<p>Personally, the relatively few times I have examined Sanskrit, I have found it more useful than the Pali dictionaries. It is important to be aware Buddhism became totally corrupted in India in its attempt probably under King Ashoka to convert India to Buddhism. Straightforward words such as "<a href="http://spokensanskrit.org/index.php?mode=3&amp;script=hk&amp;tran_input=jati&amp;direct=au" rel="nofollow noreferrer">jati</a>" ("social identity") were changed by the later Buddhists to mean "physical birth"; which, from a Sanskrit perspective, is ridiculous. This ridiculousness was then exported to non-Indian lands, such as Sri Lanka, Burma &amp; Thailand. The Pali dictionaries were far more superstitious than the Sanskrit I have examined. Fortunately, the Dhamma is preserved due to the excellence of the Buddha's teachings. Words are understood in their <strong>contextual</strong> use (rather than from the Pali dictionaries). </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-31T03:38:17.853Z
"...therefore, to make this more of an answer than a rant, here's a link to my favorite online Sanskrit-English dictionary:"
Andriy Volkov
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-04T15:39:00.240Z
The "jati" link in the answer is a reference to http://spokensanskrit.org
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-31T02:02:04.220Z
2019-01-31T02:35:03.603Z
2019-01-31T02:35:03.603Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>Although this is not a Sanskrit or Pali dictionary per se, <a href="https://www.wisdomlib.org" rel="nofollow noreferrer">wisdomlib.org</a> is pretty useful.</p>

<p>For e.g. from the wisdomlib.org pages on <a href="https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/jati" rel="nofollow noreferrer">jati</a>, <a href="https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/karma" rel="nofollow noreferrer">karma</a> and <a href="https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dharma" rel="nofollow noreferrer">dharma</a>, you can find details on those terms, as related to Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and in other contexts.</p>

<p>It also quotes from multiple sources, including Sanskrit and Pali dictionaries.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-31T16:24:02.450Z
2019-01-31T16:24:02.450Z
ruben2020
<p>What is the Best , online Sanskrit-English dictionary. I want to do research on the early root meanings and usage of certain Buddhist words in early India. Say 5,000 years ago, or at least, 3,000 years ago.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-31T01:23:26.973Z
I like http://spokensanskrit.org/
Andriy Volkov
<terminology>
Sanskrit and Pali roots
# Sanskrit and Pali roots

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-01-31)

What is the Best , online Sanskrit-English dictionary. I want to do research on the early root meanings and usage of certain Buddhist words in early India. Say 5,000 years ago, or at least, 3,000 years ago.

**Tags:** terminology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I like http://spokensanskrit.org/  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-01-31. Score: 1

Personally, the relatively few times I have examined Sanskrit, I have found it more useful than the Pali dictionaries. It is important to be aware Buddhism became totally corrupted in India in its attempt probably under King Ashoka to convert India to Buddhism. Straightforward words such as "[jati](http://spokensanskrit.org/index.php?mode=3&script=hk&tran_input=jati&direct=au)" ("social identity") were changed by the later Buddhists to mean "physical birth"; which, from a Sanskrit perspective, is ridiculous. This ridiculousness was then exported to non-Indian lands, such as Sri Lanka, Burma & Thailand. The Pali dictionaries were far more superstitious than the Sanskrit I have examined. Fortunately, the Dhamma is preserved due to the excellence of the Buddha's teachings. Words are understood in their **contextual** use (rather than from the Pali dictionaries).

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "...therefore, to make this more of an answer than a rant, here's a link to my favorite online Sanskrit-English dictionary:"  
> **username_3**: The "jati" link in the answer is a reference to http://spokensanskrit.org  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2019-01-31. Score: 0

Although this is not a Sanskrit or Pali dictionary per se, [wisdomlib.org](https://www.wisdomlib.org) is pretty useful.

For e.g. from the wisdomlib.org pages on [jati](https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/jati), [karma](https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/karma) and [dharma](https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dharma), you can find details on those terms, as related to Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and in other contexts.

It also quotes from multiple sources, including Sanskrit and Pali dictionaries.


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