Editing Rishi (section)

==In Hindu texts==
[[File:Rishi.jpg|thumb|A temple relief showing a Rishi.]]
In the [[Vedas]], the word denotes an inspired poet of Vedic hymns.<ref name=scharfe13/> In particular, Ṛṣi refers to the authors of the hymns of the [[Rigveda]]. Some of the earliest lists of ''Rishi'' are found in Jaiminiya Brahmana verse 2.218 and [[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]] verse 2.2.4.<ref name=jmcdaniel309>Justin McDaniel (2013), This Hindu holy man is a Thai Buddhist, South East Asia Research, Volume 21, Number 2, page 309, 303-321</ref>

Post-Vedic tradition regards the Rishis as "sages" or [[saint]]s, constituting a peculiar class of divine human beings in the early mythical system, as distinct from [[Asura]]s, [[Deva (Hinduism)|Deva]]s and mortal men. [[Swami Vivekananda]] described "Rishi"s as ''Mantra-drashtas'' or "the seers of thought". He told— "The truth came to the Rishis of India — the Mantra-drashtâs, the seers of thought — and will come to all Rishis in the future, not to talkers, not to book-swallowers, not to scholars, not to philologists, but to seers of thought."<ref name="Swami Vivekananda on Rishis">{{cite web|title=Swami Vivekananda on Rishis|url=http://www.swamivivekanandaquotes.org/2014/03/swami-vivekanandas-quotes-on-rishis-and-sages.html|publisher=Swami Vivekananda Quotes|access-date=12 April 2014|archive-date=19 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619214211/http://www.swamivivekanandaquotes.org/2014/03/swami-vivekanandas-quotes-on-rishis-and-sages.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The [[Rig Veda]] mentions female rishikas such as Romasha, [[Lopamudra]], [[Apala]], [[Kadru]], Visvavara, [[Ghosha]], Juhu, Vagambhrini, Paulomi, [[Yami]], [[Indrani]], [[Savitri and Satyavan|Savitri]] and [[Devayani]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-10 |title=Rshikäs of the Rgveda Blog by Swamini Atmaprajnananda Saraswati |url=http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/masters/philosophy/rshik-s-of-the-rgveda-214571 |access-date=2024-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810021917/http://www.speakingtree.in/spiritual-blogs/masters/philosophy/rshik-s-of-the-rgveda-214571 |archive-date=10 August 2015 }}</ref> The [[Sama Veda]] adds Nodha, Akrishtabhasha, Sikatanivavari and Gaupayana.

In [[Mahabharata]] 12, on the other hand, there is the post-Vedic list of [[Marichi|Marīci]], [[Atri]], [[Angiras]], [[Pulaha]], [[Kratu]], [[Pulastya]] and [[Vashista]]. The Mahābhārata list explicitly refers to the saptarshis of the first [[manvantara]]<ref name="Williams" /> and not to those of the present manvantara. Each manvantara had a unique set of saptarshi. In Harivamsha 417ff, the names of the Rishis of each manvantara are enumerated.

In addition to the Sapta{{IAST|rṣi}}, there are other classifications of sages. In descending order of precedence, they are [[Brahmarshi]], [[Maharshi]], [[Rajarshi]]. Deva{{IAST|rṣi}}, Param{{IAST|rṣi}}, Shruta{{IAST|rṣi}} and Kānda{{IAST|rṣi}} are added in Manusmriti iv-94 and xi-236 and in two dramas of Kālidasa.

The Chaturvarga-Chintāmani of Hemādri puts '{{IAST|riṣi}}' at the seventh place in the eightfold division of Brāhmanas. [[Amarakosha]]<ref>Amarakosha (2.7.41–42)</ref> (the famous Sanskrit synonym lexicon compiled by Amarasimha) mentions seven types of {{IAST|riṣi}}s : Shrutarshi, Kāndarshi, Paramarshi, Maharshi, Rājarshi, Brahmarshi and Devarshi. Amarakosha strictly distinguishes Rishi from other types of sages, such as sanyāsi, {{IAST|bhikṣu}}, parivrājaka, tapasvi, muni, brahmachāri, yati, etc.