Person · lexicographer · India
Amarasiṃha
Author of the Amarakosha, the Sanskrit thesaurus arranged by subject and composed in verse for memorisation, which became the standard reference work of Indian learning for well over a thousand years and was among the first Sanskrit texts printed in Europe.
- Function
- Text & inscription
- Confidence
- Not assessed
Worth knowing
Fragments of it were found among the manuscripts sealed in the Mogao caves at Dunhuang, which means a Sanskrit dictionary from India was in working use at the edge of the Gobi. He is traditionally placed among the nine gems of Vikramaditya's court, which is a conventional claim rather than a date.
Connections (1)
- TransmissionDunhuang, China
Fragments of the Amarakosha — the Sanskrit thesaurus arranged by subject and versified for memorisation — were found among the manuscripts sealed in the Mogao caves at Dunhuang. A working Indian dictionary was in use at the edge of the Gobi, which is what a translation bureau on a trade route actually needs. The Amarakosha remained the standard reference of Indian learning for well over a thousand years and was among the first Sanskrit texts printed in Europe.
Sources
Wikipedia, “Amarasimha”. The Amarakośa itself, with Kṣīrasvāmin’s commentary; the Dunhuang Sanskrit fragments in the British Library.
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