A
pandit or
pundit (both pronounced ;
Sanskrit:
paṇḍita) is a scholar and a teacher, particularly one skilled in the Sanskrit language, who has mastered the four
Vedic scriptures,
Hindu rituals, Hindu
law,
religion,
music, and/or
philosophy under a
Guru in a
Gurukul or has been tutored under the ancient Vedic
Guru-Shishya academic tradition. The English loan word
pundit is derived from it but has been used to broadly refer to any of the following:
Siddhas,
Siddhars,
Naths,
Ascetics,
Sadhus, or
Yogis.