Pandit

A historic pandit's statue in a museum.

A pandit (IAST: paṇḍita), also spelled pundit (both pronounced /ˈpʌndɪθ/;^[1] Sanskrit: पण्डित) is a scholar^[2] or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, Hindu philosophy, or secular subjects such as music.^[3] He may be a Guru in a Gurukul.

In Sanskrit, states Monier Williams, Pandit generally refers to any "wise, educated or learned man" with specialized knowledge.^[4] The term is derived from paṇḍ (पण्ड्) which means "to collect, heap, pile up", and this root is used in the sense of knowledge.^[5] The term is found in Vedic and post-Vedic texts, but without any sociological context. In the colonial era literature, the term generally refers to Brahmins specialized in Hindu law.^[6]

The related term Purohit refers to a house priest.^[3]

See also

• Bard
• Chant
• Epic India
• Kashmiri Pandit
• Korla Pandit
• List of Saraswats
• Saraswat Brahmin
• Ustad

References

1. "pandit". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
2. Lise McKean (1996). Divine Enterprise: Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement. University of Chicago Press. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-0-226-56009-0.
3. Axel Michaels; Barbara Harshav (2004). Hinduism: Past and Present. Princeton University Press. p. 190. ISBN 0-691-08952-3.
4. Monier Monier-Williams (1872). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 527.
5. Monier Monier-Williams (1872). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. pp. 526–527.
6. Timothy Lubin; Donald R. Davis Jr; Jayanth K. Krishnan (2010). Hinduism and Law: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-139-49358-1.

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "^{article name needed}". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.