''s or chapters, in three 's or books: * : three ''adhyāya''s of similes, synonyms, metonyms and other glosses. The first ''adhyāya'' deals mainly with physical things and objects of nature. The second ''adhyāya'' deals mainly with man, his physical being, and qualities associated with his being, such as property and emotional states. The third ''adhyāya'' deals mainly with abstract qualities and concepts. * : one ''adhyāya'' of homonyms (''aikapadikam'') and particularly difficult or ambiguous words. * : one ''adhyāya'' of epithets of divine beings. Yaska's Nirukta covers the Naighantuka somewhat synoptically, often merely echoing a given gloss, but deals with the 278 words of the Naigama and the 151 names of the Daivata in detail. A full word-by-word commentary on the Naighantuka was written by Devarajayajvan, some time before the 14th CE.Sarup, Part I, p.50 A critical edition of the Nighantu and the Nirukta was published in the 1920s by Lakshman Sarup. In it, two major recensions were identified, one longer than the other, indicating additions at untraceable yet relatively early dates. It is now customary to render both recensions together, with the additions of the longer recension in parentheses.

Notes

References

* Lakshman Sarup, ''The Nighantu and The Nirukta'' (London, H. Milford 1920-29), Repr. Motilal Banarsidass 2002, {{ISBN, 81-208-1381-2. Vedangas Sanskrit words and phrases