सप्तर्षि

Sanskrit

Big Dipper

The Seven Sages

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• সপ্তৰ্ষি (Assamese script)
• ᬲᬧ᭄ᬢᬃᬱᬶ (Balinese script)
• সপ্তর্ষি (Bengali script)
• 𑰭𑰢𑰿𑰝𑰨𑰿𑰬𑰰 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀲𑀧𑁆𑀢𑀭𑁆𑀱𑀺 (Brahmi script)
• သပ္တရ္ၑိ (Burmese script)
• સપ્તર્ષિ (Gujarati script)
• ਸਪ੍ਤਰ੍ਸ਼ਿ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌸𑌪𑍍𑌤𑌰𑍍𑌷𑌿 (Grantha script)
• ꦱꦥ꧀ꦠꦂꦰꦶ (Javanese script)
• 𑂮𑂣𑂹𑂞𑂩𑂹𑂭𑂱 (Kaithi script)
• ಸಪ್ತರ್ಷಿ (Kannada script)
• សប្តឞ៌ិ (Khmer script)
• ສປ຺ຕຣ຺ຩິ (Lao script)
• സപ്തര്ഷി (Malayalam script)
• ᠰᠠᢒᢠᠠᡵᢢᡳ (Manchu script)
• 𑘭𑘢𑘿𑘝𑘨𑘿𑘬𑘱 (Modi script)
• ᠰᠠᢒᢐᠠᠷᢔᠢ (Mongolian script)
• 𑧍𑧂𑧠𑦽𑧈𑧠𑧌𑧒 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐳𑐥𑑂𑐟𑐬𑑂𑐲𑐶 (Newa script)
• ସପ୍ତର୍ଷି (Odia script)
• ꢱꢦ꣄ꢡꢬ꣄ꢰꢶ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆱𑆥𑇀𑆠𑆫𑇀𑆰𑆴 (Sharada script)
• 𑖭𑖢𑖿𑖝𑖨𑖿𑖬𑖰 (Siddham script)
• සප‍්තර්‍ෂි (Sinhalese script)
• 𑪁𑩰 𑪙𑩫𑩼 𑪙𑪀𑩑 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚨𑚞𑚶𑚙𑚤𑚶𑚮 (Takri script)
• ஸப்தர்ஷி (Tamil script)
• సప్తర్షి (Telugu script)
• สปฺตรฺษิ (Thai script)
• ས་པྟ་རྵི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒮𑒣𑓂𑒞𑒩𑓂𑒭𑒱 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨰𑨞𑩇𑨙𑨫𑩇𑨯𑨁 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Sandhi of सप्त (sapta, “seven”) +‎ ऋषि (ṛṣi, “sage”).
From Proto-Indo-Iranian *saptá (“seven”) and Proto-Indo-Iranian *r̥šíš (“seer”). Cognate with Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬞𐬙𐬀 (hapta, “seven”) and Avestan 𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬱𐬌𐬱 (ər^əšiš, “seer”)

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /sɐp.tɐ́ɾ.ʂi/, [sɐp̚.tɐ́ɾ.ʂi]
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /s̪ɐpˈt̪ɐɾ.ʂi/, [s̪ɐp̚ˈt̪ɐɾ.ʂi]

Noun

सप्तर्षि • (saptarṣi) stem, m

1. (Hinduism) Saptarshi. The seven seers of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature.
   The Mahābhārata acknowledges the names of seven rishis as: Marīci, Atri, Aṅgirā, Pulaha, Kratu, Vasiṣṭha, Pulastya and Kaśyapa.
   According to Śatapatha Brāhmaṇam and Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad the names of seven sages are: Gautama, Bharadvāja, Viśvāmitra, Jamadagni, Vasiṣṭha, Kaśyapa and Atri.
   The Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda in the Sandhyā-vandana Mantras has it as: Aṅgirā, Atri, Bhṛgu, Gautama, Kaśyapa, Kutsa and Vasiṣṭha.
2. (astronomy) the main seven brightest stars of the constellation Ursa Major/Great Bear. Also known as Big Dipper (US) / Plough (UK).

Declension

Masculine i-stem declension of सप्तर्षि (saptarṣi)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	सप्तर्षिः saptarṣiḥ	सप्तर्षी saptarṣī	सप्तर्षयः saptarṣayaḥ
Vocative	सप्तर्षे saptarṣe	सप्तर्षी saptarṣī	सप्तर्षयः saptarṣayaḥ
Accusative	सप्तर्षिम् saptarṣim	सप्तर्षी saptarṣī	सप्तर्षीन् saptarṣīn
Instrumental	सप्तर्षिणा / सप्तर्ष्या¹ saptarṣiṇā / saptarṣyā¹	सप्तर्षिभ्याम् saptarṣibhyām	सप्तर्षिभिः saptarṣibhiḥ
Dative	सप्तर्षये saptarṣaye	सप्तर्षिभ्याम् saptarṣibhyām	सप्तर्षिभ्यः saptarṣibhyaḥ
Ablative	सप्तर्षेः saptarṣeḥ	सप्तर्षिभ्याम् saptarṣibhyām	सप्तर्षिभ्यः saptarṣibhyaḥ
Genitive	सप्तर्षेः saptarṣeḥ	सप्तर्ष्योः saptarṣyoḥ	सप्तर्षीणाम् saptarṣīṇām
Locative	सप्तर्षौ / सप्तर्षा¹ saptarṣau / saptarṣā¹	सप्तर्ष्योः saptarṣyoḥ	सप्तर्षिषु saptarṣiṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Borrowed terms

• → Bengali: সপ্তর্ষি (śôptorśi)
• → Hindi: सप्तर्षि (saptarṣi)
• → Marathi: सप्तर्षी (saptarṣī)
• → Odia: ସପ୍ତର୍ଷି (sôptôrṣi)
• → Punjabi: ਸਪਤਰਿਸ਼ੀ (saptariśī)
• → Tamil: சப்தரிஷி (captariṣi)
• → Telugu: సప్తర్షులు (saptarṣulu)
• → Malayalam: സപ്തർഷികൾ (saptaṟṣikaḷ)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “सप्तर्षि”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1150/1.