प्रज्ञा

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• ᬧ᭄ᬭᬚ᭄ᬜᬵ (Balinese script)
• প্ৰজ্ঞা (Assamese script)
• প্রজ্ঞা (Bengali script)
• 𑰢𑰿𑰨𑰕𑰿𑰗𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀚𑁆𑀜𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌜𑍍𑌞𑌾 (Grantha script)
• પ્રજ્ઞા (Gujarati script)
• ꦥꦿꦘꦴ (Javanese script)
• ប្រជ្ញា (Khmer script)
• ಪ್ರಜ್ಞಾ (Kannada script)
• ປ຺ຣຊ຺ຎາ (Lao script)
• പ്രജ്ഞാ (Malayalam script)
• 𑘢𑘿𑘨𑘕𑘿𑘗𑘰 (Modi script)
• ပြဇ္ဉာ (Burmese script)
• 𑧂𑧠𑧈𑦵𑧠𑦷𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐥𑑂𑐬𑐖𑑂𑐘𑐵 (Newa script)
• ପ୍ରଜ୍ଞା (Oriya script)
• ꢦ꣄ꢬꢙ꣄ꢛꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆥𑇀𑆫𑆘𑇀𑆚𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖢𑖿𑖨𑖕𑖿𑖗𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ప్రజ్ఞా (Telugu script)
• ปฺรชฺญา (Thai script)
• པྲཛྙཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒣𑓂𑒩𑒖𑓂𑒘𑒰 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

From प्र- (pra-, “in front of”) +‎ ज्ञा (√jñā, “to know”).

Pronunciation

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

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɾɐ́d͡ʑ.ɲɑː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾɐd͡ʑ.ɲɑː/

Adjective

प्रज्ञा • (prájñā)

1. feminine singular nominative of प्रज्ञ (prájña)

Noun

प्रज्ञा • (prájñā) 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 (prájñā)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	प्रज्ञा prájñā	प्रज्ञे prájñe	प्रज्ञाः prájñāḥ
Vocative	प्रज्ञे prájñe	प्रज्ञे prájñe	प्रज्ञाः prájñāḥ
Accusative	प्रज्ञाम् prájñām	प्रज्ञे prájñe	प्रज्ञाः prájñāḥ
Instrumental	प्रज्ञया / प्रज्ञा¹ prájñayā / prájñā¹	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् prájñābhyām	प्रज्ञाभिः prájñābhiḥ
Dative	प्रज्ञायै prájñāyai	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् prájñābhyām	प्रज्ञाभ्यः prájñābhyaḥ
Ablative	प्रज्ञायाः prájñāyāḥ	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् prájñābhyām	प्रज्ञाभ्यः prájñābhyaḥ
Genitive	प्रज्ञायाः prájñāyāḥ	प्रज्ञयोः prájñayoḥ	प्रज्ञानाम् prájñānām
Locative	प्रज्ञायाम् prájñāyām	प्रज्ञयोः prájñayoḥ	प्रज्ञासु prájñāsu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

• Pali: paññā
  • → Burmese: ပညာ (pa.nya)
  • → Lao: ປັນຍາ (pan nyā)
  • → Middle Chinese: 般若 (MC buɑn|puɑn|pˠan ȵia|ȵia^X|ȵɨɐk̚)
    • 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: [Term?]
    • Khmer: បញ្ញា (paññaa)
  • → Shan: ပိင်ႇၺႃႇ (pìng nyàa)
  • → Thai: ปัญญา (bpan-yaa)
• → Sinhalese: ප්‍රඥ්ඥාව (pragngnāwa)

Root

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā)

1. to know

Derived terms

• प्रजानाति (prajānāti)

References

• Monier Williams (1899), “प्रज्ञा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, OCLC 458052227, page 0659.