ṛṣi

views updated May 17 2018

Ṛṣi (Skt., ‘seer’). In Skt. literature, a patriarchal poet-sage. The ṛṣis are the visionary authors of the Vedic hymns (and other sacred literature) ‘heard’ within the silent depths of the heart and preserved in the orthodox brahman gotras of which they are the founders. Such ṛṣis were known as maharṣis, ‘great seers’, or brahmarṣis, ‘priestly seers’. Of these the saptarṣis, ‘the seven seers’, identified with the constellation Ursa Major (their wives with the Pleiades), are particularly prominent.

According to legend the ṛṣis were men of extraordinary creativity and magical power. Much of Skt. literature is devoted to accounts of their supernatural powers (e.g. flying, creating celestial worlds) and command over nature. The term ṛṣi or maharṣi survives today in contemporary usage as a title for certain ‘holy men’, such as Ramana Maharṣi and Maharṣi Mahesh Yogi.

RSI

views updated May 14 2018

RSI Abbrev. for repetitive strain injury. A painful injury that can be caused by prolonged use of badly designed or installed keyboards, though it is found in other unrelated activities involving repetitive muscular movements over a long period of time.

RSI

views updated May 21 2018

RSI Abbreviation of repetitive strain injury

RSI

views updated May 21 2018

RSI

views updated May 23 2018

RSI Med. repetitive strain (or stress) injury

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