Paisachi: A Dead Language

                                                    Paisachi   - Athul Thejus Rajan

                                                                                                 

                     

 Paisachi is an ancient language which flourished during the 5^th Century BCE.  According to some historians and grammarians, this language is much alike Prakrit- the language of the masses during the ancient period.

The etymology of the name suggests that it is spoken by piśācas, "ghouls". In works of Sanskrit poetics such as Daṇḍin’s Kavyadarsha, it is also known by the name of Bhūtabhāṣa, an epithet which can be interpreted either as a "dead language" (i.e. with no surviving speakers), or as "a language spoken by the dead" (i.e. ghouls or ghosts), the former interpretation being more realistic and the latter being the more fanciful.

It is not known to what extent this was a vernacular or an artificial literary language, comparable to Pāli.

There are no extant works in this language today, and the only work attributed to be in Paisaci is the Brihat-katha (The Large Story), a large collection of stories written in the 5th century BC. It is known of through its adaptation in Sanskrit as the Katha-Saritsagara in the 11th century by Somadeva. One of the famous series of stories in this work is the Vikram and Vetaal series.

Paisachi has influenced many modern languages in India.  Words used in Tulu language are much alike Paisachi.

All sources related to Paisachi are inferenced from the work of Gunadya- ‘BrihatKadha’.

Why is Paisachi Relevant?

After Ramayana and Mahabharata, the most renowned Indian epic is the Panchatantra.

Panchatantra is a literary work with pan Indian reputation retaining its relevance even today with an unfailing appeal for the younger generation. There are two traditions of the Panchatantra in Sanskrit. The first one is the ‘Panchatantra’ by Vishnusharma which is available. The second version is by Vasubhaga Bhatta. Both these versions have sprung from the Brihatkatha by Gunadhya written in Paishacha language. The Sanskrit original of Vasubhaga Bhatta is not found. Panchatantra contains a number of stories constructed to teach the art of diplomacy and political administration to three princes of the king Amarashakti.